It’s time to get the band back together. 

That was the general feel of “Loki” Season 2: Episode 2 “Breaking Brad,” in which Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) capture a rogue Time Variance Authority hunter named X-5 (Rafael Casal), who knows the location of Sylvie (Sophia DI Martino). 

Meanwhile, O.B. (Ke Huy Quan ) has to contend with an impending meltdown crisis as the TVA requires He Who Remains to unlock a blast door in order for him to modify the TVA to accommodate the multiverse. So there’s now a ticking clock element to this show. 

Loki and Mobius play a good cop, bad cop routine with X-5, with the viewer not entirely knowing if Loki is actually giving into his darker side, which is great. But alas, X-5 eventually breaks, which reveals that there is a rogue faction of the TVA that is still pruning multiverse branches, which calls Sylvie back into action as she’s started a new life on one. 

This episode builds off of the idea that all TVA agents have lives in the multiverse to get back to, which has been tempting Mobius since the season began. X-5 started a life as a movie star named Brad Wolfe and has completely abandoned the TVA, seeing it as nothing more than harmful mind washing. 

The TVA also doesn’t have a purpose now that it has stopped pruning the multiverse. It feels like its demise is inevitable, even necessary. I also don’t care much about what happens to the TVA — it was an evil institution created by a variant of Kang the Conqueror that is trying to do better, but I don’t think there’s a need for it outside of keeping the Kang variants in check. 

I’m more concerned what it will mean for Loki and Mobius’ friendship. Without Mobius, Loki is capable of great evil and with him, he’s been able to self-reflect and do better. There isn’t a need for the “Loki” show, but it’s justified its existence perhaps solely on Loki’s character development so far. 

 “Loki” Season 2: Episode 2 “Breaking Brad” gets a 9/10