Episode 4 of "Hawkeye" has landed, and the series is proving yet again that it can bring
the drama and the fun on a much smaller scale than big-budget MCU properties. The show is
doing a fantastic job of building the relationship between Clint and Kate, who had some very
high highs and very low lows this week.
This week's installment was all about Clint and Kate's partnership, which the former eventually
seems to surrender to after three episodes of hesitation. Kate has been pushing for their
team status from the get-go, and things were finally starting to go her way — until the
ending, that is.
The episode picks up with Eleanor and Jack catching Clint and Kate in the penthouse,
and the foursome sits down and has a rather awkward chat. After admitting that he's working
with Kate, Clint leaves and is warned by Eleanor to take it easy with her daughter, since tragedy
seems to follow him.
After he leaves, she calls someone on the phone and leaves a message saying she needs
to talk about something urgent. Who is she talking to? Our guess is Kingpin, who did
not show up in this episode despite many rumors suggesting he'd make an appearance in a post-credits
scene.
Eleanor's phone call is just another tease at the looming threat in "Hawkeye," after
three episodes worth of red-herrings. The mention of "Uncle" in Episode 3 got the Kingpin
buzz going, especially after we saw a mystery man pinch young Echo's cheek.
The mystery phone call is not to Jack, since he was in the penthouse at the time, and Echo
and Kazi are both unlikely candidates. This phone call was probably for someone we haven't
seen yet in the show, and all signs are pointing to Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk, who we are all
impatiently waiting to see in his broad-shouldered glory.
*Laughs*
After he leaves Kate's penthouse, Clint makes a phone call to the most understanding woman
in the world to tell her he's going to need another day. Laura is as sympathetic to the
cause as she's always been, but something different about the couple's conversation
is worth a second look. She's already been doing some detective work for Clint after
he texted her for some info on Sloan LTD — after recovering his Ronin sword — and Laura seems
to have some skills we've never been privy to.
Laura lets Clint know that Jack is the CEO of Sloan LTD, and it only took her mere minutes
to come up with this information. How is she researching and getting answers so quickly?
Has she just picked up research skills from her husband over the years? Probably not,
and here's why. Swapping English for German to confuse her kids, Laura asks Clint if anything
else went missing from the Avengers Compound. He immediately knows she's talking about the
Rolex — which we saw at the auction in Episode 1 — and says he thought it was destroyed
years ago. Laura agrees, but then says she felt the same way about the Ronin suit.
Clint decides to look into it, and we get the sense that this Rolex is connected to
Laura somehow. She seems very concerned that it could be in the wrong hands, and the episode
turns to a recovery mission of the stolen watch.
Signs suggest that Laura might have a secret history, especially after Clint tells Kate
the person connected to the watch has been, quote, "out of the game for a long time."
Was Laura a former SHIELD agent? Is that how she met Clint? Some fans on Twitter are suggesting
Laura is Mockingbird, Hawkeye's ex-wife (but current girlfriend) from the comics. It's
a lot to unpack, but hopefully, we'll get more on that in future episodes.
When Clint and Kate's mission turns toward the Rolex, they track it to a mysterious apartment.
Kate gets herself inside and finds the watch reasonably quickly, but it's also sitting
next to a notebook with the names and ages of Clint's family on it.
In the middle of the recovery, Clint deduces that Kate is in Echo's apartment after realizing
the mysterious strobe lights are a silent alarm. Kate is then surprised by Echo, and
the two begin to fight in the apartment while Clint is on the nearby rooftop also being
attacked by someone he thinks is Echo.
The foursome all end up together on the rooftop, and a well-choreographed group fight ensues.
Clint's assailant is fully-masked and remains a mystery to him and us until the end. We
get the sense he has an idea of who he's fighting based on their attack style and weapons used,
and the big reveal happens just before the episode ends.
Yelena Belova — last seen in "Black Widow" — has made her way to New York and seems
hellbent on taking out Clint as vengeance for the death of Natasha. After her mask is
off, she escapes by launching herself off the building and is gone into the night.
It's here that there is a rift in the relationship between Kate and Clint, as he declares they
are not partners and never were. Clint informs Kate that someone has hired a Black Widow
assassin, and he's going solo.
"This has gotten very real, very quickly."
The appearance of a Black Widow has brought out the grief in him yet again, and this debacle
is now so much more than squashing the Ronin identity. However, he does not appear to know
that this is Yelena. Did Nat even tell him about her adoptive sister? There are so many
unanswered questions, but hopefully, we'll get some clarity in Episode 5.
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