Moon Knight Episode 6 (Season Finale) Review & Breakdown: An Action-Heavy, Satisfying Season Finale With Massive Payoff
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EPISODE 6 OF MOON KNIGHT
Moon Knight has wrapped up its storyline for the current season, neatly tieing up its loose ends for the moment, while setting up major reveals as a means to continue an offbeat, thrilling narrative. Episode 5 was an exposition-laden one, dissecting Marc and Steven’s (Oscar Isaac) psyches by exploring their origins and the traumas undergone by the characters over the course of time. Stuck in the Egyptian underworld or Du’at, Marc and Steven make their way through the former’s memories in an attempt to balance their hearts — leading to Steven being turned to stone and Marc ending up in the Field of Reeds.
MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 6 (Season Finale) RECAP
HARROW UNLEASHED AND THE RELEASE (AND FALL) OF THE GODS
Episode 6 of Moon Knight opens with Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) and his men hoisting Marc/Steven out of the water (this is when he fell after he was shot) and retrieving Ammit’s ushabti with the intention of setting her free. Layla (May Calamawy) witnesses this whilst hiding, heartbroken over Marc/Steven’s deaths, and decides to follow Harrow in order to stop him from doing so. Right before Layla is about to kill Harrow, Taweret communicates to her via a corpse, asking her to free Khonshu instead and help Marc, as he might end up returning back to life, after all. Meanwhile, Harrow uses his cane to convert people into his followers, while those whose scales remain imbalanced drop dead.
Inside the Heliopolis, wherein the avatars of the other Egyptian gods are present, there’s a sense of impending doom, as they realize that Harrow will be unleashing Ammit after all (the realization comes a little too late, highlighting their passivity and arrogance). They lie defeated due to Harrow’s strengthened powers and the former smashes Ammit’s ushabti to release her, revealing her massive, crocodile form. Meanwhile, Layla finds Khonshu’s ushabti and releases him, and the moon good asks her to be his new avatar: an offer she vehemently refuses.
‘YOU ARE THE ONLY SUPERPOWER I EVER HAD’
Back in the Field of Reeds, Marc is enamored by the peace offered by this heavenly realm, and Taweret comforts him by saying that this is the sense of calm that was missing in his life, which has finally been achieved, as his heart is now full. However, Marc refuses paradise: how can he bask in the glory of the afterlife, when Steven lies frozen in the sands of the Du’at? Renouncing heaven, Marc heads back to the underworld and acknowledges how important Steven is to him. Without Steven, he would be unable to tackle the toils of life, as the former’s unflinching hope and optimism shielded Marc from the most painful of traumas, without Steven even realizing he was doing so.
“You’re the only superpower I ever had,” muses Marc, holding his hand before freezing on the sands with him. Moved by this act of pure love and selflessness, Osiris opens the gates to the real world, restoring both Marc and Steven, and the two are reunited. Marc and Steven come back to life, which Khonshu senses, granting them his armor, and they transform back into Moon Knight/Mr. Knight, switching between alters effortlessly. Before heading into the fight, Steven negotiates with Khonshu on Marc’s behalf, coming to an agreement that the moon god would free them once Ammit is defeated. Khonshu reluctantly agrees, and we get a badass shot of Marc as Moon Knight, shooting up towards the moon, his suit wings making a beautiful crescent shape. Chills.
MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 6 (SEASON FINALE): REVIEW & ENDING EXPLAINED
‘ARE YOU AN EGYPTIAN SUPERHERO?’
The Moon Knight finale really serves everything. There’s breakneck action, characters donning superhero suits, the thwarting of absolute evil, and the restoring of much-needed balance. Back in the Heliopolis, Layla calls out to Taweret for help and agrees to be her temporary avatar (Taweret squeals in delight, cementing how utterly sweet she is as a character). We finally see Layla donning HER suit: a stunning, metal and white shaded costume, armed with steel-plated wings. Ammit, now released, chooses Harrow as her avatar, beginning her regime of preemptive judgment through Harrow, who climbs at the top of a pyramid and commences his reign of terror. People in the streets are either converted into Harrow’s followers or judged against their will, and the “unworthy” are quite literally devoured by Ammit.
Interestingly, despite being a manipulative jerk, for the most part, Khonshu maintains his own against Ammit, attempting to put a stop to her by fighting her one on one. Back in the streets of Cairo, Marc appears in his suit and attempts to stop Harrow, and the two engage in a thrilling fight scene, with Marc and Steven switching between alters. Layla joins in, beating up Harrow’s men and shielding a van of survivors from Harrow’s purple cane blast with her wings, leading to one of the most wholesome moments in the show. A child looks at her and says, “Are you an Egyptian superhero?” in Arabic, to which she replies, “I am.” This is the representation and appreciation her character deserves, and her growth really cements her resilience as a character.
CHOOSING WHAT’S RIGHT OVER WHAT’S EASY
We love to see Marc fight for what’s right, with Steven embracing himself and confidently beating up people with nunchucks, but what about the third alter that took over the two in episode 3? Well, he’s back: right when it seemed that all hope is lost, Marc blacks out and his third alter takes over, mortally wounding Harrow, defeating all the men, and saving Layla from a barrage of bullets. Marc and Steven are unsure about this takeover but proceed to carry Harrow back into the Heliopolis in order to bind Ammit to his body.
They succeed, and just when Khonshu asks Marc to kill Harrow, he refuses, asking him to do it himself. Khonshu seemingly keeps his end of the agreement and sets Marc and Steven free, who find themselves back in Steven’s apartment. Also: now there are two fishes in the aquarium, denoting that the two alters co-exist peacefully while maintaining their own personalities. Before coming onto their own, they manage to seize control inside their Putnam Asylum mind palace, giving Dr. Harrow a taste of his own medicine. All seems well, but is it?
DOES MOON KNIGHT HAVE A MID-CREDITS SCENE?
Yes, it does. After the first half of the credits roll, we see Harrow in the Sienkiewicz psychiatric ward, and a man, wearing black rubber gloves, who speaks Spanish, authoritatively wheels him out before shoving him inside a white limo. Inside, we see Khonshu (looking dapper in a grey suit, might I add), explaining to Harrow that he is not done with Marc and Steven, but they are not aware that they are still his avatar, in a way. Enter (the biggest, most-awaited reveal of the season): Jake Lockley. Yes, Jake Lockley, Marc and Steven’s third alter, who had switched in during the Cairo fight sequences, brutally killing people. Jake Lockley, who was the third alter inside the rattling sarcophagus, sidelined and forgotten inside the Du’at.
Well, Jake is back, and here, working closely with Khonshu, and he shoots Harrow (who houses Ammit inside him), ending the possibility of their return. Of course, this sets up the next part of the narrative, as Marc and Steven are oblivious to the existence of this brutal, ruthless alter. Khonshu is still in control, manipulating Marc’s fractured psyche to his advantage, and we do not quite know what Jake’s motivations are, hereon. The comic parallels in this scene are chef’s kiss: we see Khonshu in a suit, a Latino Jake with a distinct personality, and the white limo with the nameplate spelling SPKTR (Spector), as in the comics. Marc’s story, along with Steven’s and Jake’s, is nowhere near over, and I for one cannot wait to see how Moon Knight unfolds if season 2 were to happen.
★★★★★
THE ENTIRE SEASON OF MOON KNIGHT IS NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+
MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 6 LINKS: WIKIPEDIA, IMDB
MOON KNIGHT EPISODE 6 CAST: OSCAR ISAAC, ETHAN HAWKE, MAY CALAMAWY, ANTONIA SALIB, F. MURRAY ABRAHAM
