Hawkeye

This holiday season, the best gifts come with a bow.

– Hawkeye poster

OVERALL: Merry Christmas. Absolutely Merry Christmas! Hawkeye is now my new favorite Christmas show of all time and I will be watching it every Christmas season. Probably at others times as well. So. Good.

We’ve all wanted more of Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner.* He got to shine in a larger capacity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) from Avengers: Age of Ultron on to Endgame. Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton, is a complex character with extraordinary fighting skills and hand to eye abilities. He can REALLY shoot that bow! He, like his best friend, Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson) are exceptional fighters and spies and round out the Avengers team beautifully.

Renner has the star quality chops and charisma to carry a movie/show. He also can share with others – just like his character Hawkeye, and that makes all of his character’s stories so good.

As for the character Hawkeye, well there are actually two. Clint Barton is one and Kate Bishop is the other. They are both called Hawkeye and that just makes it fun. There are time in the comics when they will address each other as “Hawkeye”. It’s just good stuff. Hailee Steinfeld is perfect as Kate Bishop. She and Renner are excellent together and I would watch them banter for hours. I mean, I already have, so how about a season 2, 3, 4, and 5, Marvel.

I was so excited for this show. I really was. I knew there was a Black Widow movie and I wanted a focus on Hawkeye. A series on Disney+ is a perfect venue.

In case you couldn’t tell, I love this character and I loved this show. It was everything I wanted and more. There is a lot of heart in this show. Watching the characters figure out their lives and each other was a joy. All of the actors were solid. The script was phenomenal. The whole Christmas vibe, the good natured love and friendship, it is the feel good show I hoped for. It made me so happy on so many levels. Just enjoy your Christmas and watch Hawkeye.

POINTS:  Excellent acting. I love it when you can watch a show

PITFALLS:  Ok, ok, we LOVE Hawkeye. We LOVE Black Widow. However one of the great MCU mysteries is what happened in Budapest, first mentioned in Avengers. We get some insight during the Black Widow movie – well done Marvel. But let’s face it: We want a Budapest movie!! I got to tell Joss Whedon this when on the set of Age of Ultron and he sighed and said yes he knew that. Well, we are still waiting. Maybe a flashback mini-series? Maybe a revisiting with Yelena? Maybe all of the previously mentioned?

So, as far as pitfalls go, as you can see, there really aren’t any. J

FEMALE CHARACTER(S): Yes. We have Kate Bishop, so well played by Hailee Steinfeld. This show is really her origin story. It begins by see Clint Barton/Hawkeye help save the day by viewing scenes from the attack on New York City from Avengers.

CULTURAL PITFALL(S):  None.    

HIGH POINT(S): So Many!!

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

1. Kate and Yelena and Macaroni and Hot Sauce. Sigh. You know what I mean. Much of this scene was improvised. Kudos to both actresses who knew their characters so well.
2. Kate and Yelena: The Long Fight. OMG. Poetry in motion! Fabulous fight scene and character portrayal. Now that’s how it’s done.
3. Hawkeye Eye Roll/Sigh. As our hero, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, meets our heroine, Kate Bishop, and “works” with her he has several epic eye rolls and sighs. A few are featured in the trailer. So. Good.
4. Hard of Hearing. Finally! Clint Barton is one of the few comic book characters that is written hard of hearing and deaf. (Why Is Hawkeye Deaf? – Clint Barton’s Hearing Aids Explained) I’m so glad they showed this. It is part of who he is on many levels.
5. Loving Couple. It is a joy to see Hawkeye happily married to Laura as well as seeing her enjoy being married to him. Love their phone conversations. Two people who love each other and know each other well. It is good. I am tired of the hero always being alone/lonely. Time for some companionship and happiness.
6. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. If you are given 2 minutes in a Thor movie without introduction and you capture the screen, you have start power. Well done, Mr. Renner. Enjoy!

END POSSIBLE SPOILERS

BECHDEL TEST (Website): 3 of 3 – every episode. YES! Starting with episode 1 in the first five minutes and continuing throughout the series. It is good.

RACIAL BECHDEL TEST (Website): 2 of 3 – throughout the show. Yes there are characters and scenes and they are good.        

DVD/BLU-RAY and/or PURCHASE STREAMING WORTHY: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean I got Disney+ for the MCU. I will so buy Hawkeye on DVD/Blu-Ray when it becomes available.

LION PAW PRINTS: 4.5 of 5. It’s my Christmas show.

LINKS:

• Hawkeye – Official Website
• Hawkeye – IMDB
• Hawkeye (2021 TV Series) – Wikipedia
• Matt Fraction on how his beloved Hawkeye comic influenced the new Disney+ series
• Why Is Hawkeye Deaf? – Clint Barton’s Hearing Aids Explained

*And if you didn’t, then stop reading now, and don’t watch the show.