It's been great seeing Marvel Studios venture into TV shows in 2021 and I think Hawkeye might actually be the best one. It doesn't have the originality of WandaVision or Loki but Hawkeye is consistent street level superhero fare.
Kate Bishop (Hailie Steinfeld) grew up worshipping Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) after he saved her life during the Battle of New York and dedicated herself to becoming a skilled archer. At an event for New York socialites run by her mother Eleanor (Vera Farmiga) Kate discovers links to the city's criminal underworld and gets tangled up in the legacy of Clint's Ronin persona and a criminal conspiracy.
What really makes this series work is the introduction of Kate Bishop, played brilliantly by Steinfeld. It's great having a younger hero who is inexperienced but has a fiery determination to do what's right. The relationship between Kate and Clint is the heart of the show, a sort of odd couple who bounce off each other really well but actually have a lot of respect for each other.
It's also great to dive deeper into the psychology of a character we've really spent very little time with despite appearing in five films. This is a character who has a lot to deal with mentally. He turned into a blood-thirsty vigilante when his family were wiped out by the snap and he is mourning Black Widow. We also see how he has a case of imposter syndrome, never really seeming to feel worthy of the praise and admiration society thrusts upon him. This series makes me much more interesting than simply 'the arrow guy'.
I like that the plot here is kept fairly low-key- this isn't about saving the world. The stakes though remain high in a different way- it doesn't take long before you care about both Kate and Clint and we want to see Clint make it back to his family in time for Christmas. I felt like the plot neatly balanced bringing back some characters we've seen before and introducing new ones but every character is there for a reason.
The action sequences here are really well done. For the most part they are played for comedy, especially with Kate and Clint bouncing off each other, and have fun with some of the technology the MCU sandbox provides. That's not to say that there aren't some brutal fights and both leads are in mortal danger multiple times during the series.
All in all, this is Marvel's most consistent, most fun and most enjoyable to watch series yet. From start to end it's just innately watchable and manages to expertly introduce new characters whilst giving greater depth to established ones too. As the Marvel machine continues to make TV shows, Hawkeye should be held up as the gold standard of what they can achieve.
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