I can’t believe we’re already two thirds through this amazing show, but dem’s the breaks, so let’s talk about this episode while we can, and get ready for the fifth(!) episode to air tonight. If you’re interested in catching up on any of my previous posts about this show, please check out my Moon Knight Unwrapped tag. Might be fun to see what theories I’ve had come true, and which were a bust.
Anyway, Episode 4: The Tomb was definitely my favorite episode so far. We went full Indiana Jones in this episode, finally raiding the tomb of Ammit, and having to solve some puzzles along the way which we could only do by knowing a thing or two about Ancient Egyptian history and mythology.
— Spoilers from here on —
The clue they have to decipher is the Udjat Eye (or Eye of Horus), which allows Steven and Layla to figure out which way to go in Ammit’s mazelike tomb. I really enjoyed the inclusion of this motif as it is one of the most prominent icons of Ancient Egyptian mythology and culture. It is often used as a macguffin of sorts with characters having to find an amulet engraved with this symbol, or in some cases the literal eye of poor Horus. But here it is just a key which allows them to unravel the latest puzzle.
Unfortunately, as Roxane Bicker points out, a bit of creative license was used in Moon Knight as well, but I still thought it was cool.
One of the episode’s major reveals, was who exactly was buried in Ammit’s tomb (and therefore presumably their original avatar). It turns out to be Alexander the Great! Again, Bicker can catch you up on the important background info relevant to Moon Knight.
I’ll admit, this was a complete surprise for me, and honestly not a particularly rewarding one. Alexander the great is a hugely important figure, but not a particularly Egyptian one. Also, with all the hints and clues this show leaves lying around to tease viewers about what future episodes may hold, I don’t feel that this was foreshadowed at allllll. Which doesn’t seem fair.
Anyway, I still enjoyed raiding the tomb with Steven and Layla (I forgot to gush about the creepy Heka priests!), and the burial chamber itself was completely amazing, and exactly the type of thing that I have been wanting from this show (or any show) for the previous three episodes up until this point. So, I refuse to be upset hahah.
I guess the next big reveal which needs to be discussed is Marc getting shot, and “falling” into an insane asylum, where he’s clearly been staying for quite some time. This entire sequence gave me Jeff Lemire vibes, specifically his first book, Moon Knight Vol 1: Lunatic.
In these issues of the comic, Marc is trapped inside an insane asylum and must fight his way out with some help from established characters from previous comics, who are also committed. In the comic version, Marc’s therapist is Ammit, who Marc sees as both a normal woman, and the crocodile headed demon depending on how shaky his mental state is. She is not the main villain of the three book run, and Marc ends up facing off against Khonshu by the end.
I really hope that this not what happens in these next two episodes as I’ve somewhat grown to like our bossy, yelling, tantrum-throwing moon god . . . but we’ll have to wait and see.
Last but not least, we see Tawaret in the final shot of the show. She says “Hi!” in the cutest possible voice, and hilariously, Marc and Steven (finally separated) scream in fright.
I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to make of this ending. I recognized Tawaret (who was properly foreshadowed in the first episode), as a hippo goddess associated with pregnancy and motherhood, but I’ve got next to nothing on what her role will be in Moon Knight. I guess we’ll have to see.
Theories . . .
Not a ton for you in theory land this time around even though we got tons of reveals and new information over which to speculate. I would definitely check out New Rockstar’s Episode 4 Easter Egg Break Down for anything you missed and a couple great theories coming out of there. For me though, I’m thinking about
Jake Lockley Appearance?
I really want to have some fresh original take on this, like “Steven’s third identity (still encased in that third tomb) is so-and-so, not Jake.” But unfortunately, I just don’t know who else it could be. Jake Lockley is just sooo prevalent in the comics, so I think it almost has to be him. However, so far none of the identities we’ve seen in the show have been very similar to what we saw in the comic. If it is “Jake”, I don’t think it will be like any Jake we’ve seen yet. Given the blackouts we witnessed in Episode 3, I’m assuming that he will be much more violent and scary than anything we’ve seen yet. Whatever it is, they better hurry up!
The Asylum is the ‘Overvoid’ which is why we saw Tawaret
I’m really hoping that the asylum is not Marc/Steven/Whoever’s true reality, and that he’s actually been sent to the “Overvoid” which seems to be the place where all the Gods hang out. Perhaps the reason it looks like an asylum, is because mortal minds cannot handle so much of the divine (or alien) in one place and so they hallucinate a reality they can believe. Since our MC has DID, perhaps an asylum is something it can make sense of. Whether the Overvoid is a heavenly Field of Reeds, or the hellish Duat, we will have to wait and find out . . .
The Climax of this show will involve Steven/Marc Freeing the entombed Gods from their Ushabti
As much as I really enjoyed this episode, one thing kind of bothered me. As soon as they got inside the tomb, Steven/Marc and Layla were so completely focused on finding Ammit’s Ushabti and preventing Harrow from getting it, that they completely forgot about Khonshu! In episode 3, right as Khonshu is crumbling to dust, he tells Steven to make sure Marc saves him . . . they did NOT do that AT ALL.
So, my prediction is that this objective is still on the table, and that once we’re out of the asylum/overvoid, we’ll head back over to Giza and start bustin gods out of statues. My hope is that in order to finally get to Khonshu, they’ll have to bust out many of the other gods we see thereby releasing them as players in the larger MCU. From promo posters, we can see Khonshu, Anubis and his scales, and (hopefully) Sobek.
We’ll just have to wait and see . . .
The End . . .
Well, that’s all I have for you this round. What does everyone thing. Will we get to see more Ancient Egyptian Gods Running around in the MCU? Which are you hoping to see the most? What other thoughts and theories do you have about this episode?
Please leave em in the comments. See you next time!
alligators and aneurysms! 
