12 Reviews of Christmas - Hawkeye (2021)

         Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've reached the penultimate entry of 12 Reviews of Christmas. And for today's review, I'd like to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the Disney+ Original Series: Hawkeye, which began airing on November 24, and wrapped up just yesterday. 

        So, the series focuses on Clint Barton, who is in New York City trying to make amends for his actions during his time as the hooded vigilante Ronin. It's here that he also meets Kate Bishop, a girl who he saved years earlier during the events of The Avengers. The event led to Kate idolizing Clint, and working to become a master archer just like him. Clint and Kate also find and rescue a pizza-loving stray dog that Kate calls Lucky. 

      Clint and Kate end up in the cross hairs of the Tracksuit Mafia, which is led by Maya Lopez, a deaf Native American woman whose father was killed years before, apparently by Ronin. We also learn that the Tracksuits have a boss just above Maya, whose identity I will get into later. However, Clint and Kate learn that Kate's mother, Eleanor Bishop, and her fiance Jack Duquesne, may have ties to the Tracksuits, with Duquesne apparently running a shell company called Sloan Limited. So, Kate tries to link Duquesne to the goings-on with the Tracksuits, while Maya tries to bring both Clint and Kate down for what Ronin did to her father, and, oh yeah, Yelena Belova, who we learn was snapped from existence during the Blip, has arrived in New York, hired to kill Clint. 

         Now, while I normally am not one for spoilers, I'm going into it with this, because it's a Disney+ series, so it's not the same as spoiling a movie. Anyway, it turns out that Eleanor had Duquesne framed, and she also hired Yelena. But why? Because she's working with the boss of the Tracksuits: Wilson Fisk aka the Kingpin. So, the final fights take place: Kate and Clint vs the Tracksuits, Kate vs Fisk, and Clint vs Yelena. During these fights, Clint reveals the truth that Yelena was look for regarding the death of her sister Natasha. Maya turns on the Tracksuits, Eleanor is arrested for her wrong doings, and Yelena, now satisfied, takes off as the police arrive. After it all, Clint and Kate head to the Barton farm to spend Christmas with Clint's family, with Clint return a watch to his wife Laura, with the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia on the back, marked Agent 19, and Clint and Kate burn the Ronin suit. 

           So, I thoroughly enjoyed this series, especially with the performances by Jeremy Renner as Clint, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate, Vera Farmiga as Eleanor, Alaqua Cox as Maya, and Fra Fee as Kazi (Maya's translator and lieutenant). I also thoroughly enjoyed the appearances of Florence Pugh as Yelena and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk (reprising his role from the Netflix series Daredevil). I especially loved the scenes with Florence Pugh as Yelena and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate. The two of them together are just so fun to watch, and I definitely want to see them in a team-up project in the near future. 

          Now, I also like that this series was set at Christmas time, because it really gives a sense of urgency. Clint has to make amends for his past before he can return home to his wife and children for the Christmas holiday. The action and  humor was decent, but unfortunately it also feels really on par with a lot of other Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. 

        Overall, as far as the MCU Disney+ series go, I definitely rank Hawkeye above shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If...?, and Loki, and about equal to WandaVision just in terms of my personal enjoyment. This is definitely a fun series to watch with family and fellow Marvel fans for the Christmas holiday season. I give Hawkeye a rating of 5/5. Now, it has been confirmed that we will be getting a spin-off series called Echo, which will see the return of Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. So, definitely look forward to that.

        This is Chuck signing off. Be sure to join me tomorrow for the conclusion of 12 Reviews of Christmas. What will I be reviewing? Well, you'll just have to see for yourselves. 

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