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Revisión de Moon Knight: la serie Marvel de Oscar Isaac es un festival de siestas

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Caballero de la Luna – estrenado el miércoles en Disney+ y Disney+ Hotstar – es una versión marcadamente diferente del personaje con problemas mentales de lo que los fanáticos de los cómics están familiarizados. Por un lado, los rasgos de antihéroe de Moon Knight se enfatizan más en la serie Marvel. Caballero de la Luna no es exactamente Batman, pero tiene un trastorno de identidad disociativo, como se ha descrito a menudo al personaje. Es más como si Punisher se encuentra con Wolverine y DID. En los cómics, las comparaciones con Batman de Moon Knight surgieron del hecho de que ninguno de los dos tenía habilidades sobrenaturales; al igual que Bruce Wayne, Marc Spector dependía de dispositivos, habilidades de combate y entrenamiento físico. Pero en la nueva serie de Marvel, Moon Knight extrae superfuerza y ​​supercuración de su vínculo con el dios lunar egipcio Khonshu.

Oh cierto, dioses egipcios. Son fundamentales para todo en Caballero de la Luna, ya sea la narrativa, los lugares que presenciamos y, más obviamente, el nombre del personaje principal. A lo largo de su ejecución, he visto cuatro de los seis episodios en total, como todos los demás críticos. Caballero de la Luna nombre comprueba una serie de dioses egipcios. Algunos incluso se representan en la pantalla. La serie Marvel está ambientada en parte en Egipto, además de Londres, aunque ambas han sido filmadas en otros lugares, llevándonos a El Cairo, la Pirámide de Giza y más allá. También salpica la música de Oriente Medio, con temas de DJ Kaboo y Ahmed Saad. Además de eso, Caballero de la Luna involucra al menos a dos arqueólogos, a la caza de tumbas y criaturas sobrenaturales.

Naturalmente, la serie Marvel está inspirada en películas como En busca del arca perdida, algo Caballero de la Luna el creador y escritor principal Jeremy Slater, anteriormente escritor de The Umbrella Academy de Netflix, lo ha reconocido él mismo. A menudo se adentra en el territorio del horror, antes de que Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness aparentemente lo haga en la pantalla grande para Marvel Cinematic Universe. Y en otros lugares, Caballero de la Luna se siente más cerca del thriller psicológico dirigido por Rami Malek Sr. robot (donde el personaje principal también sufría de TID), y la serie de superhéroes visualmente inventiva de Noah Hawley Legión (No voy a decir cómo, ya que esto sería spoiler-y).

Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre la nueva serie de Marvel, Caballero de la Luna

Pero desafortunadamente, Caballero de la Luna es un festival de siestas. La mayor parte se trata de MacGuffins, primero un artefacto, luego un sarcófago y luego la tumba de un dios, y mientras el héroe y el villano los persiguen, los encuentran y los obtienen, la nueva serie de Marvel se vuelve demasiado impulsada por la trama. (Esto también da como resultado una exposición obvia e innecesaria. Confíe en que su audiencia será más inteligente). Además, hay poco aquí que no haya visto antes. El director principal y productor ejecutivo Mohamed Diab, el primer hombre árabe en tomar el control de una propiedad de MCU, ha dado mucha importancia a cómo Caballero de la Luna arreglará la representación de la cultura pop de la cultura egipcia, pero eso no significa nada de escena a escena, no es divertido de ver. Además, tanto para la representación cuando todos todavía dicen la palabra “avatar” como en la película Avatar.

Caballero de la Luna sigue al apacible Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac, de Dune) que vive una vida monótona y trabaja en la tienda de regalos de la National Art Gallery de Londres. Sin embargo, sus días están plagados de apagones, razón por la cual usa ataduras de tobillo para dormir y escucha una línea de ayuda que ayuda a las personas a permanecer despierta durante la noche. Un día, Steven se despierta en los Alpes y se encuentra con una especie de dios llamado Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke, de Predestination) que adora al dios egipcio Ammit. Arthur quiere resucitar a Ammit porque cree que ella puede sanar al mundo de todo mal antes de que se cometa. Para hacer eso, debe encontrar la tumba secreta perdida hace mucho tiempo de Ammit.

Mientras tanto, Steven se da cuenta de que comparte su cuerpo (las palabras “trastorno de identidad disociativo” nunca se mencionan en la serie de Marvel) con Marc Spector, un ex mercenario estadounidense que es el avatar humano del vengativo Khonshu (voz de F. Murray Abraham, realizado en el plató por Karim El-Hakim) y cumple sus órdenes violentas. Marc puede convertirse en Moon Knight simplemente invocando el traje, una faceta del espectáculo que conduce a algunos momentos divertidos con Steven. Con Khonshu queriendo encontrar la tumba de Ammit por sus propias razones inexplicables, Caballero de la Luna pone a Steven y Arthur en un camino de conflicto.

Con la ayuda de su esposa arqueóloga Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy, de rami), Steven/Marc se embarcan en una aventura por las arenas de Egipto, siguiendo a Arthur y su banda de seguidores.

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Ethan Hawke como Arthur Harrow en Moon Knight
Crédito de la foto: Disney/Marvel Studios

Dado que, después de todo, se trata de una serie de Marvel, los problemas de salud mental se discuten de manera alegre. Tal vez a Slater y sus escritores no se les permitió ser oscuros y deprimentes, porque podría alienarlos. Caballero de la Luna espectadores Isaac interpreta a Steven como un tonto torpe que se asusta fácilmente mientras lidia con lo que hace Marc. En un momento se menciona la ayuda profesional pero Caballero de la Luna nunca sale adelante con eso. E incluso cuando el programa se acerca más a esa realidad en su ejecución, se sintió como un truco conceptual, y no como un examen serio de los problemas de Steven/Marc. No puedo decir con seguridad porque no he visto los últimos dos episodios. Ojalá, Caballero de la Luna demostrará que estoy equivocado en sus últimos dos episodios, porque me encantaría que me demuestren lo contrario.

Para diferenciarlos, Isaac cambia el acento entre Steven (británico) y Marc (estadounidense). Es algo extraño de experimentar al principio, porque se siente como si el generalmente excelente Isaac estuviera actuando o haciendo un sketch de comedia. El efecto requiere acostumbrarse. Sin embargo, Steven también puede ser un poco insufrible a veces, debido a sus gestos y comportamiento, aunque también es la única razón por la que apoyas a Moon Knight. Marc es, por lo que parece, bastante malvado. Cree que está protegiendo a sus seres queridos, pero en realidad los está alienando. No es reacio a matar y, como ex mercenario, ha sido parte de misiones dudosas. No lo vemos detener ningún crimen, salvar a nadie o hacer algún bien en los primeros cuatro Caballero de la Luna episodios, eso ni siquiera lo califica como un antihéroe. Sin su lado Steven, Marc sería irredimible.

El brillante Hawke, mientras tanto, está atascado interpretando a un villano de voz ronca y una máquina de exposición. Y también es un diálogo pobre con líneas como “Los dioses egipcios caminan entre nosotros”. Caballero de la Luna me recordó a las películas de acción y aventuras mediocres de la década de 2000, en ocasiones, con personas blancas (Isaac es cubano-guatemalteco, pero esa herencia se borra con el judío Steven y el estadounidense Marc) corriendo por lugares “exóticos” del Medio Oriente, pronunciando incorrectamente palabras como avatar y ushabti porque no había nadie para corregirlos. Caballero de la Luna lanza a la maravillosa Calamawy como la figura egipcia en el elenco principal, pero se siente relegada a un segundo plano. Un ángulo de amor entre Steven y Layla se siente completamente forzado, especialmente dado lo que se nos dice sobre cómo Marc trató a Layla.

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May Calamawy como Layla El-Faouly, Oscar Isaac como Steven Grant en Caballero de la Luna
Crédito de la foto: Gabor Kotschy/Marvel Studios

El mayor problema para Caballero de la Luna es la falta de escenas de personajes significativas. La nueva serie de Marvel necesitaba más del pasado de Marc y Layla, y más escenas que desarrollaran la dinámica de Steven/Marc y Arthur, dado el pasado compartido. Estas escenas son raras: cuando aparecen, tienen la capacidad de levantar el espectáculo, ya que estas personas se sienten temporalmente como humanos y no solo como piezas en un tablero de ajedrez. De lo contrario, Caballero de la Luna simplemente se mueve de un latido de la trama al siguiente.

Y tampoco es que la acción sea genial. La mayoría de las secuencias de acción operan en una escala “meh”; en realidad nunca te involucran. Caballero de la Luna se mete en situaciones prometedoras, como poner al protagonista en su punto más débil, pero luego se apresura a encontrar la solución. Se salta la parte que debería ser la más épica. Los poderes súper curativos de Khonshu tienen algo de culpa por eso, ya que lo que está en juego desaparece si el personaje no puede ser lastimado en la forma de Moon Knight. Hay algunas partes ciertamente geniales, como el momento en que la capa de Moon Knight toma la forma de una luna creciente, o cuando se lanza a sí mismo a través de los tejados y realiza un movimiento mortal en el aire a la perfección.

Caballero de la Luna Siempre iba a ser una apuesta, porque llevar a un personaje poco conocido a la acción en vivo por primera vez es un desafío. Especialmente uno que involucra a un hombre de mediana edad que sufre una enfermedad mental y que está habitado por un dios vengativo. Steven y Marc no solo hablan entre ellos durante el programa, sino que también están siempre en comunicación con Khonshu. (La deidad egipcia, un personaje CGI, según Marvel, también tiene un diseño espeluznante. Khonshu tiene un cráneo de pájaro flotante encima de un cuerpo alto que es en parte una armadura, en parte vendajes blancos para las extremidades como momias, y un suéter desatado alrededor de los hombros , y lleva un espectro con un extremo en forma de media luna. Moon Knight también tiene dos armas en forma de media luna incrustadas en su armadura).

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Karim El-Hakim como Khonshu en Caballero de la Luna
Crédito de la foto: Disney/Marvel Studios

Esos elementos únicos también podrían haber sido una bendición, pero Caballero de la Luna simplemente avanza pesadamente sin sentido. En cierto modo, la nueva serie de Marvel recuerda los fracasos de Chloé Zhao con eternosque a pesar de su elenco de seres inmortales y su narrativa que abarca eones, se derrumbó en la pregunta más básica: personajes. Caballero de la Luna está tan ocupado impulsando la historia que se olvida de qué es una buena televisión. Para los cuatro episodios que he visto, es rutinario y aburrido, aunque el cuarto episodio termina de una manera que me intriga lo que ofrecerá a partir de ahora. Realmente espero que esto no se convierta en algo formulado nuevamente, pero tendremos que ver los dos episodios finales para saberlo.

Aunque por ahora, Caballero de la Luna representa un comienzo fallido de un nuevo capítulo para la serie Disney+ de Marvel. Si bien la Fase Cuatro de la MCU ha presentado nuevos héroes en la pantalla grande, el lado de Disney+ se ha centrado principalmente en llevar a sus estrellas de cine a la televisión. Seguro, Ojo de halcón nos dio el primer nuevo superhéroe de MCU en la televisión con Kate Bishop de Hailee Steinfeld, pero tenía a Clint Barton de Jeremy Renner co-liderando la serie. (Técnicamente, Moon Knight no es un superhéroe, pero sabes a lo que me refiero). Eso cambia con Caballero de la Luna – es completamente independiente. Más desapegado incluso que eternos, que al menos reconoció el impacto que alteró el universo de Avengers: Endgame. Está tan separado del resto de MCU que ni siquiera puedes decir si realmente es parte de él.

Caballero de la Luna es un desperdicio de esa libertad y de los talentos de Isaac y Hawke.

Caballero de la Luna se estrena el miércoles 30 de marzo en Disney+ y Disney+ Hotstar. Se emitirá un nuevo episodio todos los miércoles alrededor de las 12:30 p. m. IST/12 a. m. PT hasta el 4 de mayo.

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Moon Knight Episode 2 Recap: The Wife, Mr. Knight, and the Villain’s Big Plan

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Moon Knight episode 2 — out now on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar — is a bit curious second chapter for the new Marvel Cinematic Universe series. Even though it lasts for 51 minutes including credits, it doesn’t feel like a lot happens on Moon Knight episode 2. That may be because it’s made up of less than half a dozen scenes in total. It largely sketches out the world of Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) — the life Steven Grant (Isaac) and the audience don’t know about. We learn Marc has a wife in Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy) and that they went on adventures together. Moon Knight episode 2 also hints that the Egyptian moon god Khonshu — we got a confirmation on his name here — saved Marc from a near-death experience.

Meanwhile, Steven’s life continues to unravel. He loses his London museum job in Moon Knight episode 2. He finds out he’s been punching people with his bare hands at night for years. (I get they are two personalities, but it’s one body. Shouldn’t he feel it in his arms and legs in the morning?) And he ends the new Moon Knight episode without control over his body — and whenever he does wake up, he’s going to discover he’s travelled a continent away, from Europe to Africa, with Moon Knight episode 2 ending in Egypt. Fitting that a series involving multiple Egyptian gods — not to mention, an Egyptian director and an Egyptian-Palestinian actress — would go there. I suppose the show’s setting is going to change for at least one, if not more, episodes.

For what it’s worth, Steven got his own take on the Moon Knight costume. Unlike Marc’s traditional cape-and-hood version, his version of Moon Knight wears an off-white three-piece suit, with a tight-fitting full-face mask that has a crescent-shaped symbol in the middle of the forehead. It’s known as Mr. Knight, the Moon Knight episode 2 credits reveal.

And oh, we also got clued into the villain’s big plan. In Moon Knight episode 2, cult leader Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) reveals he wants to resurrect the Egyptian goddess Ammit — which is why he’s been after Steven, because apparently the Scarab is useful is finding Ammit. With Moon Knight episode 2 ending in Egypt, I’m betting we will learn more about Ammit in Moon Knight episode 3.

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Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, with the staff imbued with Ammit’s power, in Moon Knight episode 2
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Moon Knight episode 2 — titled “Summon the Suit”, directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, and written by Michael Kastelein — picks up right after where episode 1 left off. Or at least, where Moon Knight episode 1 ended for our scared little gift shop-ist Steven Grant. Steven wakes up in bed with nightmares of what happened with the creature. But he’s chained to his bed like always. After all, he has no memories once he transfers control of his body to Marc Spector, which is what Steven did in episode 1. Having discovered that Marc speaks to him at times through mirrors, Steven tries to talk to Marc in the bathroom mirror, but he gets no reply.

Steven heads into work on Moon Knight episode 2, where he encounters security guy JB (Alexander Cobb) as he’s about to go through last night’s security footage. But strangely, there’s nothing of that Egyptian jackal — as Steven calls that weird looking supernatural jackal from episode 1 — on the CCTVs. All we see is Steven running scared making a mess, and Marc staring at the camera as he exited the museum. Naturally, his employers, the National Art Gallery, are letting him go for the damage he caused, but not before they offer him psychological help.

On his way back to his flat in Moon Knight episode 2, Steven speaks to the living statue Crawley (Shaun Scott), and tells him about the things — a flip phone and a key — he found hidden in his flat. Now unemployed, Steven goes looking for a storage locker that the key belongs to, and finds it after five attempts. Inside, he finds a bed, some boxes, and a bag. Said bug has a gun, lots of money, and an American passport with the name Marc Spector. Alternate identity confirmed! And oh, there’s also that Scarab that Arthur kept asking Steven for in Moon Knight episode 1. As Steven clicks open the Scarab, a part of it hovers and points in a direction — Steven realises it’s not pointing north like a compass.

Just then, Marc returns in the reflection of the storage locker in Moon Knight episode 2. Naturally, Steven wants to know who he is — and why he has access to items that are usually the territory of secret agents. Marc says: “I serve Khonshu, I’m his Avatar. We protect the vulnerable and we deliver Khonshu’s justice on those who deserve it.” Steven remarks that it’s the stupidest thing he has ever heard. “I eat one piece of steak and bang, I go bonkers,” Steven notes, in what is one of the best jokes from the new Marvel series. (I would also like to point out the stupidity of Isaac saying the word avatar like the movie Avatar. So much for Diab’s claims over authentic representation, when he can’t even get his American actors to say a Sanskrit-origin word like it’s meant to be said.)

Moon Knight Episode 1 Recap: Oscar Isaac’s Steven Meets Oscar Isaac’s Marc

Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant confronts Isaac’s Marc Spector in Moon Knight episode 2
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Marc tells Steven that he will disappear if he just stays out of his lane and lets him finish the job he needs to for Khonshu. But Steven tells him that he’s never giving him control again. In fact, he’s never going to sleep again if that’s what it takes to keep Marc away. Steven says that he’s going to the authorities with everything he’s found on Marc, and hopes that the NHS — that’s the British public healthcare system — will pump him with enough pills that he can’t remember any of this. But just as Steven leaves the storage locker on Moon Knight episode 2, the lights start to flicker. He once again sees that weird-looking giant figure from episode 1, except this time it comes closer.

Steven begins to run in Moon Knight episode 2, exiting the storage locker premises and then the building, only to trip over himself and fall on the street next to an incoming scooter. Said scooter turns out to be driven by Layla — the woman on the phone in episode 1 — who tells Steven that she found him by tracking his phone. “I thought you wanted me to,” she remarks. Layla then reveals she’s his wife — technically, she’s Marc’s wife — and she’s been wondering why he just disappeared on her. She thought he would be fine because he had the suit (wait, she knows?!) but she was also worried he got kidnapped again (wait, when was he kidnapped before?). Steven just asks her to get him back to his flat, where he will explain everything.

Back at his flat, Layla is bemused to see that Steven is into things that she was known for. Steven’s favourite French poet is actually Layla’s favourite French poet. Steven is studying hieroglyphics and the Egyptian alphabet, which is something Layla already knows. Layla then turns the conversation on Moon Knight episode 2, noting that he (she means Marc) sent her divorce papers but never signed them. Steven says he would never divorce her — buddy, you were never married to her — and that he’s going to tell her everything unlike Marc who keeps lying. But just as he’s about to pull the Scarab out of the bag, Marc gets in his head and tells him he’s doing all of it to protect Layla. If you involve her, it’ll be your fault if they come after Layla, Marc remarks.

Everything You Need to Know About Marvel’s New Series, Moon Knight

May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight episode 2
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

That gets Steven to stop, but he’s said too much already. Layla’s interest is now piqued and she wants to know what he has in the bag. She snatches it away from him and finds the Scarab within. Layla is aghast, noting that they — Marc and she — fought side by side for the Scarab. Except Steven doesn’t remember their life together or their adventures. It seems Marc has been keeping things from Layla for a while. And he’s further pushing her away by divorcing her.

Before their talk can go any further, the police come knocking on Steven’s door in Moon Knight episode 2. As they go through his flat — sorry, don’t they need a warrant? — they inevitably find the Marc Spector passport. Layla had escaped through a window before the police entered. They already believe he has stolen something — are they here for the Scarab? Though how would they know about that? — and now he’s also on the hook for forging a passport. As the police take him in, they discover that Marc Spector is an international fugitive. He was part of a team of mercenaries that hit a dig site in Egypt, and executed archaeologists by shooting them in the back of the head. Something is up though, because instead of arriving at a police station, they pull up in a back alley.

Ah, they are dummy cops — and they’ve taken him to Arthur. As Steven gets out of the car, Arthur asks him: “Do you think Khonshu chose you because your mind would be easy to break or because it’s broken already?” Wait, is Arthur referring to that tall thingy with a bird skull for a head? It would seem so, which confirms my Moon Knight episode 1 suspicions. That really is Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god.

Anyway, back to Moon Knight episode 2. Steven says that he’s not broken, he just needs some help. Arthur says that’s what he’s here for. Khonshu returns and instructs Steven to kill Arthur, which Arthur predicts. Huh, how did he know? Arthur continues with his pitch, informing Steven that the neighbourhood they stand in once had the highest crime rate in the city. Arthur helped and now, people don’t even lock their doors at night. The two then walk into a community kitchen, where Arthur notes that the food is free — he calls out the lentil soup by name, which is basically dal but fancier — as Steven sees folks enjoy what looks like a pleasant natural history documentary.

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Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight episode 2
Photo Credit: Csaba Aknay/Marvel Studios

Just as some nearby metal trays fall down, Arthur notes that Khonshu often throws temper tantrums and that’s why he was banished by other Egyptian gods. Also, his policy on vengeance didn’t sit well with others. Khonshu keeps speaking to Steven in between, telling him he only punishes those who have done harm. Arthur then reveals on Moon Knight episode 2 that he’s able to predict Khonshu’s words because he was his former Avatar — before Marc. He then notes that Khonshu’s judgment arrives after evil has been done. “Ammit knows this and she uproots them before any evil is done,” Arthur adds. We must resurrect Ammit, Arthur notes, and we need the Scarab to find her. So, the Moon Knight villain’s big plan is to resurrect an Egyptian god? Um, cool.

Naturally, Steven brings up the point we’ve all thought of by now. If Ammit judges pre-evil, isn’t the person innocent? How can a thought be evil? How can you kill a child 30 years before they will do something? This speaks to the oft-cited question around killing baby Hitler. Arthur spins a metaphor, claiming how one might amputate a limb to prevent an infection from spreading across a body. Steven neatly points out that a child is not a diseased limb, before turning around to speak to Arthur’s brainwashed followers, and wondering if they don’t draw the line at child murder. Arthur pivots on Moon Knight episode 2, changing the topic to his cane. It contains a sliver of Ammit’s power, which is how he’s able to judge people using the supernatural scales of his justice on his arm.

Even just hearing about the cane, everyone — including Steven and Arthur’s followers — takes a step away from Arthur. The cult leader demands that Steven hand over the Scarab, but he says he doesn’t have it. This time, he’s not even lying. Just then, Layla emerges out of nowhere and announces she has the Scarab, holding it up for all to see. Layla then walks towards Steven on Moon Knight episode 2, asking him to summon the suit so they can get out of there in one piece. But Steven keeps misunderstanding her — and Layla has no choice but to then just make a dash for it with Steven. A calm Arthur buries his cane into the ground, from which another…

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Moon Knight Episode 4 Recap: Taking a Cue From Legion?

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Moon Knight episode 4 — out now on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar — was yet another humdrum episode of a TV show that’s made a habit of them, but by the end of it, I was left more intrigued than I have been so far with the Oscar Isaac-led Marvel Cinematic Universe series. Of course, I’m also cautiously optimistic owing to multiple factors. For one, just two episodes are left in Moon Knight‘s run. Dealing with a major distraction while also figuring out its endgame will be a lot to do in two episodes, moreso for a series that has routinely given us episodes in which barely anything happens for 50 minutes. Moon Knight hasn’t instilled any confidence in its abilities yet, but it could still suddenly produce something wholly brilliant and pathbreaking.

It’s not as though what Moon Knight might be doing is that unique to begin with. Moon Knight episode 4 ends by suggesting that Marc Spector (Isaac) has been essentially dreaming everything so far. He’s just a patient at a psychiatric hospital, where he got the idea of the Steven Grant personality from an ‘80s movie playing on TV, and everyone else we’ve come to know is just a fellow patient or a member of the staff. To me, this sounds like Marvel Studios riffing on Legion’s series premiere — Noah Hawley’s visually inventive FX superhero series that started out in a mind-boggling fashion — except with the script flipped in a way. Or is it? We’ll only know once we see next week’s Moon Knight episode 5.

I really hope Moon Knight creator Jeremy Slater knows what he’s doing, because otherwise Moon Knight is going to end up at the bottom of the MCU Disney+ pile where it already belongs.

Moon Knight episode 4 — titled “The Tomb”, directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, and written by Michael Kastelein — opens where we left off, inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. Osiris’s Avatar Selim (Khalid Abdalla) places the stone Khonshu, trapped in what’s known as a ushabti, near an earthen lamp. As Selim walks away and the camera pulls back, we see how many other gods have seemingly been imprisoned in stone over the years.

Moon Knight Review: Oscar Isaac’s Marvel Series Is a Snooze Fest

May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight episode 4
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Following the title card, Moon Knight episode 4 jumps back to Steven and Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy) in the desert where the previous episode ended. While Steven is still unconscious, someone starts firing at them. I’m guessing it’s Arthur’s men? Layla leaves the passed-out Steven, heads to their pick-up truck, and hides inside. It actually works — the attackers find Steven’s body and think he’s dead. Just then, Layla re-emerges with a red flare to attract attention, and then ducks behind the truck again, but when the henchmen follow it, they discover she’s not there. Layla uses the distraction to throw another flare to blow up the ammunition that’s on the vehicle.

Hearing the commotion, Steven wakes up bewildered in Moon Knight episode 4. On the road towards Ammit’s tomb in the morning, Marc — via the truck’s side mirrors — tells Steven to give the body back. But Steven notes that they had a deal: when Marc was finished with the Khonshu business, he would disappear. Well, Khonshu is gone now, so in a way, he’s done. Layla, sitting next to Steven, points out that she should have been told about that deal, since Marc was part of her life too. However, she admits, more to herself, that Marc would have “wanted to lone wolf the whole thing” anyway. She’s really growing on Steven, if you haven’t been following the clues.

As Steven and Layla reach Ammit’s tomb in Moon Knight episode 4, they discover an extensive amount of work has already been done by Arthur’s men. They will need to find another way to reach the tomb before them. As they look for supplies, Marc tells Steven he needs to be scared. Now that there’s no more Khonshu, it also means no armour, no protection, and no healing. It’s why he needs to give control to Marc, who’s better equipped as a fighter, but Steven points out it’s the same body, so he thinks he can figure it out with muscle memory. That’s a dumb argument, but okay. Plus, he has Layla, Steven adds. Yeah, that definitely counts for more.

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Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight episode 4
Photo Credit: Gabor Kotschy/Marvel Studios

While Layla rigs Steven for the drop inside the tomb, she tells him that he smells like Marc, and out of nowhere she goes in for a kiss as Moon Knight episode 4 continues. Wow, Marvel dropped two tiny clues, and then just went for this? I’m sorry, it does not feel justified to me. And before the kiss can happen, Steven blurts out that Marc is trying to protect her from Khonshu. Oh lord, someone save this guy from himself. As a perplexed Layla looks on, Steven explains Marc is doing it because Khonshu wants her as his next Avatar. Which is fine, except that Khonshu is imprisoned in stone right now, so that’s a bit of a moot point. Layla, now annoyed at both Marc and Steven, says she needs honesty not protection.

Down in the tomb in the next scene of Moon Knight episode 4, Steven and Layla discover there are six paths. Thanks to his knowledge of ancient Egypt, Steven realises the whole structure is based on a symbol: the eye of Horus. Six paths for six senses; Steven explains. Together, they decipher that the Avatar would be Ammit’s voice — so they head towards the route that leads to the tongue. On their way, they find bullets and what look like chunks of meat, which is ominous to say the least.

As Steven climbs half a floor to look for a different exit, they hear someone approaching and do their best to hide. A creature comes in with a human body, places it on a table with the blood and meaty bits, and starts poking into it. However, the creature soon discovers Steven and Layla, forcing them to run in different directions in Moon Knight episode 4. Steven drops something from above and thinks he has squashed the creature, but its voice can be heard soon after, implying that it’s alive or that there are more of them.

Moon Knight episode 4 then follows Layla who arrives at a hollow place that has a big drop into nothing. As she sticks her back to the wall and tries to sidle her way through, she’s grabbed by a creature and pulled into darkness. Surprisingly, Layla seems somewhat unscathed, quickly using a flare to impale the creature in the eye, and throwing it into the giant pit. She almost falls herself, but recovers just in time. As Layla climbs back up, she spots Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) across from her in the distance.

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Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant in Moon Knight episode 4
Photo Credit: Csaba Aknay/Marvel Studios

Cut to Steven whose alternative exit has landed him in an inner chamber. There, he spots Macedonian symbols next to a sarcophagus, which are apparently unfamiliar to someone as knowledgeable as Steven. Talking to himself and the audience in Moon Knight episode 4, Steven notes that “he” insisted on being called Egyptian. There was only one pharaoh who was Macedonian, Steven points out, which means he has found the long-lost chamber of Alexander the Great. Ah super, the Egypt cliché train continues. First Giza, now Alexander. What’s next, a chase down the river Nile?

Anyway, Moon Knight episode 4 then takes us back to Layla and Arthur who are chatting about her archaeologist father now. He would be thrilled to know that Egyptian gods walk among us, Arthur says, before pivoting to Marc again. “Your husband is in more pain than anyone could bear, but he still hasn’t told you the truth.” An annoyed Layla shoots back: “You’re obviously dying to, so why don’t you go ahead, the floor is yours.”

Before that can happen though, Moon Knight episode 4 switches to Steven who is now panicking with his great discovery. “Everything inside me is screaming not to open this thing,” he says, with Marc replying via a reflection: “You want Harrow to get to Ammit first?” That convinces Stephen, and he opens the sarcophagus. And since Alexander was the voice of Ammit — going by their earlier deduction — he tears up his throat and face to get to the ushabti.

Back to Layla and Arthur again. “Your father was murdered by mercenaries,” Arthur tells her in Moon Knight episode 4, and Layla responds with the obvious: “You’re saying Marc was one of them?” Arthur claims Marc remembers everyone from that day, but one especially, a man wearing a fuchsia scarf with scarab details. The details are enough to bring Layla to tears, and she rhetorically demands to know whether Arthur is done, before walking away. Arthur shouts at her to wake up — just as his minions arrive to tell him they’ve found another way to Ammit’s tomb.

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Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, May Calamawy as Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight episode 4
Photo Credit: Csaba Aknay/Marvel Studios

Layla arrives in the same room as Steven, who is rejoicing, having found the ushabti. But Layla is in a different mindspace now, in Moon Knight episode 4, still reeling from her conversation with Arthur. She wants to talk to Marc, and wonders if he can hear her. Before Steven can get in a word or two, Layla shouts: “I need to talk to you, Marc,” which brings him out over Steven. Oh wow, that’s a neat trick. Layla wants to know if Marc killed her father. “Of course not,” Marc forcefully says. But Layla realises that he was there when it happened. Marc explains that his partner got greedy and executed everyone at the dig site, including him, but he didn’t die even though he should have. It’s implied that Khonshu saved him. “That’s the reason that we met; you just had a guilty conscience,” Layla hits back, flabbergasted.

But before their conversation can go any further, they are interrupted by the imminent arrival of Arthur’s men. Marc tells Layla to scoot while he holds them off — with Alexander’s axe. Sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud; he’s literally brought a knife to a gunfight. As Arthur walks in behind his gun-toting men in Moon Knight episode 4, he realises it’s just Marc. Khonshu is gone. “You’re a free man, and with that freedom comes choice,” Arthur tells Marc, as he stretches his hand out for the ushabti. “Right now, you have a very important decision to make.” But of course, Marc does the foolhardy thing and takes on two of Arthur’s approaching men. In response, Arthur shoots him through the heart. As the second bullet goes through, Marc falls backwards, into the tiny pond behind him.

Moon Knight goes into a different space then. Marc’s body sinks into the water even though there isn’t that kind of depth, before disappearing into the darkness below. And what emerges from that is an adventure movie with a 4:3 aspect ratio featuring a middle-aged guy and a teenager called Rosser, who come across a dead body. Rosser wonders if this means the treasure is gone, but in the distance, the man spots a statue of Coyolxauhqui, calling it the lunar god of the Aztecs. (Khonshu is the Egyptian lunar god, by the way.) Rosser says he doesn’t know anything, “but you’re Dr. Steven Grant”. Wait, what? Excuse me? Is Steven’s personality based on a movie?

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Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector in Moon Knight episode 4
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

It seems so, as the camera zooms out on a very different Moon Knight episode 4, revealing it’s a movie being watched by patients in a psychiatric hospital. “Donna” (Lucy Thackeray), Steven’s boss from the museum, is also here. There’s the guy who played Anton Mogart’s bodyguard Bek (Loic Mabanza), alongside a woman who’s drawing something that looks a bit like Khonshu. Even one of Arthur’s right-hand men (David Ganly) who pretended to be a cop in episode 2, is here, attending to our protagonist who’s a patient. Layla is also a nurse here. And Moon Knight is just an action figure in his hand. He calls himself Steven as he stares at his reflection — he still has ankle bracelets and now they keep him tied to his wheelchair — but he’s called Marc by the attendant.

Sorry, has Steven/Marc been making everything up? Did we just go Legion season 1 here? Soon after, in Moon…

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