The following article contains spoilers for Hawkeye Episode 2.
If there’s one thing Disney has kept a good eye on is nailing exactly the right dose viewers need to get hooked on each of its Marvel series and Hawkeye is no exception. Just like WandaVision, Hawkeye benefits greatly from having its first two episodes premiered back-to-back on the same day as the show can put Clint Barton and Kate Bishop’s relationship in the spotlight for part two.
Despite having fewer episodes and an overall longer runtime for each one than WandaVision’s sitcom-sized portions, Hawkeye’s double-feature must be considered a win as early impressions point to the pair’s chemistry being of utmost importance for the show to succeed. In that regard, things are looking good as Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld deliver the type of banter both actors had teased prior to the show’s premiere that makes this duo a thrill to watch anytime they’re together on-screen, whether it’d be planned or not.
Things pick up immediately from the moment Clint slams Kate against the wall only to find out the person who revived his Ronin identity is “just” a young girl. However, soon after they head back to her apartment they find out Kate’s made some clear rookie OpSec mistakes keeping her brand new persona safe. As the Tracksuit Mafia hunts the pair down, they manage to escape the burning place though not without grabbing Lucky the Pizza Dog who continues to be just as lovely this time around.
All this leads to Clint and Kate going on what is a disappointing pharmacy run for the young archer, who’s obviously eager to learn more about her hero’s way of operating during missions. In any case, the biggest takeaway here is how Hawkeye uses this extra time settling down and planning at aunt Moira Brandon’s apartment to give its two protagonists the type of exposition and personal nuance that’s often missing in MCU movies.
Hawkeye also does something no other Marvel Studios production (again, not counting Spider-Man) has done so far: it brings New York to the forefront, which is where large parts of the show were shot, as the city’s backgrounds adorn the heroes' conversations. These include Kate poking fun at Hawkeye being the lamest Avenger of them all, due to what she calls a “branding problem”, and even some brief flashbacks to some of the explosions that might have cost Clint part of his hearing.
Clint is obviously not ready to assume a father figure role in Kate’s life at this stage and the show makes it clear that when he says goodbye to his family he’s looking at the current situation solely as pending work from his Ronin past. Meanwhile, Kate has her own personal struggles to deal with as the audience learns exactly where the Bishop’s family wealth comes from and what kind of plans she has for her mother’s fiance, Jack Duquesne.
Of course, a much-needed break comes before that and it involves Clint tracking down who among the firemen took the Ronin suit from Kate’s apartment. Though this bit leads to one of the funniest scenes in MCU history, the setup is just as important as it shows Barton swiftly going back to the apartment to showcase his stealth agent skills (think Sam Fisher Splinter Cell) before he became Hawkeye.
That aside, having the very serious and now grumpy Hawkeye attend a role-playing event more than justifies watching this episode by itself, and the way the camera is used to portray the triviality of the whole situation is simply brilliant.
Nevertheless, Hawkeye is proving to be a show that isn’t afraid to blend light-hearted fun with drama as Kate’s dinner appointment with Eleanor and Jack turns dark when she confronts him about his real intentions. Although Jack Duquesne’s Swordsman identity from the comics makes him the prime suspect for his uncle’s murder, Kate’s findings and suspicions are perhaps better taken with a grain of salt due to every Marvel show so far being so adept at playing its cards close to its chest.
The episode resolves with Clint telling his wife he’s going to get caught by the Tracksuit Mafia on purpose so he can find out more, a moment that reveals the beauty of the couple's relationship, one in which they truly have no secrets. On Kate’s end, her inner fangirl causes her to break her no-texting agreement with Clint before putting both in greater danger during a failed rescue attempt.
After a full movie's worth of Hawkeye, the series is already one-third of the way through its story (five days until Christmas), however, Echo’s introduction and Jack’s shadiness already make for intriguing plot points that will likely be superseded by Yelena Belova’s appearance and a potential Kingpin cameo. For now, the show rests on the shoulders of Clint, Kate, and whatever chemistry they may have, and though luckily they’re a really fun duo to watch even after only knowing each other for a few hours, there's still a lot of story waiting to be built here for it to become great.