In Loki season 2, Loki and his wayward variant Sylvie are going to have an emotional reunion … in a McDonald’s.
You see, for some reason, Sylvie has gotten a job at a McDonald’s in 1982 after unleashing the multiverse at the end of season 1. Loki producer Kevin Wright explained that she’s drawn to the restaurant’s wholesome family vibes, but for those of us who know what it’s actually like to work there (anyone want to get up at 5AM to be yelled at by soccer moms?), her decision still raises some questions.
To promote the show—and the McDonald’s tie-in ad campaign—Disney and McDonald’s have taken a location in Brooklyn and turned it into a vintage McDonald’s from 1982. The location has ’80s outfits and prices, Time Variance Authority posters, actors dressed in TVA prison uniforms, and even an Employee of the Month plaque for Sylvie.
Those who have made it out to the southern half of Brooklyn to take part are enjoying the pop-up, but if you search for Loki on social media, the promotion makes it look like the entire series is about McDonald’s. If you were a newcomer to Loki, you’d never know the show is actually about a time-traveling Norse trickster god trying to save the multiverse.
And it’s reminding me of all the promotion we could be getting.
AMPTP could end the WGA and SAG strikes today if it wanted
While the McDonald’s tie-in has been in the works for at least a year, one possible reason it’s the only major promotion we’ve gotten so far is because of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
WGA members have been striking for fair pay and better working conditions since last May, with their SAG colleagues having joined them in July. The strike rules for both unions bar writers and actors from promoting upcoming work (although WGA rules have relaxed somewhat). That means no press junkets or promo spots. Remember all the great interviews and talk show appearances we got for Loki season 1? There’ll be none of that this time around, unless the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers agrees to WGA and SAG’s demands.
And those demands are very, very reasonable. WGA has been vocal about how little the demands would cost studios. Recently, actor Adam Driver made a very good point: if smaller studios can afford to pay writers and actors reasonable wages, then why can’t juggernauts like Disney afford it? The answer is that they absolutely can.
Maybe there’s a wider range of promotions planned in the five weeks until season 2 drops on October 6. Maybe the strikes will end before then, and the cast and crew can go on a press tour! But for now, all the hype about the Loki sweet ‘n sour sauce just has me wistful for the marketing that’s being kept from us by AMPTP’s shortsightedness and greed.
(featured image: Disney+)
