Summary

The first episode of the Disney+ Original series “Moon Knight” is called “The Goldfish Problem” but the definition of the problem isn’t revealed until episode two.

Some people say that “The Goldfish Problem” is a reference to the main character Steven Grant’s short memory, but Goldfish don’t have short memories. That is a myth.

The true “Goldfish Problem” is: When is it okay to judge someone?

Gus Goes Missing

“Yesterday that fish had one fin, it was like that when I bought him. Today, what do you see? Two fins!” - Steven Grant S1:E1 - The Goldfish Problem

In episode one, after Steven escapes with the Scarab that points to Ammit’s tomb, he realizes that his goldfish - named Gus - now has two fins instead of one (fast forward 21 minutes and 17 seconds into episode one to see this scene). When Steven realizes Gus has two fins, he rushes to a pet shop.

“Like I said yesterday,” says the owner of the pet shop “they’ve all got two fins.”

Based on what the shop owner says, and the fact that the fish now has two fins, we know what happened to Gus. Gus died, and Marc Spector went to that same shop the day before to buy a new fish.

Poison or Poisson

After this scene, we forget about “The Goldfish Problem.” But if you fast forward to the 30 minutes and 25 seconds into episode two, it comes up again.

Steven Grant says:

“If Ammit judges pre evil, like, before the fact, then isn’t she judging an innocent person? I mean, a thought can’t be evil, can it? I think about killing my boss all the time, but I wouldn’t actually do it. What about a child? Would she kill a child for something they might do in 30 years?”

Harrow, responds to him and says:

“I’m glad you mention that. Sometimes the cure is a little taste of the disease. The difference between medicine and poison sometimes is only dosage. Consider a diseased limb. Amputation, horrific and grotesque, is necessary for the larger health.

***“But the child is not a diseased limb,” ***says Steven “. . . I kind of draw a line there at child murder.”

Unless you know the french word for fish is poisson, you’ll miss Harrow’s reference to episode one when he talks about the difference between medicine and poison…

This is the problem. Where do you draw the line? Do you cut off a diseased limb if it could save someone’s life? Do you kill baby Hitler?

Heaven On Earth

This problem is at the core of the Bible and it’s the source of the difference in viewpoints between Khonshu and Ammit.

“Khonshu punishes those who have already walked an evil path. His retribution comes too late. By the time his fist of vengeance arrives, people have already suffered. Ammit knows this too well. She tears evil up from the root, casting her judgment before any evil is done…the cruel masses deserve to face punishment. In the wake of their screams, evil eradicated…to exist at that moment? Heaven on Earth.” - Harrow in Season 1 Episode 2

So what is the dosage of the “poison” that will lead to eradication of evil and heaven on earth? We’re going to discuss that in the next episode of our podcast “Phases of the Moon.” If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our email list by clicking here. You’ll be among the first people notified when we release new podcast episodes!