WARNING: Contains spoilers for this and previous episodes
The latest episode of Moon Knight certainly gave us plenty to talk about, not least that ending, which we'll get to shortly.
First up, it was interesting to see the beginnings of a relationship between Steven and Layla. Steven is a far more honourable man than Marc and doesn't hide what Marc is saying from Layla, which seems to encourage her more than put her off. It's an interesting dynamic and it's not entirely clear how much Layla sees them as different people. She once fell for Marc but the relationship became strained but maybe Steven is the side of him she liked more.
Once the pair enter the tomb we get some of Marvel's best horror scenes yet. The show never goes too graphic but undead Egyptian priests performing mummification is pretty unpleasant. These undead priests become terrifying too when they pursue Layla and the moment we see her pulled into a dark part of the tomb is heart-stopping. Layla shows herself to be a really capable woman in this episode and actually doesn't need rescuing my Moon Knight at all. I also had the horrible sense though that she could be killed, although perhaps that was a clever way to make the fate of Marc more surprising later on.
Harrow inevitably turns up in the tomb. One of this series' strengths is the fact we've seen lots of Harrow and he's had plenty of time to interact with the protagonists. Moon Knight is the first TV series to have the villain present throughout rather than their identity being something of a mystery until the end of the series. Harrow has some information to pass onto Layla and it's that the death of her archaeologist father had something to do with Marc Spector. When confronted Marc admitted that he was present but the details are still a bit sketchy. Could it be that it was actually the third personality, known as Jake Lockley? We've saw previously had Marc faded out and returned to utter carnage and Steven denied responsibility- there's no way he had the intent nor the power to do it anyway.
In unexpected scenes Harrow shoots and kills Marc. It's interesting here that Marc doesn't even attempt to summon the suit and I wonder if that's because he is beginning to realise that there is another personality inhabiting the body and we can't repress it when he is Moon Knight. The screen fades to black and the twist of all twists takes place.
So, Marc awakens in an asylum. I was really impressed with the level of detail that takes place in these scenes. We see familiar characters like Harrow in the role of a doctor and Layla as another patient. But pretty much everyone else in the asylum has already appeared in the show, from the living statue, to Steven's boss at the museum to his date. The room is filled with props we've seen before, some more obvious like the goldfish and some more subtle like a Rubik's cube. Dr. Harrow's office in these scenes is even constructed exactly the same as the room with the sarcophagi in Episode 2.
So what's going on here? Is Marc really an asylum patient creating adventures in his head based on his surroundings and the people present? Is Steven and his dodgy accent based on the character in the film? Obviously this is what we are meant to think but I don't think Marvel would quite go so far as to have the entire events of the series be in Marc's mind. Quite what this place actually is though isn't clear. It could be some sort of creation the dying/dead Marc has conjured up or maybe it's some sort of afterlife. It's unclear whether Harrow may or may not have a hand in this.
After escaping Harrow, Marc opens a sarcophagus to find Steven is present and for the first time both personalities are sharing the same space. It's interesting to see that despite the fact they've largely been in conflict with each other they are actually pleased to see each other. The fact they are both there is really the first indication that this asylum isn't real. There's also a third sarcophagus with a screaming man inside. Surely this is the third personality, Jake Lockley, and we are finally going to see him revealed. It's a great prospect to see how Marc and Steven interact with him and also to see the fantastic Oscar Issac pull off a third character.
The episode ends with a hippo-headed creature opening a door and saying "Hi", cueing a hilarious scream from Marc and Steven. This creature resembles Taweret who has actually already been referenced in the series- Steven corrected his supervisor when she asked for the box of hippo toys, saying they are actually Taweret who happens to be the Egytian god of fertility and childbirth. In mythology she also has an important role after death, cleansing and purifying the dead so that they could be reborn into the afterlife. Presumably this is where she will come into play, allowing the body to be reborn somehow. My guess that doing that will involve some sort of cleansing or unifying of the three personalities. It's clear we're going to meet Jake and the learn what he has been up to before the body is reborn and goes on to tackle Harrow once and for all in the season finale.
Next week's episode has a lot of potential from seeing the personalities interact with each other, the introduction of Jake and Taweret herself seems like she might be pretty fun as well!
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