Moon Knight: Asylum
April 27, 2022 5:45 AM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe
Marc and Steven meet Tawaret and try to find a way out of realm of Duat, so that they can prevent the apocalypse that will befall the souls of the living when Ammit is released. Also, Marc tries therapy.
Many of the Egyptian gods seem to be AWOL. Barely even half of the Ennead bothered to show up. Hmmm...
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:27 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:27 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Wow. Oscar Isaac really sells Marc’s absolute despair and self-loathing.
Also: I would die for Tarawet. Those ears! So cute.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 7:00 AM on April 27, 2022 [16 favorites]
Also: I would die for Tarawet. Those ears! So cute.
posted by Mr. Excellent at 7:00 AM on April 27, 2022 [16 favorites]
That was terrific. I enjoyed it so much. So much payoff for things set up in earlier episodes.
I was sure at the beginning that in order to make the scales balance, Marc and Steven would have to find and acknowledge the third personality, and was surprised when it didn't go that way. I wondered if the person who stood in the street outside Marc's mother's shiva was maybe that other person, since Marc didn't recognise the memory when he initially saw it through the doorway near the beginning. Person 3 surely has to show up in the last episode, though - they've dropped enough hints about him, and this show is proving very good at following through on things it sets up.
So now we know what the deal is with Steven and Marc's mother. It makes sense now that when Marc was telling Steven back in ep 2 that "something" had changed to disturb the balance between them, he was being deliberately vague. Marc knew the triggering event was his mother's death, but wanted to protect Steven from that knowledge the way he's protected Steven from, well, pretty much everything else in their lives.
I will be properly, genuinely upset if that's the last of Steven. I know Steven is one of Marc's identities in the comic, but the TV show is free to do what it wants, and you could easily read this episode as Steven fulfilling his purpose: he tells Marc two things he desperately needs to hear (that his brother's death wasn't his fault, and that Konshu manipulated him from the get-go), makes a key discovery about himself (that he was Marc's creation) and then uses that self-awareness in the last fight to 'be' Marc. Dramatically, what else is there for him to do? But I really, really want Steven to be all right.
Loved the hippo goddess. "So you're the clever one."
Poor, poor Marc. His utter desperation when he kept begging Steven not to look at their past and that almost child-like breakdown of no-no-no-I-won't-do-it was just heartbreaking.
Gosh, there's a lot of ground to cover in the last episode.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 7:46 AM on April 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
I was sure at the beginning that in order to make the scales balance, Marc and Steven would have to find and acknowledge the third personality, and was surprised when it didn't go that way. I wondered if the person who stood in the street outside Marc's mother's shiva was maybe that other person, since Marc didn't recognise the memory when he initially saw it through the doorway near the beginning. Person 3 surely has to show up in the last episode, though - they've dropped enough hints about him, and this show is proving very good at following through on things it sets up.
So now we know what the deal is with Steven and Marc's mother. It makes sense now that when Marc was telling Steven back in ep 2 that "something" had changed to disturb the balance between them, he was being deliberately vague. Marc knew the triggering event was his mother's death, but wanted to protect Steven from that knowledge the way he's protected Steven from, well, pretty much everything else in their lives.
I will be properly, genuinely upset if that's the last of Steven. I know Steven is one of Marc's identities in the comic, but the TV show is free to do what it wants, and you could easily read this episode as Steven fulfilling his purpose: he tells Marc two things he desperately needs to hear (that his brother's death wasn't his fault, and that Konshu manipulated him from the get-go), makes a key discovery about himself (that he was Marc's creation) and then uses that self-awareness in the last fight to 'be' Marc. Dramatically, what else is there for him to do? But I really, really want Steven to be all right.
Loved the hippo goddess. "So you're the clever one."
Poor, poor Marc. His utter desperation when he kept begging Steven not to look at their past and that almost child-like breakdown of no-no-no-I-won't-do-it was just heartbreaking.
Gosh, there's a lot of ground to cover in the last episode.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 7:46 AM on April 27, 2022 [13 favorites]
Many of the Egyptian gods seem to be AWOL. Barely even half of the Ennead bothered to show up. Hmmm...
There is a God Butcher running around.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:12 AM on April 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
There is a God Butcher running around.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:12 AM on April 27, 2022 [4 favorites]
Wow. That was a wild ride and Oscar Isaac did an amazing job of it. I kinda want to see him and She-Hulk team up in some kinda clone / multiples storyline, he and all-the-roles-in-Orphan-Black Tatiana Maslany would be fun together.
Great sense of release and peace at the end for a man who’s known so little of it. And a gorgeous music cue, there.
I also suspect we haven’t seen the last of Steven forever, but maybe we have for this season? It would make sense if the last episode was all Marc (and Mr. 3) since the first ep was all Steven.
posted by sixswitch at 8:33 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Great sense of release and peace at the end for a man who’s known so little of it. And a gorgeous music cue, there.
I also suspect we haven’t seen the last of Steven forever, but maybe we have for this season? It would make sense if the last episode was all Marc (and Mr. 3) since the first ep was all Steven.
posted by sixswitch at 8:33 AM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Person 3 surely has to show up in the last episode, though
I overlooked it in all the action, but his accent and attitude changed quite a bit when he was getting ready to stab Dr. Hallow with the glass sculpture.
posted by Gary at 12:22 PM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
I overlooked it in all the action, but his accent and attitude changed quite a bit when he was getting ready to stab Dr. Hallow with the glass sculpture.
posted by Gary at 12:22 PM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
Oooohhhh. I missed that.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 12:31 PM on April 27, 2022
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 12:31 PM on April 27, 2022
This episode broke me a little as a person whose relationship with his mother was not a million miles away from Marc's. (For the record, my brother is still undrowned and alive, and there were some actual high points in my life with my mother.)
I was okay-ish right up until Marc said to his father--and I'm paraphrasing here, because I can not handle watching it again right now--"It was your job to make it stop; why didn't you?". My father is in his 80s and not in the best of health, and I've been struggling lately with deciding to either ask him that very same question or just let him eventually die in relative peace...but live the rest of my life with not knowing.
And then that scene on the street outside his parents' house...if you'll pardon the expression when talking about a scene with a shiva in it, Jesus fucking Christ.
If you'll excuse me, I need a drink. Or five.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:57 PM on April 27, 2022 [14 favorites]
I was okay-ish right up until Marc said to his father--and I'm paraphrasing here, because I can not handle watching it again right now--"It was your job to make it stop; why didn't you?". My father is in his 80s and not in the best of health, and I've been struggling lately with deciding to either ask him that very same question or just let him eventually die in relative peace...but live the rest of my life with not knowing.
And then that scene on the street outside his parents' house...if you'll pardon the expression when talking about a scene with a shiva in it, Jesus fucking Christ.
If you'll excuse me, I need a drink. Or five.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 2:57 PM on April 27, 2022 [14 favorites]
Really enjoyed this one; I liked the sense of heaviness of the boat, and the gradual acceptance of the hospital metaphor. I was appalled that a mother would do that to a child, kept thinking he had to be a stepchild or something, or why favor one child so much over the other?, but I suppose it does happen.
posted by The otter lady at 4:50 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The otter lady at 4:50 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
but I suppose it does happen.
Yeah. Boy does it ever.
Also I didn't see Marc as confused about the memory of the street, more that he was trying to protect Marc from what that particular memory meant.
posted by cooker girl at 5:24 PM on April 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
Yeah. Boy does it ever.
Also I didn't see Marc as confused about the memory of the street, more that he was trying to protect Marc from what that particular memory meant.
posted by cooker girl at 5:24 PM on April 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
My only criticism of the episode is that the playhouse that Marc's dad was building was too small for his boys. And seriously, a playhouse? For two boys that age?
posted by Catblack at 7:00 PM on April 27, 2022
posted by Catblack at 7:00 PM on April 27, 2022
Yeah I do think part of the terribleness is that Marc's father did not protect him in any way. And maybe he was also abused, but all we saw was him failing to act or get his son to safety.
Oscar Isaac acted the hell out of this, really good stuff. Creating a self who was "good" gentle, safe, normal, compassionate, and who had a good childhood; phew. Damn.
I'm hoping that the "death" of Steven is just him becoming united with Marc. But then..how can the scales balance if the Mystery Third Guy* in the Sarcophogus (hinted at by the "both these hearts seem incomplete" line?) hasn't been dealt with?
*well I assume he's a guy. It would be interesting if he isn't but I know the comic didn't do that so it seems unlikely.
posted by emjaybee at 7:28 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Oscar Isaac acted the hell out of this, really good stuff. Creating a self who was "good" gentle, safe, normal, compassionate, and who had a good childhood; phew. Damn.
I'm hoping that the "death" of Steven is just him becoming united with Marc. But then..how can the scales balance if the Mystery Third Guy* in the Sarcophogus (hinted at by the "both these hearts seem incomplete" line?) hasn't been dealt with?
*well I assume he's a guy. It would be interesting if he isn't but I know the comic didn't do that so it seems unlikely.
posted by emjaybee at 7:28 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'll admit, I was a bit confused by the appearance of Steven. If he was created to mimic the movie hero and take over when there was danger about, that makes sense to me. He was the persona who faced down his belt-wielding mother.
But then why does the Steven persona not remember facing that danger? Why does he have good memories of his mother? Shouldn't it be the other way? That Marc, being protected by Steven, doesn't remember the beating and all of the other subsequent bad encounters with his mother? And that Steven wouldn't remember his mother fondly and instead treat her as the danger.
I know that up until that point, Marc would have carried the memories of his brother's death and his mother's hatred but, using the logic of this show, Steven should have taken those on and they should have eventually faded for Marc.
I know that Marc told Steven he was created to have the happy life with a mother who loved him but given his origin, that makes no sense.
Unless, of course, the persona that took the beating was this third one that hasn't officially been introduced, and Marc is just letting Steven assume the transformation he saw the young boy go through was Steven's own creation and not the birth of the other identity.
posted by sardonyx at 8:18 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
But then why does the Steven persona not remember facing that danger? Why does he have good memories of his mother? Shouldn't it be the other way? That Marc, being protected by Steven, doesn't remember the beating and all of the other subsequent bad encounters with his mother? And that Steven wouldn't remember his mother fondly and instead treat her as the danger.
I know that up until that point, Marc would have carried the memories of his brother's death and his mother's hatred but, using the logic of this show, Steven should have taken those on and they should have eventually faded for Marc.
I know that Marc told Steven he was created to have the happy life with a mother who loved him but given his origin, that makes no sense.
Unless, of course, the persona that took the beating was this third one that hasn't officially been introduced, and Marc is just letting Steven assume the transformation he saw the young boy go through was Steven's own creation and not the birth of the other identity.
posted by sardonyx at 8:18 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I saw it as an inversion of the usual trope; where the 'core persona' is a squishy little Dr. Jekyll, who creates a fearsome Mr. Hyde 'alter' as a protector.
Ever wonder Who would I be, if I hadn't gone through all this trauma? What would that person be like?
That's Steven. Created by Marc, as a sort of life raft. I'll take the beating, you get the cookies.
Steven is Denial.
Marc is Anger.
Maybe a 3rd persona is going to be Acceptance?
posted by bartleby at 9:13 PM on April 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
Ever wonder Who would I be, if I hadn't gone through all this trauma? What would that person be like?
That's Steven. Created by Marc, as a sort of life raft. I'll take the beating, you get the cookies.
Steven is Denial.
Marc is Anger.
Maybe a 3rd persona is going to be Acceptance?
posted by bartleby at 9:13 PM on April 27, 2022 [5 favorites]
Now I wonder what situations Tarawet has cards to cover...
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:00 PM on April 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:00 PM on April 27, 2022 [7 favorites]
I really enjoyed the episode, but wow was it intense. Oscar Isaac is doing such an amazing job, and the writing was firing on all cylinders, too. The scene outside Marc's mother's shiva was especially haunting. I feel like that was the climax to the whole season (at least so far). It was heartbreaking watching Marc get overwhelmed and "short circuit" and Steven emerge and immediately start chattering at his imaginary loving, living mother on the phone.
Why is the goddess of women and children taking souls to the afterlife and weighing hearts?
Functionally, I think it's like 1970s Antihero said and most of the gods are MIA, so Tarawet was filling in.
But I think it was also a really good creative choice, because judgement up till now has been so harsh and premature. Ammit is condemning people before they've even done anything wrong, and Marc's mom was telling him at his 12th birthday party that she should have expected him to kill his brother because he was so jealous. Even Khonsu is having people killed rather than waiting for them to die and have their hearts weighed.
Tarawet was frank with Marc and Steven, but she was kind and wanted the scales to balance so they'd get a fair verdict. She not only created a contrast to Ammit and Marc's mother, but she made the parallel between Ammit and Marc's mom much clearer. I don't know that I would have seen the similarity in how Marc's mom prematurely condemned him to what he called a living hell with what Ammit was doing if they hadn't had a warm, explicitly maternal figure like Tarawet as a judge.
Also: I would die for Tarawet. Those ears! So cute.
Right? Great voice acting, and I loved how she looked. The human hands and the little hippo ears and everything in between -- she could have come off as monstrous but she was very charming.
I will be properly, genuinely upset if that's the last of Steven.
That cannot be the last time we see Steven, he doesn't deserve to spend eternity in the sands! It might be the last time we see him this season, but I hope that we at least see him rescued before the end of next/last episode.
I mean, is Marc really going to have his literal brother drown in a cave and then lose his metaphorical brother when he falls off a boat? Especially since Steven fell while protecting Marc?
you could easily read this episode as Steven fulfilling his purpose: he tells Marc two things he desperately needs to hear (that his brother's death wasn't his fault, and that Konshu manipulated him from the get-go)
It seemed to me that Marc believed what Steven was saying about his brother's death not being his fault, but he still doesn't agree with Steven about Khonsu. The twisted thing is that Khonsu treasures Marc for his killing ability and his mental instability and I think a part of Marc likes being treasured for what he thinks is his "true self" (even if he also hates that "true self"). Or the "worst" parts of himself.
his accent and attitude changed quite a bit when he was getting ready to stab Dr. Hallow with the glass sculpture.
Yes, totally agree. That person didn't "look," sound, or act like Marc.
Marc said to his father--and I'm paraphrasing here, because I can not handle watching it again right now--"It was your job to make it stop; why didn't you?"
What killed me is when Marc shows up at the shiva already drunk and clearly distraught, and we know his dad sees it because we're literally watching Marc's arrival from his dad's perspective at the window, but his dad just waves him up and then stares as Marc stumbles away down the street. And Marc only makes it like five or ten steps before falling to his knees and sobbing in the middle of the road, but still nobody comes out of the house.
I guess it's pointless to ask whether Marc would have needed Steven to take over outside the shiva if his dad had shown up for him then, since you might as well ask whether Steven would even exist if Marc's dad had EVER shown up for him.
I think Marc still respects his father, though. He told Steven he didn't go into the shiva because he couldn't face him after all the horrible things he (Marc) has done. That said, I don't think that's the real reason he couldn't go into the shiva, considering he broke down crying immediately after showing up and was in so much pain that he not only had to have Steven take over the body right then, but apparently also decided to commit psychic death and give Steven the body forever. It's so horrible that Marc's mother's death would destroy him like that. I guess it's complicated because she was so horrible to him but he also created this lovely and loving version of her for Steven that he couldn't let go of.
Also, poor Layla. She was asking Steven if he was talking with his mother again, so I guess she doesn't even know Marc's mother is dead. Marc is such a terrible husband. His mother dies and instead of telling his wife, he disappears to Chicago, decides to essentially kill himself, and serves divorce papers.
I was appalled that a mother would do that to a child, kept thinking he had to be a stepchild or something, or why favor one child so much over the other?
For all we know, the younger son only became the favorite after he was dead.
That said, I have a hard time believing that Marc's mom was that great of a parent before his brother died, because she was SO awful afterward. Plus, within a week of the little boy's death, she was already screaming at Marc that it was his fault his brother was dead and barring him from the shiva. Could she have really been a wonderful mother only a week or so beforehand?
My only criticism of the episode is that the playhouse that Marc's dad was building was too small for his boys. And seriously, a playhouse? For two boys that age?
Extremely fancy sukkot?
But then why does the Steven persona not remember facing that danger? Why does he have good memories of his mother?
I was wondering about that, too. Maybe Steven is able to go off into his fantasy world (where there is nothing to fear, his mother is loving, his mother is alive, etc) and escape from reality that way. So anything can be going on in reality and it doesn't register with him because he's essentially not there. But that seems wrong, because Steven does seem to register what's happening in the real world, and is pretty down to earth considering how little life experience he's had and how Marc micromanages his perceptions.
It's very possible that there was a third person taking beatings, though. I mean, we already know a third person exists so why not. Something I'm curious about is this fugue state that got Marc kicked out of the military. "Fugue state" makes it sound like it might have been this third person as well, and he seems pretty dangerous.
The other mystery is why Marc was locked out of the memory of taking his brother to the cave. Maybe it was just a plot device but there was a lot of focus on him banging on the door and being unable to get through.
posted by rue72 at 11:02 PM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Why is the goddess of women and children taking souls to the afterlife and weighing hearts?
Functionally, I think it's like 1970s Antihero said and most of the gods are MIA, so Tarawet was filling in.
But I think it was also a really good creative choice, because judgement up till now has been so harsh and premature. Ammit is condemning people before they've even done anything wrong, and Marc's mom was telling him at his 12th birthday party that she should have expected him to kill his brother because he was so jealous. Even Khonsu is having people killed rather than waiting for them to die and have their hearts weighed.
Tarawet was frank with Marc and Steven, but she was kind and wanted the scales to balance so they'd get a fair verdict. She not only created a contrast to Ammit and Marc's mother, but she made the parallel between Ammit and Marc's mom much clearer. I don't know that I would have seen the similarity in how Marc's mom prematurely condemned him to what he called a living hell with what Ammit was doing if they hadn't had a warm, explicitly maternal figure like Tarawet as a judge.
Also: I would die for Tarawet. Those ears! So cute.
Right? Great voice acting, and I loved how she looked. The human hands and the little hippo ears and everything in between -- she could have come off as monstrous but she was very charming.
I will be properly, genuinely upset if that's the last of Steven.
That cannot be the last time we see Steven, he doesn't deserve to spend eternity in the sands! It might be the last time we see him this season, but I hope that we at least see him rescued before the end of next/last episode.
I mean, is Marc really going to have his literal brother drown in a cave and then lose his metaphorical brother when he falls off a boat? Especially since Steven fell while protecting Marc?
you could easily read this episode as Steven fulfilling his purpose: he tells Marc two things he desperately needs to hear (that his brother's death wasn't his fault, and that Konshu manipulated him from the get-go)
It seemed to me that Marc believed what Steven was saying about his brother's death not being his fault, but he still doesn't agree with Steven about Khonsu. The twisted thing is that Khonsu treasures Marc for his killing ability and his mental instability and I think a part of Marc likes being treasured for what he thinks is his "true self" (even if he also hates that "true self"). Or the "worst" parts of himself.
his accent and attitude changed quite a bit when he was getting ready to stab Dr. Hallow with the glass sculpture.
Yes, totally agree. That person didn't "look," sound, or act like Marc.
Marc said to his father--and I'm paraphrasing here, because I can not handle watching it again right now--"It was your job to make it stop; why didn't you?"
What killed me is when Marc shows up at the shiva already drunk and clearly distraught, and we know his dad sees it because we're literally watching Marc's arrival from his dad's perspective at the window, but his dad just waves him up and then stares as Marc stumbles away down the street. And Marc only makes it like five or ten steps before falling to his knees and sobbing in the middle of the road, but still nobody comes out of the house.
I guess it's pointless to ask whether Marc would have needed Steven to take over outside the shiva if his dad had shown up for him then, since you might as well ask whether Steven would even exist if Marc's dad had EVER shown up for him.
I think Marc still respects his father, though. He told Steven he didn't go into the shiva because he couldn't face him after all the horrible things he (Marc) has done. That said, I don't think that's the real reason he couldn't go into the shiva, considering he broke down crying immediately after showing up and was in so much pain that he not only had to have Steven take over the body right then, but apparently also decided to commit psychic death and give Steven the body forever. It's so horrible that Marc's mother's death would destroy him like that. I guess it's complicated because she was so horrible to him but he also created this lovely and loving version of her for Steven that he couldn't let go of.
Also, poor Layla. She was asking Steven if he was talking with his mother again, so I guess she doesn't even know Marc's mother is dead. Marc is such a terrible husband. His mother dies and instead of telling his wife, he disappears to Chicago, decides to essentially kill himself, and serves divorce papers.
I was appalled that a mother would do that to a child, kept thinking he had to be a stepchild or something, or why favor one child so much over the other?
For all we know, the younger son only became the favorite after he was dead.
That said, I have a hard time believing that Marc's mom was that great of a parent before his brother died, because she was SO awful afterward. Plus, within a week of the little boy's death, she was already screaming at Marc that it was his fault his brother was dead and barring him from the shiva. Could she have really been a wonderful mother only a week or so beforehand?
My only criticism of the episode is that the playhouse that Marc's dad was building was too small for his boys. And seriously, a playhouse? For two boys that age?
Extremely fancy sukkot?
But then why does the Steven persona not remember facing that danger? Why does he have good memories of his mother?
I was wondering about that, too. Maybe Steven is able to go off into his fantasy world (where there is nothing to fear, his mother is loving, his mother is alive, etc) and escape from reality that way. So anything can be going on in reality and it doesn't register with him because he's essentially not there. But that seems wrong, because Steven does seem to register what's happening in the real world, and is pretty down to earth considering how little life experience he's had and how Marc micromanages his perceptions.
It's very possible that there was a third person taking beatings, though. I mean, we already know a third person exists so why not. Something I'm curious about is this fugue state that got Marc kicked out of the military. "Fugue state" makes it sound like it might have been this third person as well, and he seems pretty dangerous.
The other mystery is why Marc was locked out of the memory of taking his brother to the cave. Maybe it was just a plot device but there was a lot of focus on him banging on the door and being unable to get through.
posted by rue72 at 11:02 PM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
That said, I have a hard time believing that Marc's mom was that great of a parent before his brother died, because she was SO awful afterward.
Agree with this. We only see a tiny glimpse of Marc's supposedly happy family life before his brother died. The show doesn't have time to explore it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Marc's mother had had quite serious issues prior to that which Marc was either unaware of (perhaps because his father had been able to keep the family more or less on an even keel before the trauma of Marc's brother's death, perhaps because his mother had enjoyed a period of relative stability during the early happy years of her kids' lives) or which Marc has buried the memories of. Marc's father failed him terribly, though.
That moment in the street outside the shiva, when Marc breaks down and becomes Steven, and present-Steven is looking at him - I found that terribly affecting. Steven in the memory pops up and starts chatting away to his imaginary mum, and present-Steven has by comparison so much more self-awareness and self-knowledge.
I thought that Marc's creation of Steven served two purposes. First, as noted above, Steven is the best parts of Marc, who Marc might have been without the abuse. Second, Steven is someone Marc can protect in the way that he feels he failed to protect his brother. Marc creates this little bubble of a normal life around Steven and tries to manage him so he doesn't even know he's in the bubble. He bases Steven on a childhood model of a heroic character from a movie. Steven isn't heroic in the traditional sense (although he displays increasing amounts of physical courage as the story goes on) but he does embody a lot of heroic characteristics - compassion, a strong sense of morality, honesty.
Also, Marc's plan to "kill the hippo, take the boat" was hilarious, as was the fact he kept coming back to it.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 11:57 PM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
Agree with this. We only see a tiny glimpse of Marc's supposedly happy family life before his brother died. The show doesn't have time to explore it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Marc's mother had had quite serious issues prior to that which Marc was either unaware of (perhaps because his father had been able to keep the family more or less on an even keel before the trauma of Marc's brother's death, perhaps because his mother had enjoyed a period of relative stability during the early happy years of her kids' lives) or which Marc has buried the memories of. Marc's father failed him terribly, though.
That moment in the street outside the shiva, when Marc breaks down and becomes Steven, and present-Steven is looking at him - I found that terribly affecting. Steven in the memory pops up and starts chatting away to his imaginary mum, and present-Steven has by comparison so much more self-awareness and self-knowledge.
I thought that Marc's creation of Steven served two purposes. First, as noted above, Steven is the best parts of Marc, who Marc might have been without the abuse. Second, Steven is someone Marc can protect in the way that he feels he failed to protect his brother. Marc creates this little bubble of a normal life around Steven and tries to manage him so he doesn't even know he's in the bubble. He bases Steven on a childhood model of a heroic character from a movie. Steven isn't heroic in the traditional sense (although he displays increasing amounts of physical courage as the story goes on) but he does embody a lot of heroic characteristics - compassion, a strong sense of morality, honesty.
Also, Marc's plan to "kill the hippo, take the boat" was hilarious, as was the fact he kept coming back to it.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 11:57 PM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]
Maybe a 3rd persona is going to be Acceptance?
I might be reading it wrong, but it seems to me that every time Marc/Steven comes out of that persona he's surrounded by corpses. Acceptance wouldn't be so stabby is what I'm saying.
posted by Grangousier at 2:24 AM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
I might be reading it wrong, but it seems to me that every time Marc/Steven comes out of that persona he's surrounded by corpses. Acceptance wouldn't be so stabby is what I'm saying.
posted by Grangousier at 2:24 AM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
To be honest I was....not thrilled with this ep?
Maybe it's just because we recently binged all of the Doom Patrol currently available, but I'm a little tired of the "take a big budget superhero show with gods and punching and stuff, and let's do a whole episode where we go inside our subconscious minds and talk about our feelings" thing.
Still, Oscar Isaac is great.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:01 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Maybe it's just because we recently binged all of the Doom Patrol currently available, but I'm a little tired of the "take a big budget superhero show with gods and punching and stuff, and let's do a whole episode where we go inside our subconscious minds and talk about our feelings" thing.
Still, Oscar Isaac is great.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:01 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Also, Marc's plan to "kill the hippo, take the boat" was hilarious, as was the fact he kept coming back to it.
This was pretty funny, yeah :D
posted by lazaruslong at 3:03 AM on April 28, 2022
This was pretty funny, yeah :D
posted by lazaruslong at 3:03 AM on April 28, 2022
I feel like any plan that involves killing a hippo is a bad plan. They have serious teeth and powerful jaws.
Also any plan that involves killing an Egyptian deity, also a bad plan.
posted by nat at 3:44 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Also any plan that involves killing an Egyptian deity, also a bad plan.
posted by nat at 3:44 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
I think we saw Jake in this episode. A number of people have pointed to this scene, which also struck me as not Marc or Steven. His accent is different, more NYC, he's aggressive and manic.
posted by ceejaytee at 4:26 AM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by ceejaytee at 4:26 AM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I'll admit, I was a bit confused by the appearance of Steven. If he was created to mimic the movie hero and take over when there was danger about, that makes sense to me. He was the persona who faced down his belt-wielding mother.
Steven doesn’t protect Marc from his Mum by standing up to her, he protects Marc by being a well-behaved boy who loves his Mum and therefore the Mum would never ever have any reason to abuse him.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:27 AM on April 28, 2022 [10 favorites]
Steven doesn’t protect Marc from his Mum by standing up to her, he protects Marc by being a well-behaved boy who loves his Mum and therefore the Mum would never ever have any reason to abuse him.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:27 AM on April 28, 2022 [10 favorites]
1970s Antihero: I think that’s right, and it’s absolutely goddamned heartbreaking. :(
posted by Mr. Excellent at 5:01 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Mr. Excellent at 5:01 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
We might not have seen Jake yet because he's not a fully created personality, and he'll become more distinct and separated in the next episode.
posted by fomhar at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by fomhar at 5:04 AM on April 28, 2022
Maybe it's just because we recently binged all of the Doom Patrol currently available, but I'm a little tired of the "take a big budget superhero show with gods and punching and stuff, and let's do a whole episode where we go inside our subconscious minds and talk about our feelings" thing.
That's where I'm at. They've done the same thing on Picard recently. A whole episode inside his subconscious mind with feelings and etc.
There hasn't been very much Moon Knight in this show called Moon Knight.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:03 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
That's where I'm at. They've done the same thing on Picard recently. A whole episode inside his subconscious mind with feelings and etc.
There hasn't been very much Moon Knight in this show called Moon Knight.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:03 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
I think writers in general have gotten bored with "punching is awesome" plots, unless you count Peacemaker/ doing it as comedy.
Anyway Disney's WHOLE thing right now is Coping With Family Trauma (see Encanto, Turning Red, Wandavision, Loki....) so Moon Knight is definitely consistent with that. I might get bored by another actor doing it but Oscar Isaac is compelling to watch.
posted by emjaybee at 7:29 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Anyway Disney's WHOLE thing right now is Coping With Family Trauma (see Encanto, Turning Red, Wandavision, Loki....) so Moon Knight is definitely consistent with that. I might get bored by another actor doing it but Oscar Isaac is compelling to watch.
posted by emjaybee at 7:29 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
What I don’t understand is: basically all of it. People are discussing it like it makes sense, which is making me feel like I am stupid. Or perhaps it is not supposed to make sense and everyone else realises that and is fine with it. It’s not just what Sardonyx pointed out, but it’s like I don’t understand this show at its very core.
posted by chill at 8:11 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by chill at 8:11 AM on April 28, 2022
I had to pause and rewatch the scene where Tarawet was sifting through her scrolls because my eyes were drawn to the convex mirror behind her and my brain was fighting with itself over how good the CGI was versus no, they really got a hippo goddess to do this
posted by Molesome at 8:44 AM on April 28, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by Molesome at 8:44 AM on April 28, 2022 [11 favorites]
Steven doesn’t protect Marc from his Mum by standing up to her, he protects Marc by being a well-behaved boy who loves his Mum and therefore the Mum would never ever have any reason to abuse him.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:27 AM on April 28
That's where I thought they were going with that too (Steven would pick up the pencils and tidy up the room), but we heard the beating with the belt and presumably it was Steven getting hit. Also, I can't imagine his mom being happy with Marc putting on a British accent and pretending to be somebody else. I'm sure that would just wind up earning him another punishment.
As an aside, it seems Marvel is really hung up on "Steven Grant" as a naming convention. (See Steve Grant Rogers.)
posted by sardonyx at 9:33 AM on April 28, 2022
posted by 1970s Antihero at 4:27 AM on April 28
That's where I thought they were going with that too (Steven would pick up the pencils and tidy up the room), but we heard the beating with the belt and presumably it was Steven getting hit. Also, I can't imagine his mom being happy with Marc putting on a British accent and pretending to be somebody else. I'm sure that would just wind up earning him another punishment.
As an aside, it seems Marvel is really hung up on "Steven Grant" as a naming convention. (See Steve Grant Rogers.)
posted by sardonyx at 9:33 AM on April 28, 2022
What I don’t understand is: basically all of it. People are discussing it like it makes sense, which is making me feel like I am stupid. Or perhaps it is not supposed to make sense and everyone else realises that and is fine with it. It’s not just what Sardonyx pointed out, but it’s like I don’t understand this show at its very core.
I rewatched episode 1 and part of episode 2 after episode 5, so I understand your thinking. Before it was all about stopping Ammit and how to do that, and now we're wandering around Marc's head as he sorts stuff out. So what's the show about, good vs evil, re stopping Ammit or what makes a person a person or what?
I don't know, honestly, episode 5 was a major detour. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it can certainly be a confusing and frustrating thing.
To me, the Marvel tv shows have been using the tropes of the superhero genre to explore other areas, while still largely sticking to those tropes. So all the shows have felt awkward at time, where it come down to punching each other (or throwing energy at each other), but the more interesting parts are usually the character stories and how they resolve after the punches and/or energy have been thrown. It's like the MCU can't quite commit to pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Part of it is probably that the hero always wins. We know Ammit is going to be stopped, so it's no longer a point of tension and not worth worrying over. THere's not much tension there. Marvel will put the big grand fight there for spectacle while dealing the character stuff, nudging the boundary without going beyond what they think the audience will accept.
Which is a shame, because I think people are ready for the punching to be eliminated or drastically reduced, especially at the climax.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:08 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
I rewatched episode 1 and part of episode 2 after episode 5, so I understand your thinking. Before it was all about stopping Ammit and how to do that, and now we're wandering around Marc's head as he sorts stuff out. So what's the show about, good vs evil, re stopping Ammit or what makes a person a person or what?
I don't know, honestly, episode 5 was a major detour. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, but it can certainly be a confusing and frustrating thing.
To me, the Marvel tv shows have been using the tropes of the superhero genre to explore other areas, while still largely sticking to those tropes. So all the shows have felt awkward at time, where it come down to punching each other (or throwing energy at each other), but the more interesting parts are usually the character stories and how they resolve after the punches and/or energy have been thrown. It's like the MCU can't quite commit to pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Part of it is probably that the hero always wins. We know Ammit is going to be stopped, so it's no longer a point of tension and not worth worrying over. THere's not much tension there. Marvel will put the big grand fight there for spectacle while dealing the character stuff, nudging the boundary without going beyond what they think the audience will accept.
Which is a shame, because I think people are ready for the punching to be eliminated or drastically reduced, especially at the climax.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:08 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
Steven doesn’t protect Marc from his Mum by standing up to her, he protects Marc by being a well-behaved boy who loves his Mum and therefore the Mum would never ever have any reason to abuse him.
I think Steven didn't protect Marc from his mom directly, neither of them could control her actual behavior. But I think Steven protected Marc's emotional well-being by giving him a respite from the fear and pain that his mom caused him, when that fear and pain got too overwhelming. That's what happened outside the shiva when Marc switched over to Steven, too.
That's where I thought they were going with that too (Steven would pick up the pencils and tidy up the room), but we heard the beating with the belt and presumably it was Steven getting hit.
"Steven" wasn't chatting or picking up the pencils anymore when his mom burst in, so I think the best bet is that he was already gone when the door opened and someone (or no one?) had taken his place to take the actual beating.
I think the real question is whether Marc was there for the beating. It could have been him or the third person (or possibly no one?). Clearly Marc was terrified and knew what was going to happen, but I actually think that makes it more rather than less likely that he would need someone else to take control of the body for him. He was already so scared by his mom just banging on the door that he had to bring in fearless, upbeat Steven to get through it. So would he have even been able to come back once his mom actually got into the room?
posted by rue72 at 12:24 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think Steven didn't protect Marc from his mom directly, neither of them could control her actual behavior. But I think Steven protected Marc's emotional well-being by giving him a respite from the fear and pain that his mom caused him, when that fear and pain got too overwhelming. That's what happened outside the shiva when Marc switched over to Steven, too.
That's where I thought they were going with that too (Steven would pick up the pencils and tidy up the room), but we heard the beating with the belt and presumably it was Steven getting hit.
"Steven" wasn't chatting or picking up the pencils anymore when his mom burst in, so I think the best bet is that he was already gone when the door opened and someone (or no one?) had taken his place to take the actual beating.
I think the real question is whether Marc was there for the beating. It could have been him or the third person (or possibly no one?). Clearly Marc was terrified and knew what was going to happen, but I actually think that makes it more rather than less likely that he would need someone else to take control of the body for him. He was already so scared by his mom just banging on the door that he had to bring in fearless, upbeat Steven to get through it. So would he have even been able to come back once his mom actually got into the room?
posted by rue72 at 12:24 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
What is the connection between the hospital and the boat?
It seems like either
- s/m's body is dead, and their souls are crossing the sea, and if either soul gets really worked up, they can go into an inner fugue state where they talk to the doctor
- s/m's body is not dead, instead it has been locked up and heavily sedated in a hospital. When medicated, s/m experiences an intense inner world where the two personalities can talk to each other.
posted by rebent at 1:13 PM on April 28, 2022
It seems like either
- s/m's body is dead, and their souls are crossing the sea, and if either soul gets really worked up, they can go into an inner fugue state where they talk to the doctor
- s/m's body is not dead, instead it has been locked up and heavily sedated in a hospital. When medicated, s/m experiences an intense inner world where the two personalities can talk to each other.
posted by rebent at 1:13 PM on April 28, 2022
The more I think about all the foreshadowing, and the more everyone keeps insisting that this is a one season and done show, the more I am worried that the finale is going to be some kind of "No Marc really is institutionalized/ sedated in really real reality and this was all just a dream" and I fervourantly hope that is not the case.
posted by Faintdreams at 5:17 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Faintdreams at 5:17 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Molesome ... because my eyes were drawn to the convex mirror behind her and my brain was fighting with itself...
Just the show showing off raytracing =) There are video games that do this pretty convincingly in realtime, provided you have the hardware.
posted by porpoise at 6:37 PM on April 28, 2022
Just the show showing off raytracing =) There are video games that do this pretty convincingly in realtime, provided you have the hardware.
posted by porpoise at 6:37 PM on April 28, 2022
Antonia Salib on Bringing Taweret to Life
posted by Tenuki at 7:30 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Tenuki at 7:30 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
I do think the thematic links between Ammit and Marc is clear. As someone said upthread, Marc was condemned by his mother when he was just a child. Its interesting to me: the show seems pretty explicit that both Ammit and Konshu are wrong to intefere in human destiny; both are capable of great evil.
Ammit is of course worse, but Stephen isnt wrong that Konshu has abused Marc and his anger and self loathing, to make him believe that he should carry out Konshu's executions.
It will all depend on how the show sticks the landing. Are they just going to defeat Ammit and forget what Konshu did? I Hope not. I think this episode was emotionally smart enough to be clear about the toll all this has taken on Marc. We will see
posted by Cannon Fodder at 11:44 PM on April 28, 2022
Ammit is of course worse, but Stephen isnt wrong that Konshu has abused Marc and his anger and self loathing, to make him believe that he should carry out Konshu's executions.
It will all depend on how the show sticks the landing. Are they just going to defeat Ammit and forget what Konshu did? I Hope not. I think this episode was emotionally smart enough to be clear about the toll all this has taken on Marc. We will see
posted by Cannon Fodder at 11:44 PM on April 28, 2022
OK, wildly off-base prediction time: I wonder whether Harrow really is the avatar of Ammit (who is as trapped in a statue as Khonshu now is) rather than some other entity manipulating him in the name of Ammit; I wonder whether the voice that Stephen is talking to is in fact Ammit, who can manage one tiny act of communication ("Laters, 'gators!") via the mobile phone; I'd suspect that the real villain was Osiris more if they'd chosen a more recognisable actor to play him - the number of imprisoned gods (all those candle-lit statuettes!) is really quite remarkable.
For some strange fannish reason, I think Tawaret's first line should have been "Hiya!" instead of "Hi!" But I don't have editorial privileges, probably for good reason.
posted by Grangousier at 3:27 AM on April 29, 2022
For some strange fannish reason, I think Tawaret's first line should have been "Hiya!" instead of "Hi!" But I don't have editorial privileges, probably for good reason.
posted by Grangousier at 3:27 AM on April 29, 2022
It will all depend on how the show sticks the landing. Are they just going to defeat Ammit and forget what Konshu did? I Hope not. I think this episode was emotionally smart enough to be clear about the toll all this has taken on Marc. We will see
Yes; Marc calls the suit's healing power a 'curse' and says he wished at times that he would get killed while on missions for Konshu (which is pretty dark, poor guy). Whatever final situation ep 6 ends up at, it can't be just a defeat of Ammit followed by a return to Marc's previous 'normal' with him (and Steven and maybe Person 3) being Konshu's agent. But since access to the Moon Knight suit depends on Konshu, I don't know how they're going to work out a way for Marc to continue to be MK without having to take orders from Konshu.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 4:21 AM on April 29, 2022
Yes; Marc calls the suit's healing power a 'curse' and says he wished at times that he would get killed while on missions for Konshu (which is pretty dark, poor guy). Whatever final situation ep 6 ends up at, it can't be just a defeat of Ammit followed by a return to Marc's previous 'normal' with him (and Steven and maybe Person 3) being Konshu's agent. But since access to the Moon Knight suit depends on Konshu, I don't know how they're going to work out a way for Marc to continue to be MK without having to take orders from Konshu.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 4:21 AM on April 29, 2022
Could the season viably end with Layla becoming the new Moonknight or is that outside the scope of the character ?
posted by Faintdreams at 4:26 AM on April 29, 2022
posted by Faintdreams at 4:26 AM on April 29, 2022
Maybe? I don't know anything about the comics, I'm afraid. But that feels like not a great outcome for Layla either, given that being Konshu's avatar was pretty damaging for both Marc and Harrow. It might be all right if she went into it more clear-eyed about the bargain she was striking. And it is true that her father's killer hasn't been brought to justice, so maybe she'd consider being Konshu's instrument a fair trade if it meant getting that.
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 5:27 AM on April 29, 2022
posted by damsel with a dulcimer at 5:27 AM on April 29, 2022
There hasn't been very much Moon Knight in this show called Moon Knight.
Jake has never been named in the MCU. Maybe the mystery third alter is Godot.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:08 AM on April 29, 2022
Jake has never been named in the MCU. Maybe the mystery third alter is Godot.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:08 AM on April 29, 2022
Oscar Isaac singing the Hippopotamus Song.
Oscar is the kind of person I'd be ok with talking to on the telephone.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:12 AM on April 29, 2022 [13 favorites]
Oscar is the kind of person I'd be ok with talking to on the telephone.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:12 AM on April 29, 2022 [13 favorites]
I was expecting this Hippo song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5M4tw_82PM
posted by Sing Fool Sing at 8:28 PM on April 29, 2022
posted by Sing Fool Sing at 8:28 PM on April 29, 2022
Are they just going to defeat Ammit and forget what Konshu did?
I haven't read the comics that this story seems to be drawing from, but Konshu's most recent high-profile appearance in Marvel Comics was as a straight-up villain who tries to take over the world and gets his butt kicked by the Avengers. Moon Knight spends most of the story serving Konshu but turns against him at the end.
So I think they could go pretty much anywhere with Konshu here.
posted by straight at 12:36 AM on April 30, 2022
I haven't read the comics that this story seems to be drawing from, but Konshu's most recent high-profile appearance in Marvel Comics was as a straight-up villain who tries to take over the world and gets his butt kicked by the Avengers. Moon Knight spends most of the story serving Konshu but turns against him at the end.
So I think they could go pretty much anywhere with Konshu here.
posted by straight at 12:36 AM on April 30, 2022
Moon Knight spends most of the story serving Konshu but turns against him at the end.
Within this show, Khonsu is also an abuser. Sadly, that's why he's able to easily manipulate Marc but not Steven.
I feel like the show could go either way. The conventional choice would be for Marc to reject Khonsu by the end of the season, to show his personal growth. But I don't think Marc has had that personal growth (yet). Maybe he will in the finale.
That moment in the street outside the shiva, when Marc breaks down and becomes Steven, and present-Steven is looking at him - I found that terribly affecting. Steven in the memory pops up and starts chatting away to his imaginary mum, and present-Steven has by comparison so much more self-awareness and self-knowledge.
Totally agree, but it's only *Steven* that seems more self-aware, at least to me?
When his mother dies, Marc can't cope so he withdraws and Steven has to take over. No growth. Instead of talking with Layla about his mom (or frankly, anything at all), Marc sends her divorce papers and withdraws from her completely. During that discussion on the boat, Layla flat out said they should have talked about Steven and "whatever happened" two months earlier, and Marc shot her down and said he doesn't do talking, later said she doesn't know anything about him, etc. No growth. When Steven says Khonsu is exploitative and manipulative, Marc defends Khonsu. No growth. (It's ironic, because Marc talks about how the killing that Khonsu makes him do torments him and how much he's wished for death, but then when Steven actually says anything against Khonsu, Marc defends him by saying that Khonsu "lets" him be a killer and keeps him alive. Ah well).
This whole episode, Steven is fighting tooth and nail to see more and he's learning about himself and Marc in the process, but none of these memories are news to Marc, and seeing how Steven reacts to them doesn't seem to change Marc's own reactions. It seemed to me like he's just trying to get through it, has a harder and harder time, and the only real change occurs when Steven fights the sand creatures for him on the boat. He looked delighted about that. That's also when the scales balanced. So I think Steven being empowered (successfully) and Marc being protected was important, but who knows how that will play out in the finale, especially with Steven lost in the sands.
Anyhow. I think that Marc might reject Khonsu in the finale, but I think it would be truer to the character (so far -- could very well change in the finale) for Marc to choose to stay connected to Khonsu. Because so far, Marc hasn't actually dealt with anything having to do with his mom and so is still vulnerable to Khonsu's brand of manipulation and "love."
That said, Steven is not vulnerable to it, sees through Khonsu, and apparently (based on his fighting the sand creatures) wants to protect Marc, so if he's around next episode that might make a difference. And who knows how the "Third Person" might react.
it’s like I don’t understand this show at its very core.
I feel like this show is about not getting a second chance. Ammit and Marc's mom both condemn people way too prematurely. Marc's mom dying means that he has no second chance for her to love him, and Steven's mom dying (his acknowledgement of it, anyway) is when that hope finally dies for good. Marc and his brother make a small mistake and it costs his brother his life. Khonsu decides someone's bad, and that's it, Marc is meant to execute them. One of the few times someone gets a second chance is when Khonsu "saves" Marc, but it's to be exploited as his puppet.
But that said, Tarawet gives Steven and Marc the chance to balance their scales on the boat. And hopefully Steven will be given a second chance rather than being lost in the sands. I think the show is "pro" second chances, but it's mostly about the tragedy of being denied them.
posted by rue72 at 7:33 AM on April 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Within this show, Khonsu is also an abuser. Sadly, that's why he's able to easily manipulate Marc but not Steven.
I feel like the show could go either way. The conventional choice would be for Marc to reject Khonsu by the end of the season, to show his personal growth. But I don't think Marc has had that personal growth (yet). Maybe he will in the finale.
That moment in the street outside the shiva, when Marc breaks down and becomes Steven, and present-Steven is looking at him - I found that terribly affecting. Steven in the memory pops up and starts chatting away to his imaginary mum, and present-Steven has by comparison so much more self-awareness and self-knowledge.
Totally agree, but it's only *Steven* that seems more self-aware, at least to me?
When his mother dies, Marc can't cope so he withdraws and Steven has to take over. No growth. Instead of talking with Layla about his mom (or frankly, anything at all), Marc sends her divorce papers and withdraws from her completely. During that discussion on the boat, Layla flat out said they should have talked about Steven and "whatever happened" two months earlier, and Marc shot her down and said he doesn't do talking, later said she doesn't know anything about him, etc. No growth. When Steven says Khonsu is exploitative and manipulative, Marc defends Khonsu. No growth. (It's ironic, because Marc talks about how the killing that Khonsu makes him do torments him and how much he's wished for death, but then when Steven actually says anything against Khonsu, Marc defends him by saying that Khonsu "lets" him be a killer and keeps him alive. Ah well).
This whole episode, Steven is fighting tooth and nail to see more and he's learning about himself and Marc in the process, but none of these memories are news to Marc, and seeing how Steven reacts to them doesn't seem to change Marc's own reactions. It seemed to me like he's just trying to get through it, has a harder and harder time, and the only real change occurs when Steven fights the sand creatures for him on the boat. He looked delighted about that. That's also when the scales balanced. So I think Steven being empowered (successfully) and Marc being protected was important, but who knows how that will play out in the finale, especially with Steven lost in the sands.
Anyhow. I think that Marc might reject Khonsu in the finale, but I think it would be truer to the character (so far -- could very well change in the finale) for Marc to choose to stay connected to Khonsu. Because so far, Marc hasn't actually dealt with anything having to do with his mom and so is still vulnerable to Khonsu's brand of manipulation and "love."
That said, Steven is not vulnerable to it, sees through Khonsu, and apparently (based on his fighting the sand creatures) wants to protect Marc, so if he's around next episode that might make a difference. And who knows how the "Third Person" might react.
it’s like I don’t understand this show at its very core.
I feel like this show is about not getting a second chance. Ammit and Marc's mom both condemn people way too prematurely. Marc's mom dying means that he has no second chance for her to love him, and Steven's mom dying (his acknowledgement of it, anyway) is when that hope finally dies for good. Marc and his brother make a small mistake and it costs his brother his life. Khonsu decides someone's bad, and that's it, Marc is meant to execute them. One of the few times someone gets a second chance is when Khonsu "saves" Marc, but it's to be exploited as his puppet.
But that said, Tarawet gives Steven and Marc the chance to balance their scales on the boat. And hopefully Steven will be given a second chance rather than being lost in the sands. I think the show is "pro" second chances, but it's mostly about the tragedy of being denied them.
posted by rue72 at 7:33 AM on April 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
3Many of the Egyptian gods seem to be AWOL. Barely even half of the Ennead bothered to show up. Hmmm...
Note that when the Khonsu carving gets put on the time-out wall, there are a *lot* of other different statues already tucked away.. whether it's gods that have gone to sleep or retired or been jailed is unclear.
My favorite part about how slapdash the whole Egyptian pantheon afterlife is right now is that it's being run by a substitute who's just sort of winging it. In the end the Final Judgement of a Soul is to weigh the heart of the supplicant against a feather in appraisal of their transgressions over a lifetime. If they pass the test, it's eternal rest and peace - but if they fail, they have to go through the second ordeal and Fight Five Or So Guys. Apparently if you get through that moderate barroom brawl of the soul, they just let you do whatever, haha
posted by FatherDagon at 12:42 PM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Note that when the Khonsu carving gets put on the time-out wall, there are a *lot* of other different statues already tucked away.. whether it's gods that have gone to sleep or retired or been jailed is unclear.
My favorite part about how slapdash the whole Egyptian pantheon afterlife is right now is that it's being run by a substitute who's just sort of winging it. In the end the Final Judgement of a Soul is to weigh the heart of the supplicant against a feather in appraisal of their transgressions over a lifetime. If they pass the test, it's eternal rest and peace - but if they fail, they have to go through the second ordeal and Fight Five Or So Guys. Apparently if you get through that moderate barroom brawl of the soul, they just let you do whatever, haha
posted by FatherDagon at 12:42 PM on May 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
In episode 1, the young student Steven is giving an impromptu tour to asks him “And did it suck for you? Getting rejected from the Field of Reeds?” (about five minutes into the episode).
Since Steven didn’t make it to the reeds, is there any explanation/theory as to who the student really was (in the comics or otherwise)? Or is it just a case of a snarky student giving us viewers some foreshadowing?
posted by mikepop at 5:14 PM on May 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
Since Steven didn’t make it to the reeds, is there any explanation/theory as to who the student really was (in the comics or otherwise)? Or is it just a case of a snarky student giving us viewers some foreshadowing?
posted by mikepop at 5:14 PM on May 2, 2022 [5 favorites]
So who knows what will happen tomorrow, but I wonder, with Osiris still being in the picture, and him being god of the dead, maybe Marc can threaten/bribe/do a favor for him to get him to pull Steven out of the sand-place. Whatever happens I fully expect it to be utterly bonkers.
posted by orrnyereg at 10:03 AM on May 3, 2022
posted by orrnyereg at 10:03 AM on May 3, 2022
I enjoyed this very much. I expect that as this episode was about exploring Marc’s trauma, the next episode will see Steven experiencing his mothers loss and exploring how he deals with that. Also I assume there will be a giant cgi superpower battle because that’s what always seems to happen in the last episode.
posted by bq at 8:58 PM on July 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 8:58 PM on July 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by orrnyereg at 5:52 AM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]