S02.E02: Breaking Brad

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

With the TVA on the verge of a temporal meltdown, Loki & Mobius will stop at nothing to find Sylvie.

Dropping on Disney+ on Thursday, October 12, 2023, at 9pm EDT / 8pm CDT / 7pm MDT / 6pm PDT.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I feel like I'm missing some information. How did Mobius and Loki zero in on "Brad" and no one else?  Was Brad loyal to Dox, but also planning to stay on the timeline as an actor? (would Dox have allowed that?) How was Sylvie's timeline still there after all the pruning? Just luck? And what would happen if she tried to return to a pruned timeline?

Also, when Loki was giving the big windup about how he was going to torture Brad with the device, why didn't Brad at least try to unlock the "locked" door to get outside to Mobius, who he thought would rescue him?  He thought the door was locked from the inside, correct?

How were the doors to the Time Loom opened last time?  Wasn't "He Who Remains" dead then, too?

To me, this was a very choppy episode.

Edited October 15, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[HDJulie]

Why do they need Sylvie?  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

23 minutes ago, HDJulie said:

Why do they need Sylvie?  

I think it's the fact that Loki saw her at the TVA in the future, before he was purged and stopped time-slipping.  But it's not at all clear to  me.

Also, now that Dox and Co. purged most of the branches, shouldn't the Time Loom be stable for now, until the Sacred Timeline starts branching again?

And how did Brad know he was Brad?  Since all the agents/hunters are variants, did he kill the "real" Sacred Timeline Brad and take his place?

Edited October 13, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[phalange]

Loki really got to be his trickster god self this episode. The shadows on the wall with the horns looked awesome. His devious plan to get Brad to spill about Sylvie's location also worked nicely. That shrinking box thing would probably get anyone to confess.

I love Casey fanboying over OB and asking him to sign the TVA handbook. 

Even though I've already seen clips of it, the Loki/Sylvie reunion was perfect. No one does the combination of longing and heart-eyes quite like him. Mobius and Brad watching Loki and Sylvie  through the window was hilarious. "There's a lot to unpack when you're basically in a relationship with yourself." Lmao, very true.

Loki and Sylvie holding hands to increase their powers is one of my favorite things.

Everyone watching the timelines get pruned was heartbreaking, especially B-15's reaction. "Those are people. Those are lives." 

[HDJulie]

5 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Also, now that Dos and co. purged most of the branches, shouldn't the Time Loom be stable for now, until the Sacred Timeline starts branching again?

This was my thought as well

[judemorrigan]

A note: I believe the title of the episode was Breaking Brad, not Bad.  Showing once again that there are few lengths the people who make these shows will not go for a cheap laugh. 

(That's actually a compliment, honest!)

[thuganomics85]

Alas, despite the episode title, we didn't get to see Loki and Mobius go undercover as meth dealers to fix the timeline.  Maybe next time!

It did feel like we missed a few scenes to establish why Brad had been there initial focus, but I was already suspicious of him, so finding out that he not only was working on an off the books plan with Dox/Katie Dickie to destroy all of the branches (and the billions that live in them), but was planning on remaining behind as a successful actor was on point for the character.  Did a solid job at getting into their heads as well, but I knew there was no way this guy would out-trick the master trickster!

Loki/Mobius continue to be one of the best duos in the MCU, which I wouldn't have been so sure about when this show initially started.  But it says something that I find it completely believable that Loki of all people would give Mobius a sympathetic hand to the back at the end because the development has been there for me to believe it.  Plus, as usual, Tom Hiddelston and Owen Wilson just nail every aspect of this relationship and have perfect chemistry with one another.  Also loved them bonding and being supportive over the times they lost their tempers.  Sure, for one it was slapping a guy in the face and other was leading an alien invasion in New York City and throwing a billionaire off the top of a building, but they can still relate to one another!

OB must be protecting at all cost with his ability to introduce himself and be willing to sign an autograph to a fan, when he's in the middle of his "We're all doomed!" spiel.  Ke Huy Quan is just such a delight!

Glad that Renslayer and Miss Minutes are being addressed and will likely be reintroduced.  I imagine this would need to be handled before they can get to "He Who Remains."

Liked seeing Loki use his magic in a major way again.

Not surprised that the reunion with Loki and Sylvie did not go well.  Not sure if this will end with her coming back around or if she's is destined to be a main villain. 

TVA has a pie room.  That alone means it is worth saving, Sylvie!

[paigow]

23 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

TVA has a pie room.  That alone means it is worth saving, Sylvie!

To be supplemented by Big Macs & Deep Fried Pies!

Maybe somebody at the TVA is related to the Salamancas....

[tkc]

Fun episode! One might even say:

It was good to see menacing Loki…

Edited October 13, 2023 by tkc

[jcin617]

10 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Also, now that Dox and Co. purged most of the branches, shouldn't the Time Loom be stable for now, until the Sacred Timeline starts branching again?

That's what I don't understand either; without He Who Remains, the Sacred Timeline is always going to be branching, everywhere, all at once.

Further, I thought S1 established that nexus events had to be reset before they went past the red-line, at which point they were no longer prune-able.   So, it's a bit unclear how they were able to prune 80% or whatever of the branches all of which had past the red-line.

And I'm not even sure I understand what the Time Loom is or does.  Time, as a force, would have existed before Kang and his Variants came into existence, and yet, He Who Remains built the Loom Chamber to do...what exactly?  Weave the fabric of Time only onto the Sacred Timeline?

[MadyGirl1987]

That ending was tough, seeing their reactions to the pruning. Everyone sold the emotions of that scene.

Loved Loki and Mobius’ conversation over pie. I can really see where Mobius is coming from. You’d want to know what your life was like, but how hard would it be to see what you were taken from, especially if it was a good life with a lot of family and friends.

[arachne]

So what happened to Miss Minutes? I got a bad feeling about this. 😟

And FYI: Real key lime pie is not that color! (It's more of a pale, slightly greenish yellow.) 

[tkc]

1 hour ago, arachne said:

And FYI: Real key lime pie is not that color!

I guess lime works differently in the TVA.

[AimingforYoko]

29 minutes ago, tkc said:

I guess lime works differently in the TVA.

OK tkc, you win this round.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, tkc said:

I guess lime works differently in the TVA.

O.B. wrote a whole chapter on Lime Slipping in the TVA Handbook

[cdnalor]

I don't buy their reactions to seeing the branches being pruned.  Wasn't that the TVA's job before?  They should be used to lives fading out of existence.

[HDJulie]

22 minutes ago, cdnalor said:

I don't buy their reactions to seeing the branches being pruned.  Wasn't that the TVA's job before?  They should be used to lives fading out of existence.

I think there were never that many at the same time & aren't they kind of newly more self-aware when before they just followed orders without question. 

[cdnalor]

6 minutes ago, HDJulie said:

I think there were never that many at the same time & aren't they kind of newly more self-aware when before they just followed orders without question. 

I should think after you've snuffed out billions of lives over the years, you develop a pretty thick skin.  If they're now more self-aware, they'll be in for a bad time when they think back about their past actions.

[kay1864]

2 hours ago, cdnalor said:

I should think after you've snuffed out billions of lives over the years, you develop a pretty thick skin. 

If Miss Minutes was telling us the truth in her first video 🙄🧐, I thought they grabbed individual variants after their nexus event, and steered them back onto the sacred timeline. Or imprisoned them, individually. 

Was that the director’s name (Dan Deleeuw) on the back wall during the fight scene?

[Spartan Girl]

First off, I love the episode title.

It feels like forever since we got to see Loki be the god of mischief and use his bag of tricks. As much as he deserved Brad/X-5 calling him out for all his past crap, I have to commend him for handling it like a pro. 

9 hours ago, MadyGirl1987 said:

Loved Loki and Mobius’ conversation over pie. I can really see where Mobius is coming from. You’d want to know what your life was like, but how hard would it be to see what you were taken from, especially if it was a good life with a lot of family and friends.

I agree. I’d love to find out Mobius’ past, but I respect him for seeing that there’s no point in dwelling on what could have been. That’s more maturity than a certain Avenger turned out to have…

Loved OB and Casey!

Okay, why is Sylvie acting like Loki betrayed her when she was the one who stabbed him in the back? Spare me her self-righteousness about the TVA (even if she’s right).

9 hours ago, arachne said:

So what happened to Miss Minutes? I got a bad feeling about this. 😟

Wouldn’t it be something if it turned out she was a Kang variant, or even a worse big bad than him?

[gail56]

I didn't like Sylvie last season, but so far I like her this season. She made a life for herself in the alternate branch and I liked her interaction with her co-worker at the end.

As for the workers in the TVA, remember they thought they were created by the Time Keepers. I really don't think they thought through the implications of pruning branches. Protecting the sacred timeline was their thing and their focus.

Now that they know that they are Variants and some of them remember the lives they lived before they were taken, they finally realize the implications of what they were doing. Pruning branches means killing people, not just taking the Variants who caused Nexus events out of the picture, and "restoring" the sacred timeline.

Which leads me to, how was it decided which variants would work for the TVA and which ones would be tried and pruned?

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/15/2023 at 10:59 AM, gail56 said:

Which leads me to, how was it decided which variants would work for the TVA and which ones would be tried and pruned?

Maybe we'll find that out with Mobius.

Speaking of which, I think that Brad said that Mobius was taken from the Sacred Timeline (ST).  But that's not how this works, correct?  He would have been a variant taken from a to-be-pruned branch, and his doppelganger (or original, or whatever) would have lived out his life, however long that was, on the Sacred Timeline.  To remove people from the ST in order to obtain TVA agents might have had a butterfly effect, or even created a new branch.  This must mean that TVA Brad did something to the ST Brad in order to take his place, right?  Or am I just confused?

Edited October 17, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[Fool to cry]

So Brad/X-5 decided to become a movie star in 1977 and not have a mustache?🤔 

I want to go to an automat someday.

[arc]

The episode’s moments were strong, but I felt like they skipped way too much plot, going from fixing Loki’s time-slipping problem last episode to pursuing X-5* in 1977 because he’s their lead to Sylvie. And BTW why is that important to Mobius and B-15?

I continue to love the costuming of the TVA. It’s mostly classic (1950s?) but with weird extra details that show they’re clearly not from any real-world era.

* how can it be that an agency that looks after an entire universe and multiverse and is clearly shown to be bigger than Manhattan has so few hunters that all the ones we’ve seen have such short designations? Do agents like Xcdef-847293737272 only get assigned to remote corners of the sacred timeline?

[paigow]

3 hours ago, arc said:

* how can it be that an agency that looks after an entire universe and multiverse and is clearly shown to be bigger than Manhattan has so few hunters 

Dick Wolf Effect: Until Law & Order CI, every NYC homicide happened in the 27th Precinct

[tennisgurl]

I love that Casey is a huge fan of OB, he even interrupted his panic spiral to ask for an autograph! 

I appreciate that Sylvie has made herself a life in a new timeline, its a simple one but she seems really happy with it, but she could slow down with the self righteousness. Yes the TVA have done a lot of horrible things, but they really did think that they were doing the right thing and they do seem to serve kind of greater cosmic purpose, the situation isn't as black and white as she acts like it is. 

Loki casually explaining the entire plot of The Avengers as just a tantrum he had when he got mad at his dad and brother that got a bit out of hand was hilarious. Glad he's at least admitting it now. 

I can understand why Mobius doesn't want to find out who he was, it would be hard to look at a life that was stolen from you that you can presumably never get back. I do want to find out who he used to be though. A jet-ski salesman?

Edited October 19, 2023 by tennisgurl

[arc]

10 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

but she could slow down with the self righteousness. Yes the TVA have done a lot of horrible things, but they really did think that they were doing the right thing and they do seem to serve kind of greater cosmic purpose, the situation isn't as black and white as she acts like it is. 

Being the direct target of many TVA murder attempts will probably create a permanent bias against the TVA.

[Tachi Rocinante]

This season is careening towards Donkey Wheel territory.  I hope they can bring it back on track.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 10/16/2023 at 7:06 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Speaking of which, I think that Brad said that Mobius was taken from the Sacred Timeline (ST).  But that's not how this works, correct?  He would have been a variant taken from a to-be-pruned branch, and his doppelganger (or original, or whatever) would have lived out his life, however long that was, on the Sacred Timeline.  To remove people from the ST in order to obtain TVA agents might have had a butterfly effect, or even created a new branch.  This must mean that TVA Brad did something to the ST Brad in order to take his place, right?  Or am I just confused?

I didn't get that either. TVA Brad becoming a famous guy seems like enough of a change that he should no longer be on the sacred timeline.

On 10/13/2023 at 9:00 AM, jcin617 said:

That's what I don't understand either; without He Who Remains, the Sacred Timeline is always going to be branching, everywhere, all at once.
 

I like this show but trying to wrap my head around all the timeline stuff is annoying. Because if the TVA exists outside of the timestream then shouldn't they only have to prune the branches once? Because they are able to see everything that has happened, is happening and will happen at the same time. It would be like being able to look at an entire reel of film all at once (or in this case many). The end of the movie won't surprise you since you see it at the same time as you see the beginning instead of one frame at a time.

[Sandman]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:48 PM, phalange said:

I love Casey fanboying over OB and asking him to sign the TVA handbook.

Did I forget, or did the TVA Handbook not exist last season? In other words, is the Handbook retconned (in-show) into existence, or did we just not see as much of it last season? (I also love Casey's fanboying over OB. My nostalgia for Short Round makes such enthusiasm seem only right and necessary.)

"No timeslipping inside the TVA" seems, like most time-wimey stuff in this show, a rule that's negotiable at best. The show talks about branching timelines, but OB's having memories in the future of a past as it's being created seems to argue against the "rules" stipulated in Endgame that you can't alter your past by travelling in time. (And ... now I need to have a little lie-down. Again.)

On 10/19/2023 at 2:53 PM, tennisgurl said:

Loki casually explaining the entire plot of The Avengers as just a tantrum he had when he got mad at his dad and brother that got a bit out of hand was hilarious. Glad he's at least admitting it now. 

Hilarious, infuriating and kind of sad, all at the same time.

One more thing: does anyone else think the Loom look more like a spindle? I guess The Drop-Spindle of Time doesn't sound so awe-inspiring.

On 10/20/2023 at 1:50 AM, arc said:

Being the direct target of many TVA murder attempts will probably create a permanent bias against the TVA.

It's not confirmation bias; it's extermination bias.  :: rimshot ::