The first episode was a lot of fun with plenty of expected setup and worldbuilding. I particularly enjoyed the 50s-style animation used for the TVA introduction and history video which fit in nicely with the rest of the homely TVA aesthetic. Plus: Tara Strong as Miss Minutes!
I'm glad the episode took the time to dig into who the variant Loki is and why he does what he does. I wondered going into this show if this Loki would ever find out what happens to him in the proper flow of time as already depicted in the films and I was happy to see that the opening episode addressed that head-on. Not just the single moment of seeing how his actions indirectly caused Frigga's death, which I thought for a moment was all he was going to see, but also his entire life...leading up to his gruesome death. Causing his adoptive mother's clearly had an effect on him, but seeing his whole life played out on a film reel pushed him to a new emotional level that he had not anticipated. For all of his bluster about being burdened with glorious purpose, it's good to see Loki's vulnerable side again, albeit in a way we never saw with the previous Loki. After all, seeing one's entire life played out in mere minutes is going to have an effect on anyone, even a "god."
As for larger plot about a variant causing havoc to the timeline, I'm skeptical of Mobius' claim about another version of Loki. While, of course, it sounds like something a Loki would do, it is curious how the final scene goes out of its way not to show the hooded figure's face. Maybe it is Loki but there's something different about this variant, or maybe it's someone else entirely and Mobius is lying for some reason. Or maybe it was just for dramatic effect (but I will be disappointed if that turns out to be the case).
While the episode isn't clear on this point, can someone who has read them in the comics clarify something for me: What species (singular or plural) are the workers of the organization suppose to be? Human or just a species that happens to look like humans a la
Doctor Who for budgetary reasons? If they're not human, they nonetheless remain just as susceptible to fire as humans (unless that was some kind of special fire the variant used) (Yeah, I'm probably overthinking this).
I loved the gag about how the TVA has multiple variant Infinity Stones. Clearly the Avengers aren't the only ones who've used time travel to get hold of them, so much so that they're used as paperweights and no one bats an eye when Hunter B-15 destroys a cart with a handful of them in it.
With all of the TVA's talk about preventing the creation of multiverses, I wonder if they'll have any role in
What If...? or
The Multiverse of Madness.