Velvet Underground's Song In Loki Season 2 Episode 5 Is Brighter Than You Think

Contains spoilers for "Loki" Season 2, Episode 5 — "Science/Fiction"

"Loki" Season 2 may just be the most existential project the Marvel Cinematic Universe has embarked on. Rather than some kind of external threat or villain, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his compatriots must prevent time from literally unraveling while potentially bestowing free will upon a universe that was, for all intents and purposes, pre-ordained. There are many questions laid out on the table, and the song Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) listens to in "Loki" Season 2, Episode 5 ("Science/Fiction"), is perfect for such a philosophy. 

Sylvie puts on a record from The Velvet Underground and listens to their seminal track, "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'," as reality spaghettifies around her, which is far grosser than most anything we've seen in the MCU before. On a purely audio level, the song fits the tone of the scene perfectly. It's a downbeat vibe, as the singer discusses the poor lives of Jimmy Brown, Polly May, and others with unfortunate lots in life. This leads to the chorus with the line, "She ain't got nothin' at all," which describes Sylvie to a T.

However, "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" has optimism within its verses, too. Toward the end of the track, the drums build and the guitar rips into a reprisal of "She ain't got nothin' at all." All of a sudden, that line takes on a more positive connotation. Rather than being depressed that one has nothing, one can rejoice that they've seen rock bottom and can now create something wholly anew. That's a key part of Loki and Sylvie's development toward the end of the episode. 

A primary tenet of existentialism is that there is no greater machination to life. There's no higher power to assign meaning; therefore, it is up to the individual to discover meaning. We see Sylvie and Loki grapple with this idea throughout "Loki," as everything they've known up until finding the TVA is thrown out the window. Loki believed he was a god, but that's now meaningless, as godhood doesn't hold the same weight with an all-powerful organization that controls the flow of time in existence. Sylvie made it her purpose to kill He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Once she's done that, there's nothing else for her to do. 

It can be disheartening to realize nothing matters, but taking it a step further, life can become incredibly freeing. Sylvie gets Loki to admit the real reason he wants to get everyone back together at the TVA is because he wants his friends and to not be alone. Previously, Loki has been a villain with his sights set on conquest. But ultimately, the thing that truly brings him joy is connection. He has a found family now, and he doesn't want to lose it. Loki may have initially thought he lost everything being sent to the TVA, but he discovered what truly mattered to him. 

"Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" by The Velvet Underground may come across as a song about losing all hope, but it can also be interpreted as finding it, especially with the verse, "They threw her out in the street / But just like a cat, she landed on her feet." These two Lokis were tossed aside by the universe, but they found what they needed to thrive in the end.