Well, all the rumors were right about Echo as it’s a complete dumpster fire of a series.
My insiders said Echo was horrendous and other scoopers said the same, with it even claimed that Kevin Feige deemed Echo unwatchable and demanded reshoots.
That’s why it it also has been said Marvel decided to release all the episode at once, and they were 100% right, as there is simply no way they could have released the series episodically.
Echo suffers from poor writing, directing and editing. The show actually starts off decent enough with the first two episodes, but the remaining three episodes are simply unwatchable.
If they paid attention to the story, directing and editing as much as they did the Indian stuff, the series might have been good.
I live tweeted as I watched Echo and again, the first two episodes were decent and compared to the remaining three episodes are done really well. They tie things nicely into Hawkeye, as it’s been a while since that series and bring you up to speed. The first two episodes also give Echo an origin story and create necessary backstory, a hero’s journey of sorts, unlike what they did for Ms. Marvel where they simply handed Kamala Khan everything.
However, following the first two episodes, the series takes a complete nosedive starting with Episode 3. What happened during production as the difference is quite jarring? That roller skate scene is simply atrocious and comes off cringe-worthy and terrible. Maya needs someone to make her a new leg but she can go all MacGyver and make some kind of gun because her ancestor used a gun or something? Garbage writing. What they should have done is skipped Episode 3 and had Maya go visit her grandma to explain her powers, but instead, when Maya’s powers start to surface, the dummy that runs the counter kidnaps her. Hilarious.
Episode 4 absolutely nothing happens, and Episode 5 is just utter garbage. Kingpin is made to look like a complete bitch as Maya uses her new powers to give Kingpin a conscience to the point he starts crying or some shit. Wow. Or how about the grandma and the friend kick all kinds of ass and share in Maya’s powers (might have been worse than Blue Beetle). WTF.
It’s a shame because Echo is a cool character. She’s a complete badass brought up by Kingpin; however, they throw that all out the window so Maya can become an Indian superhero. It all felt so forced and it didn’t fit the character at all.
I was actually hoping that Maya would have accepted the Kingpin’s offer and become a “queenpin.” That would have been f’n awesome if she became a badass street-level villain. Then she could have eventually built up her empire and then decided to take down Kingpin. Instead? There is like a half dozen times she confronts Kingpin and doesn’t do jack squat as Kingpin cries to her about loving her or some shit. Then, again, that cringe end scene where Kingpin is made to look like a big bitch. I would never have brought back Kingpin for this series and instead would have kept him in the shadows. I would have instead had Kingpin send a bad ass assassin (imagine if it was Bullseye?) after Maya who nearly kills her but then she is reborn with her Indian powers.
Some other thoughts:
- The Daredevil fight scene should have been better. The choreography seemed rushed. Punches are thrown that have no chance of landing. Maya gets hit by Daredevil’s billy clubs but they don’t do any damage. Her face would be busted wide open and her knee obliterated.
- The roller rink says “Make Roller Skating Great Again,” an obvious dig at Trump. Cringe. Maya also busts out of the wall right through it. Cringe.
- Maya gets felt up by the security guy. Cringe.
- Grandma fighting. Cringe.
- Best friend fighting. Cringe.
- Kingpin a whiney bitch.
- Kingpin has a million useless henchman.
- Maya’s Indian powers are cringe.
- Series was obviously never meant to be rated mature and those three or whatever blood scenes were added in later just so they could market Echo as mature.
- Maya comes off as a sociopath as a kid: kills the bird and starts kicking the ice cream driver. Couldn’t help but laugh.
- The post-credit scene confirms those Daredevil: Born Again leaks.
Final thoughts: There was a lot of potential here for Echo to be a cool new badass Marvel character but for whatever reason, things went south real fast. It seems it’s more of the same in that there is no one at Marvel who knows how to tell a good story. Boy, we sure are missing Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon, Joe and Anthony Russo, and James Gunn. Rating: 4/10.
