SPOILERS For Moon Knight

“Asylum”

Wow.

Episode 5 of Moon Knight was off the charts. I have been singing the praises of the acting skill of Oscar Isaac all season long, but he took it to another level in this episode. Oscar Isaac is just spectacular, covering every possible emotion with this performance. If he does not receive an Emmy for this, there is something wrong with the system.

What makes it even more impressive is that Oscar Isaac has been doing a ton of acting by himself. When he is acting opposite Steven or Taweret or Khonshu, there is nothing actually there. Some of his work as both Marc and Steven is transitional.

I am not sure that Marvel Studios have ever done anything like this before. This is so dark and traumatic that is all centered in character. The tragic events that were shown from Marc’s childhood that led to the creation of Steven are some of the deeply disturbing images in the MCU. It was extremely heavy and dark. Amazing with a show that is featuring a giant talking hippo.

This episode took us on a journey of self-discovery for Steven that, quite possibly, could have been the best episode of Marvel television yet.

I have heard this referred to the Bing Bong moment. It was amazing how close it was.

There are plenty of people out there who will claim disappointment because of the lack of Moon Knight in this episode. I have heard this complaint of the series so far, and I could not disagree more. Marc Specter is Moon Knight and Marc (and Steven) have been on screen constantly. The amount of the costume is not what makes this a brilliant series.

Moon Knight is exceptional when dealing with the DID suffered by Marc Specter. Every step of the way with Marc and Steven felt accurate and truthful with how this disorder affects the person. I have also heard complaints about the lack of the third identity (aka Jake Lockley). Moon Knight has certainly teased the possibility of Jake, who is a known alter from the comic books. Personally, I believe that is how the series comes to a close, with cab driver Jake taking control of the body. But if that does not happen, I would not be disappointed. I trust Marvel to do what is best for their character.

The ending of the episode was difficult too. I mean, the episode was almost an hour long, but it felt like it flew by and when the screen went dark, I desperately wanted more. As the scale was finally balanced and Marc found himself in the Field of Reeds.

With just one more episode remaining, Moon Knight is right up with WandaVision and Loki as the best Marvel Studio’s Disney + series.

Spoilers for ep.4

“The Tomb”

Episode four of Moon Knight flipped the script big time and ended with one of the biggest WTF scene of anything in the MCU so far.

Of course, if you are a Moon Knight comic reader, you were not shocked at what happened this morning on Disney +, but, like I was, you were probably amazed that the show actually went there.

Steven and Leyla found their way into the hidden tomb and then all kinds of weird stuff started happening. There were some crazy-looking mummies making this eerie clicking sound, went after Steven and Leyla.

Leyla showed why Khonshu wanted her as his new avatar as she tossed the mummy down the giant pit after ripping off its arm and shoving a red flare in its face.

Steven found the lost tomb of Alexander the Great, who according to MCU lore, was the last avatar of Ammit and where the wooden statue of Ammit had been hidden (shoved down Alexander the Great’s mummified gullet. It was a real creepy scene where Steven had to reach down the mummy’s throat to retrieve it.

At this time, Harrow arrived with his henchmen and ended up shooting Marc directly in the chest twice. Marc fell backwards into water and sank into the light.

All the pre-shot stuff in the tomb was cool, giving off a very Indiana Jones/Mummy vibe, but none of that prepared us for what was next.

We see a movie playing that turns out to be “Tomb Buster” with a character called Dr. Steven Grant. It is clearly a cheap knockoff of those type of films.

When the camera pulls out, we find ourselves in a mental institution where we see all of the characters from the show up until this point, only looking very One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest-like. Marc is here too, in a wheelchair, clearly out of it. There is a game of BINGO going on with numbers that do not exist in BINGO games. Leyla is here too, but nothing like the mummy asskicker that we saw earlier.

Marc winds up talking to a psychiatrist, who happened to be Harrow. This led to Marc running from the office and finding a sarcophagus with Steven inside. Yes, there were two Oscar Isaacs.

They’re on their way through the mazes of hallways when they come across someone who I can honestly say, I never would have expected.

Taweret.

And Marc and Steven’s response was exactly what you would expect…

Taweret is the Egyptian Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth and she was the goddess that the statue on LOST was based.

It was great to see the hippo on Moon Knight. I loved LOST and the connection was awesome. I’m curious to see how this plays out on Moon Knight, or if even she was more than just a fantasy in the head of Marc Specter.

I love how this scene at the end of the episode puts into question everything we have seen up until this point and made it uncertain about what is real and what is imaginary. Much like the awesome Jeff Lemire run on Moon Knight comic book, this could be a real trip of a final two episodes.

I missed a bunch of stuff from this episode (including Marc telling Leyla about her father’s death, Khonshu’s statue being placed with the other trapped Egyptian deities, Steven kissing Leyla, the third sarcophagus, the Moon Knight action figure). This was a great episode that was so chocked full of goodness and epic moments that I can’t wait to find out how they are resolved.

SPOILERS FOR EP. 3

“The Friendly Type”

Moon Knight’s third episode continued to be some excellent television. I have loved this show very much so far. The biggest facet of the show that I have loved has been Oscar Isaac’s amazing performance as two distinct characters in one body. Playing both personalities, Marc Specter and Steven Grant, he has done stunning work, providing subtle but definite differences between the two characters.

However, in this episode, we get the hint that there may be a third personality hiding inside the head of Oscar Isaac’s character. And that is awesome news. Is it Jake Lockley or some other version? I assume we’ll learn that soon. We are half way through the season now.

Marc Specter was in control of the body much of this episode, with Steven appearing in the reflective surfaces around Egypt. We got more action here, but some of the best action beats continue to be when the personalities are switching. When that happened to Marc early in the episode, it gave us the idea that a third personality had arrived.

Layla found her role elevated this week, including the cold open with her “mother” making her a fake passport. That scene reminded us that Layla’s father was an archeologist and he had been killed in the sand years before. Clearly that is a story bit that is going to pay off down the road.

We had a meeting of the Gods, through their avatars that looked to judge Harrow, but, instead, seemed to place judgment on Marc and Khonshu.

This episode was really packed with material. So much so that it might have been nice to have this episode increased to two instead of one. The whole Egyptian God’s Court scene could have been extended to easily a half hour or more. Understand, it was a great episode, but I would have liked more specifics than what they gave us. Oscar Isaac, who was acting as if Khonshu was speaking through him, and Ethan Hawk’s Harrow were tremendous together once again.

Khonshu and Steven helped turn the night sky back in order to use a map they found on a sarcophagus as a way to find Ammit’s tomb. It was an incredible display of power, as well as some of the best visuals of the series.

This was the episode that featured the actor Gaspard Ulliel, who passed away in January of this year in a skiing accident. Ulliel played Anton Mogart, a wealthy collector who owned a specific sarcophagus that Marc had been directed toward. In the comics, Mogart is known as the Midnight Man. In the episode, Mogart was wounded as he was on horseback riding into the fog. Did the character die? Who knows. Marvel Studios dedicated the episode to Gaspard Ulliel. RIP.

SPOILERS for Episode 2 of Moon Knight

“Summon the Suit”

The second episode of Disney +’s new Marvel series Moon Knight aired last night and it was fantastic, every bit as great as the first week’s debut episode.

Oscar Isaac is killing it as Steven Grant/Marc Spector, the Moon Knight. His acting has been unbelievable, especially when his two DID characters are arguing with each other in mirrors or any other reflective surfaces. Oscar Isaac has been totally masterful. I have never seen an actor who has so much chemistry with himself as Oscar Isaac has shown.

Ethan Hawke is a sensation as the main protagonist, Arthur Harrow. We got more depth of Harrow’s cult and what he wants that mysterious scarab for. One could certain see why people might be attracted to him. It is great that Harrow believes what he is doing is the right thing.

Khonshu appears quite a bit in this episode and continues to look spectacular. The character design is creepy and frightening and works so great.

Marc Spector’s wife (yes, wife) Layla arrived in this episode. We had heard her on the phone last week, but now she showed up and finds out about Steven. Their relationship is interesting and I am looking forward to seeing more of her. Marc has certainly been trying to distance himself from her- most likely as a way to protect her from the dangers he is facing…and from Khonsu.

Mr. Knight appears as the suit that Steven summons to save himself from falling. The suit is a wonderful design and look exactly as it does in the comics. Yes, Mr. Knight, the character, is quite different in this series than the Warren Ellis comic run where we first meet this version of Mr. Knight.

The episode concludes with Marc back in control and in Egypt. I’m guessing that episode three will dive into the origin of how Marc Spector/Steven Grant became the avatar of the Egyptian God of the Moon.

While there are some hidden Easter Eggs that tie Moon Knight to the MCU, they are hidden well and it feels as if the show has never made an allusion to the MCU yet, and that is awesome. It allows them to create their own part of the world. Eventually they will obviously tie it to the universe, but how cool would it be if that did not happen until a post credit scene of episode 6?

After two weeks, Moon Knight has become a must see. A show that I base the week around. Next Wednesday can’t get here soon enough.

SPOILERS for MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 1

“The Goldfish Problem”

Oscar Isaac has entered the MCU with his portrayal of Moon Knight, one of the myriad of characters from Marvel that just a few years ago, seemed to never have his own TV show. Yet here he is, with a huge name star playing him.

We are introduced to Steven Grant (That is Steven with a V) and it is clear that he has been having sleep problems. Little did he know how many problems Steven was going to have.

Steven worked at a museum in London, with an Egyptian exhibit. Steven knew a lot about the Egyptian mythology, but it could not get him any further than the storage room. Steven was a sad, bumbling man who seemed very disoriented. There were moments when he was unsure about things that have happened.

When Steven awakes, face down in a field of grass with a dislocated jaw, he is even more confused. Then, people started shooting at him, chasing him over a gold scarab.

Steven winds up in a group of people who were watching judgment being laid out by Arthur Harrow, a cult-like leader who crushes up glass and puts it into his sandals to walk on in the morning. Harrow had a tattoo on his arm that moved when he was judging a person, not only what the person had done, but what they may do in the future.

Harrow is the avatar of Egyptian deity, Ammit. Harrow pursued Steven back to his museum and unleased a jackal to attack him.

We learn that Steven has D.I.D. (Dissociative identity disorder) and that one of the personalities is a mercenary named Marc Specter, who is a clear bad ass and who jumps back into control of the body when Steven found himself in several major problems.

The DID was shown in serious light. You could see how scared Steven was, how confused he was as the strange things continued to happen to him and he could not explain it.

Oscar Isaac is a sensation actor and he shows it with every scene, not just the over-the-top spots. There was a quiet moment where he had lost time and thought it was Friday night, instead of Sunday. He was supposed to meet a woman at a steak house for a date (a date he did not remember making, by the way) on Friday and he waited for the woman to show up on Sunday, thinking it was Friday. This is an impressive performance in this small point.

Ethan Hawke is sinister too. I can’t wait to see more from him as the season progresses.

The visuals of this show are amazing. There are a lot of practical effects for the show, with a limited amount of CGI/green screen. From that, the show looks wonderful. It is extremely cinematic and some of the shots are exceptional. There are some frightening moments in the show, most dealing with Khonsu, the Egyptian deity that speaks in Steven’s head. Voiced by F. Murray Abraham, Khonsu is incredibly designed and looks just stunning.

The Moon Knight costume, which we do not see until the very end of the episode, is beautiful. It works so well with its practical design. An all white outfit should not work outside of the comic book page, but this costume design is spectacular. The wrapping cloth around Moon Knight is a great visual and brings up an amazing image.

There was so much character development in the first episode, and it did not lack excitement. The car chase scene through the winding mountain was expertly shot and carried out perfectly. Directed by Mohamed Diab, you can see how talented he is with the camera and the visual picture of each scene.

The use of mirrors in the episode is a great way to show the contradiction between the identities. The confrontation between Steven and Marc in the bathroom at the end of the episode was thrilling and led to our reveal of the titular hero. Another key to the episode is that everything was shown through the POV of Steven Grant. Every time Marc would take over, we would see Steven’s eyes go white and the scene would jump ahead to when Steven retook the body. It was very effective and helped to build the character of Steven.

The mystery of the show and what is going on is going to keep the audience guessing and Moon Knight feels like something different in the MCU. It is fascinating that there was no mentions of the greater MCU that usually happens in these shows. It builds a new section of the MCU and I look forward to learning more.