Moon Knight Season 1, Episode 2 - 'Summon the Suit' Spoiler Review

The week-to-week release schedule is great for marketing, but it is tough for fans when the show leaves you with wanting more. The second episode of Moon Knight titled Summon the Suit gave us a little more Moon Knight and a lot more answers (though not all). While I really like Oscar Isaac's performance, I also wish the show would move a little faster with explaining the Steven and Marc stuff. I do not fully understand what is going on with Moon Knight, how has Steven not known about Marc or Moon Knight until now. Marc and Khonshu know about Steven, so how is he so oblivious; Steven knows something is up since he says he wakes up in weird places. I know it is a small complaint, but it bothers me that they have not answered that (if there is an answer and it is not just a plot hole). I think knowing the series is only six episodes has me worried that at some point the show will start to rush to make everything work. I would like to see the story of Marc becoming the avatar of Khonshu, and I hope we get to see that during the next four episodes. This episode introduced us to Layla (played by May Calamawy), she is an intriguing character who I want to spend more time with. 

The reveal that Arthur was a former avatar of Khonshu was something I did not see coming but based on Harrow's comments to Steven in episode one I should have seen it coming. I complained in my episode one review that my rating was held down because the lack of Moon Knight; but after seeing more Moon Knight I miss the levity of episode one. I think Summon the Suit was an entertaining episode, but after watching it twice I felt that there was something missing. I still think Steven can annoy me at times with him being useless, but once he starts learning how to be useful as Moon Knight, I mist start to like him. I do not hate Steven, I think he is quite funny, but when it comes to being a bad ass he is beyond useless. I think Layla would make a fantastic Moon Knight, and I hope she becomes a fixture for the remaining episodes. Episode two has established our five main core characters, which are Ammit, Khonshu, Layla, Steven/Marc and Arthur. I am enjoying the show, I just wish we could get to the core story a little faster. With the action shifting to Egypt for episode three I am hopeful that the momentum will pick up.

RECAPPING 'SUMMON THE SUIT'

The episode opens with the sounds of the attack from the end of episode one and Steven waking up in his bed as if it was just a nightmare. Steven is unsure if the attack at the museum was real or a nightmare, he goes to work and sees a security guard who tells him something happened the night before. Steven and the security guard watch the tape and all we see is a scared Steven running around, no monster dog is seen on any of the cameras. Steven reports to human resources who offer him pamphlets for him to get help, but they also fire for him for the destruction he caused. Steven goes to see the street performer he was talking to in episode one, he finds a key to a storage locker in his pocket. The storage locker contains a cot, a clothing rack, a duffel bag containing a gun, an American passport for Marc Spector, the scarab from last episode and money. The scarab when Steven holds it grows wings and hovers pointing as if it was compass. Marc appears in a reflection, and they argue with Steven demanding answers as to what is going on. Marc explains that he is Khonshu's avatar and that Khonshu is looking to make people pay for their misdeeds. Steven takes the bag and leaves the locker, but he is being chased by Khonshu. Steven makes it outside, and he is almost run over by Layla (Marc's wife). Layla is mad, she has not seen or heard from Marc until Steven spoke to her on the phone, she is also confused why Marc is talking with an accent.

Layla brings Steven to his flat; she looks around as Steven tries to explain what is going with Marc telling him to leave Layla out of this. Layla believes that Steven is Marc and that he is playing her; she hands him divorce papers which is what Marc had asked her to do. Steven shows Layla the duffel bag containing the scarab which Layla says they had searching for some time. There is a knock on Steven's door, and it is two detectives wishing to speak with him. Layla goes out the window to hide, and the cops walk around Steven's apartment. The detectives take Steven and bring him to Arthur, Arthur would like to show Steven around his commune. Arthur predicts what Khonshu is telling him, which is to kill Arthur. Arthur tells Steven that he doesn't need to listen to Khonshu and that all Khonshu can do is make the wind pick up and lights to flicker. The commune was established in a very bad neighborhood, which is a now a peaceful community. Arthur and Steven share a meal, Arthur tells Steven that he was once an avatar of Khonshu. Arthur says that Khonshu punishes those already on an evil path, and that people have already suffered by the time Khonshu acts. Arthur says Ammit does not wait to punish the wicked, she will judge before they get a chance to commit evil, which is why Arthur wants to resurrect her. Arthur says "Ammit will light the path of good by eradicating the choice of evil"; Arthur then says he needs the scarab to find Ammit's tomb. 

Steven says he doesn't have it (Layla does), Arthur then asks to speak with Marc, but before he can Steven asks Arthur if he is okay with Ammit killing children. Steven says that he would not be okay with children dying because of something they might do in the future, Arthur then shows Steven his cane which contains a sliver of Ammit's power. Layla followed Steven to the commune, and she reveals her presence when she thinks Steven is in danger. Layla tells Steven to summon the suit which he has no idea how to do, so they need to run. Arthur uses the cane to unleash a demon that only Steven can see, as they become trapped in a room Steven falls out the window and lands in the suit. The suit is different, Steven lands a punch on the demon and celebrates until the demon kicks his butt. Marc pleads with Steven to let him take control so he can lure the demon away from people who cannot see it and the danger it poses. Steven gives up control to Marc who lures the demon away and then kills it; but he then realizes that during the fight he lost the scarab. We see that the scarab was found by a homeless man, and Arthur kills the man and takes the scarab. Layla sees this and takes off on her scooter before he can get her. Steven and Marc have a conversation where Marc says he is doing this to protect Layla, that Khonshu wants her to be his next avatar. They argue until Marc smashes the glass that contained Steven's reflection. Khonshu arrives and threatens Marc what will happen if he fails (he will take Layla as his next avatar). Khonshu says they can still beat Arthur to Ammit's tomb, and the next scene shows Marc/Steven in a trashed room somewhere in Egypt near pyramids as the episode ends.

LAST THOUGHTS ON EPISODE TWO

I think the second episode gave fans what they wanted (action and Moon Knight), I think the first episode was better. I enjoyed the humor of Steven being clueless, and in this episode, I found him less funny and more annoying. While I did like the look of Mr. Knight versus Moon Knight, all he did was throw one punch before he needed to cede control to Marc. We got to see the Marc controlled version of Moon Knight in combat, and while I enjoyed it, I am hoping there is more of it coming. I foresee that Marc and Steven will need to work together if they will want to succeed, right now they are not in balance and they will need to be on the same page. I have to assume that at some point we will see how Marc became Khonshu's avatar; that moment is something I really want to see. Based on what we have learned in the first two episodes (it isn't a lot), Marc ended up in the desert left for dead and becoming Khonshu's avatar is what saved him from death. Based on some of Marc's comments I could also believe that he died and was resurrected to serve Khonshu. All of the unknown details are a little frustrating because I feel this is an origin tale being disguised as something else. We jumped right into this story with little background being given on any of the characters except for little tidbits of information. I would like more information on all of the characters, my curiosity is piqued so the show is working on me because I could not care at all.

I was listening to The Geek Buddies podcast, and they had two good points that really made me think about things. One of the members of the podcast had said he disliked Steven, and since Steven was the main character, it was hard to enjoy the show. The point he was making was that since Steven wasn't working for him as a character because he was so useless, that our hero was not a hero at all. That was exactly my feeling that I was struggling to put into words; I think Steven is funny but as a lead character in a superhero show he is annoying. because he is anything but cool. I know the show was trying to make the audience feel how Steven was feeling when he would wake up in a strange place with no idea how he got there. Marc Spector is the main person we associate with Moon Knight, and I feel we barely know anything about him. We also have not really gotten to know Arthur either, something must have made him feel the need to release Ammit. Arthur walks like his body might be broken, his hatred for Khonshu might be because his service to Khonshu left his body broken and Khonshu abandoned him. There also must be a reason he is trying to awaken Ammit, did something terrible happen to the people he cared about or as Khonshu's avatar did he witness too much bloodshed. I hope we see how Marc became Khonshu's servant, and I would want to see Arthur's story too; I think those stories will be essential to the story.

The other good point brought up by The Geek Buddies was that in Black Panther in the opening scene Bast was the one who gave the Wakandans the purple flower. Bast is another Egyptian god, and the purple is the color of Arthur's cane; could there be a connection between Black Panther and Moon Knight. Marvel has said that Moon Knight is a stand-alone story, but that doesn't mean it does not have any connection to the MCU. I took it as it would not need knowledge of the other entries in the MCU for the film to make sense. Could there be a connection to Black Panther, yes could it be nothing at all that is also a yes; I will be curious if we get to see any other Egyptian gods besides Ammit and Khonshu. I thought the episode delivered good action, but not enough of it, and I think the humor I liked from episode one was absent from this episode. I think Summon the Suit is a 6/10; I was expecting more action or more answers and I know we got both, but I was still left feeling cheated. I think the episode was entertaining, and it moved the story along, but it also made me wish the show's focal point was Marc and not Steven. I think Steven was the more interesting character (at least Oscar Isaac's performance was fun), but Marc to me is the character who will drive the action. Marc and Steven will need to work together if they are to succeed, and right now there is no trust between them. Neither Marc nor Steven wants to give up control, and with Layla in the mix it will be harder for Marc to want to give up control and risk her safety. I want the plot to take over, I want to see Moon Knight doing things, and I want the main story to be front and center. I like the characters, but if they are not going to spend time better developing Marc and Arthur than I'd rather watch action than more Steven.

Thank you for checking out my review of the second episode of Moon Knight, please share your thoughts on episode two.

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