All five episodes of Echo are now available on Disney Plus and Hulu.
This review (in which all episodes were watched) discusses basic plot points but takes care to avoid any specific, late-episode spoilers.
Watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fully commit itself to multiverse-focused storytelling over the past few years: branching timelines, parallel realities and the integration of superhero films past into their overarching tapestry, has also come with undeniable growing pains.
For every high-point, the MCU’s past two phases have also felt lacking a certain focus, as the franchise’s big picture plans (wherever they lead) too often come at the expense of the smaller scale.
Hyping up the next big team-up, crossover, the what could be, rather than just honing in on whatever is happening in the moment.
It is a familiar feeling if you’re a comic book reader - where the next adventure always beckons, sooner rather than later.
With Echo however, there is a concentrated effort to highlight the darker and more human side of the MCU: as it builds off the groundwork laid by 2021’s Hawkeye (of which it is a spin-off) and the Defenders shows, Daredevil, specifically.
Successful? There is no question - but not without the occasional fault, either.
Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is at a crossroads.
After the events of Hawkeye, in which she learned the truth behind her father's (Zahn McClarnon) death, Maya escapes from New York City, returning to her small hometown in Oklahoma.
She’s determined to strike back at her one-time mentor and adoptive uncle figure, the crime lord Wilson Fisk (“The Kingpin”: a returning and always terrific Vincent D'Onofrio) but quickly finds herself embracing her Choctaw heritage, trying to reconcile with her estranged family and confronting an uncertain future.
Overall? Echo balances all of these plot threads successfully. A miniseries, with only five episodes, it means there isn’t time for the show to meander, to slowly put down building blocks or to drip-feed potential mystery (something MCU shows of the past, with their super-sized seasons, are somewhat notorious for).
Each narrative beat, adding to the next.
This is true as well, for the action, which is grounded, incredibly brutal and never shies away from honestly depicting the violence required from the story at large. In much the same vain as Daredevil and The Punisher, shows which were clearly drawn on for Echo’s street-level sensibility, there were no doubt great pains taken here to depict these characters as “realistically” as possible.
Maya is not a super-solider but she is a trained fighter, a killer, for whom violence is a (conflicted) second nature. The choreography then, is particularly inspired, making use of long-takes, minimal cuts and an emphasis on hand-to-hand combat, as Maya (and her opponents) use anything and everything they can find in the environment to their advantage.
No, nothing can quite match Daredevil’s legendary hallway fights but when a common (and often justified) critique of the genre is an over reliance on VFX? It is encouraging to see a shift back to something more visibly practical, brought forth with appropriate weight.
At times, however, Echo does stumble, especially when it comes to spotlighting its pretty extensive supporting cast, a victim of its singular approach (and to an extent, pacing).
Only the first episode, additionally tasked on bringing the potentially uninitiated viewer up to speed on the events of Hawkeye, surpasses the fifty minute mark but it is a reminder of a recurring theme throughout the show. Smaller runtimes, while effective in their own way, can also be somewhat limiting.
There is, after all, only so much story to go around.
But elsewhere, Echo makes great use of the time it does have, the show, confidently presenting and speaking on themes of empowerment, cycles of violence, the strength of womanhood and the Choctaw experience.
The supporting cast are all given their time to shine, from Chaske Spencer as Maya’s criminally-connected biological uncle, her grandmother (played by Tantoo Cardinal) for whom Maya has an immensely difficult relationship, Graham Greene’s Skully or Maya’s cousins, Biscuits (Cody Lightning) and Bonnie (Devery Jacobs).
With relatively limited screen-time, there isn’t a performance that feels phoned-in or low energy. It is strong work, across the board, even if one does wish there was more of it.
Returning as Fisk, D'Onofrio is as menacing as ever. Capturing again, what he first brought to Daredevil almost a decade ago, his Kingpin is a man forever teetering on a dangerous edge. Expressing kindness to Maya and the belief that he is “good”, while in the same breath, viciously beating a man to death with his bare hands - it is a startling and horrifying contradiction that D'Onofrio plays to a tee (whenever the revamped Daredevil: Born Again arrives, it will be must-see television).
At the centre of it all though is Cox, who is exceptional from start to finish, in a performance that is easily the show’s best.
Like the character she plays, Cox is deaf, meaning her work here is anchored by a tremendous physical presence - her subtle facial expressions, for example, are contrasted by powerful, purposeful body language, commanding each and every scene: whether she’s signing or dictating the terms of a fight (Cox also has a prosthetic leg which is incorporated into her portrayal of the character, from combat to narrative, in ways that are creative but also, importantly, respectful).
Raised by criminals and trained to hone her instincts for violence, Maya grapples with both her place in the world and her heritage as the show progresses. Cox, deftly, hits all the necessary notes with ease, from righteous anger, the occasional beat of joy to quiet emotion. It is riveting work.
It is amazing to think that Echo is only her second acting appearance (having made her debut in Hawkeye), yet you’d never know it.
Wherever she goes next? It should be followed with great interest. She is that good.
Echo isn’t without missteps.
By virtue of being just five episodes, be it, five episodes trying to present a complete narrative, its pacing can hit a few snags. The supporting cast too, aren’t given, perhaps, as much material to work with as they should’ve been, as they each bring something worth noting to the table.
Yet those complaints? There isn’t much to them, when considering everything the show excels in.
Purposeful storytelling, paired with terrific lead performances. A focus on grounded action that is executed strongly. Characters (and motivations both) that feel honest. Human.
Perfect? Not quite. But the show is a reminder, amongst the ongoing “superhero fatigue” discourse that it isn’t superheroes as a whole that are entirely the issue: rather, it is the quality of the stories being told.
Fortunately for Echo, it brings quality in spades: and so much more.