Warning: The following review of Moon Knight's fifth episode contains full spoilers.
You can check out our review of last week's Moon Knight episode, "The Tomb," here.
"Kill the hippo. Steal the boat."
The penultimate episode of Marvel's Moon Knight, "Asylum," featured more of Oscar Isaac's dynamic and dazzling performance as two different personalities, here having to undergo a rapid, wrenching psychotherapy session in an episode meant to fill in all the gaps in both Marc Spector and Steven Grant's past. Ultimately, there wasn't much that was revelatory about "Asylum" -- since a lot of it was Steven learning things we'd already been told, or could piece together -- but Isaac's ace acting was enough to easily carry this trippy, effects-filled chapter, as he often only shared the screen with himself or CGI characters and still turned in a masterful showing.
When the series started, it very much felt like a story in need of a full-episode, or in the very least extended, flashback. We began things, basically, in the third act of a much larger saga. Not only was there Marc's background with DID to explore, but there was also his origin as Moon Knight and his time operating as Moon Knight (which seems to have lasted many years). Using the mind-bending Jeff Lemire psychiatric hospital comic arc as a catalyst for deeper catharsis, we got to have a half-flashback adventure -- one that required both personalities to come to a meaningful clarification with each other in order to progress forward. Or, in this specific case, to balance their scale so they could avoid sinking into the sands of the Duat and make it to A'Aru, the Field of Reeds (which did get mentioned in the first episode).
Adding to this splendidly surreal swirl -- which involved a giant barge transporting Marc and Steven through cosmic sand dunes, captained by the plucky goddess Taweret -- was the already-established psych ward layer (said now to be Putnam Medical Facility in Chicago), and "Dr." Harrow insisting that Marc's mind was simply a pendulum swinging back and forth between sense and nonsense. This all allowed "Asylum" -- which doesn't exactly stand as a new TV tool anymore, being the flashback detour right before the end -- to rise above the rabble and play around with visuals and the concepts of reality, dreams, and the worlds our minds create in order to protect us from harm.
Again, Isaac was a triumph here, delivering deep dramatic moments, for both Marc and Steven, as they had to confront their shared past (and Steven finally learning that he was created by Marc to shield the body from abuse from their mother). Marc didn't want to go back and re-live trauma. Steven wasn't too keen on learning that he was imaginary and had been leaving messages for a mother who didn't exist. It was a harsh journey for both of them. The biggest moments unearthed here were definitely the death of Marc's brother and then a childhood tainted by a violent mother and a father who didn't properly protect him. The larger answer that got revealed, though, was that it seems like it was the death of his mother that caused Marc and Steven to start merging together in a more frequent, haphazard manner. There was no mention of a possible third personality, since we still don't know who killed Ammit's minions back in "The Friendly Type," but now with only one episode left, it doesn't seem like there's room for an extra, more-violent persona.
Though, to be fair, Marc did say he was discharged from the military for going into a "fugue" state. We assume he was switching to Steven, but what if it was something else? Steven's never said anything about waking up in the middle of a battlefield and we came into this story with him knowing nothing about Marc's career as a killer.
The Egyptology afterlife aspects, as eye-popping as they were, were overshadowed by Marc and Steven's sad backstory. The series started off so zany and full of major "WTF?" moments that it certainly didn't seem like the type of show that'd make you cry down the line, but "Asylum" gave us a handful of heavy, haunting scenes steeped with sorrow. When we finally returned to the moment when Marc was drinking out on the street, and learned it was because he couldn't bring himself to join his mother's shiva (read all about how Moon Knight's Judaism enriches the story here), it was uncannily powerful.
Back in "The Friendly Type," we watched Layla finally take notice of Marc shifting into Steven, and the wonderment in her eyes. Here, it was Steven who got to see the change. The first time was full of heartache because it was Marc's 12th birthday and he created Steven in anticipation of a beating. But outside the shiva, when Steven's tearfully brought out through conflicted grief over their mom, it hit like a gut punch. The stuff about the scales and incomplete hearts works okay in the context of Moon Knight mythology, but it feels like even more of an extreme example of "make-em-ups" in the midst of Marc's very human story. It's all acceptable enough, though, as a means to get us to the bigger, more personal moments.
It feels too soon to fully mourn Steven, who appears to fully perish in the sands of the Duat at the end, since an actual personality seems like something that can be brought back. Still, given this, Steven was not only gifted with a hero's exit, saving Marc from the ghouls trying to claim his soul, but now that he knows he's not real, or not the main identity, it's kind of like a Bing Bong exit (RIP Bing Bong). The final parts of "Asylum" focused on him learning the truth, and he even got to appear as himself to Dr. Harrow during a moment when the psych ward finally revealed itself as Marc's own mental construct (since "Ned Flanders" Harrow actually urged the two identities to reconcile the truth). If it is the end, it's very much earned.
Check out our review of Moon Knight's fourth episode, "The Tomb"...
"Asylum" covered a hell of a lot, rather beautifully. The combination of the Hospital/Duat setting allowed for it to feel bizarre enough to fit with the rest of the series while also portraying an embattled mind, seeking both shelter and relief. The use of Taweret too, an absurd guide who allowed for exposition and a light counterbalance, helped coat everything in appropriate shades of delightful dreaminess. The most surprising flashback here, since we'd been told what happened already, may have been Marc's actual first meeting with Khonshu. It still worked, however, because it showed us a new key detail -- that Marc was about to take his own life. This was a tortured Marc, at the end of his rope, desperate to end the pain.
There also may be more context to this scene still to come since we're never shown Raoul Bushman, which is curious even though not using Moon Knight's most famous villain was intentional. But even if there isn't more to mine here, the psychological point was devastating. After a confused, scarred life, Marc was done -- and Khonshu saw an opportunity. Marc's years as Moon Knight only added to his despair. He extended his life but it never quelled his self-loathing. Funnily enough, murdering dozens of people (including a guy in a wheelchair?) didn't make his heart soar. This, retroactively, shed new light on his promise to vanish once Layla was safe. He was willing to just bury himself away and let Steven take control.
Now, as we head into the finale, the one who didn't want to live continues on while the one who thought he was real, and wanted a full life, has been swallowed by the celestial sand. Add to this Harrow's plan actually taking effect during this time and we're being set up for a hectic finale. Marc will be re-entering a world where who-knows-how-many souls are being unduly claimed. What fresh hell is awaiting when he gets back? Especially since Khonshu needs to be released.
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