Time flies by quickly when you’re having fun. With its third episode, The Friendly Type, Moon Knight officially reaches its halfway point. Though the Disney Plus series certainly hasn’t dragged its feet, The Friendly Type needs to introduce a bit of urgency to its overall story. So far the series has given us more banter between Moon Knight’s dueling personalities and the cranky Khonshu than the titular character himself. In addition, Ethan Hawke’s villain, Arthur Harrow, feels oddly detached from much of the story to this point.
The Friendly Type Brings Action to the Streets of Cairo
As The Friendly Type opens, Moon Knight re-acquaints us with May Calamawy’s Layla who’s getting ready to return to Cairo for the first time in a decade. Diab et al do a bit of an information drop here – the most important tidbit is Layla mentioning the mysterious death of her archaeologist father. While Layla is making her way to Cairo, Arthur Harrow and his follows finally find Ammit’s hidden tomb. And he seems none too worried that Marc Spector isn’t far behind. Both these scenes unfold quickly before The Friendly Type cuts to some daytime action. On top of a Cairo, Marc Spector fights a handful of street toughs for information on Harrow. With the first two episodes focused on Steven, it’s the first time we’ve seen Marc in full mercenary action – and he’s clearly ruthless.
In the funniest scene of the episode, Marc inadvertently stumbles on the same men from the rooftop. When they protest that he let them go, Marc replies, ‘That wasn’t me’.
Though he’s trapped in the background, Steven still manages to stop Marc from killing one of the men. But when Marc regains control and finds he’s covered in blood, Steven denies killing anything, hinting that a third personality may exist. In the funniest scene of the episode, Marc inadvertently stumbles on the same men from the rooftop. When they protest that he let them go, Marc replies, ‘That wasn’t me’. Too late to stop Farrow, Spector insists they confront the Egyptian gods and their respective avatars to demand them to hold Harrow accountable. It’s a process that requires Spector to allow Khonshu to take possession of his body. Not surprisingly, things don’t go as planned. Somehow Harrow turns things around on Khonshu, point out that he has exploited Marc’s dissociative identity disorder.
Moon Knight Teases More Friction and Conflict
Out of options, Marc reunites with Layla to find a clue for stopping Harrow from a mysterious sarcophagus. Things don’t much better. They’re forced to rely on the assistance of a shadowy thief, Anton Mogart. Surprise, surprise, Anton betrays the duo, which gives us The Friendly Type’s second big action sequence. In addition to offering us a much better look at Moon Knight, we also get to see Layla kicking some ass. When Anton’s minions temporarily restrain Moon Knight and Layla, Harrow turns up, playing the bearer of bad news. He teases Layla about her father’s untimely death, hinting that Marc may have played a role. Given what we already know about Marc’s connection to Khonshu, this is a juicy piece of information. Expect more friction between Marc and Layla in future episodes.
In addition to offering us a much better look at Moon Knight, we also get to see Layla kicking some ass.
Before he leaves, Harrow destroys the sarcophagus and any possible link to Ammit’s tomb. After escaping Anton and his goons, Marc and Steven make good on their agreement to share control of their body. Despite the sarcophagus’ destruction, Marc recovered pieces of a star chart that Steven pieces together. Set against some so-so television special effect, the chart allows Khonshu and Steven to rewind the night sky to several thousand years in the past to show the location of Ammit’s tomb. Unfortunately for Team Moon, it’s a short-lived victory. It turns out the other Egyptian gods are none too please with Khonshu’s meddling and imprison him in a tiny statue. As The Friendly Type ends, Marc and Layla (and Steven) have no more Moon Knight to help them stop Harrow.
The Friendly Type Takes Moon Knight To Its Halfway Point
With The Friendly Type in the books, we’re not officially halfway through the Moon Knight series. Maybe the series could use a bit more of its title character. And the fight scenes – while certainly good – haven’t lived up to the bar set by Netflix’s Daredevil. Nevertheless, Oscar Isaac has absolutely nailed both Marc Spector and Steven Grant. Arguably, the banter between the two personalities has been a highlight. And F Murray Abraham, playing Khonshu’s voice, has been a welcome presence. Moreover, Moon Knight’s third episode – including the banishment of Khonshu and tension between Layla and Marc – ups the stakes.