Loki went to 1893 in the third episode of season 2, where the Disney+ series finally delved into some time travel shenanigans. While we got to see the god of mischief thriving in Chicago, there were some interesting things to unpack. And no, it wasn’t Tom Hiddleston being British in Chicago and no one questioning it.
What was interesting to me about this episode, outside of Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) and his obsession with H. H. Holmes, was the fact that Loki is doing magic along with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) and no one seems to bat an eye. And not just subtle, sleight of hand trickery, but full-on green laser light show magic. Keep in mind, this isn’t present-day MCU, where wizards, magic necklaces, and alien invasions are just another Tuesday. This is happening in 19th-century Chicago.
Is this because they’re all too busy worrying about a giant hologram clock that is haunting the Chicago World’s Fair? To be honest, it is a little weird to me that Loki and Sylvie can easily throw magic around in the 1800s and there is nothing and nobody stopping them. Sure, this isn’t the sacred timeline, but that can only go so far when you stop and really dig deeply into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.
Frankly, the pile of unanswered moments in the MCU is growing daily, and while I am team “let them go” when it comes to a lot of things, I do think that running around and using magic in the 1800s is pushing the envelope a little. Only because no one seems to bat an eye when it is happening. This makes me wonder, are we supposed to believe it is fine because they’re all preoccupied with Miss Minutes getting really big and running after Victor Timely?
The excuse of a branched timeline can only go so far, guys
At the start of their adventure at the Chicago World’s Fair, it is established that this is a branched timeline. So maybe in this world, the citizens of Chicago are used to magic. Still, seeing green magic flying around while a giant AI clock is haunting the city (before she tries to convince a man to give her a body so they can bang) is a lot to justify as “just normal things” for this timeline. Why is the magic not stopping anyone there?
I do think if I suddenly saw magic flying around, I’d stop and say, “Now what the hell is happening over there?” Maybe I would be the only one, but I doubt it. It does happen in the chaos of the moment, and there is arguably a lot happening. So my issue is simply: Why does no one seem to care? Not a single person is shook? No one? Or are they all so numb by the giant clock that they simply can’t handle anything else? Loki has us asking a lot of questions, and it doesn’t seem like answers are coming anytime soon.
(featured image: Disney+)
