Moon Knight Review: The Friendly Type (Season 1 Episode 3)

Moon Knight Season 1 Episode 3, “The Friendly Type,” is a Marc Spector special, streamlined by its high-octane action and torn apart by our lead’s inner struggles.

This outing strives to be violent in its delights as our troubled mercenary tears through the cinematic streets of Egypt. It hits the ground running with killer actions shots, epic demonstrations of Marc’s parkour skills, and a comedy that rears its head at the most inappropriate times.

The oddball plot has its triumphs and struggles, but the conflict cannot hold a candle to Oscar Isaac, who is actively gunning for our hearts with his clashing characters.

Layla, Love Stories, and Lockley

However, Isaac is not the only one making a play for our hearts. Layla El-Faouly proves to be just as lovely.

The plot insists on making her a damsel, but May Calamawy hints at the potential for more. Her scenes with Isaac demonstrate how effective she is as an emotional anchor, their physicality brimming with a poignancy reminiscent of WandaVision‘s love story.

Calamawy will prove a potent emotional component in coming installments, but the plot also suggests we’ll see the wickedness that earned Layla a spot on Konchu’s watchlist. It cannot be a mere coincidence the only MCU reference — Madripoor — is tied to her.

There’s something to be said about a good character slow-burn — a.k.a. Jake Lockley. Yes, a third personality makes itself known to Marc and Steven, and while they brush off the encounter, it is impossible for us to forget Jake’s brief reign.

These psychological teases speak to Moon Knight‘s greatness. Tricking us into thinking Steven has taken over just to throw audiences into a blood bath is ridiculously clever. It plays with the lore of this show in effectively disorienting ways.

And these subtle, sometimes extremely violent, flirtation with Lockley’s presence suggests his reveal will be epic.

The Token Straight Man Has Arrived

Steven is a sweet, loveable catastrophe of a man. But Mark is insufferable, pushing people away at every minor inconvenience. He’s the disgruntled antihero we know and often loathe.

Yet Moon Knight invites a new sincerity to the role by surrounding Marc with characters that refuse to let him wallow in some drab vigilante persona.

Steven’s good-natured interruptions and Layla’s refusal to believe her husband’s lies betray the mercenary’s secret heart of gold as Isaac allows Marc Spector to soften slightly in their presence.

It’s great to see the roles reversed here, too, with Marc experiencing the violent jolting of personalities and the gaps in time.

We finally see what kind of man and fighter Marc is without the suit. Want to make me love a character? Have him slap someone holding a big scary knife right off the bat.

Aside from his admirable scrappy fighting style and adorable moon-shaped cape, Marc is the titular straight-male role this absurd dialogue needs to ground itself.

He fights back against Konchu’s orders, often with pointed banter, but under that soldier’s confidence are hints Isaac is portraying a man who has been at war with himself for years.

I hope we see more of that Marc because he is the key to an honest exploration of the show’s internal conflict and ensuring these multiple personalities are not reduced to a superhero gimmick.

Steven Grant Knows His Stuff

This episode does not bless us with a single “Laters Gators,” which must be a crime. It does, however, continue to violently assault us with Steven Grant’s adorableness.

Steven squirming his way into Marc’s fights makes for hilarious entertainment, none more so than when he immediately taps out after being impaled with several spears. Steven “I don’t like this; I’m out” Grant forcing Marc to clean up his messes is my favorite aspect of their peculiar relationship.

As is the show’s ability to play on Marc and Steve’s strengths while still exploring their absurdity. Steven can afford to be an idiot in a fight because he is also an expert on Egyptian lore. Marc is the muscle, but much of this show hinders his depth.

Each character has deeper layers that ensure their more playful moments don’t come at the expense of credibility.

If Isaac didn’t deserve every award for the caliber of character work on display, that transition from Marc to Steven’s facial expression should do it. The spectacular display of talent confirms that Oscar Issac will make this show work no matter how weird it gets.

A Lackluster Villain Monologue

If there was ever a scene I would physically fight for its mediocrity, it is this council meeting of the gods.

This scene acts as a show-and-tell of Arthur Harrow’s mind-blowing deception, where he fools gods into believing his ruse while discrediting Marc’s mental health. However, the confidence in the dialogue is misplaced because the only one convincing us of anything is Isaac and his wacky accents.

The meeting, for starters, is incredibly one-sided. Harrow explains his skewed perspective, and when Marc is asked to explain why Khonshu called the gods there, they immediately cut him off.

The dialogue is stinted and undermines the characters’ actions by forcing the trajectory in unnatural directions. There’s no subtly in this plot device, as it peddles these frustratingly vague villain monologues with unmoving conviction.

There’s nothing to suggest the gods should believe Harrow, and there’s nothing to suggest they’re using him to condemn Khonshu. So this scene does not fool the gods as much as it makes them look like fools.

One’s Own Worst Enemy

It could be said this is Moon Knight‘s weakest episode of the season thus far.

That doesn’t mean it is bad because Steven and Marc’s team-up provides some of the best material. However, the first real test to see if the world-building and villain conflict can coexist shows cracks in the larger plot.

That is entirely due to the underdevelopment of the main villain. The show expects Ethan Hawke’s stellar delivery to carry the performance, but there has to be more at play when much of the mythology and external conflict falls on his success.

It’s difficult to care about the external conflict when the internal conflict between Marc and Steven is so fascinating. Thankfully, this episode continues to prioritize their dynamic, and that’s all I ask of this chaotic character study.

When your protagonists are their own worst enemy, there’s no limit to the potential. There seems to be nothing but limitations with Harrow’s archetype.

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New episodes of Moon Knight air Wednesdays on Disney+.

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