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A traumatic past and an imaginary alter ego, these two pretty much sum up this week's episode of Marvel's Moon Knight.
Titled Asylum, this episode dived deep into Marc's childhood and answered some burning questions - from Steven's existence to Khonshu granting Marc another chance at life. Mohamed Diab directed the episode alongside Rebecca Kirsch and Matthew Orton as writers.
Note: This article contains spoilers and reflects the writer's opinions.
Moon Knight Episode 5 review: A beautiful detour into the past
The fifth episode of Marvel's Moon Knight featured yet another dynamic performance by Oscar Isaac as his two personalities, Marc and Steven. After delivering a wrenching psychotherapy session type of an episode, Isaac gave his best while filling in the gaps in Marc and Steven's past.
The episode, titled Asylum, isn't exactly the revolutionary kind. Still, it did give viewers a glimpse of what Marc's life was, making it easier for them to piece together everything they know about the two. Although the screen was often shared with himself and the CGI characters, Isaac turned the trippy episode into a masterpiece.
A visual treat
Twitter has been at war trying to get Isaac considered for a severe award nomination, not only for his multitude of roles but how he can deliver his fully realized and emotionally fragile personality. As it progressed towards its finale, Moon Knight needed an episode full of flashbacks and finally got one, right before its highly-anticipated finale.
Adding to this surreality was the well-established psych ward layer where 'Dr.' Harrow insisted that Marc was swinging back and forth between sense and nonsense. The episode didn't just revolve around the 'asylum' but also played around with visuals, reality, dreams, and imaginary worlds used to escape the harshness of the present.
Isaac's best yet
Oscar Isaac managed to deliver profound, dramatic moments for both Marc and Steven as they confronted their past, mainly how Steven came to be. Viewers learned that Marc created Steven to shield himself from the abuse he received from his mother after his brother's tragic death. The journey to the past took an abrupt turn when Marc had to re-live his trauma, and Steven had to learn about his existence.
While the entire episode of Moon Knight was too heavy to digest, the most significant moments unearthed were Marc's brother's death, his violent mother, and his not-so-protective father.
It was also made clear that Marc's mother's death caused Steven and Marc to merge more often, in a very hazardous way. It is still unclear who took over the body when Steven and Marc weren't both on a killing spree and who was also inside the third sarcophagus in the previous episode.
The interesting afterlife
What makes Moon Knight stand out from the rest of the series is its Egyptology and, in this episode, the afterlife aspects. It gave viewers a handful of heavy yet powerful scenes, like Marc drinking on the street after not bringing himself to join his mother's shiva.
It was rather moving and heartbreaking to see Marc create Steven in anticipation of a beating on his 12th birthday. The way Steven grieved over his mom's death after learning the truth was also a tear-jerker, all thanks to Isaac's brilliant performance.
The battling mind
Unfortunately, it is still unclear what exactly happened to Steven, who appeared to have entirely perished in the sands of Duat at the end of this episode of Moon Knight. The alter ego had a very heroic exit, if it is one, as he saved Marc from the 'zombies', even though he was just an imagination. The final parts of this episode focused on Steven's moments of truth after he finally got to interact with Dr. Harrow.
Asylum covered much of the backstory beautifully with its unusual psych ward-duat setting, portraying the embattled mind that sought shelter and relief. Taweret's presence added to the delightful dreaminess of the episode, along with Marc's first meeting with Khonshu.
Marc's shattered pieces
This episode of Moon Knight took a beautiful detour and covered important ground, answering questions about Marc's life. Steven finally learned about his awful truth, turning it into one of the saddest yet satisfying moments in the series. Oscar Isaac commanded the screen like never before, beautifully laying out the shattered pieces of Marc's childhood.
Episode 5 is now streaming on Disney+. Catch the series finale next week on May 4.
