As far as first episodes go, “Moon Knight” takes the Marvel television tradition of long exposition and boring sequences, and destroys them. 

In this episode of “Moon Knight,” we meet Steven Grant, a normal everyday gift shop worker with an interest in Egyptian mythology, who has a problem: he is constantly waking up in strange places. His life is seemingly normal, but he is exhausted from his lack of sleep and his extreme measures to keep himself in his apartment. 

This first episode gives us our first glimpse of the other “people” living inside of Grant’s head. The two shining moments of the episode are when Grant wakes up in the Alps and is guided by the mysterious voices in his head, and when he sees “Marc,” aka Moon Knight, for the first time in the bathroom.

While we get a look at the alters Grant has, we also get a first look at Arthur Harrow, the terrifying cult leader. The episode opens with Harrow as he completes some sort of ritual that requires him to pour glass shards into his shoes and walk with them. That sequence made my sister, who is normally good with gore and sound effects, very squeamish. The cult leader seems to have captivated people all over Europe, making the audience wonder, who does not work for him?

One of the things I really enjoyed about this episode were the more mature and darker themes. The first episode does not have the “Disney flair” that the other television shows have. It more resembles the Netflix shows “Daredevil,” “Punisher,” and “Jessica Jones.” Seeing Steven Grant’s hands covered in blood after a switch with dead bodies surrounding him, with no memory of what he did, resembles more Matt Murdock in “Daredevil” than the happy-go-lucky characters we are used to.  

The music choices and camera angles were essential in setting the tone for the series including flashing shots and repetition. The use of flickering shots was used to show the switches between the “people” in Grant’s body. The use of these techniques makes the audience feel uneasy, and like something is constantly wrong. It is clear that technical elements will continue to be an integral part of the audience’s perception of Grant and his alters. 

To wrap up this week’s episode, here are my top five things to keep in mind going into next week:

• Steven Grant has at least two other “people” in his head.
• Arthus Harrow is channeling the power of Ammit and has the power to kill.
• Steven has a mysterious phone with “Layla” on it. She knows who Marc is and mistakes Steven for him.
• Ammit is the Egyptian version of justice personified. She has the ability to sentence someone to a “second death.”
• It seems as though the scarab Steven has is wanted by his other identities and the cult members. This is most likely going to be a reoccurring plot point.

After the first episode ends with Moon Knight surfacing for the first time, Steven spends the next episode figuring out how to balance Marc in his life. 

This second episode explains a lot of mysteries from the first episode and also highlights Steven’s constant struggle against Marc’s efforts to take full control.

Steven ends up finding Marc’s storage locker where he has stored weapons, a passport, and money in a duffel bag. He also discovers the scarab, which points to the direction of Ammit’s tomb and cements Steven’s belief that it truly is real. 

The audience then learns Marc’s true purpose, serving Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, and his efforts to find Ammit.

After Steven escapes Khonshu, the mysterious caller named Layla shows up and it is revealed that she is Marc’s wife, leaving fans to wonder just how long Marc has been inhabiting Steven’s body. Layla is also aware of Marc’s abilities and has been fighting with him side by side to find the scarab.

Khonshu later makes a full-blown appearance once Steven reaches Arthur Harrow’s cult and has some sort of grudge against Harrow. It turns out that Harrow was Khonshu’s former “avatar,” and Marc has taken his place.

As another jackal is summoned, Steven has to defend himself while defending himself against Marc from taking control. Steven eventually summons his own suit, not to be confused with the actual Moon Knight costume. The suit signifies when Steven is in control and the actual Moon Knight costume only emerges when Marc is in full control.

Steven later relinquishes control to Marc after being unable to defend himself against the jackal and Steven is now in the reflection. The roles have been swapped, leaving fans questioning how long Marc will be in power. The second episode ends with Marc in full control in Egypt, in a search for Ammit’s tomb with Khonshu.

This second episode of “Moon Knight” took the mysteries from the first episode and allowed more information. By the end of the episode, fans were left with even more questions and different mysteries to discover.

To wrap up this week’s episode, here are the top five things to keep in mind going into next week.

• Arthur Harrow has a cane that contains a small degree of Ammit’s power
• Khonshu is not entirely respected by the Egyptian gods or Harrow
• Marc has had control over Steven long enough to create a life for himself
• Steven has the ability to summon his own suit
• Marc is now in full control and is locked in a race with Arthur Harrow in the search for Ammit’s tomb

This episode of “Moon Knight” focuses on Marc Spector and his relationships with the other people in his life. His complex relationship with Khonshu and Layla is a huge portion of this episode.

Marc’s relationship with Layla is explored more, providing the first look into their marriage. Marc’s struggle with his love for Layla but his devotion to Khonshu is something that had been hinted at but now gets full attention. In one of the most stunning fight scenes yet, Marc struggles to be Khonshu’s devoted warrior and save the woman he loves.

Layla also has a connection with Steven. She tells Marc earlier in the episode that she is okay with Steven and Marc’s DID, and she seems like she truly means it. She treats both Marc and Steven differently. Her fierce love and fiery opinions are visible when talking to Marc, but she seems to respect Steven’s intelligence and treats him like his own individual.  

Marc’s relationship with Khonsu is a driving point for the series, but the twist of Khonshu sacrificing himself at the end throws their relationship into a new light. Khonshu at first seems to care very little for his avatar. Marc even confesses to the other gods that he is not mentally healthy, showing the truth of how damaging being Khonshu’s alter is. 

His final sacrifice at the end of the episode shows that Khonshu cares so much about putting away Ammit and Harrow that he is willing to let himself be trapped. He places all his faith in Marc and Steven, proving there may be a heart in that scary-looking body.

One of the most complicated relationships in the series is between Steven and Marc. Marc’s protective drive and desire to finish the job directly clashes with Steven’s mild-tempered manners and quiet intelligence.

Their relationship has been a fight since the beginning, but to solve the map at the end of the episode Marc surrenders the body willingly. This change differs drastically from the earlier ones which are shown to be quite a struggle. This switch between Marc to Steven is barely noticeable if the audience had not been looking for it. 

I will take this moment to remind readers that Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder is a pre-existing condition. In the comics, Marc’s condition comes from a traumatic childhood event where he develops two other alters, Steven and Jake. How Marvel Studios will create Spector’s origin story is unknown, but do not think that because Khonshu is gone there will only be one alter. 

To wrap up this game-changing episode, here are five takeaways:

• Arthur Harrow has found the tomb of Ammit and is actively digging for her. 
• There is a mysterious third alter that has no reservations about killing. 
• Marc Spector’s dissociative identity disorder does not stem from him being the avatar for Khonshu.
• Marc and Steven may have lost the abilities granted to them by Khonshu. 
• The gods have trapped Khonshu in stone, meaning he will no longer be seen or heard until he is freed.

After exploring Marc Spector’s relationships with other people in episode three, this episode of “Moon Knight” takes a deeper dive into Layla’s relationship with both Marc and Steven and further explores her life, as well as adding a twist at the very end.

In this week’s episode, Steven is in control (for the beginning at least). As Steven and Layla search for Ammit’s tomb, the two share a romantic moment. Now all of a sudden there is this strange budding romance between the two of them. However, it does not get addressed much more besides Marc confronting Steven about it later.

The topic of Layla’s father is further explored as well. Arthur Harrow shows up in the tomb and confronts Layla about her father, asking leading questions and planting a seed of doubt in Layla’s mind that Marc could have possibly killed her father.

She confronts Marc who gives away that, while he didn’t directly kill her father, he was there the night Layla’s father died. Marc also reveals that his partner was the one who executed everyone at the dig site that Layla’s father was participating in. This truth essentially tore down the trust in Marc and Layla’s relationship and jeopardized their connection in the future.

While the episode touched on the personal lives and relationships of the show’s featured characters, it was all thrown out the window when Marc gets shot by Arthur Harrow in the tomb. There is a short montage of Marc falling deeper and deeper into a dark pool, kind of drifting off into nothingness. 

Then, the scene transitions into a jungle scene, with a boy and an older man searching for a statue, mimicking the feel of a classic “Indiana Jones” movie. It is then revealed that the main character’s name is Steven Grant and the scene is from a fictional movie titled “Tomb Buster.”

If you are just as confused as I am, it gets worse. The camera then zooms out and reveals that the movie is playing on a television screen in an extremely white building, with everyone in it dressed in white, resembling a mental hospital.

As the camera pans away, Marc Spector appears on screen (our own, not the one in the hospital), dressed in white and sitting in a wheelchair, drowsy and sedated. Layla walks over to him but treats him as a patient, one that she has no personal connections with. 

The audience begins to see that everyone in this hospital has shown up somewhere in Marc’s life, leaving fans to wonder what is actually real and what has been fabricated in Marc’s head.

Arthur Harrow then shows up as the head psychologist and all the objects in his office are ones that have previously shown up in Marc’s life. Harrow’s office contains multiple Egyptian relics, a painting of the field that Steven shows up in in episode one, and his signature cane.

Naturally, Marc runs away in fear and confusion. As he runs through the hallways, not only does the camera and everything in the building tilt as if the building is moving, but he finds a room with a sarcophagus in it. Marc opens it and Steven jumps out, helping fans see that the two are now separate alters in two identical bodies. 

Marc and Steven pass another room with another sarcophagus but this time it is shaking.. Many fans are speculating as to whether or not this is our final teaser before we see the third alter, Jake Lockley.

While Jake makes a possible appearance, at the end of the episode an Egyptian goddess makes a full appearance. As Marc and Steven are running through the halls, they bump into the Egyptian goddess of fertility and rejuvenation, Taweret, in the form of a hippo, who also has ties to the afterlife. 

The screen goes black and the only thing the audience can see is their confused expressions as the credits begin.

To end this wild episode, here are some takeaways to think about, going into next week’s episode:

• Marc was there the night that Layla’s father was killed.
• In their search for Senfu’s tomb, Steven and Layla have stumbled upon the tomb of Alexander the Great.
• Marc and Steven’s world has been turned upside down to say the least.
• There is another sarcophagus that has not been opened (possibly holding Jake Lockley)
• Taweret, the Egyptian goddess of fertility and rejuvenation, has made an appearance in the form of a hippo. 

The internet has agreed that it really seems as though Marvel Studios’ theme for Phase Four is trauma because this episode really makes it hard to believe that every superhero is not mentally ill. 

In this episode, the audience finally gets the backstory they have been wanting and some resolution to the growing tension between Marc and Steven.

Starting the episode with Taweret, the boat to the field of reeds, and the unbalanced hearts really pulls the audience in. It sets the tone of danger and the race against time that makes the audience and the characters feel the tension grow. 

While Steven and Marc fight about revealing the “sins” of Marc’s past, Marc’s consciousness flashes between the real afterlife, and the inside of their head where they talk to Arthur Harrow as “Dr. Harrow.” 

This character serves to help both Marc and Steven overcome some of their internal blocks that prevent them from getting to either the field of reeds or back to the living world. For Marc this means opening up to Steven about his past, the creation of the other alter, and his journey to becoming Moon Knight. For Steven, it means accepting that he is an alter and not the host as previously thought, and accepting the death of his beloved mother. 

While the two characters struggle to open up to each other, they also explore Marc’s backstory. The audience meets Marc’s younger sibling Randall. The brothers love to explore and pretend to be their favorite movie characters, Dr. Steven Grant and Rosser. When Randall tragically drowns in a cave with Marc, their mother turns on him and starts to blame Marc for his death.

As the audience watches Marc’s backstory, so does Steven. This is where Steven begins to realize he is an alter for Marc. It finally becomes clear when the audience sees a young Marc, who is being terrorized by his mother behind a closed door, switch into Steven who seems blissfully unaware of the hateful things being shouted at him.

When their mother finally gets through the door and grabs a belt intending to beat him with it, the present-day Marc grabs Steven and pulls him out of the room, saying that Steven was not “meant” to see that. 

From there the audience and Steven watch Marc become Moon Knight, witness the loss of his mother, and watch how Marc and Steven’s lives start to merge together. It is also unclear whether this episode had the first appearance of Jake Lockley. In a scene with Harrow in the office “Marc” appears to be extremely aggravated and tries to kill Harrow. This seems like something Jake might do, but Marc would not.

The episode finishes with Marc and Steven unable to cross to the field of reeds or to the living world because their hearts are unbalanced. Because of this, the other unbalanced souls try to drag them off their ship and into the Duat forever. 

When they come for Steven and Marc, Marc is the immediate protector telling Steven to hide, but in the end, they both end up protecting each other. It is not enough, as the unbalanced souls grab Steven and drag him into the Duat where his soul will remain unbalanced forever. 

Marc remains on the ship to hear Steven’s last word be his name, see the scales balance, and to stride peacefully into the field of reeds. 

That is what makes this episode so heartbreaking. Marc and Steven have spent their whole lives protecting each other, knowingly or unknowingly, and in the end, they have been separated for good. Where will the finale take this idea? I have no idea, but I am hoping from the bottom of my heart they reconnect.

To wrap up, here are this week’s five points to take with you into the finale.

• Marc and Steven are both dead in the living world with no obvious way to return.
• Jake Lockley has made his first official appearance in the body.
• Layla has the statue for Ammit that has the power to resurrect her.
• We do not know how much time, or if time has passed, since they died. 
• Steven is stuck in the Duat, from which no one has ever escaped.

After an entire episode dedicated to Marc’s backstory and exploring his and Steven’s relationship, fans have eagerly awaited the season finale, trying to figure out how Marvel would wrap up Moon Knight (preferably in a nice and neat way). 

Starting off strong, the entire reason why Arthur Harrow has done the things he has done has finally come to fruition in this episode. With Marc and Steven in the afterlife, Harrow finally releases Ammit, and with her Khonshu arrives thanks to Layla.

As Khonshu and Ammit fight, Khonshu decides he needs Marc and summons him and Steven from the Duat, returning them back to Marc’s earthly body and resurrecting the two back to life.

In this season finale, while wrapping up the show, Marvel also decided to explore the relationships between the gods and their avatars. By the end of the episode, Layla is now Taweret’s avatar, Harrow, Ammit’s previous avatar has summoned her, Marc and Steven return with Marc as Khonshu’s avatar yet again, and a secret someone is revealed to be Khonshu’s true avatar in the end-credits scene.

Taweret has finally made her earthy appearance, using Layla as her avatar. Layla gains some sick armor and is now even more powerful to help Marc and Steven in their fight against Harrow. 

Marc has also returned as Moon Knight, taking his rightful place as Khonshu’s avatar. As Marc fights alongside Layla, Steven jumps in every so often, leaving fans to assume that Marc and Steven are now more balanced and can swap between each other without a struggle.

After Layla and Marc bind Ammit to Harrow’s unconscious body, Khonshu releases Marc and Steven from his grasp and the two return to the mental hospital they were in during episode 5. It turns out that, similar to people with disassociative identity disorder, the stark-white mental hospital was not the afterlife but Marc’s headspace, an internal world where their alters can meet.

Steven and Marc officially leave the headspace and return to Steven’s apartment featured in the first episode. Marc and Steven end the episode in peace, together, free from Khonshu’s grasp.

Marvel also gave fans a little extra treat in the form of an end-credits scene. After the events in Cairo, Harrow has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. A man wheels Harrow out of the hospital like all is normal, but not before Harrow spots a few dead bodies throughout the halls of the hospital.

The man throws Harrow into the back of a limo where Khonshu is sitting, in his god form, very nonchalantly. The separation window inside the limo rolls down and Jake Lockley turns out to be the man who picked up Harrow. 

It turns out that Lockley is Khonshu’s true avatar and, as a serial killer, he is willing to do anything for Khonshu. Lockley then shoots Harrow dead in the limo, they drive away, and the credits begin to roll.

After this wild and overwhelming episode, here are some takeaways to remember going into the next few Marvel projects.

• Jake Lockley has made an appearance in Marc’s body 
• Layla is now Taweret’s avatar 
• Ammit has been bonded inside Harrow’s body (who is now dead thanks to Jake)
• With Jake’s appearance, who knows if Marc and Steven are truly free from Khonshu
• Khonshu has been freed and is roaming around the earthly world doing god knows what

Listen to Editor Joslyn Weber and Staff Writer Addie Ellison sit down and discuss the latest Marvel miniseries “Moon Knight.” The two talk about the finale and provide their thoughts on the show overall.

Click the image above to listen to the full discussion.