Let’s Talk about Echo Episode Four

When we last left Maya Lopez, she found herself face-to-face with an unwelcome house guest.

This particular individual was someone she had shot in the face and left for dead.

Yes, the Kingpin has unhooked his life support, added an eye patch, and hopped on a plane to Oklahoma.

We’re about to have a face-off between Maya and the person she calls Uncle, who also is responsible for her father’s death.

Let’s talk about Echo episode four, the one with the showdown.

Uninvited Guest

Don’t you hate to hear a knock on the door when you’re not expecting anyone?

Well, that’s kinda what happens to Maya Lopez at the start of this episode.

The Big Guy has arrived in Oklahoma, and he has brought some thugs.

Before we witness that showdown, Echo recounts an episode from Maya’s childhood.

The adorable little girl tries to order ice cream from a cart. Unfortunately, the ice cream vendor doesn’t speak sign language.

That’s unfortunate for him because he’s a total jerk to the little girl, whose gigantic uncle happens to be watching.

Kingpin asks Maya to wait as he drags the ice cart vendor into an alley and beats him to death.

A concerned Kingpin realizes that Maya has witnessed the entire encounter.

How does Maya react to seeing a brutal murder? She goes over and kicks the body a couple of times.

Maya Lopez and Kingpin are birds of a feather.

Keeping that in mind, we return to the recent past, which is 2021 for you MCU Timeline aficionados.

We witness a slightly younger Maya learning that she has passed her final test for Kingpin.

The interpreter signals that Maya has completed her “final lesson.” Then, Kingpin signals a bodyguard.

This person walks the interpreter to the back. Soon afterward, we hear her beg for her life before the henchperson shoots her.

Maya obviously cannot hear any of this, but it reinforces said lesson, which is that Kingpin and Maya may only trust themselves.

Family Dinner

Then, we fast forward a bit more to the current time, although we don’t know which year that is.

Kingpin signals his Oklahoma thugs to hold Maya. Then, the Big Guy implants something in her eye.

Someone in the R&D department at Kingpin Enterprises has created a sign language device.

When Kingpin speaks, virtual reality hands translate for Maya’s eyes. It’s an extraordinary device and a terrific idea for tech.

Wilson Fisk wants to return to the days of their Sunday dinner conversations, which is very Gilmore Girls of him.

A reluctant Maya counters that it’s Thursday, but Kingpin’s not taking a no.

The two retreat to Maya’s kitchen, where Kingpin claims he’s relieved that a certain part of Maya was happy to see him alive.

She refutes this claim immediately, but he knows better. He watched her micro reactions the moment she saw him.

Fisk offers her wine, which she proceeds to pour into the sink to make a point. Fisk is sad because he heard it was a good batch.

A steak knife drops, underlining the point that the two could be at one another’s throats at any moment.

Fisk retrieves the weapon and then establishes his trust by handing it to Maya.

At this point, Fisk makes his pitch. He wants Maya to return “home” to New York City and run the Kingpin criminal empire.

Fisk promises to make her the Queenpin of her own entity. Then, he leaves without incident.

Maya reports the conversation to Henry, who is beside himself. He’s worried Maya will take the deal.

Awkward Reunion #2

Here’s where the episode takes a turn.

Remember Zane? He’s still in town, and I guess he’s no longer taking orders from Kingpin.

We probably aren’t supposed to think about this part much, as it’s a pretty glaring example of the underlying editing problems.

Still, Zane is clearly up to no good in Oklahoma, even though the previous episode ended with Kingpin making him stand down.

Maya and Chula both start getting danger flashbacks from their ancestors.

Henry drives Maya to Chula’s home and forces them to speak.

If anything, this meeting is even less comfortable than Maya’s reunion with Bonnie…and that one occurred at gunpoint.

After 20 years apart, the two women finally speak, and Chula reveals their unlikely connection.

When Chula was in labor with Maya’s mother, Taloa, the would-be parent started experiencing visions for the first time.

You can interpret this discussion in one of two ways. Either Taloa had the power and shared it with her mother, or the birth triggered it.

Either way, Chula gave birth in the wilderness rather than in a hospital to give the baby the best chance of survival.

The premise is that Taloa had healing powers that protected her mother and her that day.

Taloa appears to have been the kindest of Chafa’s descendants.

The treacherous circumstances of the birth caused mother and daughter to be uncannily close, even for a parent and child.

When Taloa died, Chula felt overbearing grief and sent away William, whom she blamed, and also Maya.

The two women don’t reconcile per se – Maya angrily storms out of the house – but they make inroads.

Loose Ends

Some other sequences feel either out of place or poorly edited, but the integral one involves Biscuits.

He goes to a junkyard, where the person tells Biscuits that everything on the lot is his.

Meanwhile, Chula the crafter starts working on an outfit for Maya, one that’s practical but also honors her heritage.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Skully and Chula have worked together to form the Echo costume.

Finally, Maya visits Kingpin at the hotel room where he told her he’d be.

Maya points a gun at Kingpin. I’m getting Hawkeye flashbacks.

Kingpin makes his argument, mentioning again how much he hated his father. He, too, has a gift for Maya.

I hope Kingpin kept the receipt. His “present” is the murder hammer he kept from dealing with his father.

Wilson Fisk loves symmetry and believes it’d be most fitting if Maya killed him with the same hammer. This dude is MESSED UP!

Maya refuses and leaves. However, Kingpin makes one final pitch for her to return to New York with him.

At this point, Maya does one of those thematic “sits by the water and thinks” scenes as she considers her Oklahoma family.

Finally, the episode ends with Maya driving past the sign that says, “Leaving Tamaha, Oklahoma.”

Don’t worry, though. It’s a swerve! A henchperson hands Fisk a phone as he sits on his private plane.

The voice on the other line informs Fisk that Maya won’t be joining him. Let’s just say that he takes the news poorly.

We’re probably gonna get a showdown during the series finale.

As for this episode, it hit many of the right notes and also made me wish for a prequel story about Taloa.

Overall, the first two episodes are substantially better than the next two, although I’m a big fan of the skating rink fight and the sign language tech.

I have no idea how they’ll conclude this series while still allowing Maya and Kingpin both to survive, though.

 

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