The «Moon Knight» finale a mind-bending extravaganza

This episode analysis contains spoilers!. Only read on if you’ve already watched the series finale of «Moon Knight».

«Can you do a breakdown of the finale now, please? It kinda confused me....», wrote tkeller4144 in a comment under my analysis of the fifth episode.

Sir, yes sir!

But first, a couple of words about the fight at the end. Or rather, about the fights. Kohnshu versus Ammit, Moon Knight versus Harrow, Mr Knight versus Harrow, and Leyla versus Harrow. Poor Harrow. I’ll try and put it as eloquently as the Marvel fan boy in me is capable of: Holy moly! So, so, cool!

Right. Now for the rest. Let’s take it one step at a time.

So, was it all in his head?

The thing that fascinates me the most about the «Moon Knight» comic is that it’s never 100 per cent clear if what Moon Knight experiences is actually real, or just his imagination. It tends to be the former – and the «Moon Knight» series isn’t all that different. I celebrate that. It shows how well director Mohamed Diab has understood the original. However, if I had to commit one way or the other, I’d stick to my theory from last week: everything that Marc Spector aka Steven Grant aka Moon Knight has experienced so far is real. Why? Let’s break it down.

The epic concluding battle is over. Khonshu wants Marc and Steven to destroy the goddess Ammit – who’s trapped in Harrow’s body – once and for all. But Marc and Steven don’t play ball. Khonshu has no choice but to dismiss them from his service. Fade to white. Marc wakes up to Harrow in a doctor’s uniform.

Was it all really just his imagination after all?

No. At least until Dr Harrow suddenly has blood on his sandals, it’s clear that this place – whatever it may be – could be anything. Just not real. The way I interpreted it last week was that Dr Harrow’s office is the place Marc retreats to whenever traumatic memories threaten to overwhelm him. The place where god-like birds, hippos and crocodiles fighting for the favour of his soul are nothing but coping mechanisms. A place of refuge.

But Marc and Steven are through with it. Although it’d be tempting to accept the diagnosis, they’d actually prefer to go back to saving the world. Marc and Steven accept their illness. They check out, never to come back. Moon Knight is real.

Cut.

«Steven? Are you there?» Marc asks, rubbing his eyes as he looks around Steven’s apartment. «A Man Without Love» by Engelbert Humperdinck plays in the background.

«Unbelievable. It worked,» Steven replies.

This last dialogue is lost in the German dubbing, by the way. In that version, it sounds as if Marc is the one speaking both times. In the original version, Steven has a clearly recognisable British accent, while Marc has an American one. So, Steven is definitely still there.

Khonshu has actually kept his promise and finally released Steven and Marc from his service. Sure, Dr Harrow’s office could’ve been a dream within a dream (hey there, «Inception»), Meaning it’d all have been in his head. This ambiguity is exactly what I like so much. But I still think that Moon Knight was very real. Especially because the mid-credit scene only makes sense if not everything was imaginary.

The mid-credit scene: Jake Lockley

Let’s get the scene figured out for a sec. Harrow – or the goddess Ammit in Harrow’s body – is now in a psych ward himself. No wonder, given that he’s claiming to be a goddess in a mortal body. No-one’s going to believe him, are they? A nurse is pushing him along in a wheelchair. Then, a mysterious man in dark clothing takes over and takes him to a white stretch limousine. Inside: Khonshu, who immediately confirms who the mysterious man is:

«After we parted ways, Marc Spector really believed that I wanted his wife as my avatar. Why would I ever need anyone else, when he has no idea how sick he really is?»

The mysterious man, who’s since got into the driver’s seat, swivels round. It’s Marc. Steven. Grinning. The man points a gun at Harrow.

«This is my friend», says Khonshu, «Jake Lockley.»

Bang!

Fade to black.

Jake Lockley, then. This confirms the theory that many fans of the comics had. Lockley is, in fact, the third personality living in Marc’s head. He’s mostly an inconspicuous, mustachioed taxi driver who mingles with people to get his hands on underground information, which Marc and Steven don’t have access to. In the series, however, he’s brutal. Much more brutal than the Jake Lockley in the comics. He speaks Spanish, too. And Marc and Steven haven’t the faintest idea that Lockley exists.

So, now we know who was behind the unexplained blackouts in previous episodes: Lockley. Take episode 3, for example, when neither Marc nor Steven knew who had stalked their witnesses through Cairo and murdered them. After all, although Marc is a wild, determined ex-mercenary, he’s no killer. It may even have been Jake who, in episode 1, briefly took control in Germany in order to kill Harrow’s henchmen in cold blood. Perhaps Jake also set up the date with the pretty woman from the museum in the restaurant with «the best steak in town». After all, Marc has never stopped loving Leyla.

And: even though Khonshu has released Steven and Marc from his service – as promised – this isn’t the case for Jake. Jake didn’t have a deal with Khonshu to be freed as soon as Ammit was eliminated. That’s why he’s still Khonshu’s avatar. Probably even willingly.

Oooh. A great starting point for (hopefully) more «Moon Knight» stories.

Verdict: the best MCU series so far

My review of the series covered the first four episodes. At the time, I thought «Moon Knight» was, despite minor criticisms, simply brilliant. And the last two episodes haven’t changed that.

Quite the opposite, in fact. The character drama in episode 5 made me appreciate Oscar Isaac’s brilliant acting even more. I liked Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow from the very beginning. The Moon Knight action at the end makes up for the lack of it in the first few episodes. And Mr Knight even got some John Wick-esque martial arts skills, that I’d missed before. And Leyla as the female MCU version of Scarlet Scarab? Just great. It even makes sense now that her father gave her the pet name «little scarab».

Guys, I’m blown away. «Moon Knight» comfortably rivals «Loki» or «WandaVision». No, scratch that. «Moon Knight» actually surpasses both series. On that note, I’ll just leave you with this: