The episode’s opening flashback deftly highlights the parallels and contrasts between two women of a similar age whose lives have taken them in very different directions. Newcomer Alaqua Cox makes her mark on the series from her very first scene, and it feels like an important, inclusive step for Marvel to have so many scenes in American Sign Language (ASL).

‘Echoes’ may be the Clint ’n’ Kate show, but it also provides a spectacular entrance for Maya Lopez. )ĭid Hawkeye episode 1 and Hawkeye episode 2 shoot and score? Can firing a load of fancy arrows really cut it when a friend from work can summon thunder and lightning? Meanwhile, his insistence that he really isn’t a role model comes loaded with subtext, whether it’s guilt about his actions as Ronin, or the fact most of his career has been spent as the mortal guy standing alongside literal gods. Hawkeye’s admission that he felt the same buzz as Kate when he first became a superhero is a rare glimpse beyond the cynicism, sacrifice and loss that now cloud his feelings about life as an Avenger. There’s a growing tenderness to the double act, a sense Clint and Kate are starting to trust one another, too. From there, all it takes to make Clint concede she might soon be troubling the archery world rankings is a high-speed dash across the Big Apple and a daring leap off a bridge. And while there’s nothing like being taped to a pair of coin-operated horses when you need to deliver some home truths – Clint still needs to remind Kate he’s the one protecting her – it’s also the place Hawkeye concedes there might be some talent lurking behind his sidekick’s rich-kid privilege.

It’s the smartest move the writing team could have made, because the chemistry between Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld is so strong you’d still be hooked if none of their scenes were punctuated by blockbuster-grade stunts.Ĭrucially, though, their friendship is given space to evolve, the cynical father figure/wide-eyed fan hierarchy gradually flattening out into something akin to mutual respect. While previous episode ‘Hide and Seek’ lost momentum as soon as Clint and Kate went their separate ways, ‘Echoes’ makes sure they never leave each other’s orbit.

Taken 3 spoiler