Warning: This article contains spoilers for “Moon Knight” Episode 2, “Summon the Suit.”
The first episode of “Moon Knight” ends on a cliffhanger — Steven Grant has given over his body to his other personality, Marc Spector, who confronts an approaching demon dog.
And the second episode picks up right from there, giving us the first glimpse at the ongoing bond and shared experience of the two characters.
The second episode — titled “Summon the Suit” — explores the back-and-forth struggle for Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) and Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac). The two personalities share the same body with the ability to become the hero Moon Knight. It’s only in the second episode that we begin to see this dynamic at work.
We follow Steven and Marc as they dive deeper into the mystery of Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) and his intentions to bring havoc upon the world by releasing a deadly god from Egypt. We also see Steven and Marc meet Layla (May Calamawy), who has had a romantic relationship with Marc in the past.
This episode is packed with exposition, which is necessary to understand the larger scope of the “Moon Knight” universe. We learn more about Harrow’s journey with Khonshu (Harrow was the former vessel of Khonshu) and how Harrow plans to bring about destruction and judgment. We also see more of the dynamic at play between Steven and Marc, as well as Steven, Marc and Layla, which continues to evolve as the show goes on.
In many ways, the second episode feels like an extension of the premiere. Two of the show’s directors confirmed to me that the first two episodes speak to each other, even though the production team tried to make each episode its own experience. That said, the second episode is a thrilling experience because we see more of the Moon Knight character at work, as well as another version of Moon Knight called Mr. Knight, who wears an all-white traditional suit.
It’s fun to see the dynamics of the Moon Knight comic books at play here. Over the years, different artists have toyed with Moon Knight’s suits. Some have him wearing a white cape and cowl, similar to Batman. Others have him dressed in an all-white, posh suit. We get to see both sides of the coin as Marc and Steven juggle the experience of stopping Harrow and his goons.
I’ve seen the first four episodes of the show, and I still look back at Episode 2 as the “most MCU” version of the show, meaning it’s the one that feels as much a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as anything else. The forthcoming episodes stray away from that idea and become their own thing. But “Summon the Suit” is packed with the classic Marvel wit, action and adventure that made us enjoy the franchise in the first place.
It could be difficult to make it through the second episode because of the dialogue. But it’s important to stick around because you begin to understand more about the dynamics of the characters, of Moon Knight, and of the emerging world that makes the rest of the show much more epic in scope.