‘Loki’ – ‘The Nexus Event’ – Review

Episode by episode the tension has been mounting in Loki, and now in Episode 4 ‘The Nexus Event’, this tension absolutely snaps and the result is a thrilling and intense 49 minutes of television that will have you on the edge of your seat.

At the hour of their destruction on Lamentis-1, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), are re-captured by the TVA and brought in for questioning. And it’s here that uncomfortable truths are brought to the surface, and the orderliness of the TVA soon descends into chaos with Loki and Sylvie right at the front of it. With their backs against the wall, and swords out in front they make their way to their ultimate objective: a head-on meeting with the mysterious Time Keepers.

We’ve been building to this moment for some time in Loki, the moment when Loki comes face to face with the mysterious Time Keepers, and Episode 4 ‘The Nexus Event’ does not disappoint. Drawing on equal parts character exploration, and sword frenzy wielding action, ‘The Nexus Event’ is one hell of a fun moment of television action, and long time MCU fans will be very happy with the results that director Kate Herron brings to the screen. Herron gives a duel focus to the episode by splitting up Loki and Sylvie and devoting time to each character and their respective backstories. And this leads to some very interesting narrative revelations.

This unique framing of ‘The Nexus Event’ allows us to focus more into the characters of Loki and Sylvie, who are equally two sides of the same god. With Sylvie, we learn about her childhood, which because of the TVA was made tremendously hard and traumatic and resulted in this absolute survivor of a character. While Loki comes face to face with his past thanks to Mobius (Owen Wilson), in the form of Lady Sif which sees the return of the delightful Jaimie Alexander. Sif of course has plenty of hate for Loki, and it’s hilarious to watch this ‘reunion between these two characters. And did we mention that Mobius confirms the presence of vampires within the MCU! Yep, there’s a lot to be excited about thanks to this episode.

Herron also throws a spanner into the works thanks to the presence of Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Judge Ravonna Renslayer, who so far has been at the head of the TVA’s orderliness and who has plenty of her own secrets that she’s keeping from her staff. While cryptically Renslayer’s motivations are looked into, the mystery and suspense, driven by her presence and actions in this episode are sure to keep audiences off guard. And Mbatha-Raw gives Renslayer a presence of authority and superiority that marks her out as a dangerous enemy to have.

The action of Loki has been building slowly over the series, and after the kinetic and chaotic chase scene in ‘Lamentis’ we finally get to see Loki and Sylvie go to work against the agents of the TVA. And it makes for an epic showdown. With swords at the ready, Loki and Sylvie go for it, and the fight scenes in ‘The Nexus Event’ are freaking awesome to watch. We’ve never really gotten to see Hiddleston show his stuff in regards to combat as Loki, but here he showcases a balletic-matador style grace with his combat, while Di Martino’s Sylvie is more of an in-your-face brawler type. Fans looking for action will be impressed and I hope we see more of it down the line.

But ‘The Nexus Event’s’ climactic event results from Loki and Sylvie’s showdown with the mysterious Time Keepers….and it’s a showstopping moment. This final act of this episode is sure to take your breath away, and I was shocked in multiple moments, and in disbelief at what I was seeing. If you thought the infamous Red Wedding was shocking, wait until you see this, because I sure as hell did not expect Loki to go here, and that’s exactly where it goes. Herron keeps the stakes high this time, and is proving that when you think you know where this series is going, well, you’d better watch out.

Loki Episode 4 ‘The Nexus Event’ took it to a whole new level for the MCU and Disney+, and the result is an engaging, contemplative and ultimately shocking chapter of the MCU that is sure to have major consequences for our favourite god of mischief going forward.

Loki is available to stream on Disney+

Image: Walt Disney Pictures