You can almost always count on Marvel to deliver some satisfactory action at minimum and while I have a couple of notes, Hawkeye still gets the job done on that front. The action in Hawkeye is a lot of fun if your primary aim isn't to scrutinize everything. Kate and Clint are amazing archers and while their abilities are constantly on display, their great comedic banter also punctuates the action scenes. The choreography is also solid and delivers the requisite punches and kicks. My only complaint (which may or may not seem fair considering) is that things got just a little senseless/cartoonish at the end. I won't argue that those scenes weren't fun but while I was noticing things here and there in the earlier episodes, the finale went past my limit. I know that this might seem petty but minus the opening including the invasion of New York by the Chitauri, Hawkeye was going for something more grounded. Physics need not apply normally with Marvel but I find they do a better job of disguising in most of their releases. On my second viewing of Hawkeye, I couldn't help but notice it more frequently.
Despite the title, Hawkeye centres around Kate Bishop and her simultaneous pursuits to uncover the duplicity of her Uncle Jack and to prove herself to her idol Hawkeye aka Clint Barton. Kate's talented and charming but simultaneously clumsy and often awkward. She has little ability to filter herself but her heart's in the right place and genuinely wants to help Clint accomplish his goals as well. Watching her bounce around next to her hero while Clint remains stoic and emotionless was consistently enjoyable and it made her easy-to-like. Clint returns in Hawkeye and he's more focused on getting home for Xmas instead of getting wrapped up in Kate's business. He's still reeling from Natasha's departure and his self-created demons are continuing to haunt him. His reluctance to involve Kate is quickly evident and understandable. Kate's mom Eleanor is the steadying presence, she's tired of Kate's misadventures pretty quickly but tries to understand and relate to her. We get a fair amount of time with antagonist Maya Lopez and when you couple her formidable physical presence with her willingness to break bones to get answers, you don't want to mess with her.
You've probably seen Jeremy Renner playing Clint Barton before but I applaud his consistency and Hawkeye gives him more of a chance to show off his comedic chops. I'd call his work in previous Marvel films underrated. He's always been a supporting character in his Marvel appearances but I was happy that he got this chance. He's more than capable (watch his work in The Town) and he's good in Hawkeye. Hailee Steinfeld really shines as Kate, she's surprisingly funny and has a lot of shared chemistry with Renner. She nails Kate's clumsy yet completely confident demeanour and I hope we see more of her in the future as Kate. Florence Pugh swings in as Yelena and just like her work in Black Widow, she immediately steals almost every scene she's in. She has a seemingly effortless rapport with Steinfeld and she helps inject some life into Hawkeye to keep the proceedings humming. I liked Vera Farmiga as Eleanor, the way the show progresses changes the nature of her character and she shifts her performance accordingly. I can see why Alaqua Cox was such a fan favourite, she's intimidating from moment one but she adds a lot to what could have been a generic underboss character (minus the hearing problem which is done very respectfully). Linda Cardellini doesn't get a lot of screen time but she's a welcome addition as someone who gets Clint's mindset and cares about his well being. I didn't like Tony Dalton as Jack but I couldn't distinguish if the character was written to be really goofy or if that was how he was directed or if that was a result of his choices. It didn't ruin the show but it made it harder for me to care about his subplot when the arrows started flying and the swords began clanking.
Most of Marvel's TV shows air on the grittier side and Hawkeye represents a diversion from that path. There's an effort to be more comedic and they're centring it around Xmas and the holidays. This was a nice departure, I don't think Hawkeye would work as a dour drama and while I don't always love holiday-themed entertainment, I didn't mind that this was the chosen direction. Overall, I think the plot of the show is good as opposed to great, the mystery around Jack and the Tracksuit Mafia isn't mesmerizing or fraught with tension but it gives the characters something to do and it's diverting enough to keep Hawkeye firing along.
Hawkeye isn't an emotional roller coaster or a giant leap forward for Marvel TV but it's more of a throwback to when things weren't so serious and the fate of the world didn't always hang in the balance. Steinfeld, Renner and Pugh deliver the goods, the new characters justify their inclusion and Hawkeye refuses to get bogged down in anything too weighty. I laughed a lot and while it didn't 100% work for me at all times, I liked it a lot and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
