Echo | Review by: Stefano Bove
Maya Lopez returns in her very own, self-titled series Echo. The series takes place five months after the events of the Hawkeye series. Maya reconnects with her family, culture and the sins of her past with Wilson Fist coming back to haunt her.
Immediately as the first episode begins, you feel everything about the show is unlike any previous marvel entry. From the tone, the score and the violence; everything about this show resembles that of the Daredevil series that we all know and love. Marvel may not have wanted to take the risk for a mature title on a larger character but in turn, the risk was worth it because Echo is one of the strongest Disney plus entries to date.
Maya is one of the most grounded characters in the MCU and it is because of Alaqua Cox and her strong and emotional performance. The ensemble cast of characters are all family members and part of her Choctaw culture that is explored over the five episode arc. This reintroduction acts as a origin story even though we have already met Maya before. Maya begins having visions of the ancestral woman who came before her and has no clue what the visions mean until she faces her family and the visions head on. In order to create this backstory, Marvel worked alongside The Choctaw and IllumiNative organization to adapt an authentic representation of the people.
Very similar to Daredevil, the sound design is an integral part of the show and allows us to connect to Maya. In many cases, sound is either turned off or we are put in her perspective and it is silent which is meant to throw our senses off guard while viewing which truly makes it an immersive experience unlike any other. Maya is such a badass and her fighting style emphasises this, The fight scenes are aggressive and painfully realistic. The brilliant camera work adds weight to the fight scenes and choreography as it seamlessly follows the action.
As the demographic of the MCU continues to age, fans have been begging for more adult content. Echo is the MCU's first entry into mature content and it does not disappoint. This show is not just for fans of the MCU but meant to reach a much larger audience. This is the direction that superhero content needs to pursue in order to widen its audience.
All five episodes of Echo are now available on Disney plus.
4/5
Review by: Stefano Bove
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