Marvel’s Hawkeye finally brings back a fan favourite casting to the MCU, setting the stakes for next week’s finale. Meanwhile, Kate shares an emotional scene with her mum.
The penultimate episode of Hawkeye finally raises the stakes and tension, something that has been limited in the series so far. It shows a bringing of elements, the main plot, Echo’s plotline, and Kate’s story for next week.
Echo finds out that Ronin was tipped off about her father, showing her turn against her boss, a reveal that is bound to set her on a path of redemption, potentially making her ready for her own series. Kate shares an emotional scene with her mum, with both Hailee Steinfeld and Vera Farmiga turning in a great performance with special mention to Vera Farmiga for carrying the weight of the scene.
Kate tells her mum about Hawkeye’s suspicions about Jack Duquesne, which seemingly wraps up his time in the Hawkeye show. Tony Dalton’s eccentric and annoying portrayal never lands, and the series didn’t devote enough time to make his plotline or character interesting. While it is possible that he could reappear in next week’s finale, it would be better if the show could focus on its reveal at the end.
The reveal of Yelena last week was surprising to anyone who saw Black Widow, though it was well timed within Hawkeye itself. This week did feel like it was focusing too much on Florence Pugh, with the show showing us how she experienced the blip.
While it is interesting from a lore perspective that people who got blipped perceived no loss in time, this inclusion and Yelena’s perspective of it was an unnecessary addition to a show that is already juggling a lot for six episodes.
At the end of the episode, the show’s true villain was revealed. Vincent D’onofrio has reprised his role as the villainous Kingpin. It remains to be seen whether this confirms the Netflix show’s place in the MCU continuity, or the status of its other heroes, but it makes the last episode of Hawkeye extremely exciting.
This widens the show’s scope, something that it desperately needed. Kingpin’s character should have been added earlier in the show, as it is unlikely that his deeds will be resolved in next week’s episode, meaning fans will have to wait for a full take on the character.
Yelena and Kate also share a conversation with each other, with Pugh demonstrating why her humour is loved. However, the conclusion of this muddles with her prior appearance in the MCU. Kate tells her to find out who hired her to kill Hawkeye, to which Pugh later reveals it was Kate’s mum.
This reveal is slightly confusing because in the post credits scene of Black Widow, the audience was explicitly shown that Valentina Allegra de Fontaine hired Yelena. No doubt episode six will clear this up, so it remains to be seen if this reveal will fully work. However this series could have explored Valentina even more, without creating a somewhat confusing conspiracy.
Overall, this episode sets up the finale for Hawkeye well, closing off loose ends and placing all of its major players on a collision course with Kingpin. Vincent D’onofrio brings an imposing presence as the villain, and how that will bear down on the MCU will be great to watch.
By Kieran Burt
Feature image: Disney