“Your Problem is Branding.”
“No, My Problem is You.”
I almost skipped Hawkeye. After the last three Marvel series have disappointed me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump into the newest one. But a friend who has similar tastes and completely understands mine said she really enjoyed the first two episodes, so I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did.
After witnessing the original time the Avengers assembled to save New York City, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) worked hard to become an archer like her idol, Hawkeye. She’s returned home for Christmas only to discover that things have changed – the biggest being that her mom (Vera Farmiga) is engaged to a man (Tony Dalton) that Kate doesn’t particularly like. When Kate agrees to go to a charity event that night, she wanders away to witness a secret auction. When the auction is attacked, Kate views it as a chance to test her superhero skills, so she grabs a nearby costume and goes to town.
Meanwhile, Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), is in the city with his kids. Unfortunately for everyone, the costume Kate grabbed was one that Clint was using in his non-Hawkeye life, and there are bad people out to get revenge on the person wearing it. So a reluctant Clint finds himself teamed up with Kate to save both of them. As things grow more complicated, will Clint be able to save the day?
I was actually a bit surprised when Disney+ released two episodes right before Thanksgiving until I realized that the show is set in the days leading up to Christmas. Suddenly, wanting to time the finale to come out a few days before Christmas makes perfect sense. And yes, they do manage to work some of the Christmas season into the events of the series. In fact, one of my favorite action scenes took full advantage of the season in a way that made me laugh.
And that’s what is making me enjoy the series so much – it’s fun! Yes, the characters are facing real threats and real twists each week, but the show doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are plenty of laughs each episode to keep things light.
I already mention the action, but we’ve got nice action in each episode as well. Not all of the scenes are over the top action movie scenes, but they are entertaining and appropriate for a TV show.
The story is great. Even when I see a twist coming (and I did see a few of them coming), I still can’t wait to find out what that will mean for the characters. How they tied everything together for a satisfying climax is very impressive, too.
I’ve been complaining that some of the Marvel shows felt too drawn out, like they would have made a good movie but were stretched to fill a six-episode TV show. That’s not the case here. The pacing is perfect, and I was engrossed the entire time, always surprised and sad when the episode ended.
And the acting is wonderful. It feels like everyone is having fun working together, which makes it that much more fun for us to watch.
Being a Marvel property, there is a mid-credits scene in the final episode. You need to watch it, not because of any teasers for the future but again because…it’s fun. Sensing a theme here? (At least I found it fun. If, after a few seconds, it isn’t your things, feel free to move on.)
I haven’t heard yet whether Hawkeye was a one-off story or if there is any potential for a second season. I’m hoping there is because I would certainly be back for more. If you are looking for something fun to watch, you definitely need to check it out.
Heeheeeheee. You're welcome :D
ReplyDeleteAnd also, I agree - what made this so enjoyable was the utter fun that they had. They managed to capture the buddy-comedy aspect quite well.
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