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'Moon Knight' S1E1 'The Goldfish Problem' unveils a complex character narrative
Disney+

Television

‘Moon Knight’ S1E1 ‘The Goldfish Problem’ unveils a complex character narrative

Moon Knight opens with its first episode called ‘The Goldfish Problem’ with great effect.

The much anticipated Moon Knight has launched on Disney+ today beginning a new vigilante hero story for television consumption. It follows the Netflix Marvel shows, but now under Marvel Studios can this show shine even brighter? The answer is very much yes, especially with its first episode that unveils its mysteries, gives us a glorious superhero suit action, and establishes its six-episode narrative.

The episode opens not with our title hero, but with Ethan Hawk’s Arthur Harrow. He smashes glass up and adds it to his shoes before going about his day. Cut to Oscar Isaac waking from his slumber with his ankle locked to a wire strapped to a pole in his bedroom. Surrounded by sand so as to make sure he didn’t leave the bed he goes about his day. This focus on feet is an interesting one connecting the villain and hero early on.

Much of the first episode is about establishing one of Moon Knight’s personalities, the mild-mannered soft-spoken Steven Grant. He can’t get girls, works in a museum gift shop, and is generally quite sad. Many have commented on the character having a British accent, although it works well to show how Steven Grant is very much not Marc Spector later in the episode. 

That personality will grow on you — I’ve seen the first four episodes so can attest to that — but it gets a little frustrating how pathetic Steven Grant’s life is in the first half of the episode. It reaches a crushingly unbelievable point where he’s talking to a street artist pretending to be a statue. Given we barely know this character and yet everyone has bullied him up until this point, this new low of having no one to talk to borders on character assassination. Luckily the episode picks up and we’re on a ride with Steven to figure out where he is, literally, and what is going on.

moon knight 1.2

Time to slip into something a little more comfortable.
Credit: Disney+

The show moves at a fast clip aided by the fact that Steven Grant loses consciousness as is necessary when danger and death are imminent and someone with a bit more knowledge can take over. Utilizing Grant’s fear and worry, he is shocked awake multiple times in a chase sequence and we, the audience, are shocked to see bodies strewn about, or the situation quickly resolved. The only hint that he’ll lose consciousness is a booming voice. It’s a good way to put us in Grant’s shoes and that goes double for the booming voice of Khonshu voiced by F. Murray Abraham.

It’s worth noting the showrunners don’t give too much away right off the bat which ends up making viewers feel like they’re right there with Steven. What is happening to him is unclear, especially if you haven’t read the comics, and the show barrels forward as Steven tries to make sense of what is going on. He thinks he’s gone crazy, but he hasn’t seen anything yet.

As the first episode plays out it’s clear the show wants to have a bit of fun too as we’ve come to expect from the MCU. There are bits of humor strewn throughout adding a bit of levity and by extension a little more believability. Given we’re to presume Egyptian gods are real and have only been asleep for centuries, it’s nice to see Oscar Isaac ham it up. Surprisingly Grant can be the perfect amount of goofy and loveable at times.

Aside from the spooky elevator scene that was prominently featured in many trailers over the last few months, the first episode is rather tame when it comes to horror. It’s never scary but does reach levels of peculiarity and weirdness that are enjoyable. Save for a middle finger thrown and some slightly horrific blood, this opening episode could be watched by kiddos with little problem.

Ethan Hawk has a key speech to give in this episode as well and he does a good enough job. There isn’t a lot to go on beyond some magical abilities he has when he judges people, but he takes the role seriously and helps align the outrageous elements to a grounded place. It seems the show leaned towards making him mysterious more than fleshing him out as a whole person.

Something that will excite fans after watching the first episode is the fact that much of what we’ve seen in trailers appear in this first episode. That helps build expectations and establishes many surprises are in store for viewers.

Moon Knight episode one is a great start blending action and satisfying reveals, while not being afraid to have a goofy side too. There is an obvious MCU sheen on the show that makes it feel like it’s not taking too many chances and stays in the lane of magic and the unknown. That said, the first episode is entertaining and well worth a look as Marvel begins to show a darker side to a complex character worthy of your time.

'Moon Knight' S1E1 'The Goldfish Problem' unveils a complex character narrative
‘Moon Knight’ S1E1 ‘The Goldfish Problem’ unveils a complex character narrative
Moon Knight S1E1 'The Goldfish Problem'
Moon Knight episode 1 is a great start blending action and satisfying reveals, while not being afraid to have a goofy side too. There is an obvious MCU sheen on the show that makes it feel like it’s not taking too many chances and stays in the lane of magic and the unknown. That said, the first episode is entertaining and well worth a look as Marvel begins to show a darker side to a complex character worthy of your time.
Reader Rating0 Votes
0
Sets up a larger mystery and drops viewers into Steven Grant's shoes
Great special effects and we get to see Moon Knight in full form
Intense action sequence and chase with a cool smash cut feature
Ethan Hawk's villain is a bit dry
Steven Grant can be painfully pathetic as it goes too far to establish he's weak
8.5
Great

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