Moon Knight: The Inner Struggle for Control

Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) awakes tethered to his own bed after the events of episode one.  There are ramifications for what transpired and after being let go from his job at the museum, Steven attempts to find out more information about what is happening to him, which leads him to discovering some disturbing and interesting things from his life as Marc Spector.  He meets Layla (May Calamawy), who claims they have a past together and Steven must convince her that he doesn’t remember any of it, while Marc tries to convince him to surrender the body to his control.  When they cross Harrow’s (Ethan Hawke) path again, Steven is given even more information about some of the voices in his head and eventually must give in to releasing control to Marc in order to save both himself and Layla.

The second episode follows a similar format to the first, the audience is experiencing the events as Steven, who is naïve to what is truly happening, and shocked to discover things he has done in his past, but we are given much more information on what Moon Knight is and who he is fighting against. Beginning the series with Steven ignorant of his multiple personality disorder and that he is the Avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, is an interesting way to provide the exposition to the characters.  It allows us to experience a bit of what the character is going through and makes dialogue that could feel forced or out of place, seem a bit more genuine, injecting a bit of humor into the show.

The production value remains high with the expected standard that comes with being an MCU related show.  The music is appropriate, the script is smart and intriguing, and the story flows well.  May Calamawy’s Layla is a strong woman, who at first doesn’t believe that Steven wasn’t aware of her or that he didn’t remember their life together, but later begins to understand that Steven and Marc are two different people.  Ethan Hawke continues to impress with his creepy yet charismatic character, Arthur Harrow.  Like all good villains, Harrow believes that what he is doing is the right thing to do and that the ends justify the means.  Oscar Isaac is very good as both the bumbling Steven and the confident Marc.  Everything from voice to stature changes between characters, even the “suit” is different when Steven attempts to summon it, giving the episode it’s title, Summon the Suit.