Let me get something out of the way - I don't like Marvel. I don't like superhero movies, mass-made media, action-y CGI-y flicks. But somehow, this defied all of my expectations.

What I think made me enjoy Moon Knight much more than I usually enjoy Marvel content is the fact that it's own thing. In my opinion, that is singlehandedly one of the strongest things this series has going for it. There are no stupid cameos, no attempt to shoehorn it into the Spider-Man films or whatever else it is these people like to do. Moon Knight is its own thing - a first in the MCU - and that in itself is incredibly refreshing.

Now, for the real star of the show - Oscar Isaac. This man elevates what would probably have been a pretty average MCU show to something that - dare I say? - could even be Emmy quality. Honestly, after seeing Isaac's other films, I strongly believe that he is one of the best actors of this generation, and damn does it show here. Even at times when other aspects of the show weren't top notch, his slight mannerisms and the way he switches seamlessly between the alters - not to mention the fact that he's more often than not doing the very difficult job of acing against himself - make this show stand out in and of itself. Episode 5, especially, is probably one of the best TV episodes I've seen in recent memory, mostly due to Isaac's performance. Honestly, again, referencing the fact that I don't even like Marvel, the only reason this show piqued my interest to begin with is the fact that I heard that he was attached to it, which prompted me to check it out, and he did not disappoint.

Hailing from London myself, his accent is probably more convincing than any of the times when American actors simply assumed everyone in Britain spoke Queen's English, and it was incredibly endearing. It was also very nice to have a change of location and not have the show set in New York like every other MCU thing, not to mention the switch between the accents made it simple to see the switch between Marc and Steven.

After watching the first few episodes, I decided to read some of the comic books - most notably Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood's 2016 run of the comics, which got me simply hooked on the character. After having read that 14-issue series three (3) times in the last week or so, I'd say that I now have enough of a scope of understanding to be able to compare the two. Although, that's not quite right, because comparing the two would be like comparing a pigeon and a stapler because they are two completely different mediums. Despite that, the Lemire run definitely had the most influence on the visual style and storyline of the series, and I highly recommend it to all that enjoyed the show as I did. Despite my aversion to Marvel films, I do greatly enjoy some of their comic work, and the show contains plenty of Easter eggs to reward comic fans like myself.

In terms of the story itself, it started off incredibly strong with a very compelling pilot, and only really went upwards from there, peaking at episode 5, which, as I already mentioned, was brilliant. The finale, in my opinion, felt slightly flat, partially because of the breakneck pacing and the bad CGI (mostly due to the fact that the story had to be shoehorned into 6 episodes, for some annoying reason). Despite that, I think that the quality of the first 5 episodes definitely evens it out, and the post-credits scene at the end of the finale contains a very neat and long-awaited surprise that will certainly please fans of the comic.

What makes this show good is the fact that it's so character driven. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely plenty of Marvel-y things in here (massive-scale CGI, one-liners, typical superheroey stuff) but what I enjoyed about the show is just how much it focused on the fragile character of Marc/Steven and the way it dealt with issues such as mental illness. I'm not saying it's 100% accurate (and I don't really have any way of knowing due to a lack of personal experience with DID), but you can at least see that they tried, and that in itself is a plus.

I almost wish that Marvel didn't quite tone it down so much - I know that a PG-13 rating is necessary because money, but again, based on my own knowledge of the comics and the character, the show could have been so much more fun and violent. And also, it annoys me ever so slightly that the titular character got maybe 10 minutes of screen time. But I mean, it was made for such a large audience, I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, so I'm willing to let it slide.

In conclusion, this is a very good show, which I wasn't expecting to say. Watch the show, read the comics, have fun.

-Sasha.