Moon Knight: Episode 3 - Review

With the second episode of Moon Knight ending with Steven and Marc in different elements of control of the body, the stakes for Steven were high, finding the pair in Egypt opened up for more danger. Can the action keep pace with the character development, let us find out. As always spoiler warning for the review ahead.

****Spoilers Ahead****

When we left Marc and Steven, they were in Egypt, overlooking the city, well Marc was, Steven was trapped in a mirror, but when we meet up with them again, we see Marc chasing down some folks. Catching them has him threatening them, unless they can tell him where Harrow has gone, Steven can only look on, as Marc lives up to the profile that was read out by the fake cops from the episode before. However, before Marc can get the information, Steven can be heard shouting at him to stop and then Marc blacks out, coming to in a taxi, much like how we have seen Steven lose control before. Thus begins a back and forth between Marc and Steven, the former is all for beating up anyone who helps him get to Harrow, when the latter just wants to go home and forget all about this.

Taking a break from the conflict in Cairo, we get to see what Layla is up to and it seems there is more about the wife of Marc Spectre than we first thought and given how she was ready to kick butt in the previous episode, that is saying something. Her connections to Egypt are teased and it makes her more interesting, but it is the conversation she has with her friend/forger that is more interesting, because it hints at something more sinister in her past. While she is making her way to Egypt, Harrow has discovered the hidden tomb and with it, his plans can move forward, eager to see him stopped, Khonshu puts forth a call to the other Gods, by creating a solar eclipse in a matter of seconds. What takes place next, doesn’t go well for the heroes, but it does open up so many more questions for the MCU.

While Isaac again does an insane job, swapping back and forth between the two personalities at play, it is the fun in seeing the calm and in control Marc being on the receiving end of the blackout after effects. When Calamawy hits the screen with Isaac, it could have been played as both being alpha’s and neither refusing to back down, but seeing her character take control is fun and puts Isaac’s Marc on the back foot yet again. When the pair have to attempt to sweet talk a local collector, for access to an item, there is a clear sense of tension between them, both at what the other has to do and at the fact that neither wants the other involved. When Hawke’s Harrow turns up, things get even more complex, but it again provides Hawke with another chance to steal the scene.

Seeing Isaac breakdown when the two personalities are talking to each other, is wonderful and will always continue to be, but it is Hawke who continually steals the show. The reason why is that his portrayal of the bad guy, is so calm and composed, it is goes against all we have seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at least so far. Marvel Bad Guys, usually fall under one of two umbrellas, the first is that they are clearly insane and power hungry, spiting someone who is more successful than them or the second one, they have been wronged and are seeking revenge by a new method. There have been a number of them over the years, Loki is one, Blonsky from The Incredible Hulk is another, but both take a turn into crazy two pretty quickly, one sharper than the other. Arthur Harrow though has managed to avoid that, here is a bad guy, who wants to kill anyone who has a bad thought, it is genocide on a scale that even Thanos would be against and yet, each time he talks about his plans and vision, it is a calm and collected explanation that is provided. Even when he is accused of doing, exactly what he is doing, he remains calm and spins the accusations back to the accuser, much like Stark did in Iron Man 2, only without the condescending attitude.

The third episode of Moon Knight takes all the characters and flips them around, Marc is in control but not at the same time, Layla is now taking point and proving that she has secrets and Harrow proves he is the bad guy but is so charming no-one faults him. All the actors are doing a great job so far, something the other Marvel shows have had issues with and even with that cliff-hanger of an ending, it was a great episode. With the halfway point reached and events moving forward, the stakes have never felt as real in a MCU show before and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

The Score

8.5

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+Putting Marc in control and then seeing his reaction to being confused is great

+Hawke steals the scenes he is in and proves that he is a villain worthy cheering for

The Cons

-The events with Khonshu come out of nowhere and really questions why that character is even present

-The fight scene in the stable/arena area wasn’t really as fun as the last few, it was still good though