Loki: The Complete Second Season - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook

When the first season of Loki premiered on Disney+ having multi-episode MCU series was still a novelty. The MCU franchise was still on something of an upswing as it worked to find its next big post-Thanos storyline. Things change fast. A few rough movies and a couple of dud series later, there was legitimate worry about how things would play out as each entry felt rudderless. Thankfully Loki didn’t fall into that directionless trap. While obviously originally intended to continue the expanding arc of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer, the series isn’t beholden to MCU franchise expansion but focused on concluding Loki’s story. 

When we last saw Loki, He Who Remains (Majors) was killed by Sylvie (Sophie Di Martino) as Loki (Hiddleston) returned to the TVA as neither Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) no idea who he is while the sacred timeline splinters into infinite tangents. The series picks up with this thread with Loki seemingly slipping in and out of time, randomly traveling from the past, present, or future. In order to stabilize his presence in time, he’ll need a little help from the TVA head technician OB (Ke Huy Quan). As things happen, the solution to one problem leads to an even bigger issue as the loom that holds the tangled timeline together is about to fracture. To ensure every timeline remains and all survive, Loki will have to find Sylvie, locate a variant of He Who Remains called Victor Timely (Majors), and stop Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Miss Minutes (Tara Strong) from seizing control of the TVA. 

While possibly not quite as good as the first season, I debate that point within myself, I found Loki: The Complete Second Season to be a breath of fresh air for the MCU. After some anemic to just plain bad films and some overly expensive series of questionable quality, how tightly knit and focused this second season is was refreshing. The series is called Loki and it’s focused on his story 100% - as it should be. We have some deviations that might be used as franchise expansion later, but those threads are so secondary that they’re easily sidelined for the main mission - Loki attaining his glorious purpose in life. 

Along for the ride, Owen Wilson’s Mobius returns and he’s just as affable and entertaining as ever. After being such a dominant force in the first season, Sophie Di Martino’s Loki variant Sylvie feels more of a side character - but as we see her quest is complete, she doesn’t need to be front and center. Wunmi Mosaku also returns as Hunter B-15 and her character might not have the same cathartic arc as before but she’s just as splendid as ever. New to the team is Ke Huy Quan as OB, the lead technician, and Mr. Fixit of the TVA. Hot off his Oscar win, he’s a terrifically entertaining addition to the squad playing what could described as a grown variant of his famous Goonies character offering a vast array of crazy inventions that come through in a pinch. Despite his legal issues, Majors again proves to be a dynamic presence and it would have been quite something to see his Kang arc played out, alas that’s not to be. If the Kang arc is truly done and the role won’t be recast, this season is also a sort of unofficial conclusion to that storyline as well. 

If there’s a complaint about this series it's that it could seem smaller and feel less ambitious than the first. Nearly all of the action was kept to the TVA and an observation room looking at the time loom. But smaller isn’t always a bad thing. Without being distracted by alternate timelines and stunt-casting of various variants, this season gets to focus squarely on tying up Tom Hiddleston’s time as Loki. Like the densest metals, this season is plot and thematically heavy in a small package. While it’s entertaining to see the time jumps and loops like with a trip to the 1883 Chicago World Fair, Loki’s journey lands the emotional punches. As Loki’s arc runs, this is an incredibly satisfying series of episodes allowing for his Glorious Purpose to be defined by the actions he takes to protect the ones he loves. If this is truly the end, as it seems to be, it’s the best possible ending fans could have hoped for. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Following the first season, Loki: The Complete Second Season arrives on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in a two-disc 4K UHD SteelBook. Unlike the first season, this 4K release appears to be the only way to own the series on disc at this time. All of the episodes are spread over two BD100 discs and housed in another beautiful SteelBook package. Each disc loads to Disney’s standard language menu before allowing you to jump right into the show or segue over to a standard main menu. 

Now that Disney has selectively decided to add Dolby Vision to some of their 4K discs, we truly are getting the best overall 2160p video presentation for Loki: The Complete Second Season. What I loved about the first season that was carried over to this one is the impressive art deco mod set and art design of the TVA. From the “Office of the Future” styled cubicles to OB’s workshop, the series remains a visual delight. I also appreciate that a great deal of work was done to have as many practical sets and props in any given scene so we get something that actually has weight and true detail instead of just looking like a flat space behind our actors. To that, facial features, costuming, and textures all shine beautifully. The trip back to 19th-century Chicago is a big highlight in that arena. The Dolby Vision grade is top-notch work highlighting colors and black shadowy spaces while crisp pure whites glisten. There are also some lovely spectral highlights and the sense of depth and dimension is notable. Even in the most heavily CGI sequences, the visuals never falter.

Keeping pace with the great visuals is the excellent Atmos audio mix for each episode. Dialog is front and center without issue. As each sequence unfolds the soundscape is fully active and engaging for a rich immersive experience. Audio effects drift through the Front/Center and through the sides, rears, and into the heights nicely. The sounds of the TVA shuddering under the strain of the fracturing timeline is a highlight recurring effect. Like the visuals, the trip to Chicago is a great spin on the audio presentation. The bigger the action sequence the more active and engaging the soundscape, but even at its quietest this series has plenty of goings on to keep those surround speakers working. LFE also is a notable presence for all of the impact sounds and shudders. Then we have the excellent score from Natalie Holt lending real emotional depth for all the right moments. 

As with past Disney+ on-disc outings, the bonus features package might not be the most plentiful, but there is some quality material. The best is the hour-long Assembled: The Making of Loki: Season Two which covers a lot of key ground about the production, picking up the dangling threads of Season One and then moving into other important areas of the show. After that, we have another very brief featurette followed by the traditional gag reel and a smattering of deleted scenes. 

4K Disc One

• Assembled: The Making of Loki: Season Two (HD 58:05)

4K Disc Two

• Loki Through Time (HD 6:15)
• Gag Reel (HD 1:46)
• Deleted Scenes (HD 5:02)

Given the state of the MCU, and all of the numerous series and films that don’t seem to be aimed in any particular direction, Loki: The Complete Second Season is a refreshing stretch of episodes. While little trips at Universe expansion are made, the series remains focused on the title character and bringing his story arc to a close. Tom Hiddleston again delivers an excellent leading performance with great turns from the supporting cast all leading to a fitting and emotionally satisfying conclusion. If this truly is the end, the journey was more than worth it. Now on 4K UHD, Loki: The Complete Second Season lands on disc with a lovely Dolby Vision transfer with excellent Atmos tracks to accompany each episode. Bonus features aren’t plentiful, but at least they're insightful and informative. One of the better recent MCU outings, it’s safe to call Highly Recommended