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- "Not even when you're wooing someone powerful you intend to betray?" This guy has bloody experience, holy shit. He must have watched *all* the Marvel movies lmao.
- "Maybe I'd like to learn." Jeez, it's like catnip to Loki. Talk about yourself, with the promise of a reward. This Loki would monologue on the fucking street for free lmao (and he did exactly this in Stuttgart, but with ulterior motives...) On the other hand, when has _anyone_ actually rated Loki's opinion of anything?
- so Mobius' whole job is tracking down dangerous variants, not that this Loki is apparently one of them.
- Loki does not like being called a "little pussycat" lol check out that jaw twitch.
- Mobius is literally taking notes with a pencil, bless his heart. I wonder if he thinks that because this Loki variant wants Midgard and further conquest, perhaps the other Loki variant wants the same thing. Nah, too simple. He's gauging how far this particular Loki has come in his goals and motivations.
- Mobius asks why Loki actually wants to rule. The reply (with a small pleased upturning of the lips - here comes the monologue!!) is, "I would have made it easy for them. The first and most oppressive lie ever uttered was the song of freedom. For nearly every living thing, choice breeds shame and uncertainty and regret. There's a fork in every road, yet the wrong path always taken." This sounds like what Miss Minutes was saying in the animation, except in Loki's dramatic style. Well, he'll fit right in, huh? Except the dude gets mighty pissed off when people impinge on what he considers his freedoms, and he won't like it at all when he realises the TVA don't consider him to be anywhere near the category that excludes "nearly every living thing". Either he's telling them exactly what he thinks they want to hear, or (as we've seen in _Avengers_) the dude's just a hypocrite that talks pretty. Is that so he can live with himself?
- "The Time-Keepers have built quite the circus, and I see the clowns are playing their parts to perfection." Whoops, Hiddleston accidentally looked right down the barrel of the camera there. Still, line remains effective. Loki's also still subconsciously lumping himself in with the Time-Keepers, the special people.
- "I am smart." "I know." "Okay." Mobius is so self-assured. He's like a model of mental health that it would behoove Loki to aspire to. He doesn't lose anything of himself by speaking honestly and positively about Loki and he knows it, whereas Loki is right-quick to fend off what he thinks is an attack on his intelligence. Also brings back a little humour into such a wordy scene. Hiddleston and Wilson bounce really well off each other.
- geez, the synth score when the holoprojector boots up. Sounds bloody epic.
- "If it's all the same to you, I'll have that drink now". The line from _Avengers_, Loki's last actual line in that particular movie. It also undermines the little tale he's been telling himself and Mobius, about going back to conquering Midgard. Midgard had already beaten him. Mobius rubs a bit more salt in by jokingly offering Loki some of his soft drink, lol. (He actually *has* two soft drinks there, aww - he might have actually given Loki one if he had the humility to say yes.)
- Coulson mention!! But he doesn't correct Loki when he says Coulson's dead! Goddammit, Marvel, bring MAoS back into the canon fold!!
- Loki can't even look at the screen when Mobius pulls up the footage of the New York collateral casualties, and gets bloody defensive when he begins asking if Loki likes causing pain and hurting people. The implication is that, no, he doesn't enjoy it, but he can't bring himself to admit it. He isn't what he thinks other people want of him, which in his eyes, makes him a failure.
- So Loki falls back on that old comfort that he has left - he's a god. Of mischief. But fuck if any of this looks like mischief. This is exactly why Mobius shows him the D. B. Cooper episode. This is mischievous. This is Loki working at the top of his game. Hell, they never caught the real guy! There's an implication here, then, that it's because Loki's abandoned his area of expertise, that he keeps losing.
- Holy shit, the D. B. Cooper sequence. I was not expecting this to be a throwaway flashback. (I can only wonder what other greater delights this series will contain.) I saw the plane jump in the trailer with the money, and I was like HmmmmMMMMmmm. And this kinda thing would be, and was, right up Loki's alley. Just perfect.
- My god, Loki's fucking oozing charisma like he's slit Aphrodite's fucking wrists. That flight attendant was absolutely fucking charmed. I know, cause I'm over here in the real world being fucking charmed too. Hell, she's even fucking grinning at him *after* he's told her about the bomb and got the money. Is this the guy who's supposed to be the perennial loser?? If he was like this all the fucking time, he'd be king of the world already, fuck the Avengers.
- This entire scene is like a cocky salute and a roguish wink to Bond. Maybe it's Marvel throwing their weight behind Hiddleston to be the next one! (God, I hope not, feels like the part is cursed.)
- Music in this scene is also fucking amazing. A bit of levity amidst the psychoanalysis. Thankyou, Natalie Holt.
- lol at Mobius watching this shit go down like he's got popcorn and a free weekend. It's also obvious he's watched this many, many times. For this Loki, it's a throwaway moment. He doesn't understand yet why Mobius is showing him this.
- I did a bit of looking into D. B. Cooper, it seems he jumped at night, which makes a whole load of sense. Oh well, this is the MCU after all.
- "I was young, and I lost a bet to Thor." Fuck my life, now I want to see a whole dumb show about Thor and Loki fucking around in the before time. Also, you can totally tell that Loki's the kind of dramatic fucker to call that 'young' Loki's shenanigans, before he learned he was a monster runt. (Wait wait wait. So maybe if Loki was younger, he'd be better, less burdened by his fuckups and hangups? Can anyone say Kid Loki??? I dunno, just spitballing here.)
- "What is it that you think that you're really running from?" Now this question gets Loki up and pacing, and trying to turn the questions back on Mobius, who to his credit, calmly answers.
- "I want you to be honest about why you do what you do." Why is he doing what he doesn't actually want to do, assuming that his uncomfortable response to the suffering he's caused means he doesn't like it? And now Loki decides that everything so far must be an illusion, a lie, a scam run by the TVA, because he is fucking scared of that question, of answering that question. "It's a cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak [*gestures at Mobius*] to inspire fear. A desperate attempt at control." Not only is this Loki's actual motivation in inverse (not that he can admit this yet), but this also works vice-versa for Loki. He thinks his fear is because Mobius and the TVA is trying to trick and control him, trying to hold him down. So he begins to rail against the TVA, declaring that of course he has free will and can do what he wants, gain success by the work of his hands and the sweat of his brow (not deigning to consider if he is not one of the privileged few who can control others' freedom, as per his previous argument). (Further inflamed by Mobius rewinding him when he stands up to make a point. "Back in your cage.")
- So Mobius pulls out the big guns. Time to look at this Loki's future according to the Sacred Timeline. "We know your whole life, how it's all meant to be. Think of it as comforting." That's taking the argument Loki had for ruling others and turning it on Loki - "I would have made it easy for them."
- Goddamn, it has gotta fucking hurt knowing that your mum is dead because of you, and that your colossal, unforgivable fuck up is continually maintained by the TVA because fuck you, that's why. Makes one want to really fuck up the TVA, huh? Fuck, I don't think Prime Loki had that fact 100% confirmed for him like this Loki is getting.
- "Where do you have her? Where is she?" *Translation: I'm scared shitless, this must be a trick, cause this is exactly what I'd do in their position.*
- "I'll kill you." Threat sounds strangely hollow. Practiced. "Like you did your mother?" (Oooh shit.) Tossed chair goes wide and Mobius has to rewind him again to stop Loki from grabbing him. Dude hits the floor coccyx first. Owie.
- "You were born to cause pain and suffering and death. That's how it is, that's how it was, that's how it will be. All so that others can achieve their best versions of themselves." God*damn* that is fucking harsh to hear, and it's like villain meta. What a glorious fucking purpose. (By the way, bits of Mobius' line also sound like the Catholic Glory Be, which is weirdly appropriate for this dude who calls himself a god.) Who wants a timeline like that for themselves? How can such a timeline be a good thing? It's like Mobius is telling the god of fucking Mischief exactly what he needs to hear to be motivated to fuck up the TVA. It seems he is not unsympathetic to Loki's situation though, by how he helps the guy off the floor.
- You can actually see Loki pickpocket the time twister remote off Mobius as he looks up to see B-15 walk in. Bloody good show. Who fucking needs magic anyway.
- "You think everyone should be reset." Okay, so B-15 is likely to be a bit of a zealot, whereas Mobius is the maverick, soft-hearted "I can fix them" dude. Or so it seems. [*rubs hands together*] I've missed this kind of thing, not knowing whose viewpoint to trust in a show, not even the main character. Early MAoS had that spy vibe, especially in the wake of CA:TWS's effect on the show.