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Even though Marvel television is not exactly canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was one consistent complaint about the shows that ran on ABC and Netflix from 2012 to 2019. This complaint was that these shows tended to go on a few episodes longer than they needed to, leading to storylines that went on unnecessary detours that did not add anything. For example, Agents of Shield took 17 episodes to develop a plot in the first season and Jessica Jones ended up with an episode where Kilgrave was in custody for a full episode before escaping back to the status quo.
Marvel Studios retook the reins when Disney+ launched and started 2021 with shows that tied directly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the promise that they would both reference and be referenced by the theatrical offerings. As WandaVision, Loki and even The Falcon and The Winter Soldier have shown, this appears to still be an issue even under the reshuffle. Hawkeye appears to continue this trend after two meandering episodes.
The episodes are not totally bad; Hailee Steinfeld does a great job playing Kate Bishop who is equally eager and sarcastic. There are a few moments that get a solid laugh and there are a few smaller character moments around Kate as she navigates the new status quo with her relationship with her mother that are genuinely emotional. The problem is Kate’s story is only half the show and the emotional resonance does not register on the second half of the show which follows Clint.
Clint is a strange character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because despite how much backstory and plot he is given to develop his character; the audience still does not connect with him the way that they do with the other characters. Hawkeye is no different and it is a fundamental problem when your title character is the least interesting part of the show. The show is very much an origin for Kate Bishop to take up the mantle of Hawkeye as it’s passed down from Clint Barton but there has yet to be a narrative reason why Clint needs to be involved with this transaction at all.
Clint’s existence in the story is part of a larger narrative problem, namely that his subplots in the show seem to be more about padding the runtime of each episode more than actually creating an important impact on the story. At some point in the writing process when someone articulates the idea of a five-minute musical number from a fictional musical about Steve Rodgers, someone should question if there is enough material for a six hour event series. The same question should be asked when in the next episode there is a 15-minute detour to a LARP event where Clint has to play-fight his way to get his Ronin costume back. It’s silly way to pad the runtime but it is painfully transparent.
In all, this show is off to a better start than WandaVision, but that is a pretty low bar to have to beat since the pilot and second episode of WandaVision were borderline nonsensical. The sooner Clint goes back to his family on the farm the better because any time he is on screen so far, the show has been worse off for it.
Rating: 7.5/10
