Loki’s TVA Twist Explains A Major Episode 1 Mystery

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for Loki episode 3.

A twist about the Time Variance Authority in Loki finally explains a major robot mystery that’s been around since the premiere. Loki episode 3, “Lamentis,” shows Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Sophia Di Martino’s Lady Loki (who goes by Sylvie) escaping from the TVA to end up on Lamentis-1, a doomed moon on the brink of an apocalypse in 2077. For now, their situation seems pretty hopeless, as the pair become stranded on Lamentis-1 with no way off and time running out. But besides harrowing moments, the episode also answers some lingering questions.

The Loki premiere explains everything about the TVA and its creators. According to an instructional video narrated by Miss Minutes (Tara Strong), mysterious god-like figures called the Time-Keepers keep track of a Sacred Timeline to protect and preserve the proper flow of time. The Time-Keepers supposedly created the TVA and all of its workers to carry out its mission and wrangle up variants. These variants are people or beings that step off the predetermined timeline, which is an act that could lead to a Multiverse war. Understandably, the Time-Keepers don’t want that to happen, so the TVA tracks down variants, such as Loki, and makes them stand trial for their crimes.

Despite the Time-Keepers’ official story, Loki episode 3 reveals that the supposed gods didn’t create the employees at the TVA after all, which shakes everything up and solves a mystery in the process. While on Lamentis-1, Sylvie explains that the Time-Keepers didn’t actually create all the workers at the TVA. TVA employees are just variants who stepped off the timeline as well. Loki, who bought into the Time-Keepers’ lie, is shocked by the revelation. “They don’t know that,” he says, realizing the TVA workers have all been brainwashed. In turn, the twist explains the TVA’s strange aversion to robots.

When Loki is first being processed at the TVA, he goes through a mysterious machine designed to eliminate artificial life. “What if I was a robot, and I didn’t know it?” Loki asks at the time. “The machine would melt you from the inside out,” a TVA employee replies. In the episode, it just seems like a quirky test from the TVA about robots, and Loki passes with flying colors. However, with the revelation that the TVA employees are brainwashed, it makes more sense. With a brain being a prerequisite, brainwashing obviously wouldn’t work on robots. Of course, whatever entity is pulling the strings at the TVA wants them destroyed. They don’t fit into the plan.

The reveal has major implications in the series. Beyond explaining the robot test, other Loki unanswered questions and mysteries also fall into place. For example, Owen Wilson’s Agent Mobius’ strange affinity for the ‘90s may reveal that that’s where he originally came from. Also, the scared looks on the faces of the TVA agents that Sylvie enchants seem to indicate they’ve been snapped out of the Time-Keepers’ trance or were shown a bit of their true past. If the TVA employees ever learn the truth, it may horrify them, but at least they can take comfort in knowing it would’ve been even worse if they were robots.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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Bill Bradley
(524 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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