At points, "Gods and Monsters" often feels more like a checklist than an actual episode of television. It is a narrative that dutifully cycles through a familiar list of things that a show like this needs to do before crossing the finish line. It's perhaps the most formulaic season finale of any of the Marvel streaming shows, hitting each of its beats with clockwork precision, paying out exactly what the audience expects when they expect it. There is the obligatory gigantic computer-generated climax, as Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) initiates the apocalypse. As is customary at the end of these stories, a supporting character gets to become a superhero teasing future adventures, as Layla (May Calamawy) becomes the avatar of Taweret (Antonia Salib). There are multiple computer-generated throwdowns between Ammit (Saba Mubarak) and Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham), with customary "we're not so different" dialogue. Even the episode's surprises aren't really surprises. As Marc and Steven (Oscar Isaac) flee through the desert, chased by a sandstorm, Taweret swings out of nowhere for a heroic cavalry moment to literally break the wave. The episode's post-credits teaser confirms something that fans had speculated since the show was first announced and that the show had all but confirmed as early as "The Friendly Type," that there was at least a third personality in that body: Jake Lockley. To be fair, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As a rule, when these streaming shows take a sharp swerve in their final episodes, often to reveal a fan-favorite villain like Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) or Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), they tend to derail themselves. Loki went from being the most interesting and compelling of these streaming shows to a massive disappointment when it undercut its core themes and character arcs so its final episode could tease future story beats. Nevertheless, "Gods and Monsters" makes a big deal of Marc's refusal to kill the incapacitated Harrow.
