Subscribe
Follow Us
Episode two of Echo saw Maya Lopez kick the proverbial hornet's nest by bombing one of Wilson Fisk's key shipping hubs in New York City, setting the stage for a major faceoff. This comes to pass in episode three as Maya is forced to contend with some of Fisk's loyalists, with members of her family caught in the middle.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Echo Season 1, Episode 3*
Recap
Echo's third episode opens on a silent film reel recapping the history of the Choctaw Lighthorsemen, the tribe's mounted police force during the 1800s that protected their territory from outlaws. It then introduces Tuklo, the daughter of a Lighthorseman with aspirations of becoming one herself despite her father's belief she isn't meant for that life. He is proven wrong, though, as Tuklo saves her father and other Lighthorsemen after they are ambushed by a gang that laid a trap for them.
It then jumps forward to the present, where Chula is visiting Skully's pawn shop to discuss Maya's return. While Skully tries encouraging Chula to reach out to Maya, she is hesitant given how she pushed Maya and her father away after the death of Maya's mother.
On the other side of town, Maya is taking a moment to enjoy the temporary peace when she suddenly has flashbacks of Tuklo, Chafa, and Lowak. Maya is then accosted by two masked individuals who knock her out and take her captive.
She awakens inside tied up and suspended in her uncle Henry's roller rink, who has also been taken hostage by his employee Vickie, his girlfriend, and their friend looking to collect the bounty on Maya's head for shooting Kingpin. The situation becomes even more complicated when Maya's cousin Bonnie comes to the rink to speak with Henry about Maya, but finds herself taken hostage as well.
The unexpected reunion sees Maya and Bonnie hash out some old wounds from Maya's departure while Henry attempts to talk Vickie out of his plan. Maya and Bonnie attempt an escape, but it fails as Bonnie is taken away to join Henry and the person Vickie called arrives.
The person in question is revealed to be Zane, leader of the Black Knife cartel and the man who oversaw the shipping center in New York City that Maya bombed. He makes his intentions clear immediately as he wants Maya, despite Vickie's attempts to collect on the bounty, and has his men begin searching the rink. Zane then kills Vickie while one of his accomplices is able to flee before the cartel is able to get her.
While this is unfolding, Maya second escape attempt is successful and she is able to knock out Vickie's other accomplice before Zane's men can find her. She starts picking off Zane's men one at a time in the backrooms before taking the fight to the central rink and, despite Maya's best efforts, she is forced to give up when Bonnie is held at gunpoint. Zane is about to kill them when he receives a phone call and is seemingly ordered away before anything can happen.
After the ordeal, Maya orders Bonnie away before anything else can happen to her while the former contemplates with Henry who could have called off. Henry suggests the only one who could was Fisk, who both believed to be dead. The encounter is enough, though, to get Henry to offer Maya his help in her war against Kingpin's empire.
The following day is a mostly quiet one for Maya as she receives her new and improved prosthetic leg from Skully. After an uneventful day, otherwise, the evening comes with a shock as Maya returns home to find Fisk waiting for her.
Review
Echo's third episode was definitely the slowest of the first three episodes thanks to it keeping the narrative focus on Maya's altercation with Zane and his men. It allowed for moments, such as Maya and Bonnie's reunion, to not feel as rushed as it could have during the first two episodes.
The narrative focus also put the action on centerstage with the episode's centerpiece roller rink fight that saw Maya taken on several cartel members across the building. While Maya was made to look like the best fighter, the weight and grittiness of the fight reinforces that Maya still has to work to take out whoever is in front of her at any given moment. She isn't made to look invincible, either, as she takes a fair beating over the course of the fight.
Article Continues Below
However, the action was juxtaposed by two of the season's weaker performances in Vickie and Zane.
Vickie, who is portrayed by Thomas E. Sullivan, never comes across as anything more than a generic underling during his screen time. Most of his dialogue only leans into these tropes with lines about seizing opportunity and money while starting to rethink the situation after the “big bad boss” arrives to see what Vickie has to offer.
On the other hand, Zane comes across as almost cartoonish whenever the camera is on him. Welsh actor Andrew Howard looks and sounds like he is chewing the scenery during his scenes to reinforce how “crazy” his character is, but it just ends up working against Echo's overall tone.
The weaker performances are offset by Devery Jacobs in her second MCU outing and first in live-action. Bonnie is certainly a far cry from the confident and powerful Kahhori from What If…?, but she is able to get across the earnest care and pain seeing Maya again after 20 years has caused her.
Ending Explained
The ending, however, makes it clear the audience is nearing the series' climax as Kingpin has inserted himself directly into the story. It remains to be seen what the interaction between Maya and Fisk will look like, especially after the season finale of Hawkeye, but it would not be surprising to see Fisk try to turn this to his advantage.
It also serves as a reminder that Maya's family aren't out of the crosshairs, either, as long as Fisk is around. Whether its in the comics or TV screen, Fisk will always try to ensure he has the most leverage in a situation so the outcome favors him.
Should you Stream Echo Season 1, Episode 3?
Despite some of the series' weakest performances, episode three of Echo is worth the watch.
The episode delivers what may be Echo's best overall action sequence with the roller rink fight, though Maya's one-on-one fight with Daredevil in episode one may still be the best individual action sequence. It even manages to deliver some earnest moments courtesy of Chula and Bonnie amid the violent beatings Maya dishes out.
Echo is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
