The Hawkeye Easter Eggs You Might Have Missed In Episode 5
The penultimate episode of Marvel's "Hawkeye" is out and has me, once again, wondering why there are only six episodes per season with the Disney+ shows? Yes, partially because I love them (for the most part), but also because they are cramming an awful lot of storylines into a short time. "Ronin" had me feeling this because, with only one more episode to wrap this all up, I wonder if this show that I love so much is going to fall prey to the big issue with Marvel's TV shows; the final episode doesn't wrap things up but instead is an advertisement for what's coming next.
I'll jump into the Easter eggs in a second, but I do want to say this: Please, Marvel, give these stories time to breathe! We were doing so well! You've got a stellar cast here, the goodest boy in Pizza dog, some of Jeremy Renner's best acting moments, and a story that actually addresses the PTSD (and post-traumatic growth) that happens to superheroes, something you haven't always paid much attention to. You even have LARPing, and while I don't do that myself, I appreciate the hell out of it as a Dungeons & Dragons player. Please stop shoving so much into six hours. I'm already on board for "Echo."
Obviously, there are spoilers ahead. It's an Easter egg post. SPOILERS ARE COMING! There. The warning has been posted. You have no excuse to yell at me on social media or send Yelena after me. Got it? Here we go!
From Inside the Blip
When we last left our friends, Clint (Jeremy Renner) had been targeted, not only by Echo (Alaqua Cox) who thinks he killed her father (which it now seems that he did) but by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, who I will watch in anything she does because she is wildly entertaining). He told Kate (Hailee Steinfeld) to go away and that he'd handle it himself. Kate is not pleased. She's heartbroken. She goes to her mother, Eleanor (Vera Farmiga), for help.
But, before any of that happens, we get a flashback with audio from "Black Widow." Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) is telling Yelena to help release the other Black Widows from their brainwashing with the antidote from the film. Yelena and Sonya (Yssa Mei Panganiban) try to free Ana (Annie Hamilton), who tells them it's her house and that she's just doing it for the money. There is also a joke between Sonya and Ana (before Yelena blips) about Yelena finding her sister Natasha to take up a "Sex in the City" lifestyle. Later we find out that when Yelena "visits" Clint to kill him, it's her first time in NY. I wonder what Yelena thinks about the whole Peloton stock drop that came from the revival series?
What we see next is something we've not seen before; what it looks like when you've been blipped. I mean, we saw Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) wake up when she returned in "WandaVision," but this is different. We see Yelena dusted and then reforming, watching the paint around her changing and her disorientation. It was really affecting. Think of how messed up that was.
Also, it makes me think about people who blipped out on planes and how they fell to the ground when they returned.
This is why I don't sleep at night, folks.
When Yelena comes out of the bathroom, she's totally confused, and Ana has married and adopted a kid during the blip years. (There were probably a lot of orphans during that time. Oh wow, I bet that was messed up when everyone returned. "I want my kid back." "No, that's now my kid." Forget the issues in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier." These might end up being much worse than where people are resettled.) One other note: All the Black Widows were sterilized, so adoption was the only way Ana and her husband could have a child.
A quick note here: the logo doesn't have arrows in the "A" this time. Probably because Kate and Clint have separated.
Mom's a Liar
Back to Kate and her mom.
Oh no, Kate, please don't trust her. We all know she's terrible, and considering what the closed captions revealed about her little conversation with a certain Jack Duquesne's (Tony Dalton) uncle, we have evidence from early in the season. Eleanor is super sympathetic to her, but she's a lying piece of crap. All over Kate's walls, we see her medals, her old bows (that little one is the cutest), and her hero-worship of Hawkeye from the poster on her wall. Now, Kate is tough, and no amount of Clint pushing her away is going to actually work. That's one of the reasons we love her. It's just heartbreaking to have your hero tell you to leave. It's a beautiful scene, and one of the things that really got me is how Kate, who tries to appear tough, cries to her mom and tells her about Jack laundering money for the Tracksuit Mafia.
I admit I wasn't expecting Eleanor to call the cops on Jack. He comes off as a sleaze, and we certainly know that he's Swordsman in the comics, but maybe the show is pulling a Skrull switch with us. (I'm not saying he's a Skrull, though how the hell would I know? I'm saying that they could be rehabbing Jack like Marvel rehabbed the Skrulls. Probably not, but you never know.) He seemed not to mind too much, and it certainly did get Kate to believe her mother when she says she supports her. What is far more likely is that Jack is a sort of a sleaze, but a kind of, dare I say, lovable one. Eleanor's evil side showing does mean that Jack's uncle was right about her.
He also admired Kate in a suit, and hey, I'm all for breaking fashion rules.
Mom is bad. Is she working with Madame Masque as she does in the comics? Will she become Madame Masque? Was that what she and her husband were fighting about right before the Battle of New York? Ooh, this is getting good! I mean, Madame Masque does work with Kingpin in the comics from Matt Fraction, upon which this story is based.
'My Daddy Says It's Good for You'
Kate heads home to her burned-out apartment, but Yelena has stopped by for a chat. She decides to whip up a pot of mac and cheese while she explains to Kate why she's there.
This scene is pretty great. I mean, I was frustrated because it's great character stuff from the amazing Florence Pugh, but there was a lot of talk, and friends, we're wrapping up in one more hour! That means there is no time for talk. Still, we get a good sense of what's going on here. Yelena wants to kill Clint because she believes he killed her sister. Val (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) told her that in the post-credits scene in "Black Widow." She asked if she wanted a chance at the man who killed her sister. Well, that's interesting, because while it's looking like Val is recruiting for the Thunderbolts (she already has U.S. Agent), it's also looking like Yelena might not join. I mean, that's just a guess here.
As long as we keep seeing her, I'm happy. She's reasonable, even though Kate can't convince her that Clint didn't do it. She's only known him for a week, and since Yelena knows everything about Kate, she likely knows everything about Clint's past. I do hope that changes. I particularly hate storylines where we know the characters should be allies and they're not. It's frustrating. Just me?
So that mac and cheese? Yelena says, "My daddy says it's good for you." She's talking about Alexei, aka Red Guardian (David Harbour), her adoptive father. It's a cute throwback, and as someone who dumps half a bottle of sriracha on everything I eat, I very much appreciate how much hot sauce she puts on it once Kate is done. She also mentions some sights she wants to see in New York City, including the new Statue of Liberty. Have you seen the trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home"? Because it's being redone with Captain America's shield on it. That gives us a placement in time here. If she wants to see it, it might be finished.
She brings up loving American Christmas, as well. That was a little heartbreaking because the American Christmas traditions she knows about are from the fake ones when Alexei, Natasha, Yelena, and Melina (Rachel Weisz) were undercover in America when the girls were children. Spy children, but still. It's also where Natasha and Yelena became close. Kate mentions Rockefeller Center as well, and we know that's coming in the next episode.
Kazi Loves Echo
Before that scene with Yelena and Kate, there is one short one between Kazi (Fra Fee. I mean, Kit Harington — No. Sorry. I do mean Fra Fee. If they don't play brothers in something, I'll eat my shoe.) and Echo. Kazi is concerned for Echo and tells her that she has to stop this hunt for Clint/Ronin. She doesn't want to, but he says that, while he'll help her kill Ronin, that has to be it. Echo agrees. Um, but isn't that just what would end it anyway? If she thinks Clint killed her dad, and she kills him, that's the end. I don't quite get this, though considering what happens at the end, there may be more to it.
Meanwhile, Clint has gone off to the memorial site at Grand Central Station, which commemorates the Battle of New York from 2012. He turns off his hearing aid and talks to Natasha. My heart!
Kate is calling him over and over, leaving him messages about how she really wants to talk to him. She's got a lot to tell him between her run-in with Yelena and her mother having Jack arrested. We also see her try to flick a coin like Clint taught her and it doesn't quite work. In a way, it's nice to see a hero who isn't perfect at her job yet.
The Goodest Boy
Clint goes to hang with Grills (Clayton English) and they get pizza! (I feel like everyone in this series should be taking fiber pills or something. That is a lot of cheese and bread.) Clint asks Grills (who is super great and I hope we see more of him) to watch Pizza Dog while he heads back to a hotel.
May I just state my love for Pizza Dog again? In case you're wondering, the actor doggie's name is Jolt. He has his own Instagram account and I demand that you pause here and go follow him.
In the comics, Clint and Grills live in the same building, and something very bad happens to Grills involving Kazi. Do not let this happen! I demand it! Grills tells Clint that Missy (Adele Drahos) finished the costumes for him and Kate, and we know they wear them at some point in the finale. Can Missy make me one of those? I can't sew so I suck at cosplay.
Clint takes on the mantle of the Ronin again and shoots an arrow into the front windshield of a moving truck with some of the Tracksuit Mafia with a message for Maya. (They're playing the Run-D.M.C. song that gets stuck in my head every Christmas. Hey, it's better than Mariah Carey!) They're talking about their tracksuit heroes; Tony Soprano, the Royal Tenenbaums, and hey, even Run-D.M.C. wear tracksuits!
They're meeting up at Fat Man Used Cars (another Kingpin reference, which will pay off this time). Before that, however, Clint calls Laura. He tells her that they're tracking the Barton family and that it has to end tonight, one way or the other, or the "big guy" will get involved. Another one! She tells him that she understands. In fact, she says, "And know that I'll always understand ... more than anyone else ever could." Mockingbird? Is that you? We do know that Clint was married to Mockingbird in the comics. That watch probably has the info about her on it. I mean, with only one episode to go, it would be odd if they try to introduce someone else.
Clint takes everyone out at Fat Man Used Cars and fights Maya/Echo. He tells her that he was here the night her father died and that he was tipped off by an informant who worked for her boss. (Kazi?) He tries to explain that they're both weapons and that they've both been used. In fact, after this scene, the word "Used" is the only part of the "Fat Man Used Cars" that you see. So, who used Clint? Who used Maya? It was Kingpin, obviously. Her boss. They don't say his name, but this is likely the setup for the "Echo" series.
Maya isn't happy with Kazi, who wasn't at the meeting that night. Was he involved in her father's death? Was he the informant? I can't completely get a read on him. He doesn't make it through the Matt Fraction run, but he's a good actor, and I'd be surprised if he doesn't make it here.
Kate saves Clint with her arrow. Of course, she does.
There He Is, In His White-Suited Glory
Kate has called an Uber, which made me laugh out loud.
Hey, mom took her credit cards. She can only do so much.
She tells Clint that Yelena is after him. He brings her back to Grills' apartment, where he has taught Pizza Dog to dance. Yelena is following Eleanor (and wearing what appear to be Statue of Liberty sunglasses) and sends a text to Kate. She calls her "Kate Bishop," her entire name, even in the text. They made a point of mentioning that she does that back at Kate's charcoal apartment, so we know it's from Yelena. The text says "Kate Bishop, I found out who hired me. Eleanor Bishop. I thought you deserved to know." There is a video attached. She gives the phone to Clint who recognizes him as Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin! I mean, we knew this was coming, but it's still great! I missed him so much once "Daredevil" was canceled. He's brilliant! Remember that phone call that Eleanor made? The one where she uses her own first name so it's informal? She asked for a favor, and it was probably a call to Val.
Clint also says this is the guy he was worried about this entire time, and names him. Even the credits (which feature the song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch") have the giant silhouette of Kingpin over the entire city. Since that was a video text she got, I'm hopeful that we'll see the actual video soon. Did she hire him to protect her daughter? Is it so Clint doesn't find out about what she's doing with Kingpin or with/as Madame Masque? I have so many questions, and I somehow doubt they'll be answered in the final episode.
The Disney+ shows have me hooked until the final episode, as I mentioned. They just haven't been able to stick the landing. I really hope they do this time. Until next week, friends.