Follow the Arrow

Would you believe it? A major MCU character is teamed up with a young apprentice, poised to take his place in future films and--get this--it's a girl! Yeah, actually, that's gotten a bit repetitive, a bit fast. In this case, though, it's Hawkeye, a character no-one really cares about, and the replacement is played by Hailee Steinfeld, a talented actress. Certainly better than Jeremy Renner so, for once, it's a big upgrade.

I've only just seen the first two episodes--the third might be up by the time you see this--because I dragged my heels for a week. I've never managed to muster enthusiasm for Hawkeye in any of the movies and these MCU shows have been about 35% peaks and 65% valleys, in terms of quality. But I finally got around to Hawkeye last night and I'm glad I did. It's by far the most enjoyable premiere episode of any of the Disney+ MCU shows, partly because it aims pretty low. Kate Bishop (Steinfeld) is a spoiled rich kid, something I suspect the writers can identify with, whose close-up experience with the Battle of New York left a lasting impression. Years later, she's grown into an expert markswoman.

Meanwhile, Clint (Renner), whose name is tragically shown in all caps at one point "CLINT" with the L and I too close together, is just trying to have Christmas with his kids. Kate gets mixed up in some trouble involving his old Ronin suit and he finds he has to clean up the mess. Along the way, the two have some nifty father/daughter chemistry. But Steinfeld's quite good on her own and the best sequence so far is a swanky dinner party in which she sneaks downstairs dressed as a waiter. The combination of drama and comedy culminates in an action sequence that's good for how clumsy the girl is. So many fight scenes try to show the hero being flawless and unstoppable. It adds so much tension when she's fumbling around. Not to mention credibility.

The first episode, written by Jonathan Igla, is a cosy Christmas romp. The writing quality dips drastically in the second episode, written by Elisa Climent, as we follow Clint on a stupidly conceived and composed sidequest amongst a group of Larpers. But even that second episode has a nice, low-key vibe. It doesn't try too hard, which I think, in the end, was the problem with Loki.

Hawkeye is available on Disney+.

Twitter Sonnet #1497

As sectors shift, the kingly cookies fall.
Revamping champs, the elder shirt was cooked.
And here we scratch a record monkey call.
The final guest of Mars was lastly booked.
A decade's dust decides to frame the chair.
Describing walks we talked of using trains.
To scratch an itch we taught the lazy bear.
At early light we took the solar reins.
A steady pattern grouped the clothes in rank.
For tartan thoughts the lines recalled a cube.
Beyond the grassy brain we built a tank.
The knuckle curve creates a pasta tube.
Resolving bows we tied the weapon down.
Returning late we'd paint the early town.