Now that Steven knows what’s happening, the real adventure can begin. Well, not exactly. On Moon Knight Episode 2, Steven wakes up after his night at the museum believing it’s all a dream.
When he arrives at work and sees the damage done, he has to face reality.
To be fair the monster jackal doesn’t show up on the security footage so it’s not surprising no one believes Steven. That doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking when Steven is fired and he has to turn over his name badge, something he was proud of.
Compared to Episode 1, which was packed with setup and kept viewers on their toes, Episode 2 is a little more straightforward.
An encounter with Marc in the storage room Steven found a key for lays things out nicely. He’s not possessed. He’s the alter of Marc who’s an avatar for Khonshu.
Easy to believe right? Not so much. Steven refuses to accept that he has to sit back because of some deal Marc made with Khonshu.
Khonshu sure does love threatening people in hallways, which is where he tries to intimidate Steven as he escapes. It’s enough hallways!
Good thing Steven has an ally show up in Layla, who we find out is Marc’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Although she’s reluctant to believe Steven since it’s apparent she never learned of Marc’s DID she helps him nonetheless.
From the moment she enters the show May Calamawy is a scene-stealer, making it clear Layla is not going to be another one of the MCU’s cardboard love interests. She’s just as much an adventurer as Marc and far more so than Steven.
Watching the two learn to trust each other and work together throughout the episode is sweet considering Khonshu and Marc are a little less understanding of Steven.
Together they have to escape Harrow who more or less kidnaps Steven, trying to appeal to him as a way to get around Marc. It’s cult leader 101, going after the vulnerable.
Harrow’s own experience as the former avatar of Khonshu lends some credibility to his argument. He’s seen firsthand how Khonshu’s vengeance fails.
If you had to cast a villain always launching into big monologues you could do worse than Ethan Hawke. Harrow’s speech about the cure being a taste of the disease may not add up to Steven’s logic but it’s still very compelling to watch.
“Sometimes the cure is a little taste of the disease. The difference between medicine and poison sometimes is only dosage. Consider a diseased limb. Amputation, horrific and grotesque, is necessary for the larger health.”
Arthur Harrow
It’s a lot of talking and some good soup, but Harrow doesn’t hide his teeth for long and uses the power of Ammit to attack Layla and Steven when they won’t give him the scarab.
The real thrust of the episode is not the conflict with either of these characters though. It’s still the conflict between Steven and Marc. Steven doesn’t plan to let Marc take over just because he says so but needs Marc’s skills as Moon Knight.
It’s fitting that when Steven calls on the suit himself it turns into a literal suit which Marc equates to a psycho Colonel Sanders (this version is given the moniker Mr. Knight in the comics).
The Moon Knight transformation and fight sequence are impressive. From Moon Knight’s little moon-shaped throwing daggers to him sprinting across the roofs along the Thames with the moon shining bright, it’s a sight to behold.
The dynamic between Steven/Mr. Knight and Marc/Moon Knight isn’t tidily resolved even though we now know more about them as alternate identities.
Between his messy divorce from Layla and Harrow’s accusations against Marc being a mercenary, Steven doesn’t have a lot of reasons to believe Marc is a good guy. So why should he let him take control?
“It’s been you. It’s always been you, eating away at parts of my life like a parasite.”
Steven Grant
Khonshu may think he owns Marc’s body, but Steven never agreed to that deal.
Learning that Marc is also trying to protect Layla from Khonshu does make him a little more sympathetic. Marc is angry and tired of living this life.
We get to see more of Oscar Isaac as a classic leading man here, all brooding and angst.
By the end of the episode, you’re feeling bad for both of them and starting to believe Khonshu is as awful as Harrow suggests.
The episode ends with Marc waking up in Egypt in search of the scarab they lost in the fight. London was just the first stop of this globe-trotting adventure, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Additional Notes:
- The painted statue actor AKA Crawley shows up again. Is Marc’s other alter Jake Lockley far behind?
- The amount of 3s in the show, including Steven looking in a 3-way mirror, indicates a third alter is likely.
- Steven calls Marc handsome, which isn’t even narcissistic because it’s true.
- Steven’s favorite poet being Layla’s favorite poet is lowkey romantic. No wonder he’s smitten with her since the love between her and Marc seemed very real.
- “Isn’t that a bit dodgy, trusting the judgment of a weird crocodile lady?”
- “I”m going to die in an evil magician’s mancave” is also a great zinger.
Moon Knight airs Wednesdays on Disney+.