Hawkeye Review: Jeremy Renner & Hailee Steinfeld's MCU show is a unique festive treat for the holiday season

Hawkeye

Hawkeye Cast: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh

Hawkeye Creator: Jonathan Igla

Hawkeye Stars: 3.5/5 

One of the good parts of 2021 has been that the year was packed with releases of Marvel shows beginning from WandaVision to finally conclude 2021 with Hawkeye. A look at all the shows including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and What If...?, Hawkeye comes across as one of Marvel's most experimental takes, as it not only introduces a new character but also puts the spotlight on that Avenger who may not have enjoyed a bigger fan base than what he may gain after this show. In one of the important moments on the show, Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop reminds Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton that she believes him and wants to be like Hawkeye because she felt the safest after watching him take on Aliens with just a bow and arrow. 

The first season of Hawkeye concluded with six episodes and as promised by Marvel Head Kevin Feige, the show certainly managed to bring Christmas early.  Introducing us to Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop to MCU, Hawkeye managed to give us another amazing female character that is worth rooting for. With a fairly simplistic premise, the show mainly rested on Steinfeld and Renner's performance to elevate it further. 

Taking off from a  young Kate Bishop watching Hawkeye take on the aliens during an attack that took place in New York, the show soon showcases how Bishop stuck to her dream of becoming a protector for her family in a similar way as that of Hawkeye and took up archery as her means to do it. Calling herself one of the world's greatest archers, Kate's first meeting with Clint happens after a rather dangerous incident that results in her wearing Ronin's costume while fighting off members of the tracksuit mafia in New York. Even as it's Ronin that first connects Kate and Clint together, it's eventually Hawkeye who becomes her teacher and a team partner when needed later on the show. 

Considering how much little has been explored in the Marvel films when it comes to Hawkeye's character, it's interesting to meet his superhero at a point in life when he may be ready to hang up his suit and enjoy a quiet family life, all the while still dealing with the emotional burden of losing Natasha Romanoff. While the show portrays this side of Hawkeye not much in detail, there remains a focus more on his new relationship building with his protege, Kate Bishop. Kate idolizes Clint and to watch her remind him that he's an Avenger who deserves better, it's a treat. 

While Renner brings depth to his character and carries the emotional scenes with immense talent, Hailee Steinfeld is like the spirit of Christmas that just makes everything delightful. Steinfeld gets to bring the laughs with her quirky lines and Renner balances the show out with his maturity and devil-may-care attitude. They're a perfect match as they play off each other's energies in the right amounts to bring on-screen Clint and Kate's duo who may find themselves forced to team up together at the beginning but by the end of the show, they are partners no one would want to mess with. 

Even as the show finds its biggest strength with Clint and Kate's storyline, there are other multiple threads that the story is also tackling with the involvement of characters of Maya Lopez ( (Alaqua Cox) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). Even as Natasha's sister who was introduced in Marvel with Black Widow, makes an entry at a crucial point in the story, her final showdown with Clint and their discussion on Natasha's death seemed a tad hurried. The same goes for the series' villain, the criminal overlord Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) whose introduction in the finale episode seems a  little unsatisfactory.  It's the Daredevil crossover we were all looking for but there's only a glimpse of it here, to begin with. 

The idea of a Christmas themed Marvel show may have sounded absurd at the start but by the end of the show, you will realise it's rather fitting. Apart from the fact that it's set during Christmas time in New York, there are several other elements that mark the celebration of holiday spirit on the show. Clint is no less than a Santa Claus for Kate as he introduces her to trick arrows and hands them over to her during a crucial action scene. The effects of these trick arrows remind us of Home Alone's Kevin McCallister's trickery while chasing down thieves from his home. From the use of Christmas classics in its soundtrack to a nod to Rocky the owl from Rockerfeller centre's Christmas tree who had made the news, Hawkeye offers little Christmas treats all through the show. The action in the show finds a strange balance between looking deadly but at the same time immensely enjoyable with Kate's hilarious commentary mid-fight. 

ALSO READ: Hawkeye Ep 6 Takeaways: Jeremy Renner & Hailee Steinfeld bring Christmas fireworks early in a crackling finale

Under  Rhys Thomas' vision, Hawkeye soars as a show that's unassuming. With Hawkeye, there are a lot of interesting ideas that are explored including the inclusion of the Avengers musical which features at the end of the finale. Yes, Hawkeye ditches Marvel's usual tradition of adding a post-credits scene to the show but instead gives a musical. Under Thomas' direction Hawkeye's character gets a fresh take and compared to all the other Marvel shows this year, it brings us a comparatively light entertainment interlaced with emotional scenes. 

To conclude the year on a positive note, Hawkeye seems Marvel's perfect Christmas gift with a finale that will put a smile on your face, especially after the bawling you have indulged in after Spider-Man: No Way Home's release last week.