Moon Knight launched last week with an opening episode that had, nearly, everything. It established mild-mannered Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), the villain, Marc Spector (also Oscar Isaac), and even gave us a glorious shot of the Moon Knight costume. It didn’t quite figure out how the dynamic between Spector and Grant would work, but fear not, episode two sets that up and then some.
“Summon the Suit” opens with Steven rushing to the museum knowing full well security cameras would have picked up the Egyptian monster attack. Sadly, the cameras saw nothing and Steven looks like a total nutter running about after he “damaged the bathroom.” Ignoring the fact that one man couldn’t possibly tear a bathroom up with his bare hands, the museum fires Steven setting him into desperation mode. His life is in tatters more than before and he needs to figure out who is in his head.
Something about this show that is clearly working is its pace. In a key scene, Steven figures out where Marc’s secret stash of weaponry and passports is and has his first real conversation with him. Talking through a reflection amongst Marc’s guns and tactical gear, Steven and the audience begin to realize Khonshu may in fact be real. The scene is a strong one and plays out like a Bourne Identity movie. Steven may be a wimp, but it’s certain now he’s been living an espionage and action-packed lifestyle when he’s asleep.
We got a look at Khonshu in the first episode, but we get to see him in a horror-show sort of way here. After being chased out of the container location, Steven bumps into a mysterious woman named Layla (May Calamawy). She’ll play a big part from here on out and adds the element of knowing Marc better than Steven. Layla is also aware of the powers, which sets up the dynamic of Steven being even more in the dark about his powers and alter ego.
Khonshu knows how to walk the runway.
Credit: Disney+
Ethan Hawk gets prime time in this episode as Arthur Harrow. Similar to the last episode, he gets a meaty speech that helpfully sets up his goals and motivation in the show. We also get to see a bit of his power. Hawk is doing a decent job with what he’s got as he’s playing the part with seriousness. It’s hard to get a read on him, though, which may be on purpose, but so far he’s come off as believing in himself with a faint level of evilness.
Harrow gets to unleash his power like a true villain which leads to an excellent action sequence that culminates with Moon Knight wearing the Mr. Knight suit. It’s a clever way to integrate the suit as it adds a bit of humor while not dropping the ball on the action. That action leads to a scene where Steven can see a monster no one else can. The production clearly had fun throwing Moon Knight around on wires as if he was fighting a beast and I’m sure producers were happy with how much it saved them on CGI.
It’s in this action that the show uses Marc’s skills as a fighter to convey that Steven is in over his head. The dynamic between Moon Knight’s personalities, and how they fight for control, is expertly done here too. We also get more glorious fighting reminding us this is a superhero show.
If you were on the fence about Moon Knight, episode two will solidify it as your new favorite show to watch. Moon Knight episode two captures every element of what makes it good while establishing the dueling personalities inside Moon Knight’s head. It’s also a prime example of how superhero shows can go deeper with character while also adding something new to the MCU.
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