Hawkeye – Enneagram and Encaustic

So This Is Christmas?

Well, rats. The Hawkeye finale is not up to the standards of the last few episodes. It’s fairly generic, with obligatory fight sequences and stilted humor.

Ah, I just noticed. The episodes I liked were directed by Bert and Bertie. The ones I didn’t were directed by someone else. Fascinating. Let’s jump in.

ONE

Stepping into frame is a cane and a large body in a suit. It’s Kingpin. This is his meeting with Eleanor that was teased at the end of last episode. We get a little backstory: her husband owed a small fortune to Kingpin when he died. Eleanor, working with him all these years, has repaid the debt ten times over. Now that Kate is getting close to the secret, Eleanor wants out. Kingpin is not happy.

TWO

The video of this scene plays on Kate’s phone. We’re back with her and Clint at the kitchen table. Kate freaks — I need to talk to her — and Clint says, Your mom needs our help. When Kate tries to send him home, Clint declares that they’re partners. “Your mess is my mess.”

THREE

We’re back at Kingpin’s lair, or whatever. (It’s a small room surrounded by colored hanging beads. No idea why.) Maya arrives to apologize, declare her loyalty, and ask for time off. Kazi, who’s already there, translates for her. Slowly and deliberately, Kingpin signs to her, I love you. She signs it back. After she leaves, Kingpin says to Kazi, “Maya, my Maya, has turned on us.”

Ronin

Hawkeye is on a roll. This penultimate episode is delicious.

LEFTOVER NINE

A snowy, wooded landscape. Over, we hear Natasha’s voice from Black Widow tasking Yelena with curing the Widows of their mind control. 2018. Tucked in the woods, a small mansion.

Sneaking on the roof and entering are Yelena and a sidekick. Inside, they surprise Anna, another Widow. Pause, and they battle like crazy until Yelena can hold her down and hit her with the antidote. Turns out Anna wasn’t brainwashed, and all this is a chance for some exposition. Yelena has helped many Widows. “It’s hard watching them wake.” Anna asks, How is your sister? (Emphasize Yelena’s relationship to Natasha, for those not up on the latest Marvel storylines.)

Yelena steps into Anna’s powder room and splashes her face. A pixelated disintegration, and the room changes color around her. Out she comes to a different decor. Confused, she’s ready to attack. A man and child play quietly, and from the corner comes Anna. “You’re back!” (Another representation of what it felt like to return from the Blip. Wandavision did this, which I enjoyed.)

So now it’s five years later. Anna catches Yelena up on life. “I was in for five seconds and I’ve lost five years,” Yelena says. “I need to find Natasha.” A long beat as we remember that, if there’s been a Blip, Natasha is dead. The screen goes black, and the Marvel logo runs.

Echoes/Partners, Am I Right?

I’ve combined Episode 3 with Episode 4.

Echoes

Finally, Hawkeye hits its stride. We’ve got a real show here!

ONE

A child at school in 2007. It’s not Kate, it’s someone new. Her world is silent. As the teacher’s lips move, subtitles appear. Seeing the child writing in a workbook, the teacher comes over and taps it. We see her name on the teacher’s lips: Maya. She’s a good student.

Now we have sound. Shadow puppets. It’s little Maya signing with her dad. Their relationship is absolutely charming. (Kudos to both actors.) She asks about dragons, and why she isn’t in a school with kids like her. Dad is sorry, he can’t pay for deaf school. She must learn to jump between two worlds.

In judo class little Maya watches as a larger boy shifts his weight and scores a takedown. Her dad observes class, then says her uncle will take her home. We see a black suit coat and a hand that lovingly pinches her cheek. (Subtle Easter egg there, for anyone looking.) Maya steps onto the mat, and now we see she’s also a right leg amputee with a prosthetic. Watching for the shift, she takes down the bigger boy.

Time passage, and it’s the Woman In The Red Light from last episode. In case we had any doubts, we see her leg prosthetic as she spars in a boxing ring. (I already totally love Maya.) She’s fierce as she watches for the shift again.

On a motorcycle, she arrives at a warehouse. Sneaking, she can see Ronin through the window stabbing and attacking. She runs inside, but it’s too late. Among the people dying is her dad. They sign with each other, and she cries. “Fly away from here, little dragon,” he says to her.

Run title logo.

Hide and Seek

Again, let me remind you that Hawkeye is a newly-dropped series, and spoilers abound in my breakdown. Critical Notes, as always, follow.

LEFTOVER NINE

We begin with last episode’s cliffhanger. Clint grabs Kate in the Ronin suit and unmasks her.

ONE

They introduce themselves and leave the alley. Run credit logo.

TWO

Walking down the street now, Kate peppers him with questions. Are you assessing threats? She’s clearly star-struck. Promoting herself a little, she calls herself the world’s greatest archer.

They’ve arrived at her large apartment over the pizza shop. When they enter, the dog greets them. It’s not her dog, she corrects Clint, and she inherited the place. Throughout, he is surprised and impressed by nothing.

THREE

(There is no Three.)

Never Meet Your Heroes

Spoilers for a just-dropped series, Hawkeye, follow. Beware. This is my first time Enneagram-blogging a show I’ve never seen before. I’ll be interested to see how my impressions change as the season rolls out.