The latest episode ofHawkeyebegan to bring some of the series' longer plotted storylines to a close just in time for the finale next week. “Ronin” featured a couple of massive reveals, somewhat predictable surprises, and a few interesting developments for a few of the series' most notable characters.
While the newestHawkeyeepisode is titled after Clint’s dark alter ego, the women are the focal points of “Ronin.” Maya, Yelena, and Kate all experiencea few unsettling discoveriesthat force them to reevaluate their priorities and where their allegiances lie. Despite incorporating so many new elements while beginning to write the final chapter to some storylines, the pace of “Ronin” is smooth.
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Maya’s storyline has been thoroughly built over the previous episodes ofHawkeye. Maya’s quest for revenge has been woven in and out of Kate’s ownissues with the Tracksuit Mafiaand the Ronin suit. In fact, Maya was introduced to the series due to her connection with the Tracksuit Mafia who relentlessly pursued Ronin, Clint, and Kate. The development of Maya’s story has suffered because of this at times, but it has not made her story any less intriguing. Maya’s arrival and pursual of vengeance to hold Ronin responsible for her father’s death is largely rooted around the impending arrival of her uncle, Kingpin. “Ronin” began to put Maya’s own revenge plot against Ronin to bed, but it also kickstarted the beginning of a much larger issue.
In “Ronin,” Maya finally received her long-awaited confrontation with Ronin, but things quickly took an abrupt turn. Clint decides to reveal his identity to her and attempts to forge a connection with her by insisting that the two of them wereboth turned into monsters. As much as Maya tries to resist Clint’s sentiment, she is ultimately forced to confront the fact that he may be right. During their exchange, Clint also reveals that he was hired to kill her father on that fateful night and that it was her uncle that wanted him dead. Maya once again attempts to ignore Clint’s comments but shows signs of believing his words once she begins questioning Kazi about his whereabouts on the night of her father’s death.
Following Yelena’s arrival in the previous episode ofHawkeye, many wondered how Clint would discover theheartbreaking truth about Yelena’s character. Aside from herBlack Widowpost-credits scene, Yelena hadn’t been seen or mentioned in the MCU prior to herHawkeyedebut. Yelena quickly makes up for the lost time in “Ronin,” by casually appearing in Kate’s apartment as if she had been a member of the MCU all along. Yelena immediately begins to show off her skills as a Black Widow (outside of an impressive battle sequence) by forcing Kate to have a revealing and incredibly blunt chat with her. Yelena very quickly cuts to the chase, revealing that she is Natasha’s sister and has clear intentions of carrying out her mission to kill Clint.
Of course,the moment between Yelena and Katedoesn’t end with one surprise. As Kate attempts to advocate on Clint’s behalf, she also tries to pressure Yelena into discovering who hired her, as most people consider Clint a noble hero. While Yelena seemingly shrugs off Kate’s comments, Yelena does inform Kate by the end of “Ronin” that she was hired by Eleanor Bishop, Kate’s mother. Yelena even sends Kate a photo of Eleanormeeting with Wilson Fisk. In the span of one episode, Yelena has managed to pull a character that has been hinted toward during the entire series into the plot. As sudden as it may seem, Yelena’s prompt revelation actually isn’t rushed at all. In fact, Yelena’s admission and ambitious attitude is a reflection of the blunt and direct nature of her character.
What is interesting about the reveal for Yelena isn’t the pace of her character’s integration into the series, but what may lie beneath her actions. Yelena was originally confronted byValentina Allegra de Fontaineto go after Clint, yet Yelena cites Eleanor as the woman that hired her. This could be a ruse by Yelena to show Kate that she doesn’t know everyone as well as she thinks she does, including her own mother. This may be Yelena’s way of attempting to sever the bond between Kate and Clint for good, decreasing the risk of collateral damage. If true, Eleanor may also be attempting to stop Kate from becoming a superhero and discovering the truth about what she is up to.
Despite arriving so close to the finale, Yelena has wasted no time becoming a focal part of the series. Thanks to Kate, Clint now knows who Yelena is and why she is after him; however, it doesn’t necessarily end the cat and mouse chase between the two. On the other hand, “Ronin” seemingly ends the feud between Clint and Maya by starting one betweenMaya and her uncle. It ultimately puts Maya and Clint on the same side, which was an unforeseen circumstance at the start ofHawkeye. This change in Maya’s perception of Clint comes after the climactic revelation between them (and the subtle reflection that she may become Ronin if she isn’t careful).
“Ronin” builds on the momentum supplied byHawkeye’sprevious episode, which had largely been slowed down to focus on the budding friendship between Kate and Clint.Hawkeye’sfifth episode also begins to put the events outside of the two archers into perspective by altering the relationships of those around them and the circumstances they are operating within. Cutting some of these twists and reveals so close to the finale was a risk, but they were compelling stylistic choices that pay off for the archer-series in the long run.
