To paraphrase Friedrich Nietzsche, art is dead and we have killed it. Ok, so I may be exaggerating a bit. However, the entertainment industry has always been a struggle between art and commerce. A lead weight, however, has been placed down on the commerce side of the scale recently. After being without a year of Marvel movies, a void had been created in the interim. So, when it was announced that Disney+ had new programs and “Black Widow” would be released in theaters, optimism set in. Here is the halfway point of the year and that feeling is running low. I question if Disney can sustain enthusiasm through December 31 and beyond.
“Loki”, the latest from the streaming service, dropped the last of its episodes. But the overall feelings of myself and others has been “meh.” How come? Well, I have some ideas. First, is Loki that compelling of a character to begin with? My argument would be yes, if he was as he presented in “Infinity War.” Tom Hiddleston relishes this role very much; making any poor writing sound eloquent coming out of his mouth. That doesn’t change it into poetry. I miss joy in watching him as I did in “Midnight in Paris” or “Only Lovers Left Alive.”
We come in where we left off with Loki in “Avengers: Endgame” where he took the Tesseract and went back in time. Consequences catch up with him as the Time Variant Authority (TVA) captures him in order to set a proper flow in the sacred timeline. Instead of doing away with him, Loki is recruited by Mobius (played by Owen Wilson) for specific tasks he is suited for. Yes, mysteries get divulged with regularity so that the plodding pace doesn’t feel so stifling. It is the gravity of those twists, however, that fail to justify this show’s existence.
Whereas “Wandavision” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” had great human themes underlying typical Marvel plotlines, “Loki” feels more like filler used to set up future movies. True, the former shows clearly have intentions towards being links between theatrical features down the pipeline. But they don’t rely on that. Wanda’s journey through her grief or Sam’s (Falcon’s) quest for a sense of purpose made you keep watching each week. But what does Loki want? I would argue that even the writers don’t know. Now at the penultimate episode, I am even more confused than I was at the beginning.
Yes, the themes of order versus chaos are lurking below the surface. But the plot doesn’t seem to focus on those themes. One episode we are stuck on a dying moon with Loki and Sylvie, a Loki variant being pursued. The idea of being confronted with a part of himself, using it to gain deeper understanding makes for great philosophical dialogue. But it is really used to no effect and is mostly a waste of time. A fun waste, but a waste nonetheless.
And this is not even the end of it. The Gatling gun of content will be rattling off for the foreseeable future. Disney’s calendar has four more shows and four films by Marvel this year alone. Nothing any one critic will say is going to dissuade viewers away. This all might sound defeatist. Really, ebbs and flows are natural parts in film and culture. Only time will tell if “Loki” is just a minor low point. And there is a particular spider woman about to make way into the theaters soon. Regardless, happy viewing readers!
