Moon Knight Episode 3 Review: Superhero-Glyphic Adventures in Cairo

Warning: This review contains spoliers for Moon Knight episode 3 and others as well.

Following multiple adventures in the English capital for Steven Grant, Marc Spector and Layla, the Moon Knight series increased its stake while moving the plot to the deserts of Cairo, Egypt in the show’s third episode titled “The Friendly Type,”

Episode 2 in “Summon the Suit” revolved around Steven Grant coming to grips with the fact that he shared a body with a mercenary in Marc Spector, who has powers bestowed upon him by the Egyptian deity in Khonshu. While Grant got a chance to embrace his new abilities after summoning the Mr. Knight suit, it took Spector’s skills as a mercenary to defeat a Jackal that could have caused them a whole lot of trouble.

However, even with Grant and Spector’s best efforts, the duo couldn’t stop the show’s antagonist in Arthur Harrow from getting his hands on the scarab that would help him find Ammit’s tomb in order to resurrect her. With the tomb present in Egypt, the show sees Spector and Grant moving to Cairo, as they try to stop Harrow from causing global catastrophe.

The episode starts with some much needed background information on Layla and her family, as she tries to find a way to meet Spector in Cairo. Along with that, we also see Harrow getting closer to finding the tomb in the desert as well. However, the initial highlight revolved around Spector trying to gain information from thugs on the rooftops in Cairo, which gave us the chance to see his mercenary skills, as the mercenary fought without his Moon Knight armor.

However, unlike Episode 1, when Spector switched places with Grant, it was the other way around this time, as the latter tried to get the information without “having a body count.” Other than that, the first fight scene also teased the possibility of a third personality living inside the body, which seems to suggest that we soon might see the arrival of Jake Lockley in the Disney+ show.

Later on in the episode, we see the introduction of the other Egyptian Gods, who appeared in front of Khonshu, Spector and Grant as part of a trial, which further delved on Khonshu’s fractured relationship with them. But, it was Harrow, who stole the show during the trial, as he managed to swing the trust of the Egyptian Gods to his favor by showcasing Khonshu’s wrongdoings in a sinister way. Ethan Hawke portrayed the cunning nature of Arthur Harrow in the most perfect way possible, and the scene makes him one of the more fearful villains in Phase 4 of the MCU.

While Hawke’s performance was certainly a massive highlight, the show takes another step forward with a brutal action sequence that fans have waited to see ever since the first episode released on Disney+. Featuring the thugs of antiquities thief Anton Mogart, we finally see Moon Knight getting overpowered for the first time while wearing his powerful suit. Along with that, while Mogart only appeared for a short amount of time, the late Gaspard Thomas Ulliel did his job of playing the role of the collector in a fine manner as well.

Other than the improved action scene, the show ended on a high note by increasing the stake for the heroes, as Khonshu faced the ire of the Gods, after he was forced to turn back the night sky to help find the location of Ammit’s tomb in a visual display that Marvel fans will adore. This action eventually forced the Gods to imprison Khonshu, which means that Marc Spector and Steven Grant no longer have access to the powers they have used over the last three episodes.

At the halfway point of the show, Moon Knight has found itself in a great spot, as fans are excited about the upcoming events. With no powers for Spector and Grant, it will be interesting to see how the duo face the powerful Arthur Harrow, who might soon gain access to Ammit’s tomb.

As of right now, the Moon Knight Disney+ show is at its peak in terms of character and plot exposition, while also giving fans some gruesome actions, which teeters on the edge of rated R. It will be interesting to see how Oscar Isaac and company close out the second half of the series, as fans now have huge expectations for the Fist of Vengeance to end on an even higher note.