In one of the most important episodes of any Phase Four MCU project, Clint becomes Ronin once again, Echo learns that there’s a rat in the TSM, Jacques Duquesne gets brought in by the police on suspicion of murder, and a character decides definitively they were born to be a superhero. All that, and that’s even leaving out two of the most important characters to appear! Let’s do away with most of this preamble and jump right in.
Fair warning: spoilers incoming!
1. The Godfather
Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way, since, in internet terms, this is old news. The Kingpin has arrived. The Kingpin is back! Heavily rumored to be involved in the behind the scenes dealings of the MCU Proper, it was unknown if actor Vincent D’Onofrio would be reprising his role. A fan-favorite character (both offscreen and on), the character has ties not only to the Hawkeyes from Fraction’s run on the comic, but now, it seems, heavy connections with the Hawkeyes here, too. The mercurial crimelord is shown only in a grainy camera phone picture, but the immaculate drip and imposing bulk of D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk is crystal clear. And working alongside Eleanor Bishop, no less. A couple weeks back I said I’d eat my hat if Derek Bishop wasn’t the “Big Man” working behind the scenes, and folks, poly/wool blends can really sour the tummy. Part of me really didn’t think Feige was willing to pull the trigger on bringing the Netflix gang into the MCU proper, the down-the-nose sneer from silver screen to television has a long, and continuing history, and I figured they would just recast those roles. Not once, but twice this week, I have been proven wrong. The willingness to connect many decades of Marvel’s live-action history is apparent, and definitely thrilling! Though I doubt Fisk plays a huge role in this upcoming last episode (favoring instead Farmiga’s Eleanor as the main antagonist), it’s an exciting notion of things to come, and a welcome sight for many fans saddened by the cancellation of “Daredevil.” As the MCM (Marvel Cinematic Multiverse) continues to grow, I expect many more strange, fun permutations in store!
2. The French (okay, Russian) Connection
The pieces start to fall dramatically into place this episode, and an absolute queen hits the board in Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, aka “Black Widow v. 2.0.” If you read this column last week, you’ll know I wasn’t exactly thrilled by Yelena’s entrance at the end of episode 4 – where she had zero dialogue, and most of her fight sequence was done wearing a mask. This week, Pugh pretty much dominates the episode – with considerable screen time given to exploring her whereabouts during the SNAP and BLIP. One of the things I’m most curious about as the MCU continues to develop is the bandwidth they give to explaining the ever-expanding universe. Whereas ol’ Stan could hit readers with a simple “See Issue #262, True Believers!” Editor’s Note, I get the sense that repeating or acknowledging the Canon will prove to be cumbersome. Smartly, this Phase Four seems intent on developing the existence of the Multiverse, and the idea that Phase Seven or Eight might just be a hard reboot into one of those other ‘verses is an intriguing premise. But back to the episode! Questionable Russian accent aside, Pugh gets to run the gamut in “Ronin,” using her considerable acting talent and screen presence to help give real emotion to the loss of Natasha – something we really didn’t get on the big-screen. She also passes the Whedon Test, scoring very high on the Quip-O-Meter, requisite of all Marvel talent these days. Snark aside, I loved Pugh in the underwhelming Black Widow movie, and her scenes here, primarily the one playing off of Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, were yet another exciting promise of things to come for the MCU.
3. The Conversation
We get some great one-on-one convos this episode – from Eleanor’s tender and truthful (though certainly ulterior motives are at play, too) heart-to-heart with a dispirited Kate, Clint’s memorial-side, tearful confession to a fallen friend, Maya and Clint’s post-battle argument, and even Maya’s suspicious prodding of Kazi’s whereabouts on the night of her father’s death, each of these scenes are some really affecting character work as we head towards the final. None, however, were more important to the future of the MCU than the conversation between Kate and Yelena in Kate’s recently torched apartment. If the Young Avengers are going to be a thing, these two actors will likely play a major role in the success of that endeavor, and so figuring out the dynamic these two will share is paramount. Pugh’s Yelena dominates the conversation with a coy and casual menace, the years of her training (as compared to Kate) are more than just trophies and ribbons – but a fight for survival. Kate fully understands the danger she’s in, a mouse being played with, and credit to Steinfeld for playing this scene with a good mix of Kate’s fearlessness and resilience mixed with a recognition and healthy respect for her betters. While I enjoyed the scene and its place in the overall scheming of a new MCU, the quips flew too fast, and all too frequent, to give the scene the menace it could have had. Compare it to Natasha’s first meeting with Bruce Banner, a scene that was taut and claustrophobic, and a palpable sense of Ruffalo’s Banner being infinitely more dangerous than he appears. While Yelena does seem dangerous, it’s almost too playful. Disney shouldn’t be afraid to lean into these Black Ops characters not exactly being good people.
Continued below4. The Long Goodbye
Clint, meanwhile, is having a long, dark night of the soul. Away from his family and knowing that the enemy knows who they are, Clint is now face-to-face with the danger he unwittingly brought upon them during his time as Ronin. With a black widow added to the mix, Clint makes another call to Laura, to finalize plans, and perhaps even say goodbye. The walls are closing in, and out of options, Clint dons the Ronin costume one last time, but not without first asking for forgiveness from his best friend. I mentioned earlier that we’re finally getting a chance to see characters truly grieve over the loss of Nat. While “Endgame” gave us a gaudy denouement for Tony Stark, it allowed only a couple moments for Nat’s sacrifice to sink in – one likely more permanent than even Stark’s. Let’s keep in mind Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha was around for almost as long as Downey’s Stark, and certainly acted as the glue that tried (sometimes desperately) to keep the Avengers a cohesive unit. So when Clint goes to the simple plaque memorializing the formation of the MCU’s premiere supergroup and has a chat with Natasha, it’s a deeply affecting moment that helps give her sacrifice the resolution it deserves. Natasha’s presence, even in death, is still felt.
5. Mean Streets
In an odd turn of events, midway through the episode we see Jacques Duquesne getting carried off by detectives, who are looking further into the death of Jacques uncle Armand, and now the criminal shell corporation “Sloan Ltd.” that Jacques supposedly operates. Eleanor confesses (almost eagerly) to Kate that she turned Jacques in – and while Kate is reeling from this, Clint beckons Maya to meet him (via a clever “messenger” arrow sent to the TSM goons). Though Clint asks Maya to meet him alone, she of course brings the entire Tracksuit Mafia along with her. No match for Ronin, the TSM fall quickly, and Ronin and Maya duke it out at the same garage where Ronin killed her father. Ronin, looming over Maya and ready to make the killing blow, unmasks himself. Clint, risking it all, tries to reason with Maya. Living your life as a weapon, for anyone, leads only down a road of self-destruction, with Clint being living proof. As an olive branch, he offers to Maya a bit of information: that someone in the Tracksuit Mafia tipped Ronin off to the TSM hideout. All signs point to Kazi, and Maya knows it. The rat in the organization was just as responsible for the death of William Lopez as the weapon that was used to kill him. As cracks within the organization begin to show, and Yelena successfully tracks down the person/people who hired her to kill Clint, the powder keg everything rests on reveals itself. Eleanor, working with Kingpin, hired Yelena to kill Clint Barton. With one episode left, the keg is about to go off.
Stray Arrows
– Shoutout to Clayton Bishop for his role as “Grills,” which is, ostensibly, a Fraction-era Hawkeye side-character that is recreated in the series in name only. In his few short scenes, Bishop gives Grills a charming sense of normalcy in an abnormal world. You can tell he admires Clint Barton without being a fanboy.
– Another great set of music choices this episode – the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmastime is Here” while Clint glumly walks the streets of NYC, Charlie Brown-style was terrific.
– Yelena’s throwaway line about the “new and improved” Statue of Liberty, I think, is a “Spider-Man: No Way Home” non-spoiler spoiler! Product integration!
– I don’t think Pizza Dog should ONLY eat pizza. That is clearly not a great diet for a dog.
– I was hoping for more depth to Echo a couple episodes ago, and we seem to be getting it. I spoke too soon! Her relationship with Kaz seems really nuanced, which makes his betrayal all the more affecting.
– Farmiga/Eleanor again wore a monochromatic outfit. Villain Coding 101, folks!
So – what are your thoughts on episode five? Are you excited to see Wilson Fisk and the rest of the Netflix gang’s peanut butter in your MCU chocolate? Let me know in the comments below!
