Recap: Moon Knight Episode 5 “Asylum”

Episode 4’s ending sent the internet into a frenzy as Moon Knight is set to wind down this week. Episode 5 confirmed many fan theories and paid homage to a specific run in the comics, delighting comic book fans. This particular episode dealt with a lot of emotional trauma and was a genuinely heartbreaking one to witness. With only one episode to go, it’s anyone’s guess how this series will end. There also remains the question of whether Oscar Issac will return in the future as Moon Knight.

Picking up right where we ended last week, Marc and Steven are introduced to the Egyptian hippo goddess Taweret. She acts as their guide, explaining they are dead and the asylum they find themselves in is housed on a giant boat ferrying them to the underworld. Taweret also explains that there are many afterlives and even references to The Ancestral Plain, directly connected to Black Panther and Wakanda.

Before Marc and Steven can enter the afterlife (known as The Field of Reeds in Egyptian Mythology), their hearts must be weighed on the scales of justice. It turns out neither heart is balanced, so they are tasked with going back and figuring out secrets they have been hiding from each other.

Steven enters a memory where Marc’s younger brother Randall drowned, and Marc was blamed for his brother’s death by his mother. Spector also reveals the origins of how he became Moon Knight and how he came to serve Khonshu. Marc was on a mercenary mission with his old Commanding Officer, Bushman, keeping to comic-book accurate roots. All the archaeologists were killed, including Layla’s father (she is known as Marlene in the comics).

After both hearts start to balance, they implore Taweret to turn the boat around to the world of the living so they can stop Harrow. They all witness souls being judged and sent to the underworld before their time, knowing that Harrow has freed Ammit. The biggest secret revealed is that Marc created Steven to cope with his mother’s abuse following the death of Randall. The two reconcile as Steven tells Marc he was just a child and that Randall’s death was not his fault.

As the boat nears The Gates of Osiris, the scales aren’t balanced, and zombie-like souls begin attacking them. Grant, who tries to help free Marc, is thrown overboard into the sands of the Duat and turned to stone. The scales finally balance, and Marc finds himself in The Field of Reeds.

I am sad the series is winding down this week but also excited to see how it ends. Oscar Issac and Ethan Hawke make this show watchable with their outstanding performances. I sincerely hope Issac ends up with a few awards under his belt. It’s a busy week with Moon Knight’s season finale and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness finally debuting. This was an enjoyable series from the first episode, and hopefully, Moon Knight is here to stay in the MCU.