What is at stake in Loki? The short answer is the fate of the universe and the timeline as we know it. But which one? Somewhat brilliantly, Season 1 of Loki created a brand-new version of an existing Marvel supervillain, and rapidly turned him into a kind of accidental hero, crusading for the rights of those people who exist outside of the “Sacred Timeline.” In Season 2, Loki, Mobius, Loki, Sylvie, Miss Minutes, Renslayer, and the entire kooky world of the Time Variance Authority are back, now with even more paradoxes and reality-bending plot twists. But, the answer to the question about stakes is proving elusive. Now halfway through its six-episode run Loki Season 2 seems to have one driving purpose: to see how its characters survive mystery-box plot twists. But is this working?
