Echo Review: After introducing Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, the former leader of the Tracksuit Mafia working under the command of Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, in the Disney+ series Hawkeye, Marvel Studios has granted the actor a chance to standout in her standalone series created by Marion Dayre. Releasing on January 10 at 7:30 AM IST, the five-part series also stars Chaske Spencer as Henry Lopez, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Biscuits, Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez, with Charlie Cox making a special appearance as Daredevil.
Additionally, Steven P Judd (along with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma coming as consultants) joined in as one of the prime writers for the show, which resulted in the building up of an authentic Choctaw tribe representation since he too hails from the same cultural background. The series is set in Tamaha, Oklahoma as the town witnesses Maya’s homecoming after 20 years following her violent altercation with Kingpin in the Hawkeye series, wherein she left Kingpin for dead, or it seemed at least. (This series is a part of Marvel Phase 5)
Watch the Echo Season 1 Trailer
Echo Disney+ Review Contains No Spoilers
Echo Review
Episode 1 quickly sets the origins of Maya’s character down, while also swiftly whiffing us through the motions of the original series that introduced us to her in the first place – Hawkeye. The latter half of it doesn’t work as well because the episode gradually walks us through all that happened between her and Hawkeye, relating it all to her father’s death, as commissioned by someone close to her. These bits could’ve easily been toned down to a short flashback instead of dragging the former series’ retelling forward like this.
Then we move on to the common practices employed by the director and the makers of the show to fashion out a unique watching experience. With Maya’s character being introduced as a deaf amputee, it could’ve been a hefty task for the makers to involve her authentic perspective. Yet her tunnel vision and sight during fight scenes is aptly captured by the smart employment of switching over to silence, without overdoing it.
During several fight sequences, the narrative is completely in control of Maya’s view, as per which the sounds fall down to a minimum, leaving us with the mere sensations of thumping of sounds, the heartbeat and everything else – the way Maya hears it. This novel approach commendably puts across the main character’s experience and lets us have a piece of it too effectively. It in turn ties with the physicality of all the action scenes, especially the well-crafted heist sequence. As well choreographed they all are, Echo‘s fight scenes actually make you want to stay back and watch them instead of skipping them. Their unflinching violent vision is depicted in the most sophisticated way possible.
Thereafter, you come to the next question: Do the relationship dynamics work? Yes, the ingrained tension in her relationship with her grandmother Chula, the soft warmth she finds in the reliable affection of Skully, and the fractured remnants of what she has with her adoptive father figure of sorts – Kingpin, are all depicted well. However, a lot of the blanks are left for us to fill on our own as we progress through the five episodes.
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The one supposed relationship that works as an emotional anchor for her – the one shared with her cousin Bonnie, never fully spells out its potential or moves you as it wants you to. And then, her uncle Henry is brought in, but his in media res introduction again gets you wondering if we were supposed to have met him elsewhere before this, because the series expects you to proceed with the idea that this person has for long been in the equation. One can’t help but wonder if Echo would’ve worked better in the contracted film format, considering how some of its characters are never fully explored, or as a longer series in order to adapt these roles better.
The greater problem faced by MCU’s fans in connecting with this gamut of comic adaptation is that most of them expect each one of these characters to somehow contribute to the overarching paramount banner of the Avengers showdown. And so, the producers backing these enterprises are almost always dropping easter eggs or sneak peeks of other characters from this big roster. Daredevil’s cameo in the first episode itself is a dead giveaway of his impending clash with Kingpin in the future.
While the fight scene alone also helps Maya shine in the presence of such a grand and loved superhero, it ultimately falls prey to the same design of the map work set up behind the scenes. It makes one wonder if certain characters can ever work as standout protagonists without being dragged down by the grand scheme of things. The biggest drawback faced by Marvel Studios in the past few years is that they are too preoccupied with setting up the multiverse lore, that they forget to invest in the solitary stories that should make individual characters more interesting instead of merely working as a piece in the bigger game of cross-franchise collaborations.
Echo gravely sets up Maya Lopez as an intriguing character with a thumping heart in her chest. Moreover, by bringing in her estranged family ties and the affecting reunions that also help her reconnect with her cultural origins and come face to face with the deep-seated struggles across generations and how she fits into it all, the new show makes a great deal of progress of moving in the right direction. However, it doesn’t necessarily leave you feeling fully content in some places either.
Despite the filler moments (that will eventually tie into the future chapters of other characters’ stories) usurping some screen time, it’s always a treat to witness Vincent D’Onofrio in his element, and making his mark as the lethal Kingpin. There’s a good chance that his presence here will leave you wanting more, in the positive sense of the statement.
Echo TV Show: Final Thoughts
With Echo, Marvel has checked off quite a few firsts. It’s the first series to have been produced under the Spotlight banner, granting it a unique space to exist as also the first Marvel Studios (under Disney) series to have a TV-MA rating, offering it the chance to explore grittier and more mature action. Moreover, all episodes of the series being released on the same day itself is yet another plus factor. The Alaqua Cox starrer show has moved in the right direction of representing inclusivity and diversities on multiple levels onscreen.
Alaqua herself is a valuable addition to this branch of pop-culture content as she sensitively grasps the emotional greyness of Maya’s character in addition to owning her physicality. More importantly, the onscreen inclusivity of the native American roots and even a deaf amputee protagonist’s involvement doesn’t come across as off-handed or forced. Additionally, the generations worth of ancestry, history, pain and connections being echoed through Maya’s indigenous roots work out a complex portrayal and examination of trauma itself.
Even though the series may not have hit the bullseye due to some setbacks, I genuinely see Maya Lopez as a complex character, whom you’re likely to take interest in as long as you see her for herself and not just as a building block for the next “big Marvel cameo” to come along.
Marvel Studios Echo is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar and Hulu.
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