Better than expected
Summary
Echo is better than expected with more violence than your usual MCU fare with a scene stealing turn from Vincent D’Onofrio who once again shines as Wilson Fisk AKA The Kingpin. The problem is the show is less interesting when he’s not on screen, but there are a few impressive fight scenes even if they never match the lofty heights of Daredevil.
Plot: Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.
Review: I think a lot of people condemned this show before it was even out mostly due to how subpar recent Marvel outings have been. It’s understandable, but I was intrigued with Echo due to the inclusion of Vincent D’Onofrio as The Kingpin and the return of Daredevil.
Sadly, Daredevil is only in the first episode and it’s for one (admittedly awesome) fight, however the highlight of Echo is every scene featuring Kingpin. He is arguably my favourite villain of the MCU and every moment he is on screen is electrifying; he’s such an unpredictable character filled with rage that he could just snap at any moment. I would watch a series or even a movie just about him as every second of this show just reminds me how awesome Daredevil was on Netflix and it’s still the best thing Marvel has ever done. There are flashes of it here and this is a little darker and more violent than your usual MCU fare, but it’s never as graphic as Daredevil or Punisher. It doesn’t need to be either as this is telling the redemption story of Maya (Alaqua Cox) who you’ll remember from Hawkeye… if you watched it.
It really helps to have watched Hawkeye to understand who Maya is and how she is essentially a villain that has lost her way. She considers Fisk AKA Kingpin her uncle and he took care of her growing up; he molded her in his image after she moved to New York once her mother was killed in a car accident. Her father was a criminal who was involved with Fisk so once he was killed, Fisk was all Maya had… or so she thought.
In Echo, Maya returns to her hometown in Oklahoma where she slowly reconnects with her family and friends while also discovering the ancient power that resides within her. We get some interesting flashbacks featuring Native America culture and celebrating it. Graham Greene is always a welcome addition to the cast and he provides some of the humour, but he is also there just to help people.
I love how the character of Biscuits has a dog called Billy Jack which is a nice nod to the classic movie. Andrew Howard always makes for a good henchmen and he plays a character called Zane in this show, but I can’t for the life of me decipher what accent he is attempting. Is it meant to be Scottish or Irish? If so… oh dear.
My main issue with the show is that Maya isn’t remotely sympathetic; she is mean to everyone around her even those in her family, so it’s hard to root for her. Yes, this is about her redemption (which happens in the final episode) but up until then she behaves like a pouty child. I understand she’s filled with anger and resentment, but even after she has a moving discussion with her grandmother she storms out like Anakin Skywalker in the presence of sand.
What action we get is nicely choreographed with a few fight scenes, but there aren’t that many to really stand out; nothing that compares to Daredevil or Punisher, at least.
Overall, Echo is at its best when Kingpin is on screen, but there are a few decent fight scenes and the supporting cast elevate it; Alaqua Cox does the best she can with the character of Maya who for most of the show isn’t especially appealing, but that is the whole point of a character arc, I guess. It’s only 5 episodes and I binged it all in one day, so it was obviously easy to watch and well-paced making it one of the better Marvel shows of late.
