Moon Knight - Episode 4 - Review

When the last episode of Moon Knight left off, our heroes were in dire straights, Khonshu was rewinding the sky, and as such was punished for his actions, leaving the two humans alone but still on a quest to stop Harrow. The forth episode doesn’t waste to much time getting back into things, but there are some crazy moments here, does it keep the story moving forward, or has it fallen into the Marvel Studios TV Series trap, of dragging things out?

***Spoilers ahead***

When Marc and Steven had to swap places, willingly, in order to understand the map, there was a chance that Marc would fight to take back control but given that Steven has all the knowledge about ancient Egypt, keeping him in the drivers seat makes sense. This was something that could have been fun on its own, but seeing Marc in the reflections, basically pouting, kept it becoming a joke, further still showcasing that while they are working together, they still are not getting along. Layla takes charge with Steven in control of the body and it really gives her more room to become someone to care about, rather than set dressing that so many females have in the MCU. When she crosses paths with Harrow, having crossed a very large hole in the floor, she is on edge and with the information that she is presented, there is doubt that sets in and her later confrontation with Steven and Marc fractures their alliance.

While the earlier episodes have more been about the divide between Marc and Steve, with attempting to understand and stop Harrow, along with learning all we can about this new world, this episode took a turn. Given that the man topic is based around the Egyptian gods, mummies and such were not going to be far behind and rather than random call outs or such, this week drops us right in. The tonal shift could be something weird, if this were any other show, but given that we have had a few episodes to get used to it, while it is a departure, it isn’t a shocking one, at least in terms of it being expected. What is weird, is the placement in the middle of it, when Harrow confronts Layla and exposes some of Marcs secrets, don’t get me wrong, they are important story beats, but it would be the same as if in Halloween, Jason stopped to explain why he is doing it, just doesn’t fit. There is of course those last 15 minutes and the shock ending of another god making an appearance, but you need to watch it to see it.

With the direction that the show goes, there are no massive action scenes this week, there are still some fun bits, but it mostly relies on the suspense in the early part and then something else in the latter. Having seen Moon Knight in action last week, when he was taking on all the guys on the stable grounds, not seeing him kicking but feels a little cheap, mostly due to use getting more and more of him in each episode. That being said, when the tonal shift happens to the later portion, there are still some fun and dangerous stunts, though they are not grand in scale, just grand to the story.

I say this almost every review, but Ethan Hawke is killing it as Arthur Harrow, even when he is passing on information, which is utterly devastating, he is so calm about it. Later on, when Harrow makes a move that is not calm, it still feels like he planned it, and while his actions are horrible, there is still a sense that what he is doing is on plan. Oscar Isaac gets more time to flex his acting muscles in the later portion of the episode and it is really fun to see all the other actors get to play different versions of the characters we know, even statue guy gets time in the sun. What is weird is that, while we get a revelation about Layla, we don’t get any real impact from it, there is a little, but it feels like it gets shunted and May Calamawy feels left out of the fun.

The fourth episode of Moon Knight changes everything and no other Marvel show or movie has ever done anything like this. The context for how we get there, does make you question what has been seen until that point, because it does address some questions that fans have been raising since the show started. While the show does lean into my mythological horror this week, as opposed to ancient history, it still leaves an impact on the story going forward. With dozens of new questions raised, the show is only getting better and with only two episodes to go, how it plays out is anyone’s guess.

The Score

8.5

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+Hawke again makes Harrow one of the most dangerous baddies in the MCU

+The last 15 minutes of the show, will have you questioning everything else we have seen until now

The Cons

-The tonal shift, to mythological horror, may not be for everyone

-The episode is more about character growth and may not be for all