Moon Knight (Disney+) (2 Viewers)

[David Weicker]

Well, that was a crappy non-ending.

And given the fact that Oscar Isaacs has stated he has no on-going contract to revisit this character, a very unsatisfying episode.

So many things that didn't work. As stated by others, the severe shift in tone from character development to not-great action (I felt like I was watching the horribly executed ending of Wonder Woman with the ever growing Ammit and Khonshu).

The complete omission of Layla from the post-battle story

Marc/Steven back in the asylum that transforms into their flat, but then Harrow is seemingly in the same asylum. Given the show's 'never let the audience know what's going on' attitude, I didn't know if the Harrow scenes at the end were an illusion or reality.

Not sure when MK got the power of flight. When I read him, he traveled by helicopter, and did some gliding. Straight up Superman style flying - never seen that before.

If Marc/Steven are in their flat, is the Sienkiewicz Hospital (I did love the tribute to the original artist) in the same city so Jake could 'visit' (and killing the staff seems to go against the Khonshu 'only punish the evil' mantra).

Moon Knight used to be my favorite comic character. I own all the appearances up until the 90's. I didn't like the post 2K revival. This series was a mixed bag. I liked the character development, but didn't really like to keep the audience at arm's length style of storytelling. And the fights were ho-hum.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I loved the first episode but after that it felt like it was spinning it’s wheels. Not enough Fun or thrills or even superhero stuff. And after the god awful Picard S2 not another hero with mommy issues

 

[Jake Lipson]

Not enough Fun or thrills or even superhero stuff.

It is interesting that you said that because I felt the complete opposite. I didn't need a ton of superhero action because the character work between Marc and Steven was such fruitful ground for the show that building it around them was great. Oscar Isaac is such a compelling actor, and he really got a four-course meal to sink his teeth into with this series. I think he merits very serious Emmy consideration for Best Actor.

Anyway, having sat with the episode today, I have these additional thoughts.

Even if the finale was not quite up to the standard of the previous episodes, it wasn't terrible and didn't dent my enthusiasm for the series much. I think it would be slightly more satisfying if we knew for certain that we are going to see more from these characters, because a continuation can address the flaws in the finale. If this does end up being the last we see of these characters, that would be much more unsatisfying.

By introducing Jake, they have robbed Marc and Steven of the peaceful ending that the pre-credits sequence suggested. They are still in danger while their body is working with Khonshu, even if they are not the personalities in charge. This is okay if there is going to be more, but not so much if a continuation doesn't come together.

 

[Jason_V]

I'm honestly happy this season/show is over. It had moments for me were engaging, but on the whole, way too much "what is real and what isn't real" and a lot of me simply not caring. The acting is solid all around (aside from whatever mumble mumble Ethan Hawke is doing), the music is always fun to listen to...but the story beats just don't work for me.

Especially in the finale with the introduction-finally-of Jake. They have been teasing this for the entire six episodes and finally introduce it in a mid credits sequence in the final episode when it's unknown if there will be a season 2 or not. That doesn't work for me from an emotional or storytelling perspective.

Moon Knight has promise and has the right lead actor, at least for me. They just have to make me care about what is going on. Tell me why it's important. Heck, when the souls of all of the people are zapped out of their bodies or whatever has happening in the finale, it just...happened. It's like they've done big battles before and something needed to change in the Marvel Grand Finale, but the stakes aren't there.

Did I watch every episode and give it a chance? Yup. I had no predisposition toward or against the character coming into the series. Like Loki, it never grabbed me in the way WandaVision did.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I was looking forward to this series alot but was disappointed. I liked it but it was ultimately just OK. I find it ironic that Disney plus recommends watching the Eternals after watching this show. I find it a fair comparison. Eternals was just OK as well. Not bad, Not good just OK.

 

[jayembee]

I find it ironic that Disney plus recommends watching the Eternals after watching this show. I find it a fair comparison. Eternals was just OK as well. Not bad, Not good just OK.

It occurred to me to wonder if that recommendation is because both Eternals and Moon Knight have a relatively tenuous connection to the Greater MCU in that neither one requires much, if any, knowledge about what's gone on before. All of the previous Disney+ shows (except, maybe, What If...?) have followed up on things that happened in the movies. The only MCU film other than Eternals that's completely off in left field from the MCU would be Shang-Chi, if not for one of the tag scenes.

 

[Citizen87645]

I probably enjoyed a bit more than Jason_V, but can understand if others were underwhelmed. Fair points about the mid-credits reveal without a promise of really any conclusion seems an odd choice at best.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I think it would be slightly more satisfying if we knew for certain that we are going to see more from these characters, because a continuation can address the flaws in the finale. If this does end up being the last we see of these characters, that would be much more unsatisfying.

By introducing Jake, they have robbed Marc and Steven of the peaceful ending that the pre-credits sequence suggested. They are still in danger while their body is working with Khonshu, even if they are not the personalities in charge. This is okay if there is going to be more, but not so much if a continuation doesn't come together.

I’d say it’s a given that the character and his story will continue in either movies or another series (or another season). I don’t need an official announcement to be confident in that.

 

[Sean Bryan]

I thought the final episode was great and really loved this series. Not everything needs to be “ranked”, but this may be my favorite of the Disney+ MCU shows. It’s at least in the same grouping as WandaVision and Loki.

I was thoroughly entertained with the story, performances, and visuals in this series and I’m looking forward to seeing more of Moon Knight and the Scarlet Scarab sometime in the future.

 

[jayembee]

Even if Oscar Isaac decides he doesn't want to do any more with the character, I'd be perfectly happy to see more of Layla, either as herself or Taweret's avatar.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I sort of get some of the frustrations with the series, especially the reliance on 'is it real or isn't it' as a main storytelling device. I believe I (or others) have compared this show to Legion in terms of the difficulty at times of interpreting what is being depicted. (The use of a psychiatric ward certainly furthers that comparison.) I suspect that (like Legion for me) a second viewing might be in order knowing the progression of the series. Something I probably will do when there is a bit of downtime on other streaming content for me, whenever that might be.

Despite some criticisms, I really loved the post credits sequence. I certainly would not mind seeing a season two with Jake Lockley; which probably won't happen(?). I thought the use of Frank Sinatra's My Way of Life was an inspired choice for the post credits sequence. (The lyrics really hint at how deep the connection is between Khonshu and Lockley.) The cues that we were in England were well done as well - the Ward nurse's accent, the right hand steering wheel on the limo, and the shot of The Gherkin in the background.

Also, the two goldfish shot was a nice prelude to the post credits which sets the stage for Khonshu's statement regarding Marc's issues.

- Walter.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I’d say it’s a given that the character and his story will continue in either movies or another series (or another season). I don’t need an official announcement to be confident in that.

Oscar Isaac has said that he does not have a deal to continue and that he approached this as a one-off.

Of course, that doesn't mean there can't be more. But he is obviously the most essential piece of this puzzle. By not signing him with multiple sequel or renewal options, Disney/Marvel have given him all of the leverage in any negotiations that will need to happen in order for any continuation to move forward. That's highly unusual for Marvel.

 

[TonyD]

One thing all of us overlooked.

RIP

One

 

[Edwin-S]

Kind of disjointed for me. I didn't get what the reference was with the bloody shoe prints and the female character just disappearing out of the story at the end was jarring. She is involved through the entire last episode, including the fight and then just evaporates. That is bad writing.

I can understand fans of the comic being disappointed with this show. I've been waiting for animated adaptation of Stan Sakai's "Usagi Yojimbo" for years. They finally do one for Netflix and it was seriously disappointing.

 

[TonyD]

The bloody footprints were obviously because Harrow wears shoes with broken glass in them and the reality was slipping into the mind portion of their story.
Reality was slipping in.
Not sure what you mean about the woman evaporating.

 

[Edwin-S]

The bloody footprints were obviously because Harrow wears shoes with broken glass in them and the reality was slipping into the mind portion of their story.
Reality was slipping in.
Not sure what you mean about the woman evaporating.

Well, it wasn't obvious to me. Right Harrow wears glass in his shoes that you never see any evidence of until a 10 second shot at the end of the arc. It is just.another example.of shitty writing in my book.

She disappears out of the picture after the fight. Actually, she appears to disappear from the story just before the fight ends.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Oscar Isaac has said that he does not have a deal to continue and that he approached this as a one-off.

Of course, that doesn't mean there can't be more. But he is obviously the most essential piece of this puzzle. By not signing him with multiple sequel or renewal options, Disney/Marvel have given him all of the leverage in any negotiations that will need to happen in order for any continuation to move forward. That's highly unusual for Marvel.

Right. But Isaac has also said "It's just like, physically, it's so much fun to be him. So, you know, if there was a story that really made sense, I'd be happy to be part of it.”

I think that the MCU is so full of properties that they don’t have to worry about everything being something that is continued a year (or two) later. So for projects like this they may be more open to doing something relatively self-contained but with an open ending and potential for continuation that they can pick up when they have the right idea and/or when the talent is interested/available. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he is revisited sooner rather than later. Just because things aren’t announced as officially planned doesn’t mean that Marvel Studios doesn’t have things they are thinking of doing. And I think we need to get past assuming that we know isn’t planned based on what actors and producers publicly say. Just like Andrew Garfield was not the werewolf.

 

[jayembee]

Another thing to keep in mind: the entire point of Moon Knight is that they are the avatar of Konshu. According to Harrow, he was the avatar of Konshu before Spector was. Which means that if Isaac doesn't want to do any more MK, Marvel can easily come up with someone new to be Moon Knight.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Which means that if Isaac doesn't want to do any more MK, Marvel can easily come up with someone new to be Moon Knight.

That depends on what Marvel thinks the engine driving the story is. The appeal of the show to me was that it was about Marc and Steven, specifically. The show itself seemed much more interested in the development of their characters than anything else. So yeah, they could put someone else behind the suit in the future, but that wouldn't really work as a satisfactory followup to this story.

I think that the MCU is so full of properties that they don’t have to worry about everything being something that is continued a year (or two) later.

I agree with that. We've talked before about how the MCU itself is the franchise moreso than any specific piece of it. The audience has largely accepted this idea, which gives Marvel more freedom than most studios have. The fact that this show existed as an MCU show and was a hit without actually crossing over with any other MCU properties just demonstrates the strength of the brand.

I think we need to get past assuming that we know isn’t planned based on what actors and producers publicly say. Just like Andrew Garfield was not the werewolf.

Sure. Point taken. But Andrew Garfield was not the werewolf because we hadn't seen him in the role for seven years at that point and his appearance was supposed to be a surprise. If Moon Knight did go to a second season, Oscar Isaac's presence would not be a surprise; it would be a given. So I don't think Isaac has as much motive to lie here as Garfield did.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Another thing to keep in mind: the entire point of Moon Knight is that they are the avatar of Konshu. According to Harrow, he was the avatar of Konshu before Spector was. Which means that if Isaac doesn't want to do any more MK, Marvel can easily come up with someone new to be Moon Knight.

They could do that but like Jake said the appeal of the character is Marc/Steven. The Moon Knight and Mr. Knight hero suits and powers are just those characters doing cool looking superhero stuff, which IS cool and fun. But the meat of the character(s) is under the mask.

This goes back to my feelings about characters like Iron Man, Captain America and Black Panther. The real appeal of those characters are Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and T’Challa. If those characters are gone they could have someone else take up the mantle, but then you basically have something else entirely new just in a similar wrapping. That new thing can be good in its own way, but I think most still prefer Coca Cola Classic.