Moon Knight is finally here, and this show is really good. Marvel got the hype train rolling a few weeks ago when it sent the first four episodes out to critics. Early reviews commended the show for breaking the Marvel formula.
Apparently, Moon Knight was the most distinct MCU project, a compliment some of us dismissed as an exaggeration. But then we saw the pilot episode, and it exceeded every expectation. We should start by discussing the show’s strengths. Oscar Isaac is amazing as Steven Grant, a bumbling fellow that refuses to sleep because he doesn’t trust his subconscious. Steven has blackouts, moments where another personality takes control and misbehaves, which is why the character is chained to his bed when we first meet him.
You can see the exhaustion in his eyes as he wades into the light of each new day, determined to perform the menial tasks assigned to him, tasks that ignore his considerable intellect.
The protagonist has a sadness that attracts sympathy. However, you can also see the fear in his eyes when his mind betrays him, conjuring frightening images that continuously challenge his perception of reality. Oscar Isaac is killing it in this role.
But the character is only compelling to watch because the show has an intriguing mystery. Steven is not alone in his body. Every time he falls asleep, a new man marches out of his apartment.
But who is this Marc Spector, and what connection does he have to that mysterious entity that haunts Steven’s daydreams?
That first scene with Arthur Harrow sent chills down my spine. I wasn’t sure what I was watching or why I should care until Arthur poured broken shards of glass into his shoes and then pulled them on.
Some reviewers have criticized the numerous cuts that punctuate the pilot episode’s action scenes. But you couldn’t ask for a better representation of Steven’s fractured psyche, his inability to maintain control of his mind for more than a few moments.
This show just works. The horror elements won’t keep me up at night. But let’s be honest. This was a solid attempt at horror. I barely flinched at the scene in the elevator because I knew Khonshu was not a threat to Steven.
Without that certainty, that scene would have delivered the best scare I have ever seen in the MCU. This is the strongest start to a series the MCU has given us thus far. That final scene was surprisingly vicious despite the absence of blood.
And the early reviews are not wrong. This is unlike anything the MCU has shown us to date. But that isn’t surprising. After a decade of record-breaking success, they have to switch things up to maintain their momentum.
I have one concern. In the comics, Marc Spector is a vigilante who uses the extraordinary abilities Khonshu has gifted him to fight injustice. But that wasn’t always the case.
During the character’s earliest days, Marc was just a guy with a dissociative identity disorder. Khonshu was a figment of his imagination. Most comics did not directly dismiss Marc’s visions.
Rather, they planted seeds of doubt, forcing audiences to question the validity of the character’s claims. Later on, Marvel turned Khonshu into an actual deity.
Some people want this show to take inspiration from Moon Knight’s first few issues. They want the show to explore the trials of an ordinary man struggling with mental illness. But if this show reveals at the end that all these supernatural shenanigans were hallucinations, I will lose it. I hate that trope.
I despise stories that hint at paranormal threats only to reveal that all the ghouls and demons we saw were representations of the hero’s emotional and psychological struggles.
That nonsense has to stop. For now, I will remain hopeful. I will give the writers the benefit of the doubt.