Michelle La Bella Marvel gave us an early Christmas present last week with the double-episode premiere of Hawkeye, the latest Disney+ series. The third episode is its shortest yet but works well in the episode’s favor. The pacing is fluid, and even when it “halts,” the momentum is kept in place.
Last week, audiences met the charismatic Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and the familiar face of Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner). It also introduced the lovable pizza-eating dog, Lucky, and had a run-in with the effortlessly named ‘Tracksuit Mafia.’ In the end, it featured its first big “reveal” with the appearance of Echo. Cohesively, the premiere episodes did an outstanding job setting up the story for this short 6 episode mini-series.
Now that we are halfway through the series, this week’s episode, titled “Echoes,” starts as implied with the origin story of Echo. There’s a nod to “Uncle,” who hopefully will turn out to be Kingpin during this time. Throughout the episode, there were additional hints that Kingpin could be making a return, and with any luck, he will be portrayed by the Daredevil actor Vincent D’Onofrio.
Clint and Kate are interrogated by Echo and Kazi; however, they break free and escape without Clint losing his hearing aid. This third installment does an impressive job of adding layers to a character we’ve known for over a decade. Clint’s hearing loss has an interesting character development that was established here. The phone call scene between Nathaniel and Clint, where Kate transcribes what Nathaniel is saying, is a perfect example. Although short, it added to a character many consider to be very bland. It was a perfect touch that served as a foil to Kate, showing viewers what she’s made of at the end of the day.
The car chase that follows their escape is the episode’s highlight, with Clint driving and Kate shooting. There’s a moment where Kate is trying to pick one of Clint’s “trick arrows,” but he deems them “too dangerous.” The arrows she ends up using cover the vehicles in a purple slime and emits purple gas. The car chase comes to a head with the use of an arrow labeled with “PYM,” which one can assume is made with Hank Pym’s Pym Particles. This arrow makes objects grow massive in size, which ends the chase.
At the end of episode 3, Clint and Kate go to the Bishop’s home to try and uncover information on Jack and the Tracksuit Mafia. Unfortunately, Jack catches Hawkeye and has him at sword point. The episode then cuts to black. As we’ve seen in the trailers, Kate’s mother is eventually introduced to Hawkeye, so it’s clear that he doesn’t just suddenly die at the hand of Jack. Instead, he and Kate likely talk their way out of the situation. However, Clint and Kate do need another lead to follow, so they must get some information during their visit to the Bishop’s home.
Without Steinfeld and Renner’s performances, the material wouldn’t hit as strongly as it currently does. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the third episode showcases this even more. Whether through their witty back and forth, dialogue in chaos, or some more serious moments, their chemistry elevates every moment they share the screen.
Hawkeye- Episode 3
Pros
- Action Scenes
- Character Layering
- Actor Chemistry
Cons
- Shorter Episode
