In episode four I think Moon Knight has finally found its place in the MCU; the episode delivers a thrilling adventure tale that also is a little scary. The Tomb was a very fitting titles as it sounds a little scary, and a little Indiana Jones which is what the episode delivered. Oscar Isaac's ability to portray Steven and Marc in two very different ways via the accent but also the posture of the two is very impressive. The end of the episode appears to tease the third identity of Jake Lockley, but we still have never seen Jake yet. The end of the episode also tries to play with our understanding of what it is real, is Marc a psychiatric ward patient or is he in some version of the underworld. I enjoyed how the episode mixed humor with scares, it reminded me of The Mummy (1999) which is a good thing as that was an entertaining movie. In my review of episode three I said the episode had a very distinct Indiana Jones, but The Tomb continued that trend, and added horror elements to the episode. There is going to be some trouble keeping momentum from an episode like this; it delivered in every possible way. I am not sure where the show will go after this episode, we were left with Layla holding the ushabti of Ammit and Marc shot and dying. The show has been building momentum with the last two episodes, I really do appreciate that the show is exposing fans to the Egyptian gods.
The ancient history of Greece, Egypt and Rome has always fascinated me; so much of what we value came from those eras. The author Rick Riordan has written multiple series of novels (aimed at young adults) that focus on the gods of the Roman, Greek and Egyptian people. Those novels got me back into my interest of history and ancient cultures; Moon Knight has made the Egyptian gods interesting again. I wish ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt were the basis of more material, whether it be a series or a movie. The dead Egyptian mummies that were attacking people were very scary, and I thought an episode without Moon Knight might have been boring, but I was totally wrong. Oscar Isaac has come a long way in his career, but he has become an A-list actor and I think his performance in Moon Knight should garner some award recognition. The first time I saw Oscar Isaac was as Prince John in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, but his big breakout was Ex Machina in which he should have won an Academy Award. Moon Knight is working because Oscar Isaac is delivering a powerhouse performance, I now understand why he took on the role.
RECAP OF 'THE TOMB'
Episode four opens with Khonshu's ushabti being placed with many other ushabtis, there is a wall full of them. Layla is in the desert with a passed-out Steven/Marc when a car arrives and starts shooting at her. Layla manages to take out the attackers using flares just as Steven wakes up confused as to what is happening. Layla and Steven head to Ammit's tomb, but they find nobody at Arthur's camp, so they enter the cave. Steven and Layla are about to kiss when Steven tells Layla the reason why Marc pulled away, he was trying to protect her from Khonshu. Steven and Layla are searching the tomb when they uncover fresh blood, they follow the trail of blood and find a mummy killing one of Arthur's men. Steven and Layla run, but in opposite directions; Layla needs to cross a chasm with a very narrow bridge. Layla makes it across, but she is attacked by a mummy and needs to fight it off eventually using a flare to defeat it. Steven finds the tomb where the ushabti is located, it is the tomb of Alexander the Great. Layla and Arthur meet; Arthur reveals that Marc was there when Layla's father was killed which upsets Layla. Layla moves on while Arthur and his men have found another way to the tomb. Steven finds the ushabti in the throat of Alexander the Great just as Layla arrives. Layla is angry and wants to talk to Marc who is able to take control of the body. Layla demands that Marc tell her what happened to her father, he tells her that his partner got greedy and killed everyone including Layla's father.
Marc tells Layla that he too was shot during the fight with his former partner, he said he tried to tell her, but he could never do it. Arthur and his men enter the tomb, Layla hides with the ushabti; Marc tries to fight off Arthur's men, but Arthur shoots him twice. Marc falls into water, and when he wakes up, he is in an asylum watching an Indiana Jones-like B movie. Marc is in an asylum, and Layla is a fellow patient who steals his bingo card. Marc is holding a Moon Knight action figure, and his doctor is Arthur who tells him he is delusional and needs to be sedated. The doctor says Steven's name and Marc starts to look around and he notices things that fit what he has been doing over the four episodes. Marc says the doctor shot him, and he tries to start walking. Marc then fights off two orderlies, he then runs and hides in a room that has a sarcophagus that is trying to be opened from the inside. The sarcophagus opens with Marc's help and Steven climbs out, the two embrace. They are walking through the halls, and they see another sarcophagus shaking, but they continue forward until a door opens revealing a human looking hippo who says hi as the episode ends.
FINAL VERDICT ON EPISODE FOUR
I had been complaining about Steven being kind of useless, but in the last two episodes he has really grown on me. Steven has come to accept that he and Marc need to work together, and now the two of them are working together. I still do not know really know the backstory to Steven and Marc, I was thinking this episode might finally give us something, but I expect those revelations to come to light in episode five. I have no idea how Marc can be saved, but it appears that Marc and Steven will be working together to get back to Layla. The hippo lady who they encounter is Taweret (I learned about her from the Rick Riordan series The Kane Chronicles). Taweret is the goddess of mother and child, why is she there I have no idea; but in The Kane Chronicles she worked at an old age home for the gods. I am looking forward to episode five so I can see how they plan to use Taweret, she will be only the second god we have met so far. The episode ends with Layla now alone in the tomb hiding with Arthur and his men; I wonder how she will escape, or if she even can get away.
I heard that this series might just be a limited series instead of season one. That does not mean Moon Knight won't appear again, just not in a second season of this show. Maybe the creative team behind the show feel they are done with the story they want to tell, but as fans you want to see the character again. The reports about the lone season Moon Knight were also combined with news that Hawkeye was also going to be a one and done series. This report was based off Disney submitting both Hawkeye and Moon Knight as limited series for Emmy award consideration, which they did not for Loki (second season already announced). With only two episodes remaining I have no clue what to expect to happen, knowing that this could be a one and done season puts everything on the table. Marc/Steven could die with Layla inheriting the mantle of Moon Knight, or our heroes could save the day and open the door for a continuation of the story in a future film. I am still waiting to learn more about Arthur and Marc, but with only two episodes remaining I wonder if Arthur might not get a fleshed-out backstory.
I think this is the best episode of the series so far (I seem to say that every week), I am going to give it an 8/10. I think this episode has good action, some scares, some intrigues (is all of this in Marc's head) and romance as we see Steven and Layla share a kiss. I know this episode is not perfect, but I really enjoyed the horror elements that were featured in the show. With only two episodes remaining I hope we continue to see improvements in the show. Oscar Isaac really did a great job, but May Calamawy was also great especially in the scenes involving her father. Layla is a character who I hope will pop up in future MCU properties, I wonder if she would join whatever team Blade seems to be forming. There is a lot of things that need to happen in the next two episodes, and I hope we get to all of them. I want to see if Ammit's gets released, how Steven and Marc get back, and how Khonshu get released. I know two of the three things will happen because Marc and Steven need to get out of wherever they are, and Khonshu will need to be released.
Thank you for reading the article and please tell me some of your theories about what is going on in Moon Knight.
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