In Loki season 2, episode 2, “Breaking Brad,” Loki and Mobius head to the Time Variance Authority automat for some pie after Mobius loses his cool with Brad Wolfe. How does Brad get under Mobius’ skin? By bringing up his life before the TVA. While they spoon bits of key lime and whipped cream into their mouths, Loki brings up Mobius’ past life again. “You never wanted to visit your place on the timeline?” he asks. “Don’t you want to see the life you were supposed to live before they kidnapped you and brought you to the TVA?”
Mobius’ answer is sensible—if his old life was something really good, he doesn’t want to know what he lost—but he also says something surprising. “I’d like to thank the guy who kidnapped me and brought me here,” he says. “Got me this pie.”
On the surface, the line sounds like a lighthearted joke, a way to express that he’s content in his current life. However, some fans noted a possible deeper layer of meaning in the line.
The pie is Loki!
Two Loki fans on X (formerly Twitter), @xxxcomfortloki (don’t worry, their feed is mostly safe for work) and @CharCubed, spotted some amazing subtext in the moment that Mobius says he wants to thank the person who brought him to the TVA. If you watch the scene carefully, you’ll see that the camera cuts to Loki’s face when Mobius says the line “got me this pie.” Not only that, but the pie is bright green: Loki’s signature color.
What does it mean? Maybe Mobius is trying to express something that he doesn’t feel comfortable admitting—or something that he hasn’t even consciously realized yet. Maybe the reason Mobius is so happy in the TVA is because that’s where he met Loki. Loki is the reason Mobius likes his life, not some automat dessert.
Lots of Loki fans read Mobius and Loki’s relationship as romantic, and you can’t deny that the show contains an awful lot of romantic cues. There’s Mobius’ obvious jealousy of Loki and Sylvie in season 1. There’s the sheer amount of time they spend touching each other in season 2. Even if their relationship is just platonic, though, their bond is unmistakable. Mobius has finally gotten to know Loki after spending eons studying the god’s life. Loki has finally met someone who accepts and understands him. These two guys really love each other.
And if it takes a slice of key lime pie to help Mobius say it out loud? Then bon appétit.
(featured image: Disney+)
