{"id":43393,"date":"2024-01-10T03:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T02:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1957201"},"modified":"2024-01-10T03:30:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T02:30:38","slug":"echo-review-marvel-miniseries-shouldnt-be-underestimated","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/echo-review-marvel-miniseries-shouldnt-be-underestimated\/","title":{"rendered":"Echo review: Marvel miniseries shouldn\u2019t be underestimated"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alaqua Cox shines in Marvel’s new offering. <\/p>

By Louise Griffin\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 10 January 2024 at 02:00 AM<\/p>

\n\n
<\/div> 3.0 out of 5 star rating<\/span> <\/span> <\/div> <\/div>

This review is based on the first three episodes of Marvel\u2019s Echo.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the midst of Marvel<\/a> fatigue, the franchise desperately needed to do something different.<\/p>\n

Is Echo<\/a> the perfect solution? No, but it\u2019s definitely a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

The new Disney Plus<\/a> series follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox)<\/a>, who was last seen in Hawkeye<\/a>, seeking bloody revenge on Kingpin (Vincent D\u2019Onofrio) for his involvement in the death of her biological father. Echo goes back to fill us in on Maya\u2019s back story, including her family, a tragic accident, and how she grew up, before showing the brutal consequences of her life in New York catching up with her.<\/p>\n

Based on three episodes available for review, the best decision Marvel could have possibly made was raising the age rating for the series. It\u2019s the franchise\u2019s first TV-MA series (generally not recommended for audiences under 17 years old) and the story just wouldn\u2019t have worked any other way.<\/p>\n

As is clearly intended, the show as a whole feels a little more comparable to Netflix\u2019s Daredevil, with plenty of action and fight scenes being gloriously brutal. Of course, a series can\u2019t be judged alone by its action, but for a character like Maya, this approach definitely works.<\/p>\n

There were plenty of doubts about a Hawkeye spin-off but, thankfully, Maya as a character is more than compelling enough to justify it, with Cox giving a stellar performance. As director Sydney Freeland<\/a> recently pointed out to RadioTimes.com<\/a>, Maya\u2019s a villain and, mercifully, that won\u2019t change. She\u2019s reckless, selfish, and blinded by her quest for revenge \u2013 and she\u2019s much more interesting to base a series on than some of Marvel\u2019s latest attempts.<\/p>\n

\"Vincent\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Vincent D\u2019Onofrio as Wilson Fisk\/Kingpin and Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Echo.<\/span><\/figcaption> Chuck Zlotnick\/Marvel<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

It\u2019s not a spoiler to say that we see D\u2019Onofrio\u2019s Kingpin back in business and it\u2019s a treat to see him return, even if his storyline is just a tad unbelievable. With an actor like D\u2019Onofrio and a character like Kingpin, we\u2019re willing to suspend the disbelief a little. Not to spoil too much, but other returning characters\u2019 appearances feel rushed, something I\u2019m hoping is put right in the final episodes.<\/p>\n

As we surely could have predicted, Marvel gets in its own way, positioning Echo as the first series under its \u2018Marvel Spotlight<\/a>\u2018 banner. Supposedly, knowledge of the wider MCU won\u2019t be a requirement to enjoy Echo. By the end of the first episode, it becomes clear that this is nonsense, and that a newcomer would have endless questions about how we got here. The show tries to remedy this by re-treading old ground (including literally just replaying a scene from Hawkeye), but it\u2019s a jarring attempt.<\/p>

Action replays aside, the quick pace of the show is a relief. While Marvel can have a habit of starting its series too slow and jam-packing everything into those final episodes, episode 1 of Echo quickly gets us into the rhythm of the show. It might be a lot of exposition all at once, but it\u2019s cleverly done. Something else that\u2019s cleverly done is how Freeland (who, crucially, is a Navajo filmmaker) decided to show Maya\u2019s connection to her Native American heritage and, hopefully, we\u2019ll see more of this in the final episodes.<\/p>\n

Of course, Echo is also breaking new ground in being the first Marvel series to feature a Deaf leading character. Maya\u2019s disabilities (she\u2019s also an amputee) aren\u2019t glossed over in any way but, at the same time, her identity isn\u2019t limited at all by their inclusion. They feel like a nuanced and necessary part of the story.<\/p>\n

Even without the arbitrary new banner of \u2018Marvel Spotlight\u2019, Echo still feels like something fresh \u2013 from the soundtrack to the action sequences, to the cast \u2013 and it\u2019s sure to prove those who underestimated it wrong. Rather than Marvel showing a lack of confidence in the series, the fact that it\u2019s shorter than usual (with five episodes) will hopefully help it to cut to the chase.<\/p>\n

Of course, the final episodes will need to nail the landing, something the franchise doesn\u2019t have a brilliant track record with as of late.<\/p>\n

Am I a fool to have hope? Please, Marvel, don\u2019t let me down again.<\/p>