The God of Mischief has been through a lot of changes since he first appeared back in the first Thor movie in 2011. He’s been a villain, an ally, an anti-hero, and shown hints of becoming something else. Now, in his own series, he’s actually fighting for something larger than himself, his own glory, or personal power. Loki and Mobius are on a desperate quest to save time, and everything else, requiring a journey to “1893.”

In the so-called “Sacred Timeline,” the fleeing Ravonna and her sidekick, crazed AI Miss Minutes, jump back to an earlier time in Chicago. After a lot of scheming and sharing a few secrets, they make a special delivery that’s supposed to help change the course of history. At the TVA, OB, Loki, and Mobius are trying to figure out how to stop the Temporal Loom from blowing up and ending pretty much everything. After batting around a few ideas, they figure out what, or who, they need to continue their project. After another great line or two from Loki, they move on to the next stop on their whirlwind tour.

The 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago was a remarkable moment in history. So many things happened there, like the first Ferris Wheel, the eventual inspiration for Disney World, a very organized serial killer, and many other things people would be surprised to learn all started here. A lot has been written about it, my favorite being the book Devil in the White City. This bit of swirling chaos is where Loki and Mobius turn up, hunting for desperately needed information. Their search brings them to, among other things, a famous snack and a representation of some of Loki’s kin, including the first MCU reference to one of the Asgardians who has been in the comics for decades. They also find references to a “ghost clock” which strikes a chord with the two, and go to a scientific presentation by Victor Timely.

In one of many inside jokes here, Timely was the name of Marvel Comics before they made a name for themselves with superheroes. The big lecture hall ends up hosting many of the characters at different times, and has a cameo from two of the show’s music composers as well. Loki, of course, recognizes Timely and has a whispered and intense discussion with Mobius. Mobius is understandably not really impressed with Timely, but then, Timely is a long way from Kang or He Who Remains. Timely gives an impressive presentation, especially for the time, and then we start getting hints that he’s not exactly what he seems. Things start getting very complicated, including Loki having a fun run-in with a bully and Timely getting a lot of interesting offers.

As if there wasn’t enough going on, Mobius has to step away to take a call from B-15, who has more news about ongoing developments at the TVA. As he gets a warning, Loki gets unexpected company in the form of Sylvie, who has not at all gotten over her vendetta with He Who Remains. To his credit, Loki tries to reason with her, but that goes poorly, and Timely gets terrified, understandably enough. Ravonna also makes her presence known, and Miss Minutes does some unlikely crowd control. While Mobius comes up with some unlikely transportation that Loki rejects out of hand, Ravonna and Miss Minutes spend some time with Victor Timely. It’s a very confusing conversation considering everyone is approaching it from a slightly different perspective in time. Timely proves himself to be quite clever, and Loki finally gets a bit of stress relief, dealing with some thugs who prove to be an inconvenience.

Fleeing assorted pursuers, Timely, Ravonna, and Miss Minutes take a short journey and talk about a lot of different things. Ravonna says some things she shouldn’t, and Miss Minutes seems to enjoy the mis-step, leading to a dramatic parting of the ways. Ravonna is not pleased, but is certainly a very determined individual. She’s rather impressive in a scary, border-line obsessive kind of way.

Things build to a head in Timely’s lab. Timely gets there and shows Miss Minutes around a bit as he makes hurried preparations. Miss Minutes starts pursuing her own agenda, and it not only gets a bit creepy, but she’s blaming people for things they haven’t done yet. Ah, the complications of time travel. The lab starts getting crowded as everyone involved in this phase of the hunt for Victor Timely shows up, and the different groups have opposing goals. After some fighting and a lot of talking, Victor gets brought somewhere, someone else gets exiled, and some difficult decisions are reached. The final scene has two uneasy allies making an agreement and the promise of a secret about to be revealed.

What I Liked: The Chicago World’s Fair is a fascinating confluence of different events, and I always like another look at it. Timely is an interesting character, and Jonathan Majors does a stellar job portraying him, and making him nothing at all like He Who Remains. The different factions pursing their own agendas are making for some interesting conflicting storylines. Hiddleston and Wilson do a phenomenal job as Loki and Mobius. I also want to say that particularly in this episode, Tara Strong is fantastic as the voice of Miss Minutes. The introduction of another Asgardian, even indirectly, was a nice touch. There’s only one major one I can think of now who hasn’t been in the MCU at all, although she’s been sort of hinted at. Loki dealing with assorted thugs at the fair was entertaining.

What I Didn’t: Not a great deal. This series continues to impress me just about every level. I’m almost getting whiplash from the difference between Timely and He Who Remains, but that’s really praise to the actor and writers more than criticism. I’m not entirely sure I get how everyone found the lab for the big final confrontation.

Another great episode with some masterful performances. I’ll give this a 4 out of 5. Nicely done, all.