“Echo”: Another boring, bloated, annoying offering from Marvel

• Release Date: 10/01/2024
• Platform: Netflix
• Cast: Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio,Chaske Spencer
• Director: Sydney Freeland, Catriona McKenzie

“Representation Over Action and Thrills: Dissecting Echo’s Overt Identity Crisis in the Superhero Genre”

“Echo” is a 5-episode origin story for the character of Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), who appeared in Marvel’s “Hawkeye” series that I didn’t care to watch. You may ask, why I chose to watch this series, and the reasons for that are simple. I was interested to see Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Daredevil (Charlie Cox) in a series together with Alaqua Cox as Maya, who I felt could have been an interesting character if played and envisioned right. I was also impressed by the action sequences that I saw in the trailer and felt that they could have done something impressive here. The TV Mature rating of the show also made it interesting, as I believed that there would be some serious violence and fighting like Netflix’s immensely superior Daredevil series. If that was not all, this was the first time that a series was set up well by its trailer and looked impressive. The only thing that was lingering on my mind was a leaked action sequence between Daredevil and Maya Lopez that looked really terrible. I was just hoping that the rest of the series’ action was not as terrible and it was only a passing sequence that was probably a stunt test before the real thing was shot.

Unfortunately, “Echo” is yet another boring, bloated, and annoying offering from Marvel, where we are forced to watch something that, half of the time, makes us question why we are watching in the first place. The first episode of the series is a flashback into the past of Maya Lopez, and a large chunk of it is taken directly out of “Hawkeye.” For those who haven’t seen “Hawkeye”, like myself, it would be increasingly difficult to carry through with the proceedings in this episode as the plot points jump between different times lines and major events expecting the viewer to have a prior idea of all that had previously occurred in the Marvel series leading up to this series. It is only from the second episode that there comes a semblance of order in the screenplay of the series, but it is also from this point that the series settles into such a boring, generic, and plainly stupid storytelling pathway that I couldn’t believe that I was watching a superhero origin story.

Forced and prolonged representation of Native Americans accounts for very little in the story:

What the Americans did to the Native Americans was monstrous. I am glad that modern Americans and the rest of the world are finally waking up to it and taking steps to remember and honour the memory and the wrongs that were done to the natives. Martin Scorsese, earlier last year, gave us one of the best films of the year that was based on the Osage murders. It was more of a tribute to the violent abuse that the Osage Nation had to endure at the hands of their American oppressors. It was a tribute that was done right.

When it comes to something like “Echo,” I feel that the series does a major disservice to Native American culture, their way of life, and the characters that represent them. The series turns these characters, people, and their colourful history into a caricaturish gobbledygook that is not only unpleasant to take in but also diminishes the seriousness of all that happened to them in the past.

The series is about the natives and has a lot to do with the connection that Maya shares with her ancestors. In the end, it is made extremely clear, with one terrible setup after another, how the power, magic, and energy of the Native American ancestors flow through her. All of this is so poorly envisioned and executed that it felt laughable and seriously demeaned the power and legacy of the Native Americans.

In addition, having these great and beautiful people attached to a character that kills without remorse and, for most of the time, is interested in taking over the empire of a criminal overlord so that she could be the new “Queenpin” didn’t do much to endear the character and her lineage to her past and ancestry to me. If that was not enough, every Native American character played, sometimes by great actors, made very little impact and felt forced, being there for the sake of being there alone. By the end of the series, when the character of Maya transforms and starts talking about peace, letting go, and whatnot, it feels even more odd and out of character for someone like her, considering how she was built up in the series previously.

Cliched representation of women and disability issues that never becomes impactful:

 I have absolutely no issues with the representation of women in superhero films and series. I also have no qualms with the representation of people with disabilities as major characters in these series and films. As I was growing up, I thoroughly enjoyed reading comics of Indian characters like “Blind Death” and was bowled over by Hollywood films like “Blind Fury” and Bollywood trashy but enjoyable potboilers like Jai-Kishen, where the primary protagonist was blind. Charlie Cox in “Daredevil” and Sofia Boutella in “Kingsman” are two of the most outstanding representations of people with disabilities in films in recent times.

Frustratingly, in a series like “Echo,” the character of Maya is decked with multiple disabilities and then pitted against such overwhelming challenges that it becomes impossible to accept her getting better of these challenges. Even her enhanced abilities feel so diminished in the face of these challenges that it becomes impossible to suspend disbelief.

The series also keeps putting emphasis on the marginalization of women in different eras, again and again, drawing parallels with current times and underlining the fact that women were always better than men but have been kept subjugated by their male oppressors. This typical Disney-Marvel approach to dealing with these issues has become so predictable, boring, and cliché that it has finally started to bore me. The biggest problem is with the fact that they are representing the power of the women in the series so unconvincingly that it, in no way, feels believable that these women were, in fact, better than the men of their times and could have done better than them. Thus, it creates a huge issue for the suspension of disbelief and reduces the female characters, including the protagonist, to a laughing stock.

If that was not enough, the rousing presentation of the greatness of these women feels laughable, and the presentation in key moments that are supposed to extract reverence instead extracts comedy. One of the best examples of this is the finale where we see Maya drawing power from her ancestors who all figuratively appear in their mortal forms by her side. This could have been a really inspiring and cool scene, but it is rendered comedic because of how poorly and uninspiringly it is dealt with by the director.

Underwhelming action sequences:

People are heaping praise on the action sequences of the series, and I don’t know why. I have seen the action sequences multiple times to be sure if I was right about the way I felt about them. Yes, I was right. The action is in no way near what Marvel had achieved in a series like Daredevil (Netflix), and the comparisons are obvious.

The first action sequence of the series involving Daredevil and Maya is enough to show you how things will be in the rest of the series. Once that is out of the way, there aren’t any major action sequences and the ones that are there are done with so little interest in creating something impactful, physical, and fresh that the sequences come and go without creating any ripples.

The fight between Daredevil and Maya is laughably bad. The scene that was leaked on social media is retained the way it was leaked. Yes, she does pause halfway in the air while delivering a kick and fumbles while delivering another kick from the ground. I don’t know how they let those portions of the sequence pass without editing them out or rectifying them. Daredevil literally pushes his sticks on her leg and doesn’t hit her in a way that makes the fight choreography extremely obvious. Once you are over this sequence, there remains very little to talk about on anything else in the series in terms of the action.

Some of the good performances cannot save the series:

In a series about Maya, the Kingpin is the biggest positive in terms of the performances. There is something hypnotic and charming about Vincent D’Onofrio’s rendition of Kingpin, and every time he plays the character, he brings in something new and extra to the role. The same can be said about his performance here too, even though his character isn’t featured in the series all that much. Thankfully, he appears at critical junctures and grabs your attention for the duration of his time on-screen. He does his best to sell his relationship with Alaqua Cox, and it works because of his terrific performance. In the end, when he comes into his own, he is just as believable and fearsome as he needs to be to make the necessary impact. I wish they had explored the relationship between Kingpin and Maya more than all the other things that were shown here, and this would have instantly become a better series.

Alaqua Cox as Maya is efficient. She plays her part with all her heart, and it is evident, but she falters in communicating her state of mind and the frustration that she holds in her heart through her performance and expressions. She has the same expression on her face almost throughout, and it would have served her character better had she been a little more animated. She cannot be blamed for the action sequences, as that was something that the director and the stunt director had to fine-tune.

All the other performances are either clichéd or are there just to tick certain boxes and add nothing to the impact or likability of the series.

Final Words:

The direction of “Echo” by Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie is at the heart of the series’ shortcomings. The focus on a sob story about the historical struggles of women, coupled with a disproportionate emphasis on dialogue and drama over action and thrills, especially poorly executed action, leaves the audience frustrated. This kind of narrative required a director with a keen understanding of the genre, perhaps someone with a deep appreciation for comic book storytelling. The presence of a comic book geek among the writers could have infused the series with the authenticity and excitement it needed.

Moreover, it might be high time for Marvel to reevaluate its approach, shifting the balance away from activism and towards a stronger commitment to entertaining its audience. Lecturing viewers on current affairs and including characters solely for the sake of meeting diversity and inclusion checkboxes may be diluting the core essence of what makes Marvel stories beloved by audiences worldwide.

Rating: 1/5 (1 out of 5 Stars)

The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.

Also Read | ‘Dream Scenario’ unleashes Nicholas Cage’s worst nightmares