Warning: This post contains spoilers for Moon Knight episode 1.
Moon Knight episode 1 director Mohamed Diab fought to keep Steven Grant's heartbreaking date scene for one very important reason. Marvel's limited series Moon Knight premiered this week on Disney+ and kicked off a new adventure, this time revolving around MCU newcomer Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac). Though Steven thinks he's a normal guy, he's actually one of the personalities living inside Marc Spector, a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder. Oh, and Marc's also a servant of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu, who has given him powers for mysterious purposes.
Moon Knight episode 1 keeps things firmly with Steven, only hinting at the second part of the story that involves Marc. As Steven doesn't yet know what's happening around him, the audience is similarly left to piece things together with the limited information they are given. In a particularly affecting scene, Moon Knight highlights the difficulties that come from living with dissociative identity disorder. Steven has arrived at a steakhouse for a date he doesn't remember arranging, and though he's excited for it, he soon realizes that he has somehow lost two days of his life and missed the date entirely. That's because Marc took over for a while and went on a mission abroad; Steven only thought it was a dream.
Speaking to THR in an interview timed for the release of the first episode, Diab expanded on that date scene a bit more and revealed he actually had to fight to keep it in. Diab wished to portray the darker side of DID while also endearing the audience to Steven in a major way. There's a slight comedic edge to the scene because Steven is a vegan who doesn't know how to order steak, but it's also an emotional moment. Diab said:
I remember fighting for that scene. That scene was written by me and Sarah [Goher], and I knew that I was never going to know Steven unless we had that steak scene. That is the moment when the audience is going to say, “It’s the first episode, but I’m in love with this character. It’s done.” To me, it was very important to find something to express that DID is not just blackouts and then his life is fine and normal. No, no, no. DID is destroying his life, even his romantic life. He can’t have a lover or a normal relationship with anyone because of what he’s been going through. It’s such a black comedy kind of moment, but it’s the moment that the audience can connect to Steven.
Based on the fan reactions that soon swept the internet after Moon Knight episode 1 debuted, it's safe to say Diab was successful in winning audiences over. Isaac's look of pure devastation even as he stumbles his way through ordering a steak hits home, and it is even more impactful when considering the rest of the episode. Steven earns laughs through his surprise Avatar jokes and his pseudo-therapy sessions with a street performer, but he holds so much more inside of him than just his awkwardly sweet nature. Moon Knight is a Marvel show, to be sure, but it also has already done way more character work than most of the movies do in the same amount of time.
So far, Moon Knight only has one episode under its belt, so there are still 5 more left. Steven has only just begun to grasp the truth of what's happening around him, and it can be assumed that subsequent installments will reveal more of Marc as well. It's going to be interesting seeing how the two personalities interact as Moon Knight continues. One has to hope an optimistic end is ahead for Marc and his alters, but viewers will have to watch to find out.
Moon Knight releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
Source: THR
