Moon Knight Episode 6 Explained

 

The Moon Knight season finale "Gods and Monsters" exclusively on Disney Plus, came with many hair raising questions. Overall, the presentation of this Bronze Age character in a six episode series was undoubtedly challenging. Nevertheless, Marvel ingeniously carved out a new narrative for a remote yet convoluted hero. This rendition aligns with such classics like; the 1980s Moon Knight comic book run written by Doug Moench with art by Bill Sienkiewicz and the 2016 run (issues 1-14) written by Jeff Lemire with art by Greg Smallwood. The culmination of this show rightfully took place during Mental Health Awareness Month taking on a greater mantle than just entertainment value. Watching this series provided the spectator with a glimpse into what it means to live with a mental health condition. Each episode would leap to distinct moments in time without explanation or warning, creating much needed reflection for mental health. What started off as a seeming existential show evolved into a pop culture movement advocating mental well being. The Marc personas were carefully dissected through a psychoanalytical perspective, collectively asking the world to reevaluate what we consider "a disability." This show widely presents the possibility that one's greatest strength can lie hidden in one's weakness. The portrayal of Moon Knight is a huge victory for anyone who has ever battled with emotional, social, or psychological issues. Also a much needed reminder that community, support, and communication are key in improving one's mental health state.   

    Initially, the ambient of the episode is pessimistic. It seems like the relentless battle of god vs mortal is not proceeding in Moon Knight's favor. Marc is laying lifelessly in Alexander the Great's burial chamber with gunshot wounds. Harrow's men pull him out of the water and retrieve Ammit's ushabti. At this time, Harrow is moments away from unleashing Ammit thus completing his most desired endeavor. Releasing Ammit has been Harrow's biggest driving force in the entire series and thinks he is unstoppable with Marc and Khonshu out of the way. Highlighting Marc's failures he expresses contempt to him and "Whoever else might be in there," unknowingly dropping hints of the Jake Lockley persona. Harrow's cane becomes upgraded with Ammit's emblem and his followers bow in reverence. Before leaving, Harrow places the scarab on Marc's chest as a final grand gesture. Meanwhile, Layla is watching from a far and approaches Marc once Harrow leaves. Layla is crying for her deceased husband and takes the scarab for her own use after saying goodbye. This moment speaks of Layla's character because she is clearly devastated yet chooses to continue with a plan of her own. Layla fearlessly pursues Harrow and then conceals her identity to join him and his men in cars. Suddenly, the vehicles come to a halt for a routine checkpoint. Military personnel ask Harrow for legal documentation to which Harrow refutes, "You need to show us your soul." The unbalanced souls perish and Taweret takes advantage of the situation to relay a message to Layla. Taweret utilizes a collapsed individual to warn Layla that Harrow is much too powerful. Layla is not capable of stopping Harrow by herself and Taweret advices her to free Khonshu by breaking his ushabti. Taweret mentions Marc and the possibility of Layla becoming her avatar. At this time, Layla is unsure of how to process this information and dauntlessly continues her mission.

    Next, the other avatars of the Annead Council; Tefnut, Isis, Horus, Osiris, and Hathor are in the Chamber of the Gods. They are perplexed because unbalanced souls are being judged before their time, recognizing Khonshu's previous warning. Harrow breaks Ammit's ushabti and releases the goddess. The Annead Council respectfully bows to the entity embodying the head of a crocodile with a feminine figure dressed in elegant Egyptian attire. Traditionally, Ammit's visage consists of hippopotamus hindquarters, a wildcat torso, and the head of a crocodile, although she could also take the form of a human. The show's rendition of Ammit echoes Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight comic book run (2016) in which Ammit disguises herself as Dr. Emmet.

Traditionally she is a demon associated with judgement, deemed the patron of death. However, in relation to Moon Knight, her personality exhibits deceit and a thirst for dominion of all realms. Ammit immediately begins her assessment of Harrow, indicating his scales lack balance. Harrow encourages Ammit to find a worthy avatar with balanced scales who can better serve her. This is one of the few moments in the entire series where Harrow is vulnerable, pathetic, and weak. His devotion for Ammit is his biggest driving force, illustrated daily through the self sacrifice of walking on glass. Harrow has tears in his eyes when Ammit is unimpressed by the mortal who set her free. His approach is humble like that of a loyal servant looking to desperately please his superior. Ammit confesses her previous avatar had balanced scales yet confined her for 2,000 years. She is hesitant but does not necessarily disqualify Harrow. Ammit advices, "Do not let the pain of the past control you," possibly referring to Harrow's servitude as Khonshu's avatar. Ultimately, Harrow is looking to eliminate an evil that he himself possesses. Harrow is not as righteous as he thought and if Ammit did not choose him as her avatar he would perish with all the other unbalanced souls. Ammit's judgement of Harrow foreshadows his imminent demise.

             Conversely, Layla is able to locate Khonshu's ushabti and sets him free. Khonshu tells Layla he can no longer sense Marc in the present world and begins his plea to make Layla his next avatar. Layla wholeheartedly refuses the invitation and reminds Khonshu he is responsible for ruining Marc's life. Marc's servitude to Khonshu came with a cost; taking lives on behalf of Khonshu deeply plagued Marc. Dismissively, Khonshu redirects the blame to Layla, claiming “His lack of focus got him killed.” According to Khonshu, Marc was in turmoil because of Layla. Marc was present when her father was brutally killed and the guilt of his demise deeply affected him. Khonshu had also revealed to Marc he wanted Layla as his avatar. As a result, Marc constantly pushed Layla away to protect her. Khonshu states the only way to defeat Ammit is by rebinding her except only an avatar can achieve that. Valiantly, Khonshu attempts to put up a fight before Ammit can exit the Chamber of the Gods. Harrow is absolutely displeased to see Khonshu and sends his men to find the person responsible for freeing him.  

    The action leaps to the other Egyptian goddess, Taweret. Marc is the in Field of Reeds and she indicates his scales are finally balanced. After much delay, Marc has achieved peace since his journey on Earth has reached its end. Marc asks Taweret about the fate of Steven who became a sand statue in the Duat or underworld. She reveals Steven shall remain there for eternity while Marc rests in paradise. In spite of the much wanted silence and tranquility Marc cannot accept this reality. Subsequently, Marc leaves the Field of Reeds to reunite with Steven. Taweret warns he will not be able to return once he departs, Marc still expresses no concern. Marc reaches Steven and their reunion is one of the key moments of the entire series. "You're the only real superpower I had," Marc confesses. Finally coming to terms with his mental health condition and fully embracing who he is. His battle with dissociative identity disorder (DID) was in no way a set back rather the perfect shield from a cold world. The presence of the Steven persona reminded Marc he was not alone, helping him cope with the brutal reality of his childhood. Marc also takes ownership of his actions as he understands life would have been extremely difficult without Steven. Placing his heart on Steven's hand he starts becoming a sand statue himself. Suddenly, the Gates of Osiris reopen for the reanimated duo. They are both ecstatic to see each other, arduously working together to make it through the gates. With Taweret's help, the dead Marc in Alexander the Great's burial chamber rises once again. Marc's resurrection also coincides with several comic book narratives since Marc escapes death multiple times. In Moon Knight #1 (2021) written by Jed MacKay with art by Alessandro Cappuccio Moon Knight announces, "I'm Moon Knight. And I don't die." Marc's ability to navigate through infinite realms serves as an immense advantage. Similarly, in Moon Knight #12 (Lemire, 2016) Marc says a painful goodbye to Steven, Jake, and Moon Knight only to be reunited shortly after. The personas are subordinate of each other and their servitude to Khonshu. In this example, the Egyptian deities are influencing the mortals in various dimensions to execute their plans for the "greater good."    

Amidst a heated battle with Ammit, Khonshu senses Marc and teleports to him. Marc gloriously transforms into the Moon Knight armor once again and reunites with Khonshu. Khonshu asks Marc for help since he is losing against Ammit. Immediately, Marc realizes Layla turned him down. Marc and Steven agree to help Khonshu if both their conditions are met. Marc and Steven are empowered by Khonshu's plea while the deity is vexed by their insolence. Nevertheless, Khonshu reluctantly bargains, "I will release you both, you have my word." Moon Knight glides through the sky with the aid of his moon shaped cape. Simultaneously, Layla invokes Taweret and it looks like she is having a mental episode herself. Taweret speaks to Layla through her own body briefly displaying the two personas. Harrow hears Taweret's perky tone and is able to locate Layla. Because Harrow and his followers are judging everyone before their time Layla agrees to be Taweret's temporary avatar. Taweret is thrilled and tells Layla her father will share the same enthusiasm. Apparently, Taweret met her father when she took him to the Field of Reeds. Learning about Taweret's encounter with her dad made Layla's transformation easier. Layla becomes the Scarlet Scarab; her costume is composed of Taweret's armour along with incredible scarab wings. Layla's appearance is an undeniable tribute to her father's nickname for her, "Little Scarab." With extraordinary abilities The Scarlet Scarab is a direct foil to Moon Knight. In the comics, Abdul Faoul is The Scarlet Scarab or protector of Egypt. He first appeared in Invaders #23 (1982) and was succeeded by his son. In the show, Layla is the ideal female interpretation of this character. She is undeniably the perfect match for Moon Knight when it comes to strength and courage. In fact, there are several foil characters who are juxtaposed to highlight the battle of good vs evil or fate vs free-will.        

    With each unbalanced soul that perishes Ammit becomes greater in strength and size. Khonshu is valiantly fighting as Ammit asks him to join her quest for domination. At the same time, Moon Knight mirrors this epic battle against Harrow. Mr. Knight and Moon Knight are working together like never before. Intensifying the action, the Scarlet Scarab makes her grand appearance deflecting Harrow's attack with her extraordinary wings. Layla and Marc embrace, completely surprised and relieved to see each other. The action unravels seamlessly as Steven admires Layla and shows her his new abilities. Harrow tries to gain an edge over the duo, striking a vehicle filled with civilians. Layla darts to the rescue and a bystander asks, "Are you an Egyptian superhero," to which she replies, "I am." This moment is utterly empowering to women and anyone who identifies with this heritage since this exchange happens in Arabic. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has presented a remarkable Egyptian heroine who reciprocates the caliber of Moon Knight. Momentarily, it seems like Moon Knight is losing against Harrow and Khonshu is also losing against Ammit. Nevertheless, Moon Knight blacks out and when Marc regains consciousness, everyone is obliterated. For instance, Moon Knight is standing over Harrow ready to terminate him with his cane although, Marc has no idea how this happened. Marc asks Steven if that was his doing, to which he responds, "Not a chance Mate." This moment aligns with the rest of the Jake Lockley hints sprinkled throughout the series. Jake Lockley has not been officially introduced at this time, still, his presence comes forward as a ruthless and calculating assassin.  Clues have been evident since the first episode although Marc and Steven are unaware. When Marc and Steven cannot handle the job, Jake unapologetically takes over. After subduing Harrow, Layla and Marc take him to the Chamber of the Gods where they successfully bind Ammit to his body. Ammit warns, "You can never contain me, I'll never stop," which serves as a trigger for Khonshu. Then, Khonshu orders Marc to kill Harrow  destroy Ammit once and for all. Marc points out that the authoritarian nature of Khonshu's command echoes the malevolent Ammit herself. Before Marc can terminate Harrow, Layla reminds him that he has a choice. Therefore, Marc halts his actions and reminds Khonshu of their deal. Khonshu is angry because he has no other choice than to release Marc like they had previously agreed. In Moon Knight 13 and 14 (Lemire, 2016) Marc expresses to Khonshu, "You are my madness. Nothing more." Revolting against Khonshu the Marc personas choose their own path, ultimately destroying him. Khonshu has physical limitations which result in his apparent need for Marc.  

    Next, the plane of consciousness shifts back to what looks like the Putnam Psychiatric Hospital. This entire setting is a reflection the psychiatric hospital in Moon Knight #1 (Lemire, 2016). The panel art would leap from Marc's reality to "the Othervoid" or the realm where Khonshu observed Marc from. In this scene, Marc asks Harrow if Khonshu and Ammit are real to which Harrow responds "no." The Marc personas all come forward, observing Harrow's bloody footprints. At this time they realize they have control over reality and Harrow is insignificant in his mortal dilemma. Their ability to jump through time and space could potentially stem from their fragmented mind and connection with Khonshu. The time sequence leaps as the Marc personas understand, "We've got to save the world." Then, they reappear in Steven's flat in a scene that mimics the show's first episode. Marc wakes up, confined to his bed and making funny remarks to Steven while Engelbert Humperdinck's "A Man Without Love" plays in the background. The Marc personas are finally in control of their own reality, or at least, that is what it seems like. However, the post-credit scene fully complicates this moments. For instance, Harrow is in a psychiatric facility battling with his own mental state. Suddenly, a man begins to push him on his wheelchair who tells the nurse, "Yo me lo llevo, tranquila senorita," or "I'll take him, remain calm miss." The individual is lackadaisically whistling although there are collapsed employees on the ground. He puts Harrow in a car with "SPKTR" license plates, violently kicking the wheelchair out of the way. Briefly, the name of the hospital is visible: "Sienkiewicz Psychiatric Hospital." An allusion to the legendary artist of the 1980s Moon Knight comic book run, Bill Sienkiewicz. Khonshu appears in the vehicle with Harrow but he mocks the Egyptian deity. Then, the official reveal everyone was waiting for takes place. Khonshu tells Harrow, "Meet my friend, Jake Lockley." Harrow looks petrified as Jake points a gun to his face, ruthlessly stating, "Hoy te toca perder," or "Today, it's your turn to die." It is finally clear to the spectator why this persona was not previously mentioned. Marc and Steven think they are absolved of Khonshu's control but they have not fully fathomed his grip on them. Khonshu appears to be utterly calculating and cunning. He targeted Marc and his condition for his own advantage. This presentation of Jake is way more violent than the comics. However, it creates the promise for intense action in the future. It will be fascinating to see how Marc and Steven interact with Jake. Furthermore, the late reveal of the Jake Lockley persona creates great momentum for what is to come in future Moon Knight appearances.