Hawkeye
Recap
Clint and Kate’s partnership is put to the test as they face the devastating consequences of exposing the conspiracy.
Spoiler Level: Mild to Moderate
Review
It’s really weird to be writing this review because it felt like the series didn’t start that long ago, but the Hawkeye finale is here just in time for the holidays. Although I doubt that this episode/series will be the reason why families will fight with each other when they gather this holiday season, there will still be some great moments that everyone will share as well as some weird, even controversial moments.
Episode five had set us up for this finale: the backstory and motivation of Yelena, Kate’s revelation about her mother’s not-so-squeaky reputation, and finally the big reveal that has been rumored for a long time – the return of Kingpin. This episode resolves a lot of questions and fan wishes that we’ve had since the series started, such as who killed Armand III (although no one seemed to be curious about how weird that he was a great-great-grandfather), the significance of the watch that was found at the black market auction, the name that is given to Pizza Dog, more trick arrows and outfit reveals, how is everyone involved with the Kingpin, and will Clint make it to his family in time for Christmas.
However, there are still questions that remain after the season finale, such as why did Maya and Kingpin want the watch that was being sold at the black market? Why did Eleanor order the hit on Clint? Although you can argue that she did this to get rid of him investigating Armand’s death, the timeline with her phone call and how quickly Yelena showed up in New York is still a little suspect. And finally, what is the fate of a particular character? The finale implies that this particular character is dead, but we actually do not see this happen on screen so this will be a subject of debate, almost at the same level as “Is Tony Soprano dead at the end of the series?”
Although there are a lot of things I love about this episode, there is one thing I want to point out that I haven’t mentioned in my other reviews of this series, and that is the LARPers. I read the Fraction/Aja/Hollingsworth series that this show is based on, and I know how these characters show up in the show. Although they are very different from the series (in the comic run, they are all tenants of the building that Clint owns, which is how they know him), they all end up helping Clint in the climax of the story by taking on Tracksuit Mafia. So seeing how they updated the story to be LARPers and first responders makes a lot of sense here and I was happy to see that they continued this part of the story into the series as well.
Lastly, there is a mid-credits scene, and I’ll spoil it for you here because there isn’t anything to spoil. All it is is the full number of “Save The City” from the “Rogers: The Musical” show that we saw in the first episode. Although amusing, this was hardly the mid-credits scene that I (nor most people) wanted and would have rather had a different kind of scene (such as a future plot hint or a “Hawkeye will return in…” title screen) and left the number as an extra that people could watch if they wanted to. This was a big miss for me and I’m sure a lot of people will feel the same.
Since this is the season finale, I do want to mention some of my own personal highlights of the season, issues I still have, and what I hope to see in the future.
For me, the best episode of the entire series was Episode 3 “Echoes”. This was one of the best episodes written for any of the Marvel series projects, and Katie Mathewson and Tanner Bean deserve an award for their writing on this episode. It had a lot of action, comedy, heart, emotions, everything that made this 40-minute episode feel so cinematic, and I would be surprised if Disney didn’t put this episode up for any award nominations. The acting was superb, the cinematography was amazing, and there was hardly anything negative I can say about this episode if any!
Another highlight for me is the fact that we got to see more of the story of Clint Barton. The only Avenger to not have his own movie, the series made a lot of sense, and the perception of Hawkeye has changed significantly since his introduction in Thor. From being the butt of a joke to being a beloved character, Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton has become a highlight of the series and of the MCU.
Pizza Dog. Need I say more.
Lastly, the interactions between Kate Bishop and Yelena Belova are automatic fan favorites. Just as Florence Pugh stole the show in Black Widow, so did Hailee Steinfeld for Hawkeye. And after seeing these two interact with each other, it has left ALL of us wanting more of them on the screen, either in their own series/movie or a future team-up. Kate Bishop and Yelena Belova is part of the future of the MCU. It will not be the same without them.
Now that season 1 is over, here are things I hope we will see in a future season of Hawkeye (if they do another one; although all of their promos said “Season Finale”, there was no confirmation of a second season at the time of this writing). I hope that we get to see Kate move out to LA and start a practice as a private investigator. The show has definitely dropped hints of this and I think that is where they will go for the second season (and maybe we will even get an appearance from Jessica Jones). I also hope that we will still see Kate team up with Yelena and Clint and that maybe we will get introduced to Clint’s brother, Barney (and he may even become a villain for the second season). Finally, I hope that by the time the second season starts, we will see David Aja (and all artists that influence the storyline and artwork of the Hawkeye series) will be fairly compensated for their work that inspired the show.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this episode (and series) was fantastic. Yes, it had its flaws and there are a few things that fans may not be happy with, but those issues are minuscule compared to what Hawkeye gave us: Great story, great characters, and great hope for the hero in us all.
#Hawkeye
Hawkeye 106: A Great Finale With A Couple Weird Flexes (But Sure)
- Writing - 9.5/109.5/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Acting - 10/1010/10
- Music - 10/1010/10
- Production - 10/1010/10