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Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
This week’s episode of Hawkeye is a little slower, but more heartfelt and introduces a familiar face that we’ve all been expecting. Episode 4 stars Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Vera Farmiga, Tony Dalton and Alaqua Cox.
The Christmas Spirit
Picking up from where we left off, Kate Bishop (Steinfeld) has to explain why she is sneaking around her mum’s penthouse with Clint Barton (Renner). Judging by the interaction that follows, I feel like the TV show might be taking a different approach to Jack Duquesne’s (Dalton) origin, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this character. He still feels shady, and we get more of a hint as to how he’s tied up in this whole situation, but nothing too big just yet.
We’re also given a quick look into how Eleanor Bishop (Farmiga) might not be all that she seems, so this should be explored more in the final two episodes. It was also nice to see Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) have more of a role. Although brief, seeing her have some kind of contribution just makes sense and it’s nice to see her have more than two lines.
The Best Present Yet
The big driving force of this episode is seeing the highs and lows of the Hawkeyes’ friendship. One thing that Marvel and Disney know how to do is create those heartwarming, sweet moments, and this episode is full of them. After a sweet – yet almost too on the nose – moment with her mother, Kate decides to help Clint experience some of the Christmas he’s missing at home. They finally start to feel more like a team and more like they are figuring out how to work together, but still being funny and real.
Some vulnerability from Clint Barton shows us how he is still struggling with his past life and mistakes, and Kate Bishop finally figures out a secret. Renner and Steinfeld are able to flip so flawlessly between comedy and more serious conversations, and it feels so natural when they do.
Hawkeye doesn’t feel too much like a Christmas show, which I appreciate. Although it has all of the elements that could make it fall into a typical Christmas special, I like how the festive season is simply a backdrop and a factor for the action and isn’t focused on too much in the show. I am a little concerned that the final episode could fall into this trap, but I’m still hopeful that it won’t.
So Many Questions
Something that I am a little concerned about with the Hawkeye series is just how many elements is being brought into it and whether we’ll be able to get a satisfying ending to all of them. On top of their already existing problems – the suit, the Swordsman, and the Tracksuit Mafia – we now have some more problems to throw into the mix. A watch with a mysterious owner and a familiar face to those of us who have seen Black Widow might just add a little too much to the show, not to mention a possible Kingpin appearance (if rumours are anything to go by!).
A lot of us were expecting to see Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) make an appearance, and I’m interested to see where they go with it. I feel like they’ve left it very late in the series to introduce her, but I enjoyed how they brought her into the series. It was unexpected, and I didn’t click with who it was for a few minutes. Hopefully, the rest of her story will be as fulfilling, but I’m concerned that they might rush her storyline in order to wrap things up.
With everything happening to these characters, I just hope that they find a way to tie up all the lose ends. There are some elements that haven’t really been mentioned since they happened, like the murder of Armand Duquesne (Simon Callow), or Kate and the call with the suspicious police office. Although there have been small mentions, I feel like Marvel is at risk of falling into the same old routine where their endings feel rushed and less than satisfying, just so they resolve everything.
A Little Off-Target
Episode 4 felt slower and a little more disconnected than the rest of the show so far. However, I did like it, and it worked well as an episode to provide some extra information. I do think that maybe there’s too much happening, but I’m putting my trust in the Marvel and Disney gods, and I’m sure they’ll be able to give us a great final two episodes to this series.
Hawkeye Episodes 1-4 are now available to watch on Disney+.
RELATED: Read our review on Hawkeye Episode 3!
Sarah here, teaching English around the world. Living life and seeing things.
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