Moon Knight Episode 1: The Goldfish Problem Review - A Refreshing Addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In the fourteen years (!) the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been around, we’ve witnessed a billionaire war profiteer turn hero, a scientist full of rage, a Norse god, a supersoldier from the 1940s, and many, many, more somehow become believable heroes that we could connect with and understand the weight placed on their shoulders every time they were asked to save the world.

In January 2021, Marvel Studios introduced the first (canon) television series set in the MCU with WandaVision, a limited series that explored Wanda and Vision’s relationship through a sitcom setting. Two months later, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier took a look at Falcon and Winter Soldier’s relationship in a limited series that explored the dynamics of the legacy of Captain America through the lens of a buddy comedy. In June 2021, Loki explored the consequences of time travel through Loki and the TVA’s adventures along the “Sacred Timeline” in the six-episode series. Then, in August, Marvel Studios premiered the animated series, What If…?, exploring the MCU through hypothetical scenarios in nine episodes. Last November, Hawkeye’s six episodes examined Hawkeye’s past and whether or not he was worthy of being called a role model. Besides What If…?, these were all looks at previously-seen characters of the MCU in limited series (although Loki will get a second season) and not introducing us to new characters (except Hawkeye, which introduced Kate Bishop).

Now, with Moon Knight, Marvel has broken this formula. Besides passing references in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Doctor Strange, this is the first time we’re hearing and seeing Moon Knight in the MCU. So, is the break in formula worth it?

Before we get into that, though, we have to talk about who Moon Knight is. Avoiding the spoilers for the people who have not read the comics, Moon Knight’s story is a fairly complex one. Instead of having a secret identity, he has several. Steven Grant is a gift-shop employee at a London museum that begins blacking out and having memories of a life other than his own, discovering he has dissociative identity disorder. Beyond that, I’ll leave it up to the series to tell you about.

This spin on a superhero is refreshing in a universe currently occupied by the consequences of the multiverse, time travel, and other grandiose ideas. We’re back to a character-focused superhero story, and it’s so refreshing to see. I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home, but the Marvel comics have so much more to showcase. Not only that, the sensitivity the show applies to Steven’s DID is refreshing in a sea of media where mental health issues have been used as the butt of jokes (even in-universe) or otherwise demeaning.

Starring is Oscar Isaac as Steven Grant, who is great in about anything he’s involved in (besides X-Men: Apocalypse, although that wasn’t necessarily his fault as that whole film is a mess). Isaac plays Steven Grant as a reserved person but has an affinity for ancient Egypt that annoys his co-workers. He also has this London accent that…I’m gonna need to get used to it. It’s an odd Cockney accent that I don’t even think still exists in modern England. Either way, given what I know about Moon Knight (very little, but I love what I’ve seen in other media like his appearances in games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance & Spider-Man: Web of Shadows), it won’t be too big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Anyways, back to the main event. Isaac’s performance really shines when he has to depict Grant’s DID. It’s emotionally beating Steven down day by day, and in one scene at a restaurant, it all comes melting off his face in Isaac’s beautiful performance. I can’t wait to see what he does in the rest of the series as the audience unravels the mystery alongside Steven.

Also starring is Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow, a leader of a cult. While I haven’t seen Hawke in much outside Boyhood, Good Kill, The Magnificent Seven, Stockholm, First Reformed, The Kid, and The Guilty, I loved every one of his performances, especially in First Reformed. His performance does not disappoint here, as he channels a cult leader you’re nervous about from his first moments. He may not be physically imposing, but from Hawke’s first scene, he makes a lasting impression, where the viewer sits there and is horrified by how much sense he makes but goes about it completely in the wrong way.

Another strong aspect of the series is the direction by Mohamed Diab. He hasn’t directed anything I’ve seen, but I love how much he focuses on the Egyptian touchpoints that make Moon Knight such a compelling character. I don’t know how much of the Egyptology is accurate, but it’s all fascinating. History was one of my favorite subjects in school (besides science), so seeing it in a show that 100% didn’t have to is like a warm hug to me.

In the opposite direction, don’t go looking for a warm hug in the cinematography by Gregory Middleton & Andrew Droz Palermo, who you might remember for their work on the pilot of Psych (Middleton), You’re Next (Palermo), Fringe (Middleton), V/H/S/ (Palermo), Arrow (Middleton), A Ghost Story (Palermo), The Killing (Middleton), The Green Knight (Palermo), and Game of Thrones (Middleton), among other projects. Their cinematography is horrific but in the greatest way. I guess that’s expected, given that their filmography consists mainly of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and crime stories.

Viewers should expect this tone to transfer to Moon Knight, as many of these elements make their way into the show through Steven’s struggle with his multiple identities and rediscovering who he is. There’s a particular scene (that made its way into the trailer for the series) that serves as a highlight, as well as the first time we see Steven blackout or anytime he goes to sleep. It’s just so cool. Massive props to Middleton & Palermo!

The writing by Jeremy Slater, whose writing last I’ve experienced on the 2015 Fantastic Four (like X-Men: Apocalypse, not his fault), could use some improvement. While I appreciate how the story is structured like a jigsaw puzzle that neither Steven nor the viewer has the pieces to solve, Slater’s writing runs the risk of alienating the casual viewers who aren’t as familiar with Moon Knight as it did my parents.

They’ve watched everything but Black Widow, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye, and when I asked them what they thought, they said they were confused and weren’t sure what was going on, even after I explained it to them. Of course, that could be due to how complex Moon Knight is, but if they can understand Eternals, I feel like there should be a similar effort to explain the character to the masses somehow.

I don’t know how you’d do that, but if you have trouble keeping track of things or want plot threads to make sense from the get-go, maybe wait to binge this.

If you’re in the mood for a refreshing take on a superhero that also teaches you history & about a very real mental health issue and are willing to deal with some major confusion, check out the first episode of Moon Knight.

★★★/★★★★★

The premiere episode of Moon Knight is streaming now, exclusively on Disney+.

Until next time!

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