It's not truly a New York City based MCU show unless there's a shot of the characters sitting next to each other on the subway.
This episode worked on basically every level. If I had one complaint, it was that the energy lagged a bit at the very end once we got to the penthouse, probably because Jack and the murder and all that are now infinitely less interesting than Maya and her gang, but otherwise this was about as perfect an episode of television that I could want.
Let's start with the action scenes. The Marvel shows consistently have excellent fight choreography, but this episode's felt like a step above. I mean, the car chase? With the camera in the backseat as it rotates and moves around the car in single shot? Gorgeous. I really want to see the behind the scenes for how that was made. I'm sure that CGI was involved at multiple points, but that doesn't make it any less impressive because it still looked very smooth.
The use of all the trick arrows was also a treat. The Pym Particles! The return of the USB arrow from the last What If? episode! The not useless plunger arrow! Can I add in more exclamation marks to this paragraph? Absolutely! Especially when I can also mention Clint immediately knowing that it was a '72 Challenger and how he didn't want it to get destroyed. Only for it to get wrecked anyways!
I mentioned this in my comment on the previous review, but overall, this show has been great as including small moments and interactions that don't need to be there, but make the viewing experience so much more enjoyable.
Like Clint diving into the ball pit and there being ripples along the surface like we were watching a Jaws movie. It's just fun. This show is a lot of fun.
It also carries a lot of emotional weight. The conversation between Clint and Nathaniel with Kate as an interpreter was just heartbreaking. Arguably Jeremey Renner's strongest work in the MCU so far. The expression on his face contrasting with the tone of voice that he had to keep up for his young son was wonderful. The fact that you could just dimly hear Nathaniel's responses as well and the tone of his voice when he tells his dad that it's okay if he doesn't come home for Christmas just made it that much more powerful. Kate's expression during the entire scene was also exactly right. Emotionally affected, but keeping it quiet and restrained because now wasn't the place for her to do or say anything more.
Their relationship is continuing to develop in a lovely way. Like Kate said, they're communicating now! And Clint actually complimented her on her archery skills. He still doesn't know or understand why Kate could possibly see him as a hero or a role model. His time as Ronin has completely destroyed that personal view of himself. I'm curious to see how it would affect Kate's view. She's figured out that Clint clearly knows who Ronin is, but she think that he's protecting someone. I don't think that the revelation will destroy her respect and admiration for Clint, but it'll definitely damage it.
Kate's strength is in her overconfidence and lack of understanding of her own mortality. That's the exact thing that Clint told her to channel, and when she does so, she's very competent. But there are moments where she is starting to find the limits of her own abilities, like when Maya had her in that chokehold. She's starting to realize that there are losses and risks there, even if she's still choosing to focus on the positives and what you gain.
The other major component of this episode was our official introduction to Maya Lopez, aka Echo. I love her. Full stop. Even if she is acting as our antagonist at the moment, she was treated and presented in a very sympathetic and understandable light. In the few minutes before the title card, we were given enough backstory to fully understand her motives, as well as set up and show off her fighting and observational abilities, as well as tug at the heartstrings when her dad was murdered. (Zahn McClarnon, who played her dad, is wonderful and I'm always happy to see him onscreen.) That's a lot of ground to cover, but none of it felt forced or rushed.
I really adored Kazi and Maya's relationship too There's a lot of history and care there, even when they are fighting. I am bracing for the moment where Kazi is killed, though, probably by the Uncle that he warned would be upset with Maya. They already gave me a scare with the Pym arrow, because I thought for sure that the explosion was going to take them out. He's simply too understanding, too coolheaded, too concerned for Maya to not have his death used to either bring her to the light or send her spiraling further into the dark. I don't want this to happen, and I'm hoping that maybe the holiday spirit of the show will pull him through, but I'm bracing for it.
Hawkeye also made some interesting commentary in this episode about deafness and how that works while living in a hearing society. As a child, Maya asked if she could go to a school for the Deaf only to be told that it's better for her to not, and then as an adult, she acted rather dismissive towards Clint's hearing aide and use of technology. I personally don't know enough about those choices or tensions to comment further, but it feels like they're treating it respectfully from an outsider's perspective.
Random Thoughts
The inclusion of the "Uncle" was kind of amusing to me thanks to a very recent conversation that we had in the Doux Reviews writers' room. If he's who some people are theorizing that he is then that's very exciting for both Hawkeye and MCU in general.
I love the Tracksuit Mafia. I love how they have problems like fighting with their girlfriend over who gets to use a gift that was meant for the two of them. Also their moving company is called "Trust a Bro." That's just so much fun.
Alaqua Cox, who plays Maya, is both Deaf and an amputee, which is awesome to see. This is also her first acting role. She's killing it. I'm immediately excited for the spin-off that was announced.
I also love how Maya uses her prosthetic leg as a weapon and a strength when people around her, like the two guys she was sparring against, viewed it was a drawback and a weakness.
Oh yeah, remember how the Tracksuit Mafia was looking for a watch from the Avengers' Compound? Me neither.
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An Honest Fangirl loves video games, horror movies, and superheroes, and occasionally manages to put words together in a coherent and pleasing manner.
I think it's interesting that Kate's from old (like, really old) money but Bishop Security seems to be a relatively recent thing. I wonder what that means about Kate's mom. There were computer shenanigans at the end of the episode. Don't quite know what it means yet. Is she working with/for Uncle?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Bishop Security is like the Pinkertons and has been around since the 1800s and just evolved over time.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of controversy in the deaf community about people wearing hearing aids or getting cochlear implants. Some feel you should only use sign, and you’re ashamed of your deafness if you use technology. Small moment, wonderfully done. Ironically, I just watched an episode of Only Murders in the Building, in which the plot revolves around a deaf character and the entire episode is muted like how a deaf person would hear. As someone who is half deaf, it’s nice to be acknowledged.
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