The first 2022 TV series for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is complete. From March 6, the six-part story of Moon Knight streamed on Disney+, ending on May 4. Moon Knight is the first MCU superhero to be introduced by a Disney+ series (of course, excluding the Netflix Marvel shows which are now in Disney+), and it brings a lot to the table from its incredible acting and story while maintaining the usual Marvel stuff, both good and bad.

The best part of Moon Knight is, without doubt, Oscar Isaac’s acting. As Marc Spector/Steven Grant, and Moon Knight, Isaac has to switch between two personas with contrasting personalities (and accents) — just like James McAvoy’s performance with multiple personalities in M. Night Shyamalan’s 2016 feature Split. His posture, expression, manner of speech — every distinction is noticeable between the two personalities, which is impressive and amazing to watch. By the end of the series, it feels like a pair of twins is acting these two personalities separately, with the series editing between them. Also, while not as noticeable because of Isaac’s acting, Ethan Hawke plays an equally impressive role as the main villain of the series.

Another praiseworthy attempt by Moon Knight is its Marc Spector/Steven Grant’s backstory — or in this case, stories. This is a fresh attempt in the MCU covered in the penultimate episode that yet again proves that Phase Four of the MCU is the darkest and most serious so far. Not only the screenwriters, but also other artists of the media tend to avoid such heavy topics because they are difficult to handle. One careless move can cause pain and discomfort to viewers, resulting in anger and backlash. However, Moon Knight incorporates this grave topic with care and sincerity, which is fleshed out with Oscar Isaac’s performance— which in my opinion was successful, unlike other stories that made similar attempts.

Nevertheless, the series isn’t without its flaws. Moon Knight is by nature a CGI-heavy story. It is a battle of Egyptian Gods through its avatars and factions, where one is a superhero with a suit — a spectacular epic, but with weak visuals. Compared to other MCU works, Moon Knight’s CGI is cranky, especially with the Gods’ and the Moon Knight’s costume. When Oscar Isaac puts the suit on and removes the mask, there is an uncanny mismatch between his body and head that we don’t see in other MCU works, like Spider-Man or Iron Man. However, considering that Moon Knight is just a Disney+ series, it would be unfair to compare its production quality with that of multi-million budget films. While the screenwriters could have decreased the use of CGI to avoid this flaw, it is still minor compared to a bigger problem: the series’ pacing.

Moon Knight is not the first Marvel show to have pacing problems. Older Netflix Marvel series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones also faced the same criticism. Unlike pacing problems in movies, where the movie’s runtime is too short for the story, these series have a different problem. On the big screen, one big story has to end in two or three hours. However, in a series, the audience has to go through that one story spanning several episodes for hours. Screenwriters achieve this by spreading the story thin throughout the episodes and keeping the audience engaged between episodes using cliffhangers. However, these cliffhangers continuously add stories for the series to unravel, on top of already-enough stories to tell. Thus, the earlier episodes tend to be slow in development, and then the story’s pace accelerates, making the later episodes rushed — just like Moon Knight’s season finale. Since this problem has been prevalent in Marvel series for years, it almost feels like Marvel has given up. It is disappointing and frustrating how Marvel still hasn’t figured out a solution for its endlessly accelerating pacing — more so because this pacing made Moon Knight lose its chance to delve deeper into one of the most interesting backstories.

Overall, Moon Knight is one of the better introductions of a new MCU superhero. Compared to Thor and Eternals, it is not a complete train wreck. Its fresh backstory and Oscar Isaac’s superb acting make the series a fun ride. Despite its flaws, so far, I find Moon Knight to be MCU’s best attempt at introducing a more serious topic in its story without completely losing its usual joyful, light tone.