“Hawkeye” Episode 4 Recap and Review - Office Christmas Party
by Rob LoAlbo
Friday is Christmas Sweater Day, so you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Christmas sweater.
All photos courtesy Marvel Studios
With only two episodes left in this six-episode series, who’s got time for downtime? Apparently Clint and Kate do, as this episode gives us very few answers, asks even more questions, and takes its time in developing any real plot advancement beyond a welcome end-moment cameo. Contrary to what I originally thought, we DO have time for a Nat King Cole dance routine, some ugly Christmas sweater bonding moments, and a rooftop dance-off. Yet maybe downtime is just what this Avenger and his involuntary sidekick need despite our plot impatience.
Who’s to say until this series concludes. Until then, it’s spoiler time for episode 4!
Their secrets are so close to spilling out that they have to button their top shirt buttons to keep them in.
With his own Ronin sword at his throat, Archer Hawkeye is taken by surprise by the malapropistic Jack, two characters who finally share a scene together. Bringing our four main leads into the same room, everybody keeps their poker cards super close to their vests, with no one revealing a thing to the other. It’s a clever bit of bluffoonery, and we can only guess who’s hiding what from whom. My take? Hawkeye and Jack know each other. In the comics, Jack was Hawkeye’s mentor, and that he is able to successfully sneak up on the world’s greatest swordsman reveals his skills. For me, at this point it’s not about DO they know each other, it’s WHY don’t they let everyone know that they know each other?
I’m not buying Jack’s all-thumbs routine, so what’s he hiding? I don’t actually think he’s CEO of Sloan in anything but name only. (I still think Eleanor’s behind that, as evidenced by her mysterious phone call stressing an “urgent” situation.) And he let that Ronin sword go back to Clint just a little too easily. His wink/wink moments at the interrogation table suggest they’ve got a hidden history here. And boy does that table have tales to tell. In rewatching the scene, each time from a different person’s perspective, the story plays out four different but very interesting ways. With whatever reveals are coming, it will make this table of tales all the more exciting.
Clint’s then all codey/codey whispery/whispery with wifey Laura, which again hints at some well-concealed cards. She’s doing all the homework while Clint’s on the schoolyard playground, and she’s got some secrets to spill herself. She drops info on “the big guy” (probably next week then?) until switching to GERMAN?!? Asking about the WATCH?!? (Clint immediately knows that’s what she’s asking about, so it definitely has to do with her.) How is she tied into this? Is it something about her identity? She’s clearly worried and is hiding the info from the kids to protect them.
“Please don’t look at me while I talk to your father in code.”
At first, we assumed that said watch was Stark tech (and the upcoming “Armor Wars” series is all about that tech falling into the wrong hands), but what if it reveals a life Laura used to formerly live? She’s a little too good at kneejerk reconnaissance and foreign languages, so maybe a former Black Widow? (Another prevailing theory is that she’s retired S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Mockingbird - which in the comics becomes the leader of the West Coast Avengers with Hawkeye.) What other hidden skillsets does she possess? Wok cookery?
But enough about all that: it’s time to drink and celebrate Christmas!
I think I love that they have time for this, because it reminds me that this show should be fun. Its levity is its strength, and putting it at Christmastime just makes it that much easier on the open-fire chestnut taste buds. Steinfled’s and Renner’s easygoing back and forth screwball chemistry is made for this. With her bouncy saucer-eyed admiration and his grumpy thawing man schtick, conversations about boomerang arrows while target coin-flicking over premixed daiquiris makes for family holiday entertainment done right. Casting is so spot on for these two, with every moment from her screaming joy for how excited she is to be a part of a pseudo-Avenger adventure, and every 100-yard glare from him shows how he’s getting too old for this. Together, it’s a Christmas miracle.
So, THAT’S how Pizza Dog lost his eye.
And it should be noted that the entire celebration is put into effect by Kate, who while Clint is managing all of the physical obstacles, she’s managing the emotional ones. Clint’s clearly never been open about things, hiding every feeling and wayward thought, haunted by his tragic past and its choices. It’s Kate who relaxes him and draws him out of his hardened magic shell, which is just what he needs. Sometimes, heroes aren’t the ones saving us from the invading hordes; they’re the ones saving us from ourselves.
But it’s also about trick arrows.
The difference between superheroes and larpers? Sound effects.
A quick side-trip back to Kazi-land and Larper Central Park gets us the supplies and the stern warning to Echo we need to carry on. But blink and you’ll miss it: Marvel just introduced the LGBTQ+ character Bombshell to the MCU, a comic book supervillain and mercenary! In the pages, she’s a master juggler and explosives expert who hunts down Hawkeye and Mockingbird, and for us, she’s now the third gay character in the MCU this year! Progress is her middle name! (It isn’t.)
When Laura comes in with new intel (SEE!) about the Rolex’s location, it’s Kate and Clint to the rooftop rescue, but plans go sideways when Echo and our mystery guest behind door number 2 show up. Apparently, the Black Widows AND the Tracksuits are after Clint, and they’re not together on this. With Yelena in the mix, complications ensue (again, a foundational aspect of screwball comedy), and with Clint telling her to go home (How many times has he said that to her? I’ve honestly lost count.), our heroes are in the wind, until next week of course.
Maintaining the breezy aspects of the show, it’s great to see the consistency in the writing and filmmaking. As great as Loki was, I was never sure what tone we were getting in what week, and with Falcon falling as flat as it did towards the end, the downward trajectory was sharp. Heading into the two last episodes, we seem to be on a gentle but steady incline, with characters getting stronger and less gimmicky as they go (with WandaVision having ALL the gimmicky characters, for better or worse). Is it possible that despite the lightheartedness of the series, this show might be the best of them all? Depends on how this last third goes.
“What do you mean smile for the camera? I AM smiling.”
Now, the temptation for us is to set up all of these unrealistic expectations (It’s Mephisto! No wait, it was Agatha all along!) and to try to entertain various conspiracy theories that never pan out. Yet can’t we just sit back and enjoy this show for the characters and the yuletide season celebrations? Yes, there are unknowns, but let’s just let them play out and be happy for what unfurls. Can the last third stick the landing? Only an acrobatic Russian can tell.
And honestly, if Clint just ends up getting back in time for Christmas morning, I’ll weep as if an angel just got its wings.
Next week: Trust a bro - the plot will move itself!
Star City Rating: 4 out of 5