Loki S2 Episode 3 "1893" Review: A Well-Timed Arrival Of A Kang Variant

It’s midseason somewhere in the Multiverse as a new episode of Loki Season 2 arrived on Disney+ following the previous episode’s shocking conclusion. With plenty of pruned timelines, the TVA is trying its best to remedy the situation; however, Ouroboros / O.B. warned that they don’t have much time left to get the Temporal Loom back to stable levels.

With He Who Remains gone, Loki and Mobius are time traveling again, with clues left on a TEM Pad marking Ravonna Renslayer’s last known location. What she may be up to connects her to Miss Minutes conspiring together and their connections to a Kang variant, so here’s what happened in Loki Season 2 Episode 3, “1893.”

All Fair's In Chicago As Time Traveling Roads Lead To Victor Timely

Time flies by when having too much fun and mischief as we're halfway through Season 2 of the Marvel Studios' series, Loki, and the stakes never felt this high. After Casey managed to ping Ravonna Renslayer's location from a confiscated TEM Pad, Loki and Mobius traveled to Chicago, Illinois, at two crucial times: 1868 and 1893, respectively.

To fix the timeline they must travel to the past.

Episode 3 of #Loki Season 2 is now streaming on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/NWFT5PbjiZ

— Loki (@LokiOfficial) October 20, 2023

However, before they arrive for the first time, Renslayer secretly meets with Miss Minutes, who was confirmed in the previous episode to be working or aligned with He Who Remains / Kang the Conqueror. As an added touch, Miss Minutes mischievously changed her appearance reminiscent of the era to a pocket watch face (slight spoiler) as she instructed to drop a secret package at a specific window, instructed by Miss Minutes and ordered by He Who Remains.

The package turns out to be a TVA Manual written by Ouroboros / O.B., and it was delivered to the window of a home where a Kang variant, Victor Timely, resides. While initially Loki and Mobius didn't piece this together, after arriving in the exact location in 1893, Timely had since used the TVA Manual and spent his entire time designing and building a small-scale Temporal Loom.

The in-between banter between Loki and Mobius as they investigate the significance of the time while walking around the  Victorian fair in Chicago included a few Easter Eggs. This is the three statue carvings of Odin, Thor, and Baldur, in which Loki expressed his disbelief over their portrayal while not knowing who Balder the Brave may be.

For those unfamiliar with the character's comic book origins, Balder the Brave is a fellow Asgardian who was an ally and close friend of Thor and later turned out to be his half-brother and adopted the name Balder Odinson. Jumping forward to Loki and Mobius finally tracking down Renslayer, with Miss Minutes stuffed in a bag, they watched Timely's presentation before attempting to apprehend him.

With Renslayer and Miss Minutes looking to convince Timely to take He Who Remains' place, Loki and Mobius need to bring him to the TVA at the behest of O.B. to use his aura to fix the Temporal Loom. Despite momentarily escaping a ship, Timely briefly mentions a lab in Wisconsin while Renslayer reveals his significant influence on the TVA before abandoning her and absconding with Miss Minutes.

It seemingly goes downhill for Renslayer and Miss Minutes as the latter reveals her true feelings before Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie locate the ship, and a scuffle ensues. However, Timely gets cornered before pleading for his life with Sylvie and, in a surprising turn of events, lets Loki and Mobius bring him to the TVA instead of her plan of eliminating every Kang variant.

To ensure the trio gets to the TVA, she sends Renslayer and Miss Minutes to the Citadel at the End of Time, where they find the body of He Who Remains. The episode ends on a major cliffhanger as Miss Minutes reveals in confidence of Renslayer's secret that may make her angry, which concludes the episode.

The third episode felt ot have a slower pace; however, it pushes various subplots forward that was mentioned in the first two episodes: O.B.'s significant role within the TVA, Renslayer's connections to Kang and Miss Minutes' involvement, and the role of Victor Timely as a Kang variant.

This is also the first time this season we get to see Renslayer and Miss Minutes, who had been on the run since Season 1's finale. Also, it was intriguing that Timely had refused to work with Renslayer before giving the rogue TVA AI, Miss Minutes, a chance to voice her feelings for him (likely being his variant, He Who Remains).

In the previous episode, Sylvie stated that she intended to rid every timeline that may have a Kang variant. While she initially arrived in 1893 and found Timely, opting not to silence him starkly contrasts her actions in the aforementioned Season 1 finale.

Also, the subtle Easter Eggs of Odin, Thor, and Balder the Brave, the latter of whom has not been introduced into the MCU, may or may not be a throwaway detail. And with Timely's mention of a laboratory in Wisconsin being a nod to the comic book counterpart's origins, time is still not on the side of Loki, Mobius, and the TVA.

New episodes of Loki Season 2 are released every Thursday at 6 pm PT and 1 am UTC / 2 am BST on Friday on Disney+. Loki Season 1 is available to stream.