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Posted in: Disney+, Kaitlyn Booth, Marvel, TV | Tagged: disney, marvel, moon knight, Review, tv
Moon Knight Episode 5 "Asylum" Loses Inclusive Language Battle: Review
Moon Knight has been putting up the good fight from episode one when it came to the way it was portraying DID and the kind of language it used to talk about mental illness. For four episodes, it really looked like they were going to stick the landing for this part of the show, even if there are other aspects that they were fumbling. However, as they were telling the backstory of Marc Spector, they missed the mark when it came to language and portrayal of mental illness and DID in particular. The show has not used terms like "insane" much, if at all, but in this one, instead of Marc or Steven saying that they are men that need help, now they are men that are insane because of their illness. To see a show that tried not to use that stigmatizing language suddenly revert in the eleventh hour was a shame to see. As we have said in previous reviews, that language is important when it comes to normalizing mental illness. You don't want to use terms like that even when referring to yourself.
Next, something else we have praised but now seems like it might not have been intentional was that the creators of Moon Knight seemed to understand that DID does not mean multiple personalities. It means that entire people with memories and skills live within the same host body, and we thought that was why Steven couldn't fight and why he got the Mr. Knight costume. That, combined with the mannerisms that Oscar Isaac put into each performance so you could tell which one was using the host body just by their body language, made it seem like they understood that. However, this episode sees Steven realize that if Marc knows how to fight, then he should, too, if in a bit of a different way. Perhaps it was just poorly worded since Steven claims he got those moves from being a cricket fan, but the implications were still worrying that maybe the showrunners don't quite understand what they are doing.
Finally, the implication of the final scenes of the episode (provided this isn't cleared up in the finale but all we have is the knowledge we have right now) is that Marc's soul is "balanced" without Steven as if he was somehow "wrong" with Steven. Again, it is not a deliberate form of saying that Marc was broken with Steven, and now he's fixed without him, but that is the implication they are showing in those final minutes of the show. This might be rectified in the next episode. Still, all three of these things managed to undo a lot of the goodwill that Moon Knight managed to get for attempting to portray mental illness as something that people just have and it is a part of their lives without a dangerous stigma attached.
Episode five spent its entire runtime explaining exactly what caused the trauma in Marc's life that triggered his DID in the first place and also flashed back to how he became the avatar of Khonshu. We see both Marc and Steven coming to terms with the reality of how they both came to be. For Steven, it's realizing how he came to be and that he isn't the host alter in this body, but Marc is, and Marc needs to come to terms with his past and how that impacts all of his actions going forward. More character stuff and more great acting from Isaac as this show continues to put the focus on Marc and Steven and away from the superhero part of all of this.
However, for all of the good acting and all of the explanations, a big giant red flag has appeared on the horizon, and it is one that we have seen multiple times with the Disney+ Marvel shows; the last episode is here, and there is a lot of ground left to cover. A good portion of the Marvel TV shows have run into serious pacing issues that become a massive problem; by the time the final episode arrives, there is too much ground to cover, and there is a sprint to the finish line. It leaves the series or season finale feeling rushed, unfinished, and deeply unsatisfying. Moon Knight has a very weird line to walk to try and wrap everything up in a way that will feel right. There hasn't been any indication that this show is getting a season two, and the Emmy nomination process is billing it as a limited series which means there are no other plans for another season. Is there any way for Moon Knight to wrap everything up in one episode and stick the landing? Sure, anything is possible, but let's just say we are executing some serious caution heading into the finale.
Moon Knight Episode 5 "Asylum"
7.5/10
Moon Knight Episode 5 "Asylum" has the show stumble regarding inclusive language, and a giant [but familiar] red flag has sprung up regarding the finale.
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