Moon Knight Episode 3 Review

Moon Knight brings the Disney Plus series closer to Khonshu's realm and the rest of the gods who are fighting for world peace and tranquillity. 

Moon Knight Episode 3 continues what has been a very fast-paced episode at the halfway point of the Disney Plus limited series. Marc, Steven, and Khonshu have journeyed to Egypt this time to prevent Arthur Harrow from obtaining what he desires. That is, he needs to locate a sarcophagus that will aid him in locating and finally releasing Ammit, the deity for whom he works and who want to judge the world. Harrow, predictably, continues to keep one step ahead of the triad of personalities encased in a single body. Though it appears like the three are beginning to learn how to coexist once more after something occurred that generated an imbalance that resulted in the troubles depicted in the film.

Since the beginning of the Disney Plus series, there have been a few action moments that hint at an Indiana Jones-style atmosphere to the show, which is completely realized in Episode 3. Marc is shown sprinting and jumping on the rooftops of an Egyptian village near the end of the show, apparently hunting for someone who can tell him where the sarcophagus at the core of the story is. He eventually locates the man, but not before a gang of thugs discovered him and murdered him before Marc could speak with him.

When he comes across the knife-wielding adversaries, he engages in a combat that is reminiscent of Indiana Jones' legendary encounter with a villain who enjoys showing off his knife skills by shooting him. One of the nasties in this episode of Moon Knight tries to scare Marc by... licking his knife. Instead of being afraid, Spector seizes the chance to strike the thug in the face and take command of the fight.

Speaking of control, the fight also demonstrates a gimmick that was initially demonstrated in the show's first episode, in which Marc/Steven experiences a form of the time jump, and this specific time jump is when the show's biggest and bloodiest bouts take place.

This is also the time when Moon Knight is injected with yet another mystery, one that appears to need to be solved before the show's six-episode run concludes. While the first episode implied that Marc Spector was the one carrying out the most brutal acts, he seemed to insist it wasn't and isn't. In fact, after waking up while stabbing a combatant, he accuses Steven of the stabbing, who insists it wasn't him who did it. That would seem to imply the existence of a third personality capable of controlling the body and having no qualms about killing.

Those who have read the Moon Knight comics may recognize this third personality, albeit it looks that he, like Steven Grant, has undergone some changes in order to make the Disney Plus show work. In the comics, the Steven Grant readers are familiar with is a very wealthy guy, rather than a harried and tormented gift shop employee. It appears that this third personality will be bloodthirsty and unconcerned about causing harm to others. It's a little unclear why this third character is required.

It looks like Disney and/or Marvel want to make sure that the viewer understands that it wasn't Marc Spector who was ruthlessly dispatching individuals in order for him to be recognized as a hero. However, the program seemed to work perfectly while Marc was a sort of antihero, so this addition feels both unnecessary and a little dumb.

The show also took some fascinating modifications to Marc and Steven's interactions, further complicating the mystery of the third person. The two primary personas are now frequently communicating with one another and even cooperating to some extent when it comes to body control. This isn't the first time a comic book show has shown personality problems in this way. One of the main characters in Doom Patrol, for example, frequently converses and debates with her various identities. It's a little strange for this program because Steven didn't realize he was one of several personalities not long ago.

Aside from the issue of how soon the personalities appear to be functioning as a team, it was a lot of fun to see Steven and Marc pass the body over at various points throughout the program. There was a moment in which the Moon Knight figure donned his shrouded suit and battled many enemies at the sarcophagus. Steven wanted to take over at first, and the suit instantly transformed into Mr. Knight, demonstrating how their personalities have their own outfits.

When the struggle became too much for Steven to handle, he gave the corpse over to Mark, who finished the fight. That combat also demonstrated how much damage Moon Knight can take, as he was pierced by multiple spears and didn't appear to be bothered by them. That was addressed a little earlier in the episode when Khonshu mentioned his abilities were a "healing shield."

The action took center stage in this episode more than it had in any of the previous Moon Knight segments. It was a far cry from the season debut, which used flash-forwards to avoid showing any battles. The show rushed past a few storyline moments, like the meeting of the other Egyptian gods and their avatars, in order to get to the action. Although it appears that certain gaps would be filled up next week, the show, like the previous episodes, felt like it was speeding through the plot in order to get to a place where Moon Knight hasn't yet arrived.