Marc summons the suit. (Spoilers)

Moon Knight episode 2 is here, and it is…something. The recent trend in my viewing seems to be focused around showing me a disappointing first episode and then gradually improving as the season continues. As someone who knows nothing about Moon Knight but has a fine interest in Egyptian anything, the first episode was a bit of a disappointment to me. The second episode? I guess more interesting knowing the base line we were building off of.

The end of Episode 1 sees Steven finally turning into Moon Knight, knight of the moon and all around punching badass. Of course this is a Marvel show, so it was only guaranteed that Steven would return to work the next day to find that old Egyptian magic at play. Specifically ancient Egyptian magic that allows security cameras to be wiped of footage showing a giant monster ravaging the museum. Steven takes the blame for destroying the bathroom at the end of Episode 1 and is summarily fired from his job.

One part of the episode that I did enjoy was Khonshu going from this mysterious deity to grumpy nerd shouting at Steven with no real ability to control him other than blowing a gust of wind in temper. What we have presented in episode 2 is a classic Minority Report morality conundrum. Khonshu is a god on a warpath against perceived injustices in the world, but as is pointed out in the episode he only takes a stand on justice in revenge, after the crime has already been committed. Arthur Harrow, acting as a servant of Ammit, has been tasked with weeding out injustices before they form by killing the people who would commit them.

And we see in the episode that Harrow’s strategy kinda works. He’s formed a community where people are kept safe and comfortable, where food and shelter is readily available for the hungry, and where people take care of each other. Of course the other coin is that Harrow would seemingly have no problem murdering a child if Ammit’s wisdom told them that child had the capacity for evil. It’s a credit to Ethan Hawke’s acting that you really buy into Harrow’s sincerity, and seeing the peaceful part of town that he had transformed from a crime-ridden area, you start to feel like he might have a point. Harrow’s goal is to use the scarab to find Ammit’s tomb and then free her so the world can be purged of evil.

And then Harrow kills a homeless man for no real reason and the audience goes “oh yeah, he’s just an evil prick.”

Moon Knight does have more of a presence this episode, including a pretty good fight scene with the Jackal as well as another bit where Steven puts on a very dapper version of the suit and then flails around because he’s still Steven. I’m sure this is a reference to one of the comic stories as everything is in this show. I was afraid of having to hear Steven’s quivering voice throughout the whole series, but it appears that Marc is going to be the primary identity going forward as he takes control of Steven’s body.

Shockingly episode two ends with Harrow obtaining ownership of the scarab. Khonshu admonishes Marc and sets him on his mission that we’ll presumably get to see next week; going to Egypt to stop Harrow from raising Ammit. Marc will be accompanied by Layla (May Calamawy), his wife and fellow adventurer, who will no doubt get into some fights and punch some faces herself.

Far too much time in this episode is dedicated to Steven cowering and fighting with a mirror version of himself while also being timid toward people. If he has less presence in the show going forward that will only be a positive.

Rating: C+