Breaking Brad

"Breaking Brad" is the second episode of the second season and eighth episode overall of the American television series Loki, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Loki. It sees Loki working with Mobius M. Mobius, Hunter B-15, and other members of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) to find Sylvie, while confronting rogue TVA Hunter X-5 and General Dox. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by head writer Eric Martin, and directed by Dan DeLeeuw.

Not to be confused with Breaking Bad.
"Breaking Brad"
Loki episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 2
Directed byDan DeLeeuw
Written byEric Martin
Produced byEric Martin
Cinematography byOliver Loncraine
Editing byEmma McCleave
Original release dateOctober 12, 2023 (2023-10-12)
Running time51 minutes

Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki from the film series, starring alongside Sophia Di Martino (Sylvie), Wunmi Mosaku (Hunter B-15), Eugene Cordero, Neil Ellice, and Owen Wilson (Mobius) reprising their roles from the first season, alongside Rafael Casal (Hunter X-5), Kate Dickie (General Dox), and Ke Huy Quan. Development of the second season had begun by November 2020, which was formally confirmed in July 2021. Martin was revealed in February 2022 to be writing the majority of the season, while DeLeeuw was confirmed to be directing in the season in June 2023.

"Breaking Brad" was released on Disney+ on October 12, 2023.

Plot

Loki and Mobius are on a mission to find Sylvie. After the TVA's General Dox and Hunter X-5 stop responding, Loki and Mobius attempt to track down X-5, thinking that he has encountered Sylvie. They find X-5 on the Sacred Timeline, living as a famous movie actor called Brad Wolfe, in London, UK in 1977. Wolfe flees, running from Hunter B-15 and overpowering Mobius, but Loki uses magic to capture Wolfe, who is brought back to TVA headquarters.

Casey discovers that Ravonna Renslayer communicated with Miss Minutes before both went missing, and concludes that they are working together. Meanwhile, O. B. attempts to repair the Temporal Loom to safely accommodate the branching timelines without causing a meltdown, but finds that he cannot access the Loom without help from Miss Minutes, or the aura of TVA creator He Who Remains.

After Mobius loses his cool when questioning Wolfe, Loki interrogates Wolfe alone. Loki uses a device to physically squeeze Wolfe until Wolfe admits abandoning Dox's mission and knowing Sylvie's location. Loki, Mobius, and Wolfe travel to Oklahoma on a branched timeline, and find Sylvie working for McDonald's. Loki tells Sylvie about meeting her in the TVA's future and asks for her help to figure out what happened, but Sylvie is happy with her new life and wants nothing to do with the TVA. Wolfe proclaims that they are all in mortal danger, so Sylvie enchants him, revealing Dox's actual plan to simultaneously bomb and destroy all the branched timelines.

Loki, Mobius, and Sylvie travel to Dox's location and launch an attack to stop her ongoing operation, but most of the timeline branches were destroyed by then, via reset charges. Dox is captured and some of her allies escape. Casey finds Renslayer's TemPad on one of the remaining branched timelines. Sylvie declares that the TVA is rotten for failing to defend the branched timelines, and leaves for Oklahoma with He Who Remains' Tempad in her possession.

Production

Development

Development on a second season of Loki had begun by November 2020,[1] which was confirmed through a mid-credits scene in the first season finale, which was released in July 2021.[2] In February 2022, Eric Martin, a first-season writer who took over some of series' creator Michael Waldron's duties during production on that season,[3] was set to write all six episodes of the second season.[4] Dan DeLeeuw, a visual effects supervisor and second unit director on several MCU films, was revealed as a director in the season in June 2023,[5][6] directing the second episode.[7] Executive producers for the season include Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, and Kevin R. Wright, alongside star Tom Hiddleston, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Martin, and Waldron.[8] The second episode, titled "Breaking Brad",[9] was written by Martin,[10] and was released on Disney+ on October 12, 2023.[11] The title alludes to the television series Breaking Bad as well as plot elements in the episode related to the phrase "breaking bad".[9][12]

Writing

TVA Hunter X-5 is revealed to have become actor Brad Wolfe when he finds his real life on the Sacred Timeline, starring in the film Zaniac. Director Dan DeLeeuw explained that this version of the character would not have the same attributes as the villain from the comic does, explaining that the creative team "wanted to play around" with that being an Easter egg and referencing a more obscure comics character.[13] Following the end of filming the season one finale, "For All Time. Always.", Wright and actress Sophia Di Martino began an informal discussion of Sylvie's future, with Di Martino thinking she would be hungry after the death of He Who Remains concluded her long revenge mission. As development on the second season began, Wright felt that having Sylvie visit a 1980s McDonald's would be "appealing" for her as a place to "slow down", being drawn to that location based on the nostalgia a young child had going there after a sporting event or for a birthday party, which Sylvie never experienced. The 1982 McDonald's location was written into the script before approaching the company, a reverse of the typical brand partnerships in media, with McDonald's on board with the idea.[14] A generic restaurant was considered, RoxBurger, part of the villainous MCU corporation Roxxon, but DeLeeuw pointed out that it did not tell any sort of story in the same way that McDonald's had a "timeless" quality to it that many could relate memories too.[7]

Casting

The episode stars Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Sophia Di Martino as Sylvie, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Eugene Cordero as Casey, Rafael Casal as Hunter X-5 / Brad Wolfe, Kate Dickie as General Dox, Neil Ellice as Hunter D-90, Ke Huy Quan as Ouroboros "O. B.", and Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius.[15]: 45:52–46:25 

Design

Costume designer Christine Wada consulted McDonald's official handbook for the uniforms from the time period. She ultimately had to create the uniforms from scratch, as she was unable to locate any authentic uniforms from the era to purchase.[16]

Filming and visual effects

Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom,[17] with DeLeeuw directing,[7] and Oliver Loncraine as cinematographer.[18]: 2  Film grain was added to the entire episode to enhance the believability of the 1970s and 1980s time periods. DeLeeuw explained, "I think the palette was incredibly important with McDonald's, because you started getting into the more vibrant eighties colors, in contrast to the more muted colors in the seventies."[19] In the original draft of the script there was a car chase sequence when Loki and Mobius are pursuing Wolfe. DeLeeuw felt that "didn't make a lot of sense" for Loki's character, and decided to "go a little bit more towards the dark Loki side", coming up with the horn shadow gags.[7]

The 1982 Broxton, Oklahoma McDonald's location was filmed in a former restaurant building in England, with Marvel Studios working with McDonald's archivist and historian Mike Bullington to ensure the set decorations were as accurate as possible. The company sent six pieces of restaurant equipment, such as cash registers and straw dispensers, to England for use on the set. Bullington suggested a drive-through be built at the set location, given they had become a popular feature of McDonald's restaurants at that time following their introduction in 1975.[20] Visual effects for the episode were created by FuseFX, Industrial Light & Magic, Yannix, SDFX Studios, Framestore, Trixter, Cantina Creative, and Lola VFX.[15]: 48:27–48:44 [21]

Marketing

After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the episode as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including apparel, accessories, a Hot Toys Sylvie figure, and an O. B. Funko Pop.[22]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 90% approval rating, based on 10 reviews.[23]

Space.com's Fran Ruiz praised Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson for being "able to recapture some of season 1's finest moments between Loki and Mobius while their characters are pushed forward through actions that don't involve huge set pieces or fixing a giant device ... which is notable given the saga-defining elements at the center" of the show.[24]

Vulture's Siddhant Adlakha wrote that this episode was "confounding" and "does little but spin its wheels", failing to progress or produce interesting stories for either individual characters or the wider multiverse. Adlakha criticised the destruction of multiple branching timelines as lacking "weight" due to the lack of even "a flashing depiction of any of the lives in question".[25]

The A.V. Club's William Hughes gave a mixed reaction for the episode, praised the "visuals, performance, a near-giddy sense of energy" and sense of "fun", but criticised the show's writing for the "looseness of its character motivations, which feel at times like they can vacillate from … line to line, as the plot demands." Hughes highlighted that Rafael Casal's performance as Hunter X-5 was an "absolute pleasure, combining 'asshole co-worker' and genuine threat in equal measure."[26]

Collider's Therese Lacson described the episode as "comfortable", with Loki and Mobius' "time buddy cop shenanigans" and a rare showcase of Loki using magic. Lacson highlighted Loki and Sylvie's interaction as the best part of the episode due to the characters' "tension", "push and pull", and the superb "chemistry" of their actors.[27]

Gizmodo's Sabina Graves praised Rafael Casal's performance in this episode as being "standout scene-eating", when he was "tearing Hiddleston and Wilson down to size", which played into Hiddleston performing well by using the old Loki persona to match Hunter X-5's "cruelty". Graves also commented that Loki and Sylvie's reunion seemed "romantic ... It's touching and sad but you can't help but root for them", with their actors being able to convey this with just "movements and eye contact".[28]

References
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  2. Ramachandran, Naman (July 14, 2021). "'Loki' Will Return for Season 2 at Disney Plus, Marvel Reveals in Season 1 Finale". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. Robinson, Joanna (June 3, 2021). "How the Man Behind Loki Is Shaping Marvel's Phase 4 and Beyond". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  4. Kroll, Justin (February 17, 2022). "'Loki': Justin Benson And Aaron Moorhead Tapped As Season 2 Directors Of Marvel Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
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  8. Kroll, Justin (August 1, 2023). "'Loki' Season 2 Trailer Breaks Viewership Records For Disney+ With 80 Million Online Views". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
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  13. West, Amy (October 12, 2023). "Loki episode 2 director says the show's Brad Wolfe isn't necessarily the Zaniac fans know from the comics". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
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  16. Jirak, Jamie (October 6, 2023). "Loki Costume Designer Christine Wada Explains McDonald's Handbook". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  17. Cook, Laurence (January 31, 2022). "UK Greenlit: Tom Hiddleston Returns in 'Loki' + Clooney's 'Boys in the Boat'". Backstage.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
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  19. Anderson, Jenna (October 16, 2023). "Loki Director Reveals How Season 2 Achieved the Look of Different Time Periods". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  20. Lerner, Amit; Pujol, Rolando; Tran, Chi; Winderman, Brittany; Tamsuriyamit, Michael (August 31, 2023). "Brooklyn McDonald's time travels to 1982 with Marvel's 'Loki'". ABC7NY.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  21. Frei, Vincent (September 5, 2023). "Loki – Season 2". Art of VFX. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  22. "Shop Marvel Must Haves: 'Loki' Season 2, "Breaking Brad"". Marvel.com. October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  23. "Breaking Brad". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
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