Moon Knight Recap!

     Well, Moon Knight just had its season finale this week so let's talk about it! 

                                            *Spoiler Warning for the Season*

    This has been one of Marvel's better shows, especially with the first 2 episodes. Oscar Isaac does a fantastic job playing Steven Grant, a very ordinary English vegan who works at the gift shop of the national museum. The suspense and mystery surrounding Steven's apparent insomnia and amnesia are done with just the right amount of pacing and "I dont know what's happening". The audience was able to keep up with what was happening to Steven's life, watching it fall apart without being able to see too far ahead into the story. We, just like Steven, are left wondering who "Marc" is, how long hes existed, and how much he’s keeping from Steven. The mystery/thriller aspect was done with good balance.

    I've always found cult-y leaders like Arthur Harrow to be compelling, if they're fleshed out well enough. A character who truly believes that the ends justify the means, and that theirs is a righteous cause. Like Jon Seed from Farcy 5, or even Negan from The Walking Dead. The villains that are so sure in their convictions, that these awful acts bring about a better world, are truly something to be feared.

    That being said, I would've liked to have seen him be a little more prepared for Khonshu's attempts to thwart him especially when it came to the trial in the Chamber of the Gods. It seemed like Khonsu said "He's trying to rez Ammit!" and Arthur was just like, "No, I'm not" and the other gods just straight up believed him and that was the whole thing. Was it because he USED to be Khonsu's avatar, and they know each other from that time? The show doesn't really tell us.

    The reveal of Khonsu and Moon Knight was fun to see come together. The first time we see Marc in the Moon Knight costume, DANG, so cool. And the fact that Steven gets a SUIT suit for himself is pretty funny. What is he supposed to think when everyone keeps telling him to "summon the suit"? And it helps us distinguish which personality is in control of the body.

    One thing I did appreciate about the show, was how many easter eggs and hidden goodies it had for itself, as opposed to ties to other Marvel properties. It got to be its own show, and tell its own story without bringing in a ton of references to Marvel media we already know. I liked that.

    We can see things hidden all over the place, from the background music having lyrics tied to the characters, to Khonsu and Egyptian imagery scattered throughout the setting. It's very apparent during the scene in the psych ward where we see lot of secret images all throughout.

    One big difference we saw in this show, was really the way the character of Moon Knight was portrayed. In the comics and most other media, Moon Knight is on a lot of drugs, is self-aware almost to the point of 4th wall breaking, and is full of quips and one-liners. I'd call him a Deadpool/Spiderman hybrid as far as his internal monologue and humor seems to go. Not quite as explicit as Deadpool, but more adult than Spiderman, with his fair share of pop culture references. That was something that was missing from the show, but I can respect that they decided to take the character from a different angle. Marvel has LOTS of comedic characters, and sometimes their timing can undercut an otherwise serious or emotional scene. I'm alright that Moon Knight was kept a little more serious. Who knows, maybe he will develop more of a Deadpool-y nature and humor as time goes on, like the evolution of Chris Hemsworth's Thor from Thor 1 to Thor Ragnarok.

    Now, if you missed the post credit scene of episode 6, the season finale, you'll have missed the big payoff of the THIRD personality, Jake Lockely. They tease at a potential 3rd person inside of Marc/Steven, and we finally see who it is that goes full beast mode on people when Marc or Steven really black out. It was Jake who stabbed those guys they found, it was Jake who kept the amulet safe by un-aliving Harrow's people, and it was Jake who finally put an end of Ammit, while Khonsu watched from his limo seat looking fresh to death. Call Khonsu "Ranch", cause he be dressing!

    There's a lot to break down and appreciate from this show, it was worth the watch for me, for sure! I don't believe that a second season has been announced or confirmed at the time of this article, but I'm down.