Moon Knight Episode 3 “The Friendly Type” Review - A Stellar, but Bumpy Adventure in the Egyptian Desert

If you haven’t read my review of episode one or two, click here to read my critique of the series thus far, as it contains much of my criticism of the series thus far, as well as all previous coverage.

In this episode, the series takes a bit of a break from exploring the psychological elements present in the first two episodes and goes for a much more adventurous tone. But, don’t worry; the psychological elements are still present; they take a back seat in the episode. Think more Indiana Jones, but with interludes where the main character has no idea what he’s doing. I’ll try to avoid spoilers here, but it’ll be nearly impossible not to get into the dynamic introduced in this episode. So, if you’re squeamish at all about spoilers, turn back now.

The dynamic introduced this week is between Marc Spector and Steven Grant. Oscar Isaac is vacillating between two very different characters for much of this episode. In one scene in the desert, Isaac switches between Marc & Steven within seconds. It’s captivating to watch. One is a ruthless mercenary who knows not much more than how to handle himself in a fight, and the other is a lovable dork who’s stoked he gets to see the artifacts and places he’s been reading about. To revisit the Indiana Jones analogy, Marc is the Indy you see in fights, while Steven is the Indy you see in class or solving puzzles in the field. This dynamic introduces situations where Marc has to ask Steven for help.

Likewise, this introduces a dynamic between Layla, Marc, and Steven that I’m interested to see where it goes. May Calamawy’s performance is so much more subtle than last episode’s. Instead of taking a back seat to Marc and Steven’s exploits, she takes a much more active role in the adventure, challenging Marc to answer questions he doesn’t want to answer and working with Steven as they both try to find a way to stop Arthur Harrow’s cult.

Speaking of, Ethan Hawke’s performance as Arthur Harrow wasn’t my favorite in this episode. That may be due to his reduced screen time, but Harrow has maybe one scene where I felt like he was digging under the skin of Marc and Steven. For such a great actor, it’s a mystery as to why his performance is so understated in this episode. Here’s hoping we see much more of his performance come to the surface as the series progresses.

I feel like part of this mystery could be solved by the return of Mohamed Diab to the director’s chair. From what I’ve seen of his direction in the series, he seems to want to focus on Marc & Steven, leaving scraps for Arthur Harrow and the other characters. This isn’t always a bad thing, but in an episode supposedly devoted to chasing Harrow through the desert, it felt like Marc & company had no idea on how to chase Harrow down, even though the ending of the last episode implied that Marc, at the very least, knew how to find Harrow. It’s a weird shift that doesn’t make much sense to me.

That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad episode. The writing by Beau DeMayo, Peter Cameron & Sabir Pirzada is excellent. Never once was I confused about why something was happening. However, I wish there was more meat to the story here. For example, the main plot for episode one was Steven experiencing gaps in his memory and trying to cope. The following episode expounded on this by introducing Marc as the other piece of the puzzle and Layla as the way to figure out who he is. This episode, though? It’s straightforward. Chase Harrow and hope he doesn’t get to the tomb first. I would’ve preferred much more complexity, is all. There are hints of that intrigue here and there, but it’s turned into a subplot in a series that was initially all about that mystery, which is an odd choice.

Gregory Middleton's cinematography gets even wilder to make up for the lack of intrigue. He’s chasing Marc through busy streets and crafting stunning images of the night sky (although I’m sure the VFX team helped a bit with some of this). His handheld work is truly spectacular in the foot chase I mentioned earlier, but also with the use of reflections. One shot of Steven reflected in a knife made my jaw drop. It sounds silly typing it, but the way the production has meticulously used these reflections are spectacular.

Another highlight of this episode is the production design by Stefania Cella. Her depiction of Cairo and the surrounding areas of Egypt feels lived in, even though the production wasn’t able to film there. Sorry if I ruined the show's magic, but that’s how good it is. Likewise, her interior design of certain locations I won’t spoil feels like an intersection of Jack Kirby’s art style but makes these design elements feel contemporary at the same time.

One final thing that I don’t usually talk about but felt worth mentioning this week is the visual effects by Sean Andrew Faden, Framestore, Image Engine, Mammal Studios, Wētā Digital, and Zoic Studios. Their work on the skybox is stellar (pardon the pun). Their work invoked the same sense of wonder and excitement that I last felt in the documentary Apollo 11. Not only because of the astrology aspect the two share but because it sent the signal to my brain to pay closer attention.

So, if you’ve been looking to start binging Moon Knight, now is the perfect time to hop aboard.

★★★★/★★★★★

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

Until next time!

Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, and Matthew Simpson for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!