Loki season 2 episode 1 recap and Easter eggs: Reunions, new faces and time-bending drama

Loki season 2
(Image credit: Marvel)

Loki season 2 has now kicked off on Disney Plus with the God of Mischief back for more time-hopping drama. We begin right where we left off with Loki in the TVA after it all went down with He Who Remains. Below, we catch you up on everything that happens in episode one, including Easter eggs, that post-credits scene, and everything in between. Of course, before we get any further, we’ll be getting into spoilers from the first episode here, so make sure you’re up to date.

 Trouble at the TVA 

Loki season 2

(Image credit: Marvel)

In the Loki season 1 finale, viewers were thrown for a loop when the God of Mischief ended up back at the time-keeping agency and no one had a clue who he was. This is resolved very quickly in the opening episode of season 2 when it becomes clear he’s actually in the past. Loki crashes through the window and cracks the ground before encountering Casey, who doesn’t recognize him. However, before Casey can call for backup, Loki is pulled into the present again. Intriguingly, the God of Mischief then notices the crack on the floor and finds out that it’s been there for "as long as they can remember" – so just how far back did Loki go?

Throughout the opening episode, Loki keeps being pulled between the past and the present thanks to his Time-Slipping issue and finds out some intriguing things about the TVA. This includes how He Who Remains was originally a very big face at the agency before it went through a rebranding and covered him up. It’s the revelations from the future that are more interesting though, as Loki hears a recording that suggests He Who Remains and Judge Renslayer were once very close.

New faces

Loki

(Image credit: Marvel)

In the aftermath of Judge Renslayer’s disappearance, there are some new faces at the TVA too. Kate Dickie plays General Dox and Liz Carr is Judge Gamble, who we meet as they discuss just what can be done about the spiraling situation. The big moral question is whether should they be pruning those branching timelines or should they listen to B-15’s pleas to save the lives of those living on them as they're Variants, just like them. Gamble is pretty convinced by B-15’s argument but Dox is more militant in her response and wants to find Sylvie to interrogate her.

Meanwhile, Loki and Mobius decide their route of action is to go to Repairs and Advancements where they meet O.B. While everyone else has had their memories wiped, Ke Huy Quan’s character remembers as long as 400 years ago at the TVA, mentioning the last time he spoke to Mobius. We wonder why he managed to escape the memory wipe…

In terms of Loki’s Time-Slipping issue, he hasn’t got an explanation (it’s not supposed to be possible at the TVA after all), but he has got a potential solution. It’s pretty dangerous though and will require Mobius to expose himself to temporal radiation while Loki prunes himself in hopes it will send him back to the present.

There’s also the issue of the Temporal Loom, which keeps track of all of the branching timelines, and it’s been overloaded in the aftermath of He Who Remains’ death. It translates raw time into a physical timeline, and if they can’t fix it, then chaos is on the horizon.

Everything goes a bit pear-shaped when Loki is pulled into the future with no warning. This leaves Obi hoping that he’ll prune himself in time while Mobius exposes himself to radiation, and risks his skin being peeled off. Eek.

Sylvie’s return

Loki

(Image credit: Marvel)

While all that’s going on, Loki finds himself in the TVA’s future and it’s in disarray. He hears a phone ringing near the elevator which he edges towards as Sylvie tries to open the doors of the lift. Just before he can answer any questions, he’s pruned from behind, and the Time-Slipping is fixed. However, just what is going on at the TVA will likely only be resolved as the series continues but this is very intriguing indeed.

This isn’t all we see of Sylvie in episode one either as there is a special post-credits scene where we find out where she went after killing He Who Remains. The answer is unexpectedly in Broxton, Oklahoma in 1982 at a McDonald’s. It’s probably the happiest we’ve seen her as she tells the employee there she wants to "try everything" as she watches people enjoying themselves.

Loki season 2 episode 1 Easter eggs

  • O.B.’s real name is Ouroborus, which has an intriguing double meaning. It’s a circular symbol that represents something eating itself, signifying an endless cycle of death and rebirth. Sounds perfect for someone working at the TVA.
  • The entrance door at the TVA which allows them to reach the Temporal Loom has an X in the middle and looks pretty X-Men-y. Could this be a nod to their role in the MCU’s future?
  • Broxton, Oklahoma is a location that Thor comic fans will know well. In the source material, it’s actually where Thor set up New Asgard after his rebirth.
  • There’s also a cheeky Moon Knight connection. While this didn’t make it into the Disney Plus version, an earlier clip of what Casey is listening to confirms it’s the same podcast that Steven Grant is hearing in Moon Knight episode 1.

For more on Loki season 2, check out our guides to:

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.