Steve Grant is a man who lives in terror of what happens if he closes his eyes for a moment too long. Sometimes, it seems he ends up sleepwalking. Other times, it finds him in towns he does not recognize, blinking in and out of brutal violence he is not equipped to handle, with blank spots in his memories he can’t quite account for. Steven’s condition is getting increasingly dangerous…and he’s slowly learning that his body may not be entirely his own.
Armaan Babu: It’s a waning crescent moon tonight, and Steven Grant’s grip on his own life seems to be fading away, too. Marvel hero Moon Knight gets his own series, and while I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this series, it managed to take me by surprise. I can’t tell if I’m going to enjoy this season as a whole, but this episode? This was fun. What did you think, Adam?
Adam Reck: Card Counter vs. First Reformed?! I am here for this! Although I think it’s important to note upfront that aside from a general idea of what Moon Knight is all about (Khonshu, multiple identities), I am a novice when it comes to the character, which I assume most of the audience will be as well. So the idea of starting from the perspective of Steven instead of launching directly into superhero shenanigans was a brilliant choice. From the opening scene with Isaac we’re treated to a slew of clues that something is not quite right with this guy, and that energy is non-stop until the final shot.
Armaan: I’m pretty new to the character as well. I know just enough to be able to get what they’re trying to establish with the character, but everything else? It’s a mystery. Let’s dive in!
Sleepwalk Prevention
Armaan Babu: So given that Moon Knight’s a darker character, that cheery opening tune threw me off balance, so I’m right there with Steven Grant throughout this episode; I never quite found my feet. Unlike Steven, however, I really enjoyed the experience. Like you said, Adam, there’s a lot of energy here. Steven’s your average down-on-your-luck guy, a guy you don’t look at twice until he gets some sort of major personality shift, wink wink.
While the show doesn’t outright specify that Steven Grant’s just one of the personalities sharing that body, nothing the show does really hides it, either. Even if I didn’t know that Dissociative Identity Disorder was a big part of the Moon Knight hook, I don’t think it’s too hard to guess from context clues. Which means that the setup is less of a mystery, and devotes more time to playing around with the idea. What’d you think of our introduction to Steven here, Adam?
Adam Reck: What’s funny is that all of Steven’s elaborate prevention strategy to keep him in bed breaks down really quickly when you realize it could all be undone by un-velcroing his leg, hopping over the sand, and replacing the tape. Viewers know immediately that something very weird is going on, and having characters either call Steven by the wrong name or assume he’s someone else is a great way to introduce that Steven is more than one person. Bonus points to the hair and make-up people for doing their best to make Oscar Isaac unattractive. Isaac seems to be pulling a Clark Kent here with his posture, and his absolutely ridiculous British accent isn’t fooling anyone. Though I am considering adopted “Laters Gators” as my official sign-off on calls to my mother.
Armaan: I have so many questions about the logistics of Steven’s life, given what we know. Does he really have a mother he talks to, or is he talking into a recording machine, pulling a Zemo on us? Does he remember having a childhood, or does his mind keep him from thinking about the incongruities of his life? And if that’s the case…why are things unraveling now?
Because it seems like “sleepwalking” has plagued Steven for as long as he can remember (however long that is). Him being afraid of falling asleep…the show played that off lightly, but it was terrifying to me. Being afraid of what your own mind and body will do when you’re not spending every waking moment keeping it under control.
Adam: I think the show wants us to think Steve is not talking to his mother since he’s just leaving messages about his goldfish onto voicemail. There’s a silliness to it.
Armaan: Silliness isn’t the only thing we see here, though. I think that’s what makes this show able to use the MCU house style of comedic, light-hearted irreverence but still have it feel fresh. The basic tension of the premise is still there. It’s in the edits, it’s in the music, and it’s absolutely in Oscar Isaac’s performance. Steven doesn’t let it show he’s afraid…but the show does.
Speaking of showing us things without showing them to us, though…
Action Scenes Sans Action
Armaan: After establishing what Steven’s life is like, the show ramps things up. Steven wakes up in what appears to be the middle of someone else’s mission. He’s in a cult town. People with guns are after him. Ethan Hawke is walking around with glass-filled shoes (eat your heart out, Cinderella), judging people via magic tattoo, and asking Steven to return the golden scarab that the voices in Steven’s head apparently stole.
Heck of a shift, huh?
Adam Reck: God help me if I ever wake up in a bed of tulips with F Murray Abraham’s disembodied voice calling me a moron and a group of cultists chasing me with automatic weapons.
Armaan: I believe a god’s help is just what’s needed here, actually.
Adam: Ha! But this introduces my favorite conceit of the first episode: The blank spaces where Steven wakes up to the violence of his other personality! We have this great setup scene with Ethan Hawke’s glass-sandal guy, but the cupcake truck chase scene was a real highlight with Steven blinking in and out of the getaway, waking up to realize he’s killed or evaded his pursuers. It only adds to the chaos of what this guy is going through, and I love that the show chooses not to show us the in-between. The episode does a great job of “show not tell.” I can only hope they don’t feel the need to go back in later episodes to fill in the gaps. It makes for great bits.
Armaan: I agree, that would be disappointing, but a part of me worries that they’re going to go ahead and do that anyway. Frankly, I’d be happy just having an entire season of us just skipping ahead to a guy who’s in over his head, glimpses into increasingly ridiculous situations with no explanation of how we got there.
Rewinding just a bit…and also skipping ahead, I am pretty fascinated with our villain here, Arthur. Ethan Hawke plays him with such zealous, radiant kindness. This is a man who truly believes. He doesn’t feel sinister, but he will channel a death into a sweet old lady for something his goddess says is predestined, and he won’t even blink. Charismatic cult leaders taking advantage of those who are desperate to believe are scary, and easy to hate.
Cult leaders who truly believe every word they’re saying are so much more terrifying, because as kind as they are, there is nothing they will not annihilate to further their goals. Arthur believes.
I think it would be both funny and compelling (a line this show is walking admirably) if our Moon Knight was a guy who doesn’t believe in his god. Like, as in, the kind of belief that says Khonshu is any good. Sure, Khonshu exists here, but how much faith is our guy gonna place in him?
Adam: This is the definite advantage to having actual outstanding actors in these roles. Hawke in particular has a history of working in a wide variety of genres and is not afraid to dip his toe into b-grade sci-fi stuff and elevate it. His presence as Arthur is immediately calming and frightening, and his motivations are simultaneously noble (Kill Hitler) and terrifying (Kill whoever might ever do anything bad before they can). What the rubric even is for Arthur’s (Ammit’s) scales is ill defined beyond the magical tattoo, giving them a feeling of arbitrary yet otherworldly judgment. I agree it will be interesting to see what Steven and his fellow personalities’ relationship to Khonshu is and how much of a role Khonshu will play throughout the six episodes.
Of course, the episode’s climax comes with a museum showdown between Arthur and Steven, that culminates with the reveal of Marc Spector and Moon Knight.
New Body Who Dis
Armaan: One of the reasons I hope we keep cutting away from the action is because when we finally do get to see some action, it’s pretty disappointing. The monster minion summoned to take Steven out? It looks bad. The Moon Knight costume itself? That somehow looks worse! The industry’s need to make every costume an overly complex number of layers and textures has done a huge disservice to a very simple, beautiful white costume.
Even the monster—it was Oscar Isaac’s absolute terror, the music and the framing of the scene that did all the real work of selling that fear. The CGI was disappointing, the less we saw of the monster the more threatening it was.
Adam: The museum chase worked for me, but mainly for the reason you point out that the framing of Steven on the run from Ammit didn’t show a lot of Ammit. We saw just enough to realize why Steven’s afraid, horror movie style, and not much else. I will say that if this is Ammit’s final form, it’s a little scrawny? But I guess we don’t know if this is THE Ammit or like a mini-Ammit.
Let’s talk about this costume: It is a weird choice given that so many of MCU characters are given the equivalent of tactical armor and muted colors out of some warped need for “realism,” and Moon Knight is over here like Mumm-Ra emanating CGI bandages into a cape. I applaud the decision, though I don’t know if it works as well in execution. I’ll have to see Moon Knight fight some stuff before I can say whether it’s cool or not.
What I did like was the use of mirrors throughout especially the back half of the episode slowly introducing the other people inhabiting Steven’s body. When Marc Spector finally addresses Steven directly, it’s pretty powerful.
Armaan: There were some absolutely beautiful things done with mirrors here, yeah. The reflections in the water, the multi-mirrors in the elevator, all leading to this moment, and it does hit pretty hard. Not unlike Moon Knight himself, who makes short work of the Ammit (or Am-Minion, as the case may be) the moment Steven surrenders himself to the man in the mirror named Marc.
Now that Moon Knight’s here, the show’s got some explaining to do. I see flashbacks ahead, Adam. Many, many, many flashbacks, and I am not looking forward to this show losing the fantastic momentum this first episode had.
What I am looking forward to, though? Oscar Isaac arguing with multiple versions of himself in the mirror.
Adam: Yes! Give us all the Oscar Isaacs arguing with each other!
Armaan: The Oscars drama we’re all really here to see.
Spector Specifics
- Khonshu (or Konsu) was the Egyptian God of the Moon, a symbol of the moon’s path across the night sky. Konsu also symbolized fertility. Moon Knight’s Khonshu looks a little more like a Silent Hill cosplayer, but he does have to spook poor Steve.
- Ammit was an Egyptian God whose name means “Devourer of Souls.” Ammit’s body is composed of parts of the three animals feared most by Egyptians: A Crocodile’s head, a lion’s body/mane, and a hippopotamus’s back legs. The Ammit we saw in this episode seemed to lack any Hippo parts but sure looked scary!
- Moon Knight’s original three personalities from his dissociative identity disorder were the mercenary Marc Spector, rich playboy Steven Grant, and cabbie Jake Lockley. Reference is made in this episode to a “Scotty” version of Steven/Marc, so we still have time to figure out how this will be fully adapted.
- Khonshu is voiced by F. Murray Abraham. Fun Fact: The F added to his name in honor of his Syrian father, Fahrid.
- The director of Moon Knight is Mohamed Diab, who gained notice as a writer and director for his films leading up to and following the Arab Spring, including Cairo 678 and Clash.
- Why did Gus get replaced? How many times has Gus been replaced?
- It’s kind of sweet that the other personalities make that extra effort to find a fish with one fin just to keep Steven happy.
- If Steven and Scotty both interact with others at the museum, how has no one noticed they’re the same person?
- Is Steven’s mother real? Does it matter?
Armaan is obsessed with the way stories are told. From video games to theater, TTRPGs to comics, he has written for, and about, them all. He will not stop, actually; believe us, we've tried.
Adam Reck is the cartoonist behind Bish & Jubez as well as the co-host of Battle Of The Atom.
