I didn’t know the word partners could be such a loaded term within a television episode. Apparently, for Disney plus’s Hawkeye, that is the case. When we last left our illustrious heroes, they cracked into the Bishop security firm. They were, of course, stopped by Jack and only saved by Kate Bishop’s quick thinking regarding her partnership with Clint Barton. Clint Barton internally objected to this, but the lie satisfied Kate’s mother, Eleanor. The next thing you know, the dynamic duo is looking to get back the rest of the trick arrows stolen by Maya. They also discovered that Jack is part of the tracksuit mafia’s criminal organization. Retrieving the trick arrows leads to Clint and Kate attempting to track down Tony stark’s old watch. From there, the duo ran afoul of Echo once again. The fight also caused Clint to run into an old friend.
“Partners, Am I Right” was messy but fun. I never expected us to be revisiting the larping club again. It was great to interact with those characters who have such a deep passion for live-action role play, and it was great that the writers made the time with them central to the plot. It’s clear that those individuals were in existence for comic relief, but it worked with the chaos of the situation Kate and Clint were in. I love the way the writers continue to integrate Echo into the paths of our protagonists in creative ways.
There is an understated brilliance to the concept that where the watch was located ended up being Echo’s apartment. I love little surprises like that as it makes the story feel more lived-in rather than fantasy. Kate became annoying again in this episode. Primarily, my annoyance resulted from her continually trying to force Hawkeye into a partnership to solve this case. She may be a match for him in terms of skill with a bow and arrow, but in terms of intelligence, she’s far behind.
Bert and Bertie do an excellent job of directing this episode. I specifically want to praise them for how they frame the action shots so that the audience can always see the fighting between all the characters rather than quick cuts everywhere like a Bourne identity film. The fact that they keep the camera study makes it very easy to stay immersed within the story. They also excel at framing the quiet moment well so that the audience knows when they can emotionally invest in each of our main characters. That’s definitely some high-class direction.
One aspect of the episode that I found peculiar was that Kate’s mother warned him off of solving this case with her daughter. This leads me to believe that Eleanor is up to something. I genuinely fear that she might be second in command to the series big bad, who may be the Kingpin. We will have to wait and see what happens, but I’m curious to find out what Yelena is doing in New York City. The only thing that would help this episode is if it were slightly longer because I really want to see the relationship between Yelena and Clint. I guess we’ll have to find out next time.
