REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight’ – Episode 4 “The Tomb”

Moon Knight Episode 4 delivers twist after twist, as the series reaches its final act. After the end of the third episode, Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham) has been imprisoned by the Ennead – leaving Marc Spector (Oscar Isaac) without his Moon Knight powers. Despite this setback, Steven Grant – who is currently in control of Spector’s body – and Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy) enter the tomb of Amit to prevent Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) from awakening the goddess and letting her pass judgment on the world. However, there are two complications: Steven has shown an attraction to Layla, who’s Spector’s wife, and Harrow hints that Spector may have had something to do with the death of Layla’s father.

Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson return to directorial duties for this episode, and they let their horror flag fly once Steven and Layla enter the tomb. One of the sarcophagi is covered with bloodstains and fresh scraps of meat, and later they encounter a horrific being who resembles a mummy performing the mummification ritual on one of Harrow’s mercenaries. I’ve read about how gruesome the mummification process was (and Steven even described it during the pilot episode) but to see it in action was something else. Viewers will definitely need a strong stomach while watching these scenes – it’s like a darker version of The Mummy.

The horror aspects are offset by the exploration of the tomb, which has strong Indiana Jones vibes – especially when Layla has to fight off the mummy. Calamawy has proven herself to be the MVP of the series; she’s proactive, rather than sitting around for others to solve her problems, and her chemistry with Issac is off the charts. It differs too, thanks to whoever Issac is playing: when he’s Steven, she’s more open and genuinely seems to want to spend time with him.

When he’s Spector, she grows colder and more distant – which erupts into fury when she learns the secret he’s been hiding. Issac himself continues to flip between Spector and Steven with ease, as their discussions provide a bit of levity to the situation – Spector obviously is not happy playing backseat driver and even less happy when sparks start to fly between Steven and Layla as Layla is his wife.

And speaking of standouts, Hawke continues to turn in a chilling performance as Harrow. Harrow’s strength as a villain isn’t the magic he taps into, it’s the way he uses his words like weapons. He knows how to manipulate others into getting what he wants. In Episode 3, he managed to turn the Ennead against Spector by claiming that Khonshu was preying on a man with mental health, and here he sows seeds of discord between Layla and Spector. Hawke speaks in calm, measured tones that only underline the madness behind Harrow’s mission: he speaks about bringing balance but he doesn’t care how much chaos is strewn in his wake as he tries to rescue Amnit.

The last fifteen minutes of the episode take a starting turn; it’s as if Benson and Moorhead, alongside returning writers Peter Cameron and Sabir Pirzada, dropped the reader into an entirely different show. To say any more would be diving into spoiler territory, but I can safely say that the show is now on a similar path as a beloved Moon Knight comic series. Said series managed to blend Egyptian mythology with a sincere look into Moon Knight’s mental health, which bodes extremely well for the final two episodes.

Moon Knight Episode 4 leans more into the character’s horror roots, with a surprise ending that pays homage to a fan-favorite run. With only two episodes left, the series could potentially go in any number of directions – and that’s what makes it exciting. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.

New episodes of Moon Knight premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.