“It’s a hard thing, exhuming the pain of the past. Easy to get stuck. Fixate on what’s hurt us”
Such an intense line from one of the most unfathomably deep, meaningful and the most recent ventures of Marvel. This series is unlike another. It is mostly stand alone as it has little to no reference from the marvel cinematic universe. It could be watched by people who have seen the whole of the MCU and the ones who haven’t at all. The show gives off almost another standalone Marvel project vibe called, Legion. This show tries to be a lot of things and give away a lot at the same time, in which it absolutely succeeds. This show, much like any other marvel project, has this supernatural, over the top conflict and in the center of it lies very human, very mundane problems and emotions. The show is a full package, it has action, mystery, romance, the show makes you laugh, it makes you cry and it has Egyptian mythology. There are Egyptian Gods and their avatars (neither the blue or anime ones) involved. They really beautifully displayed Egyptian culture, heritage, mythology and values for the world to witness. What else is left, really? What more can you ask for?
Okay fine, that’s not it. All three main characters represent something, some message the creators want to convey trough the show.
"- I know this is classic HR thing to say but you’re not alone.
- Yeah that seems to be the problem"
Beneath all that glitz and grandeur, lies our main character, our main theme…Mental health. It’s refreshing and honestly surprising to see how delicately they peel each layer of our protagonist. He is a patient of Dissociative Identity Disorder, which means he has many personalities along with other psychological disorders of those different alters. This series just has these raw characters,
who are shown to deal with abuse as kids and abuse as adults because that is one of the major price you pay to be a hero, or Anti-Hero in Moon Knight’s case. It is gut wrenching to witness the tale of a broken person trying not to be so broken all the time. And in the world, where mental health is not given as much attention as it should be given, this show does just that. It throws you right at the midst of the suffocating mental state of a highly disturbed human being. This is as mainstream as it gets which makes it so much more special.
“We are here to make Earth as close to Heaven as possible. I wish you could live to see the world we make.”
Another theme explored through character is one of crime, punishment and justice. Our antagonist (Ethan Hawke) represents those themes in the show.
“If you punish a person just because you think the person is going to commit crime in future, doesn’t that mean you punished an innocent person. I mean a thought can’t be evil, can it?
Would she kill a child for something they might do in thirty years?”.
This concept of preventive detention or preventive punishment is already very shady but when you add in the concept of knowing for certain, the water becomes a hell of a lot more muddled. Even though mostly irrational, the antagonist is not a cliche villain but actually has his reasons and his own unstable mental state, much like the hero, is not your typical, by-the-book hero. These are the gray waters these characters swim in making the show deliciously messy as it's not black and white.
“Are you an Egyptian superhero? I am" "Little Scarab”
Now the female protagonist (May Calamawy) represents another important aspect of the show which is Egypt. She is from Egypt and her conflict along with history lies in the country, it is a part of who she is. Couple of episodes of the show are situated in London, where it is beautifully and masterfully shot, keeping in mind the themes of different personas inside a person, there are many reflective and mirrored images (honestly after all the destruction of New York, London was a nice change). The organic yet breathtaking take of Egypt for most of the show are just another level. It is finally been done justice which isn't always the case as it is mostly imagined as a deserted country with only sand and dunes like the mummy or Indiana Jones adventure and danger to offer. This story is based on Egypt hence it is excellent to know that the director among the other cast and crew are from Egypt. The music is just too good to be true, all Egyptian and Arabic inspired, making it divine. The acting, screenplay, dialogues, set pieces, costumes, etc., are the level marvel usually is, which is super high. Especially Oscar Isaac as the main lead just steals the show and owns it like it’s his second skin. And I defined these characters as the major themes of the show, just to understand and relate to them better but all these themes and characters weave together skillfully in an epic saga. The show most probably would have another season because of a giant cliffhanger in the end (or else I'll be suing marvel). You can watch it on Disney plus Hotstar, it's only six episode long, a binge watch. (please feel free to comment or contact me other ways for reviews or conversation on any other movies, series, books, albums, music, characters, artists or topics etc. It would be much appreciated.) So I would recommend anyone and everyone to watch this Magnum Opus.
“Do not let the pain of the past control you.” "It wasn't your fault"
The show is about the journeys of people suffering, from mental illness, dealing with their respective demons, in a bleak, unstable and complicated world, the process of healing and learning to live with it. Considering the depth, the show offers, I'm sure, I'm not done talking about it but it's enough for today, we can rip apart and closely analyze other parts of the show some times later.
Well Harrow said: ‘We don’t live in a material world, we live in a psychic world’…well I wish Mr. Harrow, but (unfortunately/ fortunately) these days everyone lives in a digital world.