Moon Knight: Gods and Monsters

 "Are you an Egyptian superhero?"

"I am."

This surprisingly short yet satisfying finale packs everything in. We have an epic battle full of twists and turns between a despearate Khonshu and a terrifying Ammit. We have Tawaret continuing to be adorable, and Layla being awesome as her temporary avatar. We get cool superheroics in the heart of Cairo.

Yet we also get more scenes in the psych ward; we're made clear which reality is real, but Marc really does have Dissociative Identity Disorder, in a way which involves no fantasy elements whatsoever. And, as we're to discover- and have, I think, had hints of previously- that there is a third, and rather violent, personlaity: Jake Lockley.

Yet the core of it all is the new-found bond between Marc and Steven. This is at once a simple and a complex finale.

And I appreciated the not-so-subtle tribute to Bill Sienciewicz.

Moon Knight: Asylum

 "There can be no progress without understanding."

Ok. This one is deep. Almost certainly the pivotal episode, in fact.

This is a superb piece of television. We know not what is real. Is it the asylum, with Dr Harrow? Is it the Egyptian afterlife, with the lovely goddess Tawaret. Along those two realities, we have Marc's traumatic past, How he, being very young, led his younger brother into a cave and he drowned. And yet... we saw his mother neglectfully entrust the safety of her youngest son to his still very young older brother. She's a grown-up. Her Ro-Ro's death is her fault.

Her physical and mental abuse of Marc is inexcusable, despite her grief., and we see it through Steven's horrific eyes ashe sees the "mum" he's been frequently phoning. She's dead. And an abuser. It's made very clear where Marc's demons come from. And, indeed, where Steven came from. This is a place of real darkness. And from there, we see the disturbing origin of Moon Knight.

As an aside, I'm glad they acknowledged, within the origin story we see here, both that Khonshu is a manipulative bastard and that Khonshu is Jewish. As for whether reality is the mental hospital or the Egyptian afterlife, it's left nicely ambiguous.

But don't you want to hug the lovely goddess Tawaret? She may have helped Marc escape to stop Arthur, But Steven's soul is gone..

Moon Knight: The Tomb

 "I squashed it, I squashed it."

I was enjoying Moon Knight already... but that was a turn to the unexpected. Shades of Legion there.

The bulk of the episode, with Steven and Layla exploring the tomb, is perhaps a little slow, despite the hostile mummies and the revelations. Layla and Steven are getting on really rather well, and Marc is jealous, keeping his distance from Layla only to protect her from Khonshu. It's a very interesting two body love triangle.

Yet we also have the revelation that Marc's "partner" killed Layla's father. Is this "partner" a third persona, perhaps the same one as has been hinted at before, a bloodthirsty killer?

We also have the tomb of Alexander the Great. And Steven showing himself to be a bloody good arccaeologist.

The conversation between Layla and Harrow is fascinating. But not as fascinating as what happens when Harrow shoots Marc, and reality gets very weird and uncertain. I don't really think that Marc is in a mental home and Harrow is his psychiatrist, but I have no idea what's going on. And I like not knowing.

And then a bloody hippo-headed goddess appears. Brilliantly bonkers.

Moon Knight: The Friendly Type

 "To signal for an audience with the gods is to risk their wrath."

Wow.This episode switches everything around. This time we follow Marc Spector with Steven in the mirrors, pleading his hieroglyphical expertise; quite the reversal of roles. And it's fascinating to see the new dynamic, Marc as leading man, Steven in his old role, Layla's dynamic with nthem both.

But the scene now shifts to Egypt, a fascinatingly different setting and dynamic. And somehow Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow is even more exttraordinarily charismatic. He really does steal the show. And yetv Oscar Isaac is astrounding. The transition from Marc to Steven is an amazing bit of facial acting.

And so much happens in Egypt. The gods of said ancient land... get gaslit by Arthur Harrow. Wow. Thart's embarrassing. Poor Khonshu.

Yet the wider Marvel universe impinges for the first time. We meet the Egyptian pantheon, via their avatars. We get mention of Madripoor. We get Midnight Man. I suspect all of this will resonate later more than it does now. The Egyptian gods, gulls though they may be, shall recur.

As shall I. This programme enthrals me.

Moon Knight: Summon the Suit

 "She said I needed a suit."

"Yeah, the ceremonial armour from Khonshu's temple, not psycho Colonel Sanders."

This second episode is, like the first, absolutely bloody brilliant.

We learn, alongside Steven, a little more. It seems that Marc is the champion of Khonshun, an Egyptian god of justice who bis kind enough only to punish the guilty after they've committed theit crimes. Arthur Harrow, it seems, is his predecessor but has now turned to serving Ammit, a goddess who kills potential evildoers beforethey commit their crimes. It's an intriguing concept; as Arthur shows Steven, it can lead to a utopia without evil... exzcept for the evil of killing those who are as yet innocent. Including, as Steven points out, children.

We meet Layla, Marc Spector's wife... and she needs quite a while to realise that Steven is not just Marc putting an act. So Marc's wife, whom he seems to be divorcing, has no idea who Steven is. How long, I wonder, has the Steven persona existed?

Steven reacts as well as can be expected to having his consciousness taken over, resisting Marc angrily and consistently until he has no choice. But is Marc a murderer? What will now happen as we shift from London, Cairo?

I'm hooked. I'm REALLY loving this.

Moon Knight: The Goldfish Problem

 "There's chaos in you..."

Oh my. This is brilliant. And also bloody bonkers.

My era for Marvel comicswas the '80s and early '90s, but I didn't really read any Moon Knight. My only experience of the character was a few issues of West Coast Avengers by Steve Englehart where he was part of an ensemble cast. So I'm pretty much unspoiled and won't get any of the references, for once.

The concept is brilliant. Steven Grant is a harmless, put-upon gift shop employee in the British museum who keeps having blackouts... and goes to extreme lengths, such as restraining his feet, not to go sleepwalking. This last bit, as well as the opening with Arthur Harrow putting broken glass in his shoes(!) is disturbingly kinky.

Ah, Arthur Harrow, disciple of Ammit, who can judge people with his moving tattoo of a pair of scales- and the goddess will kill them if they turn out to be bad... over the whole of their life. Past, present and future. A fascinating concept, and Harrow is a fascinating character. 

This is the perfect opening episode, with ius discovering things alongside Steven, and Ancient Egyptian themes everywhere. We wake up with Stephen in strange places, experiencing the car chases, the confusion, the monster in the museum. We get hints of "Marc"... and then, at the end, we meet him. He looks awesome...

Wow. Just wow.