THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED SERIES. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Looking back, I was confused that Hawkeye never got a solo adventure during the MCU’s Infinity Saga, considering that he was considered as essential as the other Avengers. But after watching Black Widow, I realized that it is never too late for a hero to shine, which is why I remain satisfied enjoying his Disney+ series.
PLOT
The series’ pilot ‘Never Meet Your Heroes’ young adult Kate Bishop who looks up to the avenger Clint Barton for unknowingly saving her life during the Battle of New York. When her father Derek (Brian D'arcy James) was a casualty of war, she grew up with the determination to become a hero like the protector before her. The story’s present follows Kate coming back home in time for the holiday season in a Post Blip Era. On her night back from college for the winter break, she gets herself in trouble when impressing her friends with her marksmanship abilities leads to her destroying a clock tower. When she reunites with her working mother Eleanor, she admonishes her for her recklessness before introducing her to her fiance Jack Duquesne. When later attending a socialite gala with them, she would follow Jack and his uncle Armand III (Simon Callow) to a black market auction, selling recovered remains from the Avengers Compound. The auction would be interrupted by thugs of the Tracksuit Mafia who were after a SHIELD watch. Jack would steal a sword that belonged to Clint when he used to go under the alias ‘Ronin’, but Kate would dawn the actual disguise to fend off the Mafia. As she would flee, she would take in a one eyed dog to her apartment she would name Lucky. She would try to figure out what the Duquesnes were doing there before finding Armand III dead in his apartment. She would be spotted by the Mafia and be cornered in the process. Her actions would get the attention of Hawkeye himself who was in the midst of enjoying the holidays with his three children. Once he realizes he has to undo this mess, he sends his back home to his wife Laura. By the time he finds Kate, he is stunned to discover how young she is in her predicament, whereas she is in awe to meet her idol.
‘Hide and Seek’ follows the veteran and aspiring hero recuperating from the latter’s apartment, but things take another turn when the Tracksuit Mafia track them down and ambush them with molotov cocktails. This causes them and Lucky to evacuate and take shelter in an apartment belonging to Kate’s aunt who is out of town for a holiday vacation. When Clint goes back to get the Ronin suit, he finds it absent seeing someone post wearing it on social media. Kate keeps her cover to safely work at her mother’s security firm, Bishop Security, while the retired avenger tries to get back what is his. As he escorts her there, he shares how he has partially lost his hearing due to repeated past physical trauma in the line of duty. He also would give her his phone number to contact him for emergencies only. The young Bishop however does get contacted by the NYPD over her apartment fire, but avoids being questioned by stuttering her way out of the call. Still suspicious of why Jack was at the auction, she challenges him to a fencing duel which he proves to be quite skilled. Believing he’s responsible for his uncle’s death, Kate would be aggressive until Eleanor intervenes. In Central Park, Clint would find the man wearing his suit to be a guy called Grills (Clayton English), who is part of a LARP (Live Action Role Play) community and gives it back after the hero takes part in a playful trial by combat. After getting what’s needed, he reaches out to Laura that he needs to settle things with the Mafia since he crossed paths with them during the Blip Era, promising he will come home in time by Christmas. When Kate reaches out to him about a possible lead, she would find out he got captured by the Mafia but wouldn’t know that was part of his plan until she tracks them down. Joining him in being interrogated, her mentor would demand to see their commander.
‘Echoes’ would reveal the leader to be a deaf paraplegic named Maya Lopez who has been after Ronin for killing her father William (Zahn McClarnon) during the Blip era. In the present, her closest friend is her interpreter Kazi Kazimierczak (Fra Fee). Because of Kate last wearing the Ronin suit, she believes her to be her father’s killer but Clint claims Ronin died in the hands of the Black Widow (implying he stopped identifying as Ronin after Natasha Romanoff recruited him in the Time Heist). Since she doesn’t believe this claim, she considers killing them both before they end up breaking free and escape with a multitude of specialized ‘trick’ arrows owned by Barton. Maya almost pursues them, but is stopped by Kazi, believing it would upset her uncle ‘who’ is their superior. As the protagonists recuperate, Kate still has her suspicions over Jack for being at the auction. So, she and Clint would sneak into Eleanor’s penthouse and breach into Bishop Security to obtain info on the Tracksuit Mafia. She would look up Kazi’s name to discover he is under the employment of Sloan Limited, a name Hawkeye is familiar with. Just when attempting to look up Jack, she gets locked out of the system. Ironically, the eldest Duquesne would confront the avenger for trespassing.
‘Partners, Am I Right?’ would show no conflict emerge between Clint and Jack due to Eleanor coming home simultaneously. Because she recognizes him as her daughter’s role model, he and Kate explain they’re working on a case together. Out of respect to him, Eleanor would tell him to keep her daughter safe by leaving her out of the case. With no other option, Clint reaches out to Laura for help in looking into Kazi’s involvement with Sloan Limited, due to it’s former use of laundering for the Tracksuit Mafia, as well as Jack currently being the company’s CEO. After being alerted of the watch stolen from the compound by the Mafia, he recuperates with Kate and bonds with her, confessing how he became Ronin to cope with the temporary loss of his family. The following day, Kate would retrieve the trick arrows from Grills and the other LARPers while he confronts Kazi, telling him to convince Maya to end her vendetta for Ronin, knowing she will die trying to get what she desires. When returning to the apartment, he makes a promise to the LARPers to get them material for new costumes, as well as for himself and Kate. Laura would then reach out and share with her husband the location of the watch. He and Kate find the apartment where it’s held and when the latter picks it up, she finds out it’s Maya’s home. Just upon realization, the Tracksuit commander attacks her while a masked assassin attacks Clint. Unmasked, she is the Black Widow assassin Yelena Belova, who Clint remembers as the adopted sister of Natasha. With both opposing parties compromised, they retreat. Realizing the stakes are too high to put Kate in danger, he considers disconnecting himself from her.
‘Ronin’ would reveal that Yelena was blipped while in the midst of helping other deprogrammed Widows. She would not know of Nat’s death until coming back and believes Clint to be responsible. Resuming to the story’s present, Kate would tell her mother of Jack’s possible criminal endeavors, leading her to quickly take her side and call the police on him. When returning to her charred apartment, she encounters Belova again who assures she is only here for Barton and requests her not to further interfere. In the meantime, the avenger and Lucky would recover at Grills’ apartment. The next day, he would visit a memorial for the Battle of New York, vowing to set things right for the sake of honoring Nat. He would then have another phone call with Laura, accepting that he has to take matters in his own hands to keep their family safe. This would lead to him dawning the persona of Ronin for the last time. As Ronin, he would confront Maya and tell her he was tipped off by someone who works for her uncle because he wanted her father dead at the time. He would then leave with Kate who had tracked his phone, wanting to talk to him since meeting Yelena. When the protagonists retreat again, Maya would recall Kazi wasn’t there when her dad died. The day after, Belova would inform Kate it was her mother who hired her to assassinate her and would share she works for Maya’s uncle, crime lord Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, the one person Clint was worried would be involved.
The series finale ‘So This is Christmas’ would reveal Eleanor has been working for Fisk to pay off her husband’s debt. Recently, she is the one who had Armand III murdered and framed Jack for Sloan Limited on his orders. Wanting to keep Kate safe, she plans to cut ties with him and has leverage with the intent she gets out. With Yelena sharing this to Kate and Clint, both intend to stick together to put an end to the conflict once and for all. On the night of Christmas Eve, they attend a party near the Rockefeller Center to track down Eleanor, where Kazi and the Tracksuit Mafia intend to kill her. Just when Kate confronts her mom about her actions, she assures her she had no choice at the time. With the assistance of the LARPers and a newly released Jack, the Mafia is overwhelmed. However, Yelena shows up as well with her goal intact and despite Kate’s attempt to interfere, she still chooses to enact revenge. Clint is able to convince her to spare him when he clarifies Nat sacrificed herself to bring back everyone that was blipped. She accepts the truth when he performs her secret whistle, realizing they’re both grieving over her. When she leaves, Kingpin confronts Eleanor until her daughter protects her from him. Despite still caring about her, she does the right thing and hands her over to the authorities. Fisk would try to escape after defeat, but would be shot down by Maya who had just stabbed Kazi, deducing they were both responsible for her dad’s death. Clint would return to his family in time for Christmas, with the company of Kate and Lucky. The avenger would surprise his wife with the watch he retrieved, as it used to be hers when she was a SHIELD agent. After burning the Ronin outfit to put the past behind him, the series would end with Clint passing on the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate.
THOUGHTS
The MCU regained their momentum in 2021 due to their shows having the quality to match up the kind you expect from every other film. After 3 shows did well back, there was no worry on this being good as well. The directing team of Rhys Thomas and Bert & Bertie Elwood pull it off in making another entertaining superhero adventure from start to finish. The editing and cinematography do pay off in making the fight scenes feel very grounded, but the visual effects are of course a big benefit due to making the unbelievable things believable. I always knew trick arrows would be a clever factor, so seeing kinds like Pym Particle or acid arrows was very cool. My favorite fight scene comes from the car chase that leads to the bridge due to how both arrows are put to good use. Since this show is intentionally set in Christmas, you’re definitely gonna get some laughs to give much needed warmth. It’s quite obvious the biggest ones went to each goon of the Tracksuit Mafia. Every time they spoke up, you just know they weren’t meant to be part of the criminal lifestyle. I mean neither shouldn’t be worried about which concert to take your date when you might not make it. However, it’s still funny to hear one pick Maroon 5 over Imagine Dragons. It even felt topped to see them get shrunk by a Pym Particle arrow and get taken by an owl. One could call it dark, but I find it genius for rolling with the absurd possibility. Now I think this story works as a whole because of a straightforward theme that was effectively useful and fitting for it to be a Christmas story. Here, this is all about confronting one’s troubled past in order to be able to put it all behind and feel complete. If you don’t go all in with the process, you’ll never find satisfaction. This theme was cleverly explored thanks one of the many iconic characters we’ve appreciated since Phase 1. It’s crazy to see how much growth Jeremy Renner has brought to the role of Clint within 10 years by the release of the show. We respect this character for having the humble mentality similar to Steve Rogers, where putting others before himself is what makes him happy. Taking care of his family was all that mattered to him and when they were blipped, it broke him as you would expect from any family man, hence becoming Ronin during that period. He did regain happiness when they came back, but he couldn’t stand the sacrifice that had to be made to ensure, which was Nat. The love he had for his friend goes to how they respected each other for what they were capable of and she understood how much his family meant to him, which is why she was willing to do what she did. There was no doubt Clint was trying to retire from the start of the pilot because acknowledging his loss of hearing points out how much he was willing to give to see another day. At that point, you know he’s done enough like everyone else. But when Kate unintentionally got involved, he knew had to finish what he started because he didn’t get to it once Thanos was dealt with. I recall smiling when he met the LARPers because that was the first time he acknowledged the positive impact he made as a hero, thus becoming more comfortable as a mentor when time passed on. By the time he encountered Maya and patched things up with Yelena, it should be safe to say he’s found his long awaited place in peace. What has really satisfied me a lot through this show was having one person who understood his predicament better than anyone else. Linda Cardellini shined the brightest here as Clint’s wife Laura more than she could beforehand. With the twist revealing she was a SHIELD agent beforehand, she knows the value of what he is doing, which gives her the opportunity to trust his decisions and support however possible. I think that shows why they love each other, where they know how complicated it is in making the right call as a spy/hero. Since he was able to make it to her and the kids, it’s a given to say his calls were him at his rightest. Since heroes inspire others, it’s nice to know that Clint inspired a handful to people to be heroes of their own. Seeing the LARPers bond with him did show how much he meant to them, but the biggest protege he made is going to be Kate Bishop. Hailee Steinfeld was awesome in making her one with the confidence needed to do right by those in need, thus making her a brave individual. She never intends to walk into danger, but it doesn’t stop her confronting it however she thinks or knows she can. She idolized Clint since he saved her because it taught her to make the best of what you got to confront whatever obstacle. That is what motivated her to go all in stopping the Tracksuit Mafia and doing the right thing in arresting her criminal mother. You also can’t say she isn’t a badass when she used her width to overcome Kingpin. From that alone can be enough for me to say she is worthy of being the new Hawkeye. Overall, I’m sure Clint took a liking to her as time went on for noticing how firm she is with her will, but was hesitant the whole time because he didn’t want to bare with losing her like he lost Nat. In the end, he accepted her as an equal because he knew how big of a spirit she had to keep on fighting until she couldn’t. For that, he’ll be proud with the legacy she’ll leave behind. Speaking of criminals, it’s kinda crazy how unpredictable the said lifestyle was shown here because it showed some people aren’t what you think they are. Vera Farmiga fit right into the fold for playing Eleanor as one who is undoubtedly a loving mother towards Kate, but got too comfortable in what she had to go to get by. Like Sharon Carter, she stayed in a world of darkness longer than she had to and it led to being remorseless in her own right since she didn’t care for her actions towards the Duquesnes. For a while, Tony Dalton had us guessing Jack was a two faced individual when he was actually an easy going guy.
And off of that, you feel bad for the guy getting cuffed. Since he does good with a sword and was respected by the LARPers, I wouldn’t mind seeing them help Kate out however in future stories. If you have seen the after credits of Black Widow, you knew Yelena had to be in this show to tie up such a loose end. Thankfully, Florence Pugh’s presence did not disappoint at all. She picks up where she left off in the previous film and has us appreciate her for going past being cynical and is more about being there for others the way Nat was an avenger. She definitely proved that when she carried on the mission to deprogram the other widows. Of course it was hard for her to accept Nat’s death because she was incapable to save her and was lied to on who was responsible for her death. She goes out of her way to get her hands on Clint because she felt her sister would’ve wanted to be avenged the way she avenged the blipped. She gives her respect to Kate because she knows how visible her intentions are. He ended up sparing Barton thanks to the whistle because it represents her accepting how much he cared for her as well. By the time we see her again in Thunderbolts, it’s a safe bet she’s on her path in being content with what has happened. Another new character I was impressed with was Maya. Known in the comics as Echo, Alaqua Cox succeeded in making this character a scene stealer for making her another ruthless figure, determined to get even with those that wronged her. There is no lie Clint is responsible for murdering her dad, but what she does differently from Yelena is taking the time to hear him out that there’s more to the truth. The second she found out the people she thought were close were actually responsible for her sadness, she decided to make her own path as she went after the true perpetrators. Although her own spin-off show would reveal she doesn’t intend to change much, but at least she knows what kind of person she wants to be. Some will say she’s got her own compassion, but strangers will mistake it to be dangerous. Last but not least, it made sense for Kingpin to be involved in this show because he’s arguably the face of crime when it comes to Marvel’s perspective of New York. What we wouldn’t have expected was Vincent D'onofrio returning to play the character after previously playing him in Netflix’s Daredevil. Whether or not he’s the same one from before, hes still got it in making him a sadistic figure who tries to hide it whatever charm he can pull up. It doesn’t work on everyone, which will be a bad thing for those who don’t want to encounter the brute strength he has under his sleeves. He likely has his reasons in killing Maya’s dad, which are also likely selfish in the long run, so you know Maya was bound to get even with him. Her actions to shoot him down spoke more volumes than Kate kicking his ass. By the time we reach the series Echo, it comes to show that some enemies take a little longer to put down. I’m always gonna have a good time when I watch this show for the holiday’s sake, but the fun doesn’t excuse some issues I picked up on storywise. For starters, why would Eleanor leave the door open when she was talking to Armand III? Sure she doesn’t expect Jack and Kate to be onto her, but that’s a big precaution to take advantage of. Also, why doesn’t she recognize her daughter is wearing her aunt’s clothes? Maybe that implies she doesn’t hang out with the aunt much, but it’s crazy to not let it come to mind after what happened to the apartment. And why the hell would Kazi take off his mask just to see Kate take off? That was a terrible way to introduce him for the sake of differentiating him and the rest of the Mafia. I really didn’t want to expect continuity errors when the action sequences were tightly edited, but they used a bad take when it came to Kate fighting the Mafia in the street when she clearly missed her first shot. It’s so awkward to notice and I couldn’t help pointing out due to my rewatch. The same has to go with noticing the length of Yelena’s nails before she gets blipped. Moving on, why did the Mafia announce themselves when attacking themselves? I know it’s part of the joke that they're not the brightest of guys, but it’s on them for giving their target a heads up. And how did Clint sneak in undetected from the fire department? I don’t think he should be so lucky like the dog when it didn’t look like he covered his face. And I can’t believe he didn’t tell Kate how he was gonna settle things with the Mafia in advance. If he wanted to ensure she would stay out of it for the sake of her protection, that would’ve worked. Also, he messes up in not injuring Maya in his first escape from her since he did the same for the rest of the Tracksuit goons. I’m sure he doesn’t want to kill anyone, but going for a limb would’ve slowed her down a whole lot. I even thought it was weird for him to order Kate to use acid arrows on a traffic light. I know the goal is to hold up the Tracksuits, but causing a traffic jam like that is too easy. Going for the tires would’ve done it. He even makes a bigass rookie mistake for answering the door when he is supposed to keep low. Even if he knows it’s Kate, he is putting himself at risk because he doesn’t know if someone is following her or not. Again I don’t blame him for trying to distance himself from Kate when Yelena got involved, but I do think he’s making it worse by also hiding at Grills. The guy may be a firefighter that’s seen some shit, but assassins is something not everyone can prepare for overnight. The whistle was a pretty useful callback for Black Widow, but he could’ve used that before Yelena whipped his ass. I know taxi drivers can see and hear a lot of shit in one day, but if one were to hear Hawkeye talking about Jack being a potential murder suspect, that totally would’ve been reported to the police and it’s a bigass twist for it to not happen. I love Kate for the most part, but I don’t think she needed to help the old man with the groceries to get inside the elevator. Kindness is one thing as a human being, but being stealth is a whole other ballgame when you’re a superhero. I never thought I would complain about this shit, but why does she only have one fork in her apartment? Yeah she lives alone and spends her semesters in a dorm, but it’s not like she doesn’t have company. If she never had her college friends over, that’s just insane because that looks like a dope place to party before getting burnt up. She shouldn’t even be surprised Yelena wanted to kill Clint since that was exactly what she was trying to do when they first met. Ignore this, then you’ll still enjoy this whole show as much as I have. In short, Hawkeye is another fun entry in the MCU by being a clever torch passing story that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, episode by episode. If you have Disney+ and want to shake up your holiday viewings, superhero fan or not, check this out.
Comments