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After an action-packed introduction in Hawkeye, Echo makes her return to the TV screen in the first episode of her titular series on Disney+ and Hulu. The first release under Marvel Studios' new Marvel Spotlight banner, episode one doesn't waste any time in getting audiences familiar with Maya Lopez's story and the chaos that her return home will unleash.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Echo Season 1, Episode 1*
Recap
The episode begins not on Maya, but on a group of strange, almost clay-like individuals residing in a mysterious underground cavern. When the cavern begins to collapse, the group flee through what appears to be a portal inside a small body of water and arrive on Earth. The people then begin to shed and transform into humans, and it is revealed their leader's name is Chafa and this is the show's iteration of the Choctaw's origin story.
It jumps forward to 2007 and Tamaha, Oklahoma, where a young Maya is living with her family. She goes out with her mother to the store, but is t-boned at an intersection when the car won't stop. While her mother is killed, Maya is left injured to the point her right leg has to be amputated. Her father, William, reveals that the brakes on the pickup truck were cut and seemingly meant for him, which only drives away Maya's grandmother Chula due to distrust of William because of the “trouble” he and his brother have gotten into in the past.
Maya and her father leave Tamaha after she is out of the hospital and head to New York, where David enrolls Maya in school and martial arts. He also begins working for Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, who appears to endear himself to Maya from a young age as a surrogate uncle.
It jumps years ahead, and a now grown Maya has become a highly proficient and dangerous fighter. As she arrives at her father's “repair shop” front, she witnesses Ronin killing multiple members of the Tracksuit Mafia including her father. This is what propels Maya to begin working for Fisk, who suggests working for him as an “outlet” for the anger over her father's death.
She is given a “trial by fire” by helping two of Fisk's men clear out competitors that are attempting to push into his territory. It is here Daredevil interjects himself, though Maya proves to be a match for the vigilante from Hell's Kitchen.
The next time jump takes viewers to the events of Hawkeye, where Maya learns from Clint Barton that Kingpin was the one who provided the tip that led to her father's death. She then confronts Fisk during Hawkeye's season finale and shoots him in the head before fleeing New York City.
The episode then jumps five months ahead to the present, where Maya has returned home to Tamaha for the first time in 20 years. She lays low at her family's old home while visiting her uncle, Henry, to ask for his help dismantle the remnants of Fisk's criminal empire so she can take it over, but he refuses.
As Maya plans her next moves, the episode ends with the sight of a heavily bandaged Fisk in the hospital recovering from Maya's gunshot.
Review
The season premiere of Echo was a very busy episode as it worked to familiarize audiences with Maya's personal history, going back to her youth on the Tamaha Reservation. While it hits the important points, it does so in such a quick fashion that some key moments, such as her mother's car accident, don't get the time they should to breath and sell the impact on Maya.
It is the downside of the series being five episodes, as some key points end up being told and not shown, which can leave viewers questioning just how important certain characters or events actually are to the overall series.
Where the episode does succeed, though, is in its casting and action.
Alaqua Cox truly is the star of the show as she commands viewers attention whenever on screen. She is able to convey a combination of stoicism and vulnerability that makes her endearing without undermining her drive and general threat she poses to anyone standing across from her.
The rest of the cast deliver, as well, with Zahn McClarnon's William Lopez, Tantoo Cardinal's Chula, and Graham Greene's Skully establishing key character dynamics and character traits that will likely inform Maya's journey as the series goes on.
Vincent D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox also deliver in their short appearances as Kingpin and Daredevil, respectively, though it remains to be seen if Cox will appear again in the series.
As for the episode's action, the centerpiece fight involving Maya and Daredevil feels like a tone-setter for the rest of the series. The fight feels punchy and has the kind of weight viewers may expect to see in films such as John Wick or Atomic Blonde. Some comic book flair is thrown in courtesy of Daredevil, but it doesn't distract from the rest of the action.
Ending Explained
While there's no post-credit scene to the episode, the ending makes it clear a storm is on its way for Maya.
The fate of Kingpin was left up in the air after the season finale of Hawkeye, as it was never clear if he was killed by Maya or managed to survivor being shot in the head. The ending showed the latter, though Kingpin was still left scarred by the altercation as his left eye is completely bandaged over. As the series is only five episodes, it would not be surprising to see him up and about in very short order after this closing shot.
Should you stream Echo season 1 episode 1?
Marvel Studios' first true outing into TV-MA territory with Echo is definitely worth the watch.
The episode isn't perfect, as it can suffer from both moving at a fast pace and doing more telling than showing in order to cover key parts of Maya's backstory. Despite this, the performance and action are more than enough to keep viewers interested in the first steps of Maya's war to take over Kingpin's empire.
Echo is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
