Hawkeye Review: This Holiday Series Hits the Mark with Kate Bishop (Season 1 Episodes 1 and 2)

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the first two episodes of Hawkeye.

Hawkeye‘s two-part premiere is the gift that keeps on giving!

Drop all notions of what you expect from this festive mini-series because it’s tackling an entirely different tone and pacing than its processors. Even so, it stays true to the bruised and battered action-adventure branding that first caught our attention.

Clint Barton is trading in helicarriers and alien invasions for the authentic, grounded street-level superhero series this phase needs. But make no mistake, from the opening scene, this is Kate Bishop’s project to run away with.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday spin on the vigilante trope that plants Marvel’s trajectory firmly back on the streets of New York City, this spirited series delivers.

It is the closest we see Marvel come to Netflix’s era of street-level superheroes with a shockingly slow, character-driven pace reminiscent of Daredevil. However, the action sequences of Hawkeye are not overly stylistic either, coming off less like a blockbuster beatdown and more like Murdock’s messy boxing brawls.

In a twist worthy of Clint’s trick arrows, this show isn’t concerned with revisiting his involvement in the films. Instead, it’s devoted to exploring new material, a concept that could prove imperative when aiming for success with a six-episode run.

The premiere does swap Thanos for the Battle of New York, choosing to focus on the intersection of Kate and Clint’s lives. But, beyond Clint’s time as Ronin and Natasha’s death, this series does not pull a ton of story foundation from the film lore.

This adventure relies heavily on Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye comics to tell a condensed character-driven story, authentic to the Clint who exists beyond one-liners and secret farm families. These episodes keep the scope small and the antics faithful to the fun source material.

Comic fans will appreciate what Hawkeye is attempting here, with action sequences and antagonists jumping right off the page — and a few fun tweaks to keep readers on their toes.

Meet Kate Bishop

With Hawkeye‘s sights set on a new generation of Avengers, Kate Bishop arrives fully formed in the capable hands of Hailee Steinfeld.

The title suggests Clint is its central focus, but this series opens on Kate and spends most of the premiere’s nearly two-hour runtime exploring what makes her a unique addition to this superhero lineup.

Kate is no superhero by trade, but she’s a prodigy determined to master every artform. Hawkeye goes beyond the standard training montages to construct an opening credit sequence dedicated to that drive. When she picks up the bow, there are no doubts about her capabilities.

The series makes the valuable decision to keep Kate as close to her comic-book counterpart as possible. So she’s allowed to be a tangible 22-year-old girl with impulsive tendencies and innocence that gives her dangerous escapades a more upbeat Home Alone energy.

Simply put, Kate is a riot who causes her own chaos and grabs hold of this series with quirky tenacity. Her determination to pull Lucky the pizza dog into the narrative is commendable too.

You will have to see Steinfeld in action to appreciate everything she is doing with this character.

Taking Aim at Clint Barton 

Clint Barton has not always been the easiest Avenger to rally behind, and Hawkeye doesn’t look to make him more likeable. It does double down on what makes Clint such an interesting paradox of a man.

The films internalized much of his dialogue, and that is still the case here — however, the slower pacing forces Clint to wallow in that solitude for extended periods. There’s an emotional depth to his reserved nature, and Kate pushes a deeper persona out of him that Wanda merely grazed.

The Larping scene does not disappoint in these respects. It forces Clint to step outside his comfort zone, stumbling into a ridiculous situation the archer would never willingly subject himself to. Yet, it showcases his heart, the civilian lives he unknowingly touches, and how extraordinary his skill set is with perspective.

Those who are bitter Natasha died so Clint’s show could live; you need not worry. His survivor’s guilt is alive and well, rearing its ugly head in unexpected beats. Natasha may be gone, but you can feel her presence from the opening scene.

As for how Hawkeye explains his new hearing aid, the series does so in the most Clint Barton way possible. It is by far the best scene this premiere has to offer.

All the Fixings of a Promising Series

There’s a lot to love about Hawkeye‘s debut.

Kate and Clint are perfect foils for each other. Kate’s prods Clint to face his insecurities as the Avenger with no branding, and Clint brings out a nervousness in Kate that is comedically delightful. With Renner and Seinfeld’s organic chemistry, this off-kilter bantering feels like an extension of their characters.

Rogers: The Musical is hot garbage in the best ways. It boasts cringy dialogue and a complete disregard for the timeline with the incorporating of Ant-Man into the Battle of New York. What I wouldn’t give to have Chris Evans sing “I Can Do This All Day.”

Needless to say, Clint is not a fan.

Also, Marvel continues to diversify on the heels of Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari by introducing more deaf characters into the Phase 4 framework. These episodes incorporate adorable signing between Clint and his son into the mix, and Echo ensures her entrance is heard loud and clear.

Linda Cardellini is perfect as usual and it’s lovely to see her living her best life on the Barton farm.

I cannot help feeling like we learn more about Kate and Clint as individuals during these first two episodes than we ever did with Sam and Bucky in their spin-off series.

There aren’t nearly enough conflicting elements, holiday ambiance, or explosive action to ultimately sell this series just yet, but the lack of conflict robbing our character of screentime is rather refreshing. Much of this plot hinges on the actions of its main characters, as it should.

I doubt Hawkeye will manage to tell a meaningful story in such a small time frame, rendering the episode’s excellent pacing futile when the rest of the season struggles to catch up.

However, this holiday hit’s fascination with exploring the comics suggests it could have a clear start and endpoint; that these spin-offs are capable of studying characters with sincerity and finality. Of course, it’s a long shot to believe such things, but it is Christmas after all.

Tis the season for pizza-loving dogs, thugs in tracksuits, and campy Mr. Robot-esc criminal escapades. Hawkeye expertly wraps the story of these two loveable arrow-slinging superheroes up in one impressive-looking bow.

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What did you think of Hawkeye‘s series premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Hawkeye will air Wednesdays on Disney+.

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