Ty Rethinks "Loki" After the Season One Finale

Last week I wrote about the show "Loki", and how it just isn't hitting me like it is some others. I also said in that piece that I was going to finish the first season and make my decision based on the finale if I were to watch season two.

Now before I go further, this is going to be spoiler heavy. There is no way to talk about the finale of "Loki" without spoiling some big time things. I wanted you to know that going forward. So if you haven't watched yet, stop reading now, then come back and read this after you watch the finale.

Okay, that is out there. The finale of "Loki" turned me back into a fan. I will be watching season two now. The finale came up big and it was a great forty minutes of television. I was very pleased with how they ended the season, and where they could possibly go in season two, which has already been confirmed. While I still do not think it is as good as "WandaVision", and I still haven't seen "Falcon and Winter Soldier", "Loki" really came through in this finale. By the way, no show has been as good as "WandaVision" was for me. That show is an instant classic. But "Loki" did a good job setting up their big new villain, and the cliffhanger has me definitely wanting to watch what happens next.

The whole episode focused on Loki and Sylvie, a Loki variant, getting to the main timekeeper. I kept hearing people talk about how this was going to transform the show. This was going to be what made it great. When we finally get to the person it appears to just be a crazy, delusional man. He is spouting weird theories and keeps talking nonsense, or so it seems, to Sylvie and Loki. But his quiet craziness seemed suspect. Then he was able to react well before either person tried to kill him. He knew what was going to happen well before it happened because he wrote all the code for time. He is the timekeeper. He created all things and knows all things. We come to find out that there are thousands of him all across time and the world. He is everywhere. He is Kang the Conqueror.

This was a humongous reveal. I didn't know who he was at first, but my son explained who he was, and I got to tell you, he is a bad, bad dude. He kept telling Sylvie and Loki about all these things that he could do, and he gave them two options. He explained his whole plan, how he invented the timeline, how there were so many others of himself and how this would never stop, unless they took over. He gave them the option to become the official timekeepers. He said they could run everything and create whatever lives they wanted for themselves. Or they could kill him and cause all the other Kang's to come forth and wreak havoc on every single timeline.

Loki wants to take over, but Sylvie doesn't. She wants revenge for being taken so young by the time cops, and she wants blood. There is this great scene where Loki thinks he has talked Sylvie into taking over, they kiss and then Sylvie pushes Loki through a time portal and proceeds to stab Kang. He smiles as she does this and says, "see you soon". It was chilling.

At the end Loki runs into Mobius, played by Owen Wilson, and another time cop and they have no idea who he is. They ask him who he is and that he needs to go back to his cell because he is clearly crazy in their eyes. Loki then looks over at the world outside and there is a big Kang statue. The end.

This is so scary and was such a cool way to end the season. I also want to point out how incredibly awesome Johnathan Majors was as Kang. He was electric. He played this crazy bad villain so well. He was so eerily quiet and stoic. He never really lost it on the two of his pawns. He laid things out, told them exactly what would happen and never, ever chewed the scenery or over played it. Majors was so awesome and I am so excited to see what he does with this role in the MCU.

"Loki" won me back. Getting Majors was a huge deal for me, as I am a very big fan of his work. The finale was so perfect in setting everything up for another season of the show. They did it. They put their best foot forward when I wanted them to do it most. Now let's get ready for season two. I want to see what Kang the Conqueror has in store. I bet it is terrifying and will make for great TV. I'm pumped.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches "Da 5 Bloods"

Yesterday, after five separate viewing experiences, I was able to finish the new Spike Lee movie "Da 5 Bloods".

Right off the bat, I liked this movie. I like it more than "Black Klansman". I think it is one of Lee's stronger, more recent movies. I like the way it was shot, more on that later. And the acting was top notch. This is a good movie.

Before I get into why I liked it, I want to point out my little critiques, the stuff I would have changed. I felt the movie was a bit overlong. It was 2 hours 35 minutes in fact. I feel like it could have been an hour less than that. Spike Lee could have cut a good chunk of some stuff out, mainly the love story stuff, and the movie would have been just as good. The movie also had a little too much cliche stuff in it. That could have been on purpose, or just a coincidence. Either way though, some of it felt a bit too heavy handed, and the way I watch movies, I would have cut that out. And there was a group of activists that were a bit too featured in the movie. They help move along the story when we get to the thick of it, but they could have been shown a little less for me. Look, I get that this is all personal stuff, and the way I watch movies, but I would have cut that stuff, or could have done without it, and this would have jumped from a B+ to an A+ movie for me.

All that stuff aside, this is a very, very good movie. The opening sequence is one of the more powerful, and intense things I have ever seen in a movie. The way Lee added it to the movie, showing everything, was very powerful, intense and made me flinch, all in a good way. Lee's direction was masterful, as it always is. He is one of these guys that has honed his craft, he is exceptional at it, and he just flat out knows what he is doing. The way he directed the "flashback" scenes, and I know I am being coy, that is because I don't want to spoil anything, was like nothing I have ever seen before. The movie looks like a modern movie, and then when he does the flashback stuff, it looks like a grainy war movie. It was so unique and interesting and cool. Also, the shots he got from the jungle in Vietnam, and the city at night time, that was rad. He really shows two different worlds in the same country. It was awesome.

The main thing that puts this movie over the top is the acting. It is so god damn good. Everyone, as far as the main characters go, did a very good job. In fact I felt that Chadwick Boseman was the "weakest" one in the movie, but he has a very small role, only seen in flashback and has very few lines. What he did was great, he just didn't have a ton to do. He is also part of the most moving scene in the movie. As for the rest of the "5 Bloods", the guys were great. Isiah Whitlock as the party going, fun loving guy that just happens to be a sharpshooter. He also has a hero's sendoff. Norm Lewis is great as the affluent former soldier who has lost it all, but wants to be true to their friend's memory and promise. His death is brutal and unexpected. Clark Duke, as the medic, is really good. He is quiet yet powerful. When he speaks, it holds weight. His words are important and the guys listen when he talks. Johnathan Majors is funny and moving. He has some great moments in this movie. He has intense moments as well. But it gets no better than Delroy Lindo. His performance is a masterclass in acting. He does things so perfectly in this role. You cannot take your eyes off him when he is on screen, which is a ton. His portrayal of PTSD and panic attacks is all too real. The way he treats his friends and family, he is an angry dude that needs to come to terms with his past, which he eventually does. If he doesn't win the Oscar for best actor this year, I'd be totally shocked. He is magnetic.

I like this movie. I recommend this movie. I think this movie is important given the current climate, and what is going on all over the world. "Da 5 Bloods" is definitely worth your time, just know it is a long watch. But, it is worth it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.