Julien Neaves, Editor
Warning: Major SPOILERS AHEAD
When I learned that the character Echo from the MCU Disney+ series Hawkeye was getting her own spin-off series I was like, "Okay." Now don't get me wrong, Alaqua Cox killed it (literally and figuratively) as Maya Lopez, the deaf and disabled Kingpin enforcer who turned on her boss when she learned he set up her father's death (she actually shot Wilson Fisk in the face, seemingly killing him). But I didn't know what to expect from a full series on the character.
Tom immediately regretted calling Maya "babe"
Then the trailer dropped, and it appeared to be a gritty crime drama in the vein of Netflix's The Punisher. After all, this is the first MA series by the House of Mouse. And while there is some of that visceral crime drama in the series, Echo delves deep into the Native American origins of the anti-hero and adds an unexpected mystical element. And it works, mostly.
Now I mentioned before how good Alaqua Cox is in the role, but it bears reiterating. She is mesmerising as the lead in her own series. As a deaf actress playing a deaf character Cox must rely a lot on her eyes and facial expressions to convey meaning. And the emoting here is practically a masterclass. Maya is grim, sassy and even funny at times. Cox also delivers in the many action scenes and is believable as a kickass enforcer. In these bloody sequences, and the chilling scene where Kingpin's interpreter begs for her life before being executed, the series definitely earns its MA rating.
KINGPIN INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: She wants to be 'Queenpin'? What a ridiculous name? Sounds like a low budget comedy
Speaking of great performances, Vincent D'Onofrio once again delivers as Kingpin (surprise surprise, he's not dead) in a role he feels born to play. His relationship with Maya is disturbing, intriguing and tragic. The acting overall is very good here, and I especially enjoyed Cody Lightning as the goofy Cousin Biscuits, Tantoo Cardinal as Maya's estranged grandmother and the always great Graham Greene as the kindly Skully. It is through her family we get some of the lighter and comedic moments, which are a welcome break from the heavier scenes. Cousin Biscuits' face when his grandmother saw him when the wrecked truck, for example, gave me a great chuckle.
The action sequences, which includes a cool Daredevil cameo, are bloody, kinetic and well-choreographed up to the final episode (more on that soon). I especially enjoyed how they played with sound and silence with the deaf character. The Native American mystical element was enchanting visually and auditorily and I enjoyed learning about Maya's butt-kicking ancestors. But her transition from cold-blooded gun-toting killer to mystical superhero did feel somewhat abrupt, and it does break from the character's comic book origins. And the final conflict had the most underwhelming action of the five episode-series. There was also the cringe-inducing moment of Maya's cousin and grandmother getting powers of their own. Yeah, that did not work.
And I, am all of the Jedi. Wait, wrong franchise
The scene of Maya attempting to mystically heal Kingpin was somewhat better. Feige and co. weren't going to kill off such a great big bad and they had to find a way to get him off the antihero-turned-hero's back. And I did think the overarching theme of family and legacy were well executed.
Overall, Echo was a very good series thanks to stellar performances, awesome action, wonderful costuming, superb sound editing, great music and transcendental visuals. It may not be the best Disney+ MCU series (heya Moon Knight) but it is one of the better ones. And I am looking forward to seeing more of Echo in the wider MCU, as well as more MA content. It definitely has me feeling better about the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again.
Echo Season 1 Score: 8 out of 10
How would you rate Echo Season 1? And you can check out more MCU content below:
TOP 7 DISNEY+ MCU SERIES (REDUX)
MOON KNIGHT SEASON 1 ECLISPES ALL OTHER DISNEY+ MCU SERIES
ALL 13 SEASONS OF NETFLIX MCU RANKED
Julien "Editor Jules" Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by Freddy Krueger, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an award-winning author. I say things like "13 flavours of awesome sauce". Read more.
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