When last we saw Sylvie, she and Loki were at The End of Time confronting the mysterious creator and operator of the TVA, a figure they know only as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). After He Who Remains explained to the Lokis about how he and the TVA are protecting the so-called Sacred Timeline (AKA our timeline) from his warmongering variants in the Multiverse, Loki and Sylvie had a difference of opinion on whether the man was telling the truth. Believing him to be a liar, Sylvie kicked Loki through a Timedoor (transporting him into his timeslipping adventure back at the TVA, which comprises the bulk of this premiere episode) and killed He Who Remains, seemingly leaving herself stranded at The End of Time.
As the credits scene begins, Sylvie drops through a Timedoor (wonder where she found that…?) into Broxton, Oklahoma on Earth in the year 1982. An on-screen graphic tells us that this is a “Branched Timeline,” meaning it’s a variant timeline that is not part of the Sacred Timeline. Despite that, things seem pretty much average for the place and time Sylvie finds herself in.
Average to us Earth denizens, that is; Sylvie wanders into a McDonald’s in Broxton, and her awed expression is more befitting for Dorothy entering Oz. As she examines the colorful, kid-friendly decor of the restaurant, she sees people happily eating their meals and asks the clerk what he recommends (that isn’t some form of rodent, she’s quick to stipulate). As the clerk essentially rattles off the basic McD’s menu, Sylvie is overcome with Gauntlet fever: “I wanna try everything,” she says hungrily.