Hello, and welcome back to another episode of MCU Need to Know, a podcast dedicated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and everything you need to know. I'm Trey.
I'm Jude. How are you doing Trey?
I'm excited, man. We're finally here at the start of a new season and it feels so good to be back behind the mic for another season of review.
It's been awhile. It's been so long. Yeah, I know. Can I, okay. I'm going to ask, I texted this to you and I should have asked between the prep, but can I mention what my youngest said? Go for it. Okay. So where are y'all recording tonight? And it's like, yeah. You know, and then next thing you know, she's all like, daddy, are you technically a recap? Her it's like, no, we
not. Since season one of Daredevil,
we review.
Yeah. And
then my middle kid, like you got to go on this field trip. And one of the things in the field trip, it was like, make a podcast. I got like this QR code. I go listen to her.
Oh, wow. That's really cool. Yeah. It sure does. Well, contrary to the April fool's episode that we put out, we are in fact going to be talking about moon nights. Uh, every time there's a new season, we always like to kind of re-establish because we understand this might be some people's first time viewing the show.
So if you never listen to us before, we're going to have a section with some quick impressions without spoilers, so that if you haven't seen it, that'll be a great place for you to get a taste of what we thought of the episode. From there, we'll jump into the spoiler zone, where we discussed in full detail and finally wrap up with some listeners first takes. So that is going to be what's on the docket for these next six weeks of Moonlight. And for
the season, we already have, um, a lot of great guests lined up. And if you follow us on social media, you'll already see a yellow. A Twitch streamer is going to join us for episode two.
Yeah. So we've got a lot of fun stuff in store for this season of moon height and some more stuff yet to be revealed in this episode. But before we jump into that, another thing we want to spotlight is something we talked about last week. Uh, we joined the Rob Logan on the geek generation podcast to talk about the Batman and that episode is finally out. So if you haven't listened to it yet, we will link it in the show notes because it is now available for download. All right.
So of course, if you download this episode, then you know, we're going to be talking about season one episode, one of moon night called the goldfish problem. So starting with our pre spoiler thoughts, Jude I'll throw to you, what did you think of this episode?
Yeah. So in this first episode, I think I know where they're going with it and it looks like they're going to pull it off. So I'm really hopeful to this is going to take me for a wild ride. It's kind of early to tell, but you can see the groundwork.
Yeah, I think that's the best way to put it kind of sticking with some of the thoughts that I put out on social media. It's so unsettling and lonely. I think that was the biggest takeaway I had is they did such great work setting up the Steven Grant character and you can't help, but feel we've only barely opened the door to where they want to go. So I'm with you. I have some confidence in where it wants to go and, uh, yeah, I'm, I'm excited for what they're going to be doing these next five.
So, yeah, so keeping it quick, we are going to go ahead and move into the spoiler zone. So like we said, you're going to hear an audio cue. And on the other side, it'll be fair game for all spoilers in the MCU. We'll see you on the other side and we're back. So the way we're gonna handle this is we're going to break this down into the most important topics, starting with this one, Stephen Grant's life.
Essentially, this is going to be the section where we discuss all the daily, ordinary parts of Stephen Grant's life, or at least the way that he perceives it. So Jude starting with you, what did you think of this Steven Grant introduction?
I really enjoyed Oscar's performance
period. Hands down.
Yeah, just the way though. He just had that social awkwardness, you know? Yeah. And not like, okay, he had an accent, but like, like the full on social awkwardness and talking to, you know, the statue that wasn't really a statue, the whole, you know, you see him at the beginning, like he's knows all this stuff and then just find out he likes, just watch behind the cash register, you know? Uh, yeah. So it's just like, that really, really sucks.
He has this strange sense of optimism to them. Like you can tell that as he's still trying to figure it out what it is. Cause obviously he's got precautions set in place with the ankle restraints, uh, the sand around his bed, the tape on the door. He understands that something's not right. And he goes through all these precautions, but I don't think he fully understands yet. Why people around him see him as so unreliable or lazy or whatever.
And despite the world being unkind to him, he still continues to show kindness to everybody. So there's almost this like wholesome, genuine spirit to him. That is a good contrast to the unfortunate sides of the life that he's living, that he hasn't fully recognized
yet. Yeah. Oh, well you had that part where he was talking about the mistakes. And leaving off two of the gods and you know, his boss was all like, if this is a pitch for you to be a tour guide, you can forget, well, that's just terrible, you know, it's crushing, crushing, actually like, like, yeah, like it's just a bit, but the way he did it too, cause he was like, he was saying a sentence and he stopped mid sentence, but that was just crushing, you know? Um, so yeah, that was, I loved it.
That was it. It was classic.
Classic Steve. But yeah, that's what I love. That's where it hit me the most in that moment, because despite Donna being so fed up with him, he still helped her. Like after finding out you've got no room for promotion, he was still offering up that advice because that's genuinely interesting to him. So he's a very sincere person. And the other place that that's felt for me is when he first gets to the museum and he catches that little girl sticking the trash in the pyramid. It is so wonderful.
At least to me that he doesn't like harshly recommender. He understands that she's like not being engaged by the things around her. So he takes her to something that he thinks might be a little bit more fascinating to her and corrects the problem with. Really stunting that fascination within the museum. So I thought that was just another moment of Stephen Grant's kindness. And it's weird,
like there's kindness and the social awkwardness, uh, thinking about God, what's the other word that I'm looking for? Like, I want to say naive, you know, because I'm thinking about when he first meets Arthur, right. And you have the scabbard. Right. And just the way that came across of kind of that like naive, scared, it's like he was trying to channel shaggy from, Scooby-Doo just like, yeah. Like you're just trying to run the other way, you know?
But like, like it, it just, it just had that kind of vibe or feel to it. That's it? This moon night is the, what do they call themselves? The mystery van mystery squad mystery. Mr ink. I think that's what Moonlight is. Mystery Inc. There.
Well, you know what I want to circle back. W what did you think of the way this show introduced us to the rituals, such as the ankle bracelets, the sand on the ground and the tape? What was your read on that? On the first display?
This show is weird because I think I had a different, I've seen it three times now, and I feel like I've had a different feeling each time. So, cause like in that first watch and you ha I have my expectations from what I think it's going to be and what the trailer shows. And so I have this idea of like, he clearly knows something's going on and he's trying to prevent himself from doing that. Right. And that was my first.
And the second and third, I got a much more, he doesn't know, it's like he doesn't trust himself and he doesn't know what's going on, but it's not like where's the first time it was like, I it's almost like he's. I thought I took it as he was aware of that happening. And now in the second and third watch, it's like, I don't even think he's aware of what's happening. It's just like this fear factor. And I don't know what else to do. So I'm just going to try to lock myself up the best I can.
You know, another way I think I would describe him, which pairs of well with the actions you have just displayed, he is sheepishly confident. I think there's a contrast that lives within those personalities of. Why should it be careful here? Because we are literally dealing with multiple personalities, but the contradiction of being both sheepish and confident where yes, he is preparing for something, but he doesn't know quite what it is that he's preparing for.
So it's like this catch all solution that he's come up with, like, and you can see it in examples too, where he is talking to the gold statue, man, where he's he lets on? Oh yeah, I don't know what to do. So I literally try and stay up as long as I can. Like he has that audio thing that he listens to about like how to keep your mind engaged. And he's playing with the Rubik's cube. He's reading through incredible amount of books. He is doing everything he can because he has run out of answers.
And I think, again, that adds to that loneliness that I was picking up and it's something. To answer what I asked you. It's something that like gets rewarded on multiple viewings. Cause at first it's like, okay, I get it. Here's this, here's this different world. We're getting a glimpse into. But as we've seen the whole episode, it's not just a glimpse. You're getting a lived in world from Steven's perspective.
Yeah. So let me ask you this. I honestly couldn't tell that he know that it was a person pretending to be a statue or not.
I would say yes, because he gave him food. When he first arrived, he's like, oh, I forgot what he called him. He's like, oh, here you go. And he put it in his little hat and he was very adamant about those people tipping. So. So he's, he clearly considers this person, a friend and he's watching out for his wellbeing again, Steven Grant and his kindness. Uh, and I'll go at one better. I wrote down, I can already see this being a running bit where he continues to speak to this statue, man.
And then at some pivotal moment, the statue man is going to respond. Oh yeah.
I think you're right on that. But I, I just feel like, I, I couldn't tell like, there's times where it's like, he doesn't know that's a statue. Okay. Well, he gave the prey links. Okay. So he does, but now it just, and the reason why is because like, when I think about what he's actually saying, it feels like he's, he's. Opening up and like opening up to this person because there's no response. So it is a statute.
Like, you know what I mean, to like, I don't, I'm not saying things that would say to a person and I feel safe to do so because it's a statue. Like that's, that's what the dialogue made me think.
And I can see that too, because it almost makes me wonder how much subconsciously Steven is looking to have those outlets for which he does not expect a response because we see him call his mom multiple times and each time he's leaving a voicemail. So I think he finds comfort in not needing somebody to respond, but still having that place to let go.
Well, and I did find it and I found it also interesting because when he leaves that, uh, that place and the person in the pretended statue, the shot of him walking away, I believe is what the camera pans down. And you see it in the reflection in the water. Yes. You know? And so, so in that, in that sense, it's like that, that was for me another clue of like, I'm not sure he believes or knows that that's a person.
Yeah. Well, we'll have to keep a pin on that for sure. And see where that ultimately goes. As far as Steven's own revelations, you
know what? We're going to hit the wrap up episode and they're never going to come back to this.
It's going to be the statue to moon Knight is the beekeeper to Wanda vision, right?
Oh my gosh. Who is that? Is that that's my Festo. It has no,
we can't do that.
We've seen Wanda vision.
So I'm glad you touched on the reflections. I do want to quickly say, I appreciate what they're doing with the reflections too. You see it in the shot that you described. You see it again, whenever he's walking up to the museum for the first time where the camera's in the water and he walks past and we get the correct view, there's a lot of work with reflection. And since reflection is a Nate to self and self is what this show is examining. I maybe it's not subtle, but I'm in love with it.
And it's a we'll I'm sure we'll have more to say as we get further into this episode
real quick, just shout out credit friend, Daniel. I mean, he, something he mentioned. Mirrors super important. So yeah.
To go out on that limb with you and the discord leeches. First reaction was a give of a dog walking past a mirror and jumping and then running away. And I think that's the perfect summary of this episode. So if you want to see that, make sure you're in our discord. So yeah, I think that's a good first glance add Steven Grant and we can go ahead and move into the next, most important topic, which is Arthur harrows scales.
So this is going to be dealing with our introduction to Arthur and seeing some of the religious fanaticism that we saw in his scenes, as well as his conversations with Stephen later on in the episode. So starting with me, I want to start in that sequence where he has all those believers around him and he is giving his speech about their. And to me, I think what hits hard is that at least from this glance at them, it doesn't feel like it's just pure malice.
He is speaking as somebody that completely believes this and that he is trying to instill this wisdom about seeking the answer of the scales. And if you're a good person, you continue. If you're a bad person, then you are sacrificed to the Egyptian. God, he believes it. And to me, that's, that is such a chilling perspective to come from. And I think even Hawk is bringing it to life in a way that feels it's not over the top.
Like it's, it's very soft-spoken but direct and you can feel it in that scene. Oh
yeah. You know, can I, I want to talk about the opening, but it connected to what you just said. Yeah. Go for it. Right. So like I found the opening. First watch that was disturbing to me, you know, again, the religion, the religious fanaticism, I think we're going to see a lot of, but when he's walking away with the, you know, with his cane and, and you just have that, that ease and that comfort, you know, and we know that glass doesn't bother them.
And then to come back what you were saying of just how calm he was, but you know, that, that calming presence and. You know, as a cause, you know, I mean, we you've seen enough stuff villain, right. But he really, really
is convincing, you know, I'm so glad you linked it back to that beginning scene of having the glass smashed and put into his shoes. He walks away no ounce of pain whatsoever. Whenever he has the trial for the man who is judged by the scales, which I'm forgetting, what was the name of the, the Egyptian God that they serve?
A M M I T M
a. So whenever they were doing the scales for Ahmed, the relief on his face, when that man is deemed good, he is like, he's almost crying. And he goes to hug him. And he's like, thank you for being a brave person to go first. And on the flip side, when the woman is deemed bad, because it may be something she hasn't done yet, he, he bends down on the ground and you can see there is suffering in his face for what has just happened. So.
I could, I wasn't sure how I, how I was reading this. Was he controlling the crowd or were they just drawn to them?
I personally do not have enough information to know yet it is. I can get where you're coming from, because it feels like it is a small town for which he is calling the shots because you have the, let's just call them citizens that are gathered around him, following the belief. And then you have the militia that also seems like it is under his control. So there's this two senses that I'm picking where. What he's doing is not right.
Where if we can put the onus on him for taking the life of the woman when he's doing is not right, but it doesn't feel like there's ill will, it's not like he's like, I'm a mustache twirling villain. Who's going to do this. This is just part of, of their objectives. But on the flip side, like I said, you have the militia for which he also actively orders against Steven. So I can go both ways.
Yeah. It's one of those things where it's like, is this a, the cult and a cult following? And that's why they're so willing to do what he's asking or are we going to see some kind of more mystical mind control because of the, the scales, you know, I'm, I'm curious of how that scene's gonna, or. What we're going to find out about him and his
following. And we already know it's a space that the MCU has played in a little bit with drew egg and the internals. So it's not that far of a stretch to see maybe them re-examining that here. Right.
And, and that's the other thing is, did he drain like her soul? And what I mean by that is, is like, I don't, I don't care the technicality, like, like, like I don't care there, but like, did he drain it or was this like, he's a conduit of some other Ahmet deity who's doing it. So I have to that make sense. Yeah. So I'm not sure which one it is yet. One
of the notes I wrote is like, I can't believe he can perform this ritual and broad daylight. And nobody bats an eye like that woman died and everybody's like, okay, like they just kept going with it. So yeah, that seems to be enough justification for everybody, you know? And look, I know so much of the talk about this show going into it as like, this is completely standalone. It has nothing to do with the MCU, but that's part of our job is to find those connections to the larger tapestry.
I wonder how much of this will factor into cause, I mean, it says that 50% nature, right. Of a fan of snap we've already seen. Like the Phantoms was right mugs in Hawkeye. We saw the flags masters who appreciated the world before the snap brought everybody back. I wonder how much of having gone through that as a population on earth is allowing this guy to lead people into this belief without necessarily needing the mind control. Right. So I'm very curious on that. And that's
what I mean, like, like it's hard to tell because you have obviously what seems to be supernatural elements, but it's not unreasonable to F to imagine or see. You know, this theme of religious fanaticism and people willingly participating, you know, in, in this. Uh, and it's going to be interesting because there's another thing of, they they've introduced this thread and I'm curious to see if they're going to pull it all the way through this free will.
Cause like, if you're going to have a judgment and, and for him, he was like, he clearly didn't know. Cause he's like, well, it must, it must be something you're going to do. So there was a complete trust in and Ahmed, something outside of himself that. Okay. She died for something she hasn't done yet. So there, there can't be any freewill or there is some knowledge, but wherever it's coming from a future
events. Yeah. Cause we see later on in that discussion, he has with Steven when he meets up with them in the museum later, where, and I wrote this down because I loved it. He asks or he kind of phrases their belief with this quote, would you wait to weed, a garden till after the roses were dead. And again, a hundred percent do not agree with what they're doing, but man, what a great line to encapsulate what they believe.
Because in that one sentence, you get the distillation of that and such a digestible way. And yeah, like you, it it's removing the, I guess I'll go this way. The responsibility of those lives taken from him and putting it on. Um, and I'm wondering. Because in that same scene, he talks to Steven and understands like it's exhausting, right? The voices that just won't leave. And they're constantly with you. I wonder if we'll find out with whatever.
And again, I gotta be careful here because I understand we're dealing with two facets here. Stephen Grant has the disassociative identity disorder, and there's also something supernatural at play speaking strictly to the supernatural part. I wonder if we'll see whatever supernatural things that are haunting. Stephen had also haunted Arthur at one point.
And so maybe that is where the separation of what he's doing and what he's doing in the name of Ahmed will come into play because just to hammer that point home. Whenever he eventually corner Steven and is doing the exact same scale judgment that he did for those other two people. They show us the tattoo on his arm, which moves, which is super cool by the way they show that happening.
And then right before we get the final answer on Steven, the camera pans up and it's just his face and he is concerned and he is like, there is chaos in you. So there's some sort of familiarity, I think that you can read in his space and given the actions that he has later on in that scene, which we'll get to later, it makes me feel like he saw something that he knows to be very wary of. Yes.
Well, you know what I'm wondering. Is this going to be not fully one-to-one, but it kind of an Agatha Harkness thing. Like, Hey, let me know. No, my idea is terrible. Nevermind,
but let me, let me go out in the limit. If I don't, if I don't bridge that gap, we can cut this. Are you talking about like, just the level of. Uh, here I am the ag of the Harkness, the Arthur HARO. I am familiar with what is plaguing you, Wanda and Steven. And I'm curious because I know you can't handle it, but I'm not ready to strike yet.
Yeah. Maybe it's that. Cause it would make me backpedal was like, no, cause shortly later he's got a werewolf after him. You know what I mean? Like I didn't do that right away.
Well, maybe Agatha's just smarter. She, she really waited until the right moment. That's fair. So yeah, they a very interesting stuff and we've, we've just recently did an episode on the Marvel villains obviously way too early to speak one way or the other with Arthur, but I'm very satisfied with what they've set up here. And, uh, Ethan Hawke looks like he's going to be a really great character here in this show or even Hawk's portrayal of Arthur HARO. I should say.
So, yeah, unless there's any more, I guess we can go ahead and wrap up this important topic and move into the next one. This next one is called not quite right. This section is where we're going to be able to discuss everything that happens from Stephen Grant's perspective, that doesn't quite align with the way that he views the world around him. So these are all the scenes where the people that are counting on them are upset because he didn't follow through the scenes where he wakes up.
And he is not in his home in London, as well as all of the creepiness that starts to pepper in towards the final act. So before I throw to you, dude, uh, I want to go ahead and set the tone for how we're going to try and handle this, because this is going to start to bring in a lot of the disassociative identity disorder. A lot of the supernatural stuff we thought it was important to start with this quote from the director of this show, Mohamed Diab, and.
He says, quote, I learned a lot and I think everyone is going to learn a lot through the journey of the show about disassociative identity disorder. But I still would say that as respectful as we are, this is not an accurate depiction of did. We are in a supernatural world. And sometimes we over dramatize stuff, and this comes from an interview on variety.com that we'll be sure to link in the show notes,
you know, and I'm really glad that that's something, uh, he came out up front and said, cause that was one of my things where I was nervous about it because we've mentioned it off and on, on our pod, that mental health is something important to us. Uh, something. I struggle with, and I have plenty of people around me that struggle with it. And so it's something that I want to make sure or I get worried about that it's treated with respect on screen.
So it doesn't further any stigmas that may exist. I'm really glad he came out ahead of time, you know, or along with the release of the first episode.
Yes, I I'm right there with you. Uh it's even Oscar, Isaac has taken it to heart and he has been reading an account from somebody who has disassociative identity disorder and trying to keep in mind that perspective. So as you said, it is treated with respect. So again, it's important for us to kind of set that tone. We're going to do our best to treat it with respect as well while diving into this show, all that being said, Jude, it is your turn in this most important topic.
Where do you want to start in the not quite right section?
I'm going to take them for a minute and just buy into this world, right? And I can't imagine what that would be like for Steven this whole, he thought it was Friday it's Sunday. He missed two days, you know, almost three when you consider, you know, the time of day and stuff like that. And the way he handled it, it was kind of like, it wasn't a what's going on. It was like, it felt more, oh, not again.
And w you know, and when he was on the phone about missing the date and then asked, and so in that way, man, you really thrown this, this episode and the show really throws you just right in the middle of it. Uh, and then same thing with, like, when he called, I think it was Layla, Layla called and he answered, and he's like, Hey, I've been trying to get you for three months, you know?
So you also get that sense of like, how will you mentioned the isolation and loneliness, you know, that you give and you add on top of that, that feeling of loss of time and not probably fully understanding. Or awareness, or maybe that'd be a better way, not rather than understanding, but having an awareness of. What day it is, it is such
a loose grip on reality that you can't help, but have your heartbreak forum. And, and just to kind of further your point, I mean, you can see it in Donna and I find it it's, it's kind of amusing that the actress who plays Donna, Lucy Thackeray has come out and try to establish like, oh yeah, they have been working for a long time. Otherwise she wouldn't have been that rude to them.
And it almost feels like kind of this, uh, not necessarily course correction, but trying to like, make it seem like Donna's not as mean as she comes across in this episode. And what I get from that is. You could almost understandably see why people are so short with them, because from their perspective, Steven is an unreliable person, but we know what he's going through. And so that's why he doesn't come across that for us.
But it is a, he is so out of sync with the world that it's, it's, it's hard. And I get what you're saying. Like, I can't imagine what that's like to have those two days just gone kind of thing. Yeah.
Well, and that's, I mean, that's his daily life and, you know, I could say I'm not, I, I didn't even say this, but, um, I'm gonna say it this way and maybe something, a different phrasing, but I want to say, like, I kind of get a glimpse of that and I think we all do. You wake up in the morning and you're like, oh, it's Saturday. Like, oh crap, no, it's Friday, you know? And then you get up and go to work, you know, but that's like a brief moment.
And so that's not even close where you were like, oh, what day is it? You know? And you're like, oh, okay. Where this is. Well to the point in the show where he's having to what I'm trying to stay awake. So I don't lose the track of time. I'm chaining myself to the bed, so I don't go anywhere. You know? And so those are levels of like adaptation and coping skills that you don't just randomly decide to do. That's something that has happened often, but
it's a bit of a red flag, isn't it?
Yeah. Right.
Yeah. It's it's hard. And, and speaking of going somewhere as much work as they are sowing of the inability to trust the surroundings, it only adds to the dream-like nature when he wakes up and he is far from London and he has his jaw dislocated, his teeth are bloody, and he's trying to make sense of everything. And we have that whole entire action sequence where we are falling along on these exploits. And there's something about the way the action is shot.
And I, I don't have enough like technical lingo or actually enough examples to back this up. But there's so many shots where everything is in focus. There's no like distant blur. It is all broad focus. And to me, that adds to that dream-like feel because you're having what is traditionally shot in darker times, or maybe inside buildings or just not as brightly lit. Contrast with the daytime. And so it just, it, everything about it felt dreamlike
to me. Uh, I think you're looking for a sharp focus, might be the lingo you're thinking of everything. Well, you know what, it's so funny to me, like, that's one of the things, you know, first tangent of the season, um, this whole new technology of like 4k and stuff, I hate the sharp focus. There's, there's a loss of like this grit, film, grain that makes, when I rewatch a Marvel movie on my TV, if I don't have all that stuff turned off, it looks that hyper
real
soap opera. Yeah. You know, and like I noticed that when I saw Mandalorian season one and I was like, this is terrible, you know? And then when I rewatched it and it turned all that stuff off and I was like, oh, this looks like what I'm familiar with. Because it just gives it that, that to real, that hyper real look. And I know what you mean. I'm like that sharp hyper-realistic focus where just everything is clear as day.
And so with this it's that intended effect. Yeah. That,
that was a good catch on that style. And I love the way they bounce back and forth, but stay with Stephen and they're able to get across that, like something extremely violent happened and it happened quick and Stephen's just like, like a second his past him, you know, it's like he blinks and what, why am I holding this gun? What, where does this, you know, blood on my hand? My covered in blood. Yeah. It's so funny. You mentioned that.
I think it was, um, Ken and Fernando mentioned something about he's like y'all recorded. Mighty and fun for you watch Moonlight, right? It's like, yes, we
did. We're just psychic. What's so funny is the, uh, just, uh, if you haven't saw, we put out a April fool's joke where we straight face. No curtain is just blue. Revered spiting is amazing friends. Cause it's. I tried to like, step around that joke of like, man, I didn't believe his white suit would be not so white by the end. And you were like, yeah, it was so bloody, just like right through that makes me laugh every time I listen to.
I know, I know the examples I gave saving private Ryan of all of them. That's the one I go to God. Oh
man. So I'm glad we're getting the debrief on that finally. Cause we actually just put that out today as we're recording this. And so seeing everybody's reaction to it has been so funny. Yeah. Anyway, stepping back into the episode, you know, you talk about the way we always stay with Steven Grant. Even if the personality has shifted and so many, much more capable and an action since has come in wreaked havoc. And now Steven is back.
This show is doing a lot of work with horror elements and they're kind of laying in those creepy elements, the dark and atmospheric stuff, but what they do here again in this broad daylight dreamlike scenario, they take a philosophy of horror storytelling where the great horror. No, that your imagination can conjure something so much more worse than they can depict on screen. So playing on the outskirts of just blatantly showing you something and let your mind be afraid of it.
They're kind of doing that here with the action sequence instead of just like going away and seeing somebody take over and going into this cool fight sequence, we're seeing Steven wake up and the horror or something, and we get to visually imagine what has happened, how he got those bloody hands, how he's driving backwards, how he was able to get away from gun, a gun point blank. And to me, that that fits in with the whole horror vibe that this episode is playing with. It's clever
of how you don't really see violence. But it feels violent.
Yes. Oh, I love the way you put that. It's so clever. Yeah. It's a great way to kind of get around the Disney plus PG 13, because it is, it is still like shocking, but I bet you it'd be a lot harder to pass if we actually got to see how his hands got that bloody and, you know, linking that philosophy back, it goes back to where we started of the scene. We wake up with Stephen in the middle of nowhere and his jaw has just dislocated.
What we're imagining happening to him is far worse than what they could have showed us just by how gruesome it is to wake up with that shocked expression and have to put your jaw back in place. So this show is doing a great job of juxtaposing, the harsh realities of the violence with the I'm going to go onto this limit wholesomeness of Steven Grant, as he's trying to catch up with a world that he cannot keep up with. Yeah.
And then Joel was.
Dude that might be out there. And one of the most gruesome things in the MCU, and that's even taking into account the Wanda vision, vision missing part of his head. See, well, you know, going back to that scene, that is where we get one of our first glimpse of a disembodied voice speaking, very harshly to Steven. What'd you think of the voice? Are you sending me up? How am I setting you up?
So I wasn't a fan of the voice. Neither. It was good. I thought you were like, okay. Okay. And here's, here's why I just, and I was talking to my friend, Sean, about this, uh, not captioned life. Sean, Sean. I work with, uh, what is it now? Family, Daniel friend, Daniel working Sean and work. Sean and captain Sean. Um, And I, I don't know if it was my expectations, right. Cause like I'm going into it thinking, dude, I can't wait. I'm going to see something I've never seen before.
And I'm like, oh, I've watched a venom.
Okay. This is where I'm getting off the train with you. And so,
and so it's like, um, yeah, I just it's, it was disappointing in that sense. Now don't get me wrong. Oscar Isaac killed it. Right. The way he was genuinely like struggling and walking away and torn. Like I thought it was great, but the voice and the interaction, it was just like, at that point it reminded me of watching venom. And it was such a like tense moment. Uh, cause also I was just surprised that the two of them were already face to face this early on in the show, 100%. Arthur,
you mean?
Yeah. And I was felt very confused, like, like visually musically, all of this stuff, I'm like, you're telling me I should be, it's a tense moment, but the, the, the way the dialogue and the way Oscar Isaac was going, like, I felt like you were also playing it for laughs. Um, and maybe that was part of the intention where like, I genuinely felt confused of like, am I supposed to be fighting this funny? Am I supposed to be scared for him?
Like, like I wasn't sure where I was, should be at, you know, go back to sleep worm. Yeah. You know? And so, and so like that's where. I don't know if it's an expectation thing and I thought, oh, I've seen this or what, but yeah, like it reminded me of venom.
I can see that, you know, I was joking about getting off the train with you. I can totally see that because it is not that far off from what we see in venom, whenever Eddie Brock is like going through the famous lobster scene in the fish tank where it falls for me. Is there something about the voice that doesn't feel finished? It feels like a temporary thing. That's not mixed into the episode.
Well enough, like again, it's supposed to be this thing that only Stephen hears, so it needs to feel disembodied. It needs to feel other worldly. It's just not working for me at this point. There is some, I don't even wanna call it a saving grace, but there is a little nod that I like that happened pretty quickly. And I'm not a hundred percent sure this is the case.
But once Stephen wakes up, quote unquote, from this action event and he's back in his apartment, going through his routine, They have the TV on and there's a documentary and there's a narrator. And that narrator sounds a lot like the voice he heard, I don't think we're going to be like, oh, that's what he just dreamed up. But that is what they're trying to convey. So I appreciated what they're doing, their voice wise, but overall, I'm still very iffy on the voice. Right.
That's just the sound of it. I do like the disdain that it has per Steven, I made the joke about like go back to sleep worm parasite. The other one that got me was like, oh great. The idiot's back in control. Right? My daily affirmation.
No, uh, stop that with, so have one thing here that I, that to go on top of my issue with the. Okay. My other biggest issue after the first watch, and I didn't quite put it together until this third watch was my same general fear with the other shows, right? Like, oh, this is six episodes is going to be seven or eight. I'm surprised they gave us a suit already in the first episode. And I know that we saw it in the trailer. Right.
And there's a lot of stuff from the trailer here, but I was just surprised, you know, it was like, wow, how much stuff they did in episode one? Like they almost felt like they sped us up through getting to know these characters and they gave us too much. And so that made me really worried. Third watch though, what I realized was how there was, it felt like there's multiple endings and like, and I'm marching 21 minutes.
He wakes up out of the cupcake truck fight and it felt like an ending, you know? And I remember pausing it the first watch and being like, oh, we got a lot more to go, but then you have the, the what, the fish. And it's like in the third watch, I was like, no, you could have ended it there. It felt like a natural ending because you don't know what just happened. And then it kept going. And so it, but I think it, it helped me feel what Stevensville.
And that, cause I imagine it has to be the same thing that start and stop nature. And you never know when something is and when something begins, you know? And so now on the third watch, when I think of it, I think, I think if that's what they're trying to do, they did it well in a super clever cause like, oh, whichever. No, no. Oh, okay. No, you know, and so, yeah, so I, I, I, I do appreciate that a lot more. The third watch.
Yeah. They've so wonderfully captured that disorienting feeling. And again, speaking with that waking up moment. As much work as they're doing with reflections, one of the first shots they give us back in his apartment when he has that moment of not knowing where he's at, it is framed in a way where you see multiple almost fractured reflections of Steven. So again, great visual storytelling they're working within that sense of self they're keeping us disoriented.
And it breaks the moment with the look of relief on Stephen's face when he's like, oh my God, it was just a dream. And the music comes in every day I wake up and then it just continues on with his routine until it gets to that what the fish moment. And so you're like, yeah, I can see where it's that start and stop feel. Um, yeah, it's, it's, we're about to transition and I'll go ahead and say this before we get there. There is something that I left that first impression. Of like, okay.
The, the, the moment they built up to is everything they've been anchoring the marketing on the big Sudip moment, the big beating the werewolf kind of moment thing. So there was a bit of that, like, okay, wow. We got a lot in that first episode. The thing that I got out of the third watch is the rewards to continuity. If that makes sense within the story they're telling.
So for example, I didn't catch it on the first watch, but whenever he goes back to look at my fish, the fin grew back, is this possible? And the clerk's like you said this yesterday, and that person just took that as like, okay, disorienting. But then on the next watch, it's like, oh, who's ever else in charge of these personalities is trying to keep this other life from him.
They are trying to put things back the way they were so that everything can keep going with Steven believing that he's living. Continuous life. So I, to put a final bow on my thoughts here, and I think kind of in the same place as Euro, it is very much a show that it rewards multiple viewings. Yeah. Oh,
Hey, 100% on that. Yeah. Was that a reference to Nemo?
And it had to be, cause she straight up says you're Nimo friend or something like that.
Well, they brought 100 guitar dude. That was so good. I was like, dude, they brought up avatar and then, and then the movie, um,
because it goes like blue people love it. And then he keeps going. He's like, oh the anime.
Yeah, no, no, no. Well, I, I was only really referring to the enemy. I've never seen the movie. Um, I have too much respect for avatar. The last Airbender to go watch the avatar movie. Um, I was talking about the James Cameron one. I've never seen it. I don't know why at this point in my life, I don't know why I would. I mean Fern, goalie, Smurfs. I'm familiar with both. I don't, you know, I'm good. I wonder if Katie seen, I wonder now it makes you wonder, is Katie seen avatar?
We'll have to go check and see if she has any like writings and see like, Hey, if you habits are, oh, man, moving forward. Uh, we're going to go ahead and move into the next and final, most important topic. This is called the boogeyman. This is going to take us from the moment where. Steven is getting more concrete details or more concrete confirmation that the life that he is suspicious of is actually true. And it all culminates to this moment where we see the supernatural take center stage.
So starting with me, I want to start where he comes back from the disappointment of the date. And he is still suspicious of that fish, not being Gus. He drops his chocolate on the floor and he finds the scratch marks of the table on the ground. And it further leads them into a hidden compartment in his home. And the thing that I think is so brilliant about this scene is home should be that place you feel to same.
And to have this moment where the one constant that he has this place, that he has built up all these securities to keep him in line, to keep him feeling safe. And he discovers that hidden place with the phone and the second life hidden. Oh, I've I've I feel so bad for Steven man.
I do. I just, I kind of giggled a little bit, cause you're like home is where you should feel the safest, like he straps himself to the bed.
That's his warm sense of safety, but can you imagine aided by all these measures you've taken and it's not enough? Yeah.
I don't know. A hundred percent. I get it. Um, no, I get it. So like, well, I, you know, and this was years ago when our house got broken into and. That was an experience that, that you, I mean, yes, stuff was taken, but the idea that some stranger was going through our stuff and the home no longer felt safe. You know, some stranger was walking around, uh, taking our stuff, pictures on the wall and that didn't humanize us enough to like, oh, I I'm taking people's stuff, you know?
And so I can't completely, what you mean is like, home should be safe. And next thing you know, it's like the secret compartment and the cell phone and all of this stuff. And it's just like, I'd say what's worse. What's even worse is the phone rings, you're holding it. And it rings.
That was an extra level of scary to me because I didn't quite get. Someone was calling him. I thought he hit the green button to call Layla, I think is the name. And then you hear the ringtone is like, oh my God, there's another phone within the rooms. I thought somebody was about to come out. And then on the second, I was like, oh no, that it was just a coincidence that the person's calling a right as he's looking. Yeah.
And there was one name, different, it was Layla, Layla, and a champ.
Yeah. So Layla, Layla, Layla to channel, we don't know a lot, a lot about Layla. We know she is a very concerned friend, at least that was a lot of missed calls. Oh yeah. But now I had to put up another point on why all this is so unsettling in this moment. This really does feel where the supernatural meets the did, because so much of what this episode is, is it's demonstrating is what that daily life is like for Steven.
And then once the, you know, I talk about all the time, the, the, the medium of superhero shows is taking things to the extreme. Then you, you start to see the visual depictions of he's looking in the mirror, the mirror shaking his head. No at him. You start to see the lights flicker. You start to see papers being rustled and thrown about. And this is where we get our first glimpse of that supernatural creature coming down the hallway. We are in full superhero territory now at this point. Yeah,
that was scary. Yes, Mike, this is, this is really, really, I mean, again, it's I get , but this is really, really scary compared to what, like we've gotten in the, anything else in the MCU.
Cause you just, you get that, the religious fanaticism, you get the, that cult feel the disorientation, the thing with the hallway, you know, coming after him and even there, when he was like trying to get off, um, on the elevator, down to the ground floor and it stops and he's like, we're still on the fifth, you know? And so it's like the elevator, as far as I took that, it didn't go anywhere. Right. And
so it rerouted almost on its own.
Yeah. And so like, yeah, it's. You know? Well, and then, I mean, I know we're not there fully, but I'm going to bring it up is like when Arthur met up with them at the museum, right. Oh, wait, well that was before. No, that was, that was it. Okay. Right. So when Arthur met up with him at the museum and just again that, that isolation, lonely calls over security guard, what you're within this. And then he realizes like, he's just surrounded by ours. There's people like it. It's just.
Really scary the way they're able to put us in that as
an aside, if his knowledge and genuine interest in Egypt, culture and religion is not enough to give him a promotion. The fact that his stalker follows him to his place of work, and he still shows up late at night for inventory that's employee of the month. Right there. There's no way I would be at work. If after I got confronted by somebody like Arthur HARO who threatens me, and then there I am alone doing inventory,
but how he deserves a race, at least race, maybe tour to know he's in he's in London. Maybe he deserves a blue metal. Okay. So if you ever go visit like London, UK, you'll sometimes see tour guides that have like this official blue metal. And they're like an official, official tour guide, like official, like the state or something. And they like really know what they're doing and talking about. That's what Steven needs.
100%. I'm gonna look it up now. Get this man a blue award for a
blue metal. Uh, yeah, the, the blue badge, uh, tourist guides, tour guides. Yeah. And only know that from when I was there. Yeah.
Yeah. Jumping back. I had to put a final point for as much as the MCU has been hinting at. I think we got a bit of it in one division, some of that creepy unnerving feeling with those early episodes, we've got a bunch of talk about multi versus of madness, wanting to be a horror film. This feels like that first full step, because everything you outlined with the creature and the, the, I guess I'll just call it the religious creature because we don't quite have a name for it yet.
I don't think it's it's unsettling. And I guess I'll leave it there for now. Yeah.
Although, no, double-check, can't have a blue badge. Okay. How come? Well, as I'm doing more research in it, like, and again, if you go to the UK, make sure you have a blue badge, tourist, uh, thing for London stuff. Um, but his knowledge is more about stuff rather than the London sites themselves. So I don't think he would actually be able to get the blue badge cause it's more about London and your knowledge of.
Yeah, he might be disqualified on that. London don't know why I said that. So, yeah. So, you know, we were joking about being employee of the year, but eventually we do see Steven is on his own. He has just completed inventory. He's shutting down for the day and he hears something that's not quite right. He believes it to be a dog, which apparently aren't allowed in the museum and he starts to investigate.
And this is what really kicks off this final bit of the episode where the super fantastic has taken center stage. We get our first glimpse at what I'm imagining is going to be one of the primary antagonists of the show, the, the almost Wolf flight creatures, the way it leads up to again, we've been hammering this. I'm sure it'll be something we hammer throughout the entirety of the series. Reflection seem to be a visual.
Language of the show and we see where he keeps walking and we see his reflection in the glass cases. He walks off screen, but the glass is still there showing a different verse of himself, standing there scared we see it where the shadow of the creature is coming in growling and the camera slowly pans to his face. And you see the reflection of the creature and not necessarily it itself. So I love what they're doing there.
And the other shot that I loved is where, again, he's creeping through the museum and the camera gets this like high angle shot of him. And then he turns around and the camera moves and it makes it look like it's not just the shot. It's somebody watching him. So there it is impressive filmmaking in this first episode, for sure. Oh yeah.
Oh yeah. Well, in the use of the mirrors in that last bathroom shot, where if I remember right. One side was mark talking to him through the mirror. Right. So it was like, I think it was Stephen's left side. I don't remember, but I think, yes, it had to be whichever way is orienting, but then when that camera spins around and you have the mirror on the other side, you get the feeling like that. Like one side is Steven and one side of the room is mark.
At least I got that kind of that feeling, but then once it stopped and you had that moment where he lets go, it's like, there's multiple of them. And there's almost like here's an infinite number, uh, kind of thing. And it just, it was so well done. Right. Of, of having all those layered and put it that way for
as much work as they're doing with this fractured personality within the reflections, it is, it feels intentional that that is a unified moment where the camera finally centers, you see the infinite versions of themself, all I think for the first time of that scene aligned within the same visual movements. And then he becomes Moonlight. Yeah. 100% has to be intentional, I think. Yeah. So what did you think?
I know we've seen this Sudip within all the marketing, but what did you think of finally see it not in a quick cut. This is just the entirety of the scene at once.
I, I liked the way they kept with the, you see the suit and they were able to maintain a level of violence without having to show it because it came out and, you know, you have this werewolf type thing that's really menacing. Right. And chasing them. And as the camera comes down and you see a sink being thrown out, and then you see the Wolf, like trying to escape, you know, drag back in and then you don't really see the beating because of the cave.
Um, so I thought all of that was super well done. And you get that reveal. And, and I think such a way that there's still more to be seen. Right.
We we've got like the taste, but we do not have the full understanding yet.
Yeah. So that's a good way to put it. Yeah. You know, there was, there was a couple of things about it, visually the, uh, the, the effects and I'm just like, that didn't look great. Um, to be honest,
um, what was it when he was standing up fully in the Cape was kind of flowing?
No, I thought two things a, when he was on the ground hitting and he had the cave in the back, it looked like more TV show than movie. I was actually, you know, kind of surprised that I got that feeling. Um, but the worst one, um, and, and take that for the grain of salt, right. It wasn't bad at all that as the camera pushed in and he's standing up and turning around, this is super nitpicky.
But the water that was like splashing off on the right side of the screen that like, just something about it jumped off the screen at me. Like, um, and, and as soon as I bring it up, because, because I like noticed it, like it took me out, you know what I mean? There was something about it that just felt CGI. And that's the first time I think in a while that I can remember something in a Marvel. Feeling CGI. Yeah. Um, and again, nothing against the show.
Like it just, it, it, I know that definitely stood out to me, so
yeah. You know, leading into it. Cause I talked about it whenever we quickly discussed the moon night trailer when it dropped. And I mentioned how I wasn't a fan of the glowing eyes. I don't know if maybe it's just like a placebo thing. Having seen it all in one go, instead of just like the quick cut of the trailer, it feels like the eyes aren't glowing as brightly as they were in the trailer. So it feels a little bit better to me.
Cause that was one of the complaints I had in that Sudip scene was just, there was as cool as the suit itself looked. I didn't like the glowing eyes bit. It worked for me here. You know what? It honestly kind of reminded me of that whole sequence. It felt very much like the incredible hook because so often the hook goes to that. Well, whereas. They go to the absolute last second of like, oh no, Bruce banner has transformed. And then the
cutaway jumped and dove on him. Yeah.
Yeah. And then the camera cuts away and you cut back and he's in the thing, like handling the situation. Yeah. So I like that kind of inspiration for it. Yeah.
Well, you know what? They fix the eyes, right? Why Kevin foggy, superfan,
man, Trey made such a stink about the truck. We can't piss them off this season.
Right? They, they, they heard our mood night, quick reaction in the first part of an episode. And when we did that and that's all Trey would talk about the eyes,
get on it. Listen, man.
I like what I like. We are MCU free labor. Okay. He listens to us, makes the adjustments off the trailer. I
called it with the bloodiness of the episode without having seen it. So clearly we're on the pulse of Kevin's mind.
Kevin listens. Well,
I think that about covers it for this episode, unless you've got any more. You want to throw in here before we move on to our listeners first
takes, let's see what the listeners have.
Yeah. So if you don't know, every week on social media, we are going to be putting out posts that will ask what you thought of the episode. It's a great way for you to get a first glimpse of what we thought. Our first impressions, the day, the episode releases, if not the day after. Uh, so yeah, I mean, now we're going to read through some of these and the first one comes in from Ken on Twitter and it reads quote, great first episode though. I largely feel the same when I saw the trailers.
Definitely hooked and intrigued, but. Not sure on who, what is moon night? Oscar. Isaac is amazing in quote. And so I did a little bit of editorializing here can totally use shrugging emojis. So that's why I stuck it on that part. But I agree. I, I, you know, I mentioned on the Twitter account that they definitely kinda like what I said, they gave us a first taste, but we don't really have an understanding of everything quite yet.
Yeah. Well, and that's the other thing we have this knowledge that they released four episodes to the critics, something that they haven't done at all. Um,
which if you're not aware of that, be wary when you're out there on the internet there, a lot of people have four episode knowledge. Yeah.
Yes. You know, they offered us like the entire series and we're like, no, no, we want to be with the people. We'll watch it one at a time. We don't want to get the big hit. I mean, the fact that Kevin listens, he
was so disappointed too. He really wanted our notes. I know. Right.
Next time, we're going to remember where we come from a sculpture underscore project at Instagram. Just wash it again. I'm all the way on board. Uh I'm with you. I like it. It sounds weird. Cause like you want to have a friend, Sean, Sean asked me, it's like honest question. Do you think that you, since doing the pod, you have a harder time enjoying. You know, and are you always looking for things now?
And obviously it's a little bit about, like, I try to have the first watch be mine, but this one, for sure. It felt more rewarding on that second and third
watch. It's always interesting on that same vein of like, you know, how do you watch it for you? How do you watch it for the pod? And the answer is just multiple viewings. And I don't think, I don't think you can be all the way on board, like skull face without washing it multiple times there. Yeah. This next one comes in from Ben dot Maddie on Instagram and it reads, it's a very one division start full of confusion, character development. And we'll building that will hopefully pay off later.
I'm very excited to see where this. And again, that's more in line with kind of what we got here, as well as what we've detailed in our notes. We're excited and we know there's still more to be discovered. So I think that's a good place for this episode to be rather it, rather than the flip side where it's like, all right, we got to figure it out. Episode one, here we go for the next five weeks.
Uh, last one, this show is deeply unsettling. Something MCU had not done before, except one division. Those first episodes where you're watching black and white happy TV, but underneath it was all ominous. A moon night is clearly darker and I like it, friend Daniel. Um, and this time it's from the discord. So yeah, like I'm with you. Like it's, I'm really like the comparisons. I'm hearing Towanda vision and Wanda vision and Hawkeye right now are my favorite Disney plus.
Hawkeye cause I just, it was such a good story. Love Kate, Bishop love Yulaina and all of that, uh, one division, just because of how creative a swing they took. I just love the concept. And I feel like in the end, or like my appreciable thoughts that if I think they're doing what I think they're doing, man, in the end, we're going to look back and see just, wow, this was super big swing, creative.
You know, the thing with Wanda vision and something I saw as a common lament, as we moved further away from it, we never quite captured that mystery box feeling when Wanda vision, every week it was speculation. What's going on? What's happening? What does this mean? Oh, rewatching this and that it again, only one episode. It feels like we're on the cusp of that with Moonlight, right? So very apt comparison. Both we've been Maddie and Daniel.
Yeah. Well, and the thing where Wanda vision, edges out, everything is there's no other place you're going to get drunk.
Well, yeah, that's going to do it for the first takes that we got on this episode. So again, thank you for all those that reached out. It's always a blast to get to read those here on the podcast. And if you want to get in on that and make sure you're following us at MC you need to know both on Twitter and Instagram, uh, we will post our first impressions, which will be the cue for you to join in as well. But we're doing something new this season. Again, we know not everybody is on social media.
So we're going to try putting this number out that you can call and leave a voicemail for what you thought of the episode as well. And we'll go ahead and insert those into the episode if we get some. So if you want to leave your thoughts in audio form, you can call the number (512) 893-1355. And that will be a great place to share your thoughts. Yeah. Looking forward to here. Yeah, that's going to be so fun.
That's something that we want to incorporate more into the podcast, not just with listeners first take, but we're going to dip our toes in the water with this first approach. So be sure to share your thoughts. Absolutely stay tuned next week. We'll be back with our thoughts on episode two and we will be joined by the wonderful . Jude: And of course, when you get to the show notes and scroll down, you will find the number of trade just said for our voice in call and the link for our discord.
Join a wonderful community that talks about MCU and wide range of things. The best thing you can do for us to share with a friend and leave a rating and review apple podcast or Spotify. Yeah. We'd also like to thank Nick Sandy for the use of our theme song, which is his rendition of the Avengers theme. You can find more of his work on a SoundCloud, which is linked in the show notes as well. That's going to do it. Thank you so much for listening and Jude. Thank you so much for doing this.
Thank you tray. We'll see you all next week. yeah, I'll need to redo the outline template, but yeah. Are
we putting the number in the show notes? We can. Okay. I'm
just curious because you also need to double check that. Just in case I didn't say it.
Right. Okay. Um, the only reason why I'm asking you to put in the show notes is because if we are, I'll scroll down, I'll say, you know, when you scroll down, look for the discord link, you will, as like when you scroll, you will also see the number, uh, for the call-in. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Uh, and that number is 5 1 2 8 9 3 1 3 5 5.
Cool. Yeah. So I got that, right. It'd be so dumb if we put the episode out and I read the number, I saw you rolling your
eyes at me, you know, I know I did. Uh, but you know, it'd be really funny. What's up. Um, if we put the wrong number. And some person in Austin is getting these phone calls with these episode takes who the heck is.
We're going to create our first enemy of the show. Darn UMC. You need to know,
man.
Okay.