Watch: Moon Knight (2022) S01 Episode 2 Review

Moon Knight has had an interesting debut which may have come off as confusing to people who don’t understand the character. I myself have only read a handful of his comics but so far I have been able to keep up with the character and if anyone is left confused by the end of the first episode then they most likely will enjoy this latest episode. The episode does a wonderful job in answering who exactly is Moon Knight with the last episode shrouding the narrative mostly in mystery.

So who is Moon Knight? Well it’s again a bit confusing but we basically get most of the answers here. Moon Knight is basically a conduit between Marc Spector and the Moon God Khonshou. Now in the midst of all that we have two split personalities with one being Steven Grant who has been the main personality so far in this show and that of Marc Spector who is the true identity and main conduit of Khonshou. Oscar Isaac does a phenomenal job portraying a man conflicted of two identities as this episode shows both Spector and Grant fighting for control of their body. What’s interesting in this episode is we also get the debut of Mr. Knight who is another identity and variation of the Moon Knight identity but unlike the comics it’s Steven in his own suit. Some comic fans may be bothered at this but I think it’s an interesting take on the character.
So basically we have Marc Spector who has the power of Moon Knight through Khonshou’s presence and then we have Steven Grant who has the power of Mr. Knight through Khonshou’s presence. What I’m interested in seeing is what difference of powers Moon Knight and Mr. Knight have. Mr. Knight was more of a comic relief in this episode and we get a more in depth look at Moon Knight fighting even if it’s a quick fight but the gothic scenery behind his debut was quite a spectacle to watch and I can’t wait to see more Moon Knight action. It seems they are giving us a little more every episode while taking the time to explore the psychosis behind this character and so far it’s really paid off thanks to Oscar Isaac’s phenomenal performance.

Other notable aspects is of the villain Arthur Harrow who we learn a little bit more about. Ethan Hawke plays this villain with such convincing sublime villainy but I’m more interested to see the god he worships. However, the scene where he tries to explain his method of madness to Steven was a great scene as Hawke sells his religious mission quite well but despite how convincing Hawke’s performance, seeing Steven question the facade shows the true madness behind him. Harrow is such a minor villain but Hawke is really making his presence known here and I’m excited to see what’s next for the villain and maybe finally get a look at Ammit.

Beyond that we get introduced to Marc/Steven’s wife Layla. She didn’t have a whole lot to do this episode but the scene with her and Steven when they first meet reveals a lot about Steven himself. What I noticed was Steven seems to have adapted a lot of her interests such as poetry and hieroglyphs. It’s almost like Jeremy Slater is hinting at the influence Layla had on Marc and maybe Steven was created because of her in his writing. It will be interesting if this is true but I really felt Oscar Isaac and May Calamawy bounced off each other’s energies quite well to make for a fitting scene of dialogue. Hopefully we get to see more of this relationship as the show progresses.

Review By Jacob Sunderland