Moon Knight Episode 1: Oscar Issac Dueling Himbo
Oscar Issac has officially arrived to save the repetitive, formulaic MCU with Moon Knight.
Before we dive in, I just want to thank the creative team behind the series for giving us in the SWANA community accurate representation on such a large platform of our cultures. In the wrong hands, this could have been a stereotypical representation of our culture. From the music to the casting of actual SWANA actors I feel safe in the hands of the showrunner and ready to go on this wild journey. I also want to shout out to the MCU for recognizing the Armenian Genocide and I am sure some countries will be up in arms about that.
Moon Knight brings Marvel’s Phase 4 into a new weird, dark territory that marks a major shift in the studio’s tone. Issac plays Marc Specter, a man diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, and protects people with the use of his alternate personalities.
In the show’s opening scene which features Ethan Hawke putting on shoes filled with broken glass, Director Mohamad Diab lets the usual MCU fans know that this is unlike anything they’ve seen yet. Contrast this with Issac’s bumbling museum gift shop worker persona, Steven Grant, who uses an odd English accent that weirdly works here. This is the alter of an American man so using an ill English accent makes sense here and adds to the disillusion this man is living in.
The first episode takes on the structure of a mystery with Steven experiencing blackout and gaps in his memory. The people around him remind him of his forgotten accents which only adds to the confusion of what is happening with the protagonist. The episode deson’t immediately explain the reasons for these gaps and continues to take the audience on the journey of Steven’s deteriorating mental state. Steven finds himself in an internal battle between confusion and disillusion. Another healthy change is how grounded Hawke’s Arthur Harrow is as a villain. He takes on a cultist presence but it makes sense.
Diab only gives audiences peaks at who the real Steven is in the first episode, leaving a lot to uncover throughout the six episodes of the series. Steven is controlled by the voice of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, and Marc Spector hasn’t been fully introduced into the picture yet.
The premiere gives nothing away but is an amazing setup for what is to come. From one episode it is already miles away from its Disney+ predecessors. It makes up for lackluster acting within the entire cinematic universe. Oscar Issac and Ethan Hawke are ready to put on the performances of a lifetime. It is the missing horror and thriller the franchise needed.
Steven’s transformation into the mummified Moon Knight was chilling.