This is a breakdown of the iconic “Get Help” scene from Thor: Ragnarok that evaluates Thor and Loki’s relationship.
Let’s start with the beginning of the scene. Thor and Loki are breaking into the Grandmaster’s fleet to steal a ship, and Thor starts the conversation with “we should talk” to which Loki immediately retorts back with “I disagree”. This little exchange always makes me laugh because in two sentences, their relationship is summarized. Thor reaching out to Loki and Loki always doing the opposite of what Thor wants. However, it starts the whole theme of their conversation where their actions do not match up with what they’re saying.
Loki goes on and claims that “open communication was never our family’s forte” to which Thor agrees. This insinuates a relationship in which they discuss nothing about how they feel, and therefore have a distant relationship. Then, without a word about their actions, they encounter a bunch of guards and lift their guns at the same time with similar snarky greetings (“Hello!” “Hi.”) and start blasting them in sync as if they’ve talked about this. But we have seen Thor and Loki fight together (either side by side or against each other) enough to know that they didn’t need to discuss this- they already know what the other is going to do. Open communication may not be their forte, but it seems that actions speak louder than words. They start the conversation already at odds yet are working together as a perfect team.
Loki and Thor are then separated on either side of the entrance by the gunfire coming at them. Loki continues with, “Odin brought us together. It’s almost poetic that his death should split us apart.” However, as soon as he says this they immediately, again without discussing it, move out from behind the entrance and shoot the rest of their attackers.
Then comes one of my favorite parts of this sequence. As Thor continues to shoot at the rest of the attackers, Loki puts down his gun with his back completely exposed, while inputting the code to the elevator. He’s calm and doesn’t glance behind him once because Thor has his back, so he isn’t worried. This is such a clear indication of closeness and trust. Yet as this is happening, Loki is saying the words, “we might as well be strangers now”. It makes me laugh every time because its so opposite of how they are acting.
He continues this “strangers” notion with “two sons of the crown, set adrift” as the door opens and a guard comes at him with a gun. He puts his hands up and backs up, again defenseless, as Thor steps in front of the guard and throws him on the ceiling. Thor then points out the most obvious contradictions to Loki’s words: “I thought you didn’t want to talk about it”. He’s right- Loki had immediately shut him down when Thor offered to talk, and yet Loki is the one that has been talking about their relationship this entire sequence. Again, his words not matching up with his actions- because he really does want to reach out to Thor.
Now its Thor’s turn to lie- except the only difference is he knows that he is. As they stand there in the elevator, Loki suggests that he’s better off staying in Sakaar. Thor agrees, much to Loki’s surprise- “did you just agree with me?” Now Thor has Loki’s attention because he’s going off script. Instead of reaching out to Loki and begging him to come home as so often has been their pattern, Thor agrees to distancing themselves from each other. Thor continues, saying that Sakaar is perfect for Loki as it is “savage, chaotic, lawless”. Loki tiredly asks if Thor “truly thinks so little of” him. He seems to already think that Thor does. Now comes Thor’s one statement of truth: “Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever. But at the end of the day, you’re you and I’m me.” Thor openly expresses how he feels about his brother, but he also expresses how he has accepted their differences.
All of this is true- and then he goes back to the mask he had on earlier, in which he pretends that he has given up on Loki. He states that their “paths diverged a long time ago”. Loki hesitantly agrees and tests out the waters by pushing it further with “it’s probably for the best that we never see each other again”. Although there is no action that tells us he doesn’t actually want this, we can clearly see it on his face. “That’s what you’ve always wanted” Thor says. By Loki’s words throughout this whole sequence, this is true. But by his actions, we, along with Thor, know that it’s not what he wants.
So, Thor has agreed to distancing himself from Loki. He has basically told them that they might as well no longer be a team since Loki believes that they are no longer close. So, what does he do? He brings up a diversion technique that they used when they fought together. “Get Help” is so clearly from when they were younger and, as someone with siblings, I can confirm that it is the most sibling move I have ever seen in a movie. Thor has already thrown the hook and the line, and “Get Help” is the sinker. Instead of begging Loki to come back, Thor makes him stop and consider actually wanting to come back to him. He agrees that Loki should stay away, yet he expresses how much he loves him, making Loki reconsider his choice. He then reminds Loki of when they fought side by side by using “Get Help” and, because of the earlier fight sequence, we all know that together is where they both know they belong.
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