Wow. Loki finished up today, and it was crazy. While it took an episode to find its footing, Loki kicked it into high gear during the second episode. The finale was easily the best of the three Disney+ TV shows we've gotten. I am so excited to see what's next in store for this show and for the MCU. My mind is still recovering from the blow that was that final episode. It's incredible. Here's my ranking of the episodes.
6. Episode 3: Lamentis
Episode three was the weakest of Loki by a lot. It was a side quest/filler episode that developed Loki and Sylvie, but didn't do anything else. A few fight scenes and some shockingly good effects can't make up for the simple lack of story progression. It was a disappointing episode, since it came after the seemingly cataclysmic events of episode two. I did not like Lamentis, but it's definitely the only episode of Loki that I would say I didn't like.
5. Episode 1: Glorious Purpose
I liked the series premiere of Loki, but I think it wasn't as good as everyone said it was. The episode dealt with the daunting task of dumping loads of exposition at the audience, and I think that they did a good job of completing that task...albeit as good as they could've done. I don't love the fact that Loki goes through ten years of character development in ten minutes, but they had to make him good somehow, and I think that they did the best that they could've done with a concept that wasn't all that great originally.
4. Episode 5: Journey Into Mystery
The second-to-last episode was a fun one. There were tons of Marvel easter eggs as well as the mystery of the mastermind behind the TVA. I thought that that was a cool setup. This was really where all the character arcs were resolved and Loki was able to shine. It did have somewhat of a side quest feel to it, which holds it back, but I enjoyed the multiple Lokis as well as the incredible final battle and lead-in to the season finale.
3. Episode 4: The Nexus Event
I think that this was the episode were I truly fell in love with Loki. At first, the show seemed to be about the procedures of the Time Variance Authority and that stuff. Then, it seemed like the show was going to be about tracking down the Loki variant. But that theory was squashed when the variant revealed herself as Sylvie in the second/third episode. And then it became clear that the TVA were the bad guys and the Timekeepers needed to be vanquished. But the shocking reveal that the Timekeepers are androids led to a great final few episodes.
2. Episode 2: The Variant
The sophomore episode of Loki deals with an investigation into the mysterious Loki variant (Sylvie) and the budding friendship between Loki and Mobius. This was really where Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson's chemistry shined. I loved their dynamic in this episode. That final sequence at the mall in the future was absolutely fantastic, and ended with a banger of a twist as we see Sylvie emerge as the variant and watch as she bombs the Sacred Timeline.
1. Episode 6: For All Time. Always.
This was a stunning finale. While it wasn't action-heavy and there were some questions that were left unanswered, the MCU has officially changed forever. Kang the Conqueror is the next major Marvel villain. Possibly our next Thanos. And the multiverse has now, finally, been created. Everything we know about the MCU is now a distant memory. We are now moving forward, past Endgame, into the future of the MCU. I think it should now be called the MCM (Marvel Cinematic Multiverse) after this episode. I absolutely loved it and it cemented this as the best Disney+ Marvel TV show yet.