For the first time in its history, Marvel Studios went full binge with its latest streaming series, Echo. All five episodes of the show dropped simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu earlier this week, so by now, hopefully, you’ve had a chance to watch it.
Echo is solid. A new direction for Marvel, for sure, but also a bit of a gamble because it goes so far to distance itself from the universe it’s a part of. There are good things about it, and there are not-so-good things about it. We’re going to get into both.
We Liked: Alaqua Cox
Actually, it’s more than “Liked.” We loved her. When Cox’s Maya Lopez first appeared on Hawkeye, you instantly saw a star in the making. And yet, she was still a little green. Didn’t look super comfortable on screen. That has all changed with Echo. Cox is magnetic, captivating, and emotional. She gives a fantastic lead performance and instantly becomes a character you can picture alongside Anthony Mackie, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Holland, or whoever else is leading the future of the MCU.
We Liked: The action scenes
Considering the series is a kind of follow-up to Netflix’s Daredevil, Echo had a lot to live up to in terms of action. The action in that show is some of the most dynamic and visceral in Marvel’s TV history. Echo doesn’t quite hit that level, but it gets close. It’s got long-take, extended scenes. It’s got big set pieces, like the sequence in the roller rink. And then it’s even got personal, powerful scenes, like the one at the end of the series. Each action scene is unique, entertaining, and drives the story forward.
We Liked: The supporting cast
Honestly, if we wanted to extend this to 15 things we liked, every single member of the supporting cast deserves their own page. But, for your sanity and ours, we’ll just do this catch-all.
But yes, the supporting cast of Echo is excellent. Chaske Spencer as roller rink owner and uncle Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Maya’s grandma, Graham Greene as the local shop owner, Devery Jacobs (above) as Maya’s bestie Bonnie, and Cody Lightning as surefire MCU breakout Biscuits. Each is just so freaking good on the show. So human, so relatable, so lovable and real. They might even outshine Cox.
We Liked: The music
This might be a slightly weird one for a Marvel show, but the music in Echo really stood out for us. From the pop tunes in the roller rink, to the Indigenous language country jams at the powwow, Echo has a great soundtrack that gives the show an authentic, lived-in feel.
We Liked: Kingpin
Though his appearance does shift the balance of the show a little too much, Vincent D’Onofiro’s return as Kingpin is not to be missed. He gives the character such humanity that you almost forget he’s a terrible, ruthless crime boss. But when that comes out? Oh man, it comes out with ferocity. It’s a fantastic, almost evolution of his performance in the previous two shows and we can’t wait to see him more ahead.
We Liked: The Choctaw representation
Echo wouldn’t have been Echo had it not fully embraced that Maya Lopez is a Native American woman with Native American roots. And the show buys into that fully from its very first scene to its very last. We get to see generations of Choctaw people, their customs, their lifestyle, their personalities—all of it used as a way to help make Maya a singular, unique hero in the MCU.
We Liked: The end credits scene
In a show that fights so hard against being a part of the MCU, it feels a tad reductive to talk about its MCU-connecting end credits scene. Nevertheless, it’s in there. It’s part of the show. And it beautifully teases what’s next for these characters in the years ahead. A perfect send-off to the series. Read more specifics here.
We Didn’t Like: The pacing and structure
After a first episode that’s largely about filling in the blanks from the previous show, the next two episodes set up Maya as would-be Queen-Pin, only for that to go away when Kingpin arrives. Then the final two episodes become very much a showdown between the two characters—until, finally, in the last few minutes of a five-episode series, Maya gets the powers that have been hinted at since the very beginning, uses them, and it’s over.
Along the way, Maya runs away a lot, contemplates a lot, drives motorcycles a lot, and it’s all supposed to show her internal struggle but it just slows things down. The structure and pacing of the show both feel off and, as a result, none of the big payoffs land as well as they should.
We Didn’t Like: The timing of Maya’s powers
Now, we didn’t say we didn’t like the powers themselves. The way the show changes Echo’s comic book powers into something new yet comic-inspired was fantastic. That her powers can echo to her friends and give them temporary superpowers? And it’s all because she’s on a generational line of heroes? Love that all so much.
We said we didn’t like the timing. Though the origin of Maya’s powers is teased from the very first scene of the very first episode, we don’t see the full realization until the very, very end of the show. (It happens with about seven minutes left until the credits roll in episode five, basically 97% into the series.) As a result, Maya doesn’t get to explore those powers, talk about them, or learn about how she’ll use them in the future. As a result, the show ends up being more about her indecisiveness as opposed to her heroism.
We wish all that happened sooner and we got to see Echo the hero develop more. Instead, watching five episodes of Maya growing into that felt a bit too drawn out and stagnant.
We Didn’t Like: Marvel Spotlight
Echo is the first show in a new brand of Marvel called “Marvel Spotlight” which aims to focus more on street-level threats, as opposed to global ones, and give the filmmakers a chance to be a bit more R-rated with the content.
The problem is Echo feels incredibly tame for what was touted as potentially the darkest, most violent Marvel Studios show yet. Sure, there is some intense violence here and there—but if you were expecting Deadpool or Blade, Marvel Spotlight is not that. We were hoping it would go further but, instead, it just felt like a slightly elevated PG-13 rather than a hard R.