So far on Echo, we’ve watched Maya Lopez return home to Oklahoma to reunite with family members she hadn’t seen in 20 years.
Along the way, Maya intentionally brought danger to her city and her family by antagonizing Wilson Fisk’s people.
Maya believed she had killed her “Uncle” and wanted to take control of his empire.
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I’m unclear on why she tried to do this from a vast distance rather than in New York, but here we are.
Now, Kingpin has returned from a near-death experience and traveled to Oklahoma.
The bane of Hawkeye’s existence proceeded to do the least likely thing by forgiving Maya and offering her an empire.
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Will Maya accept? All signs point to no, but we’re about to find out how and why.
Let’s talk about Echo episode five, the one that raises some fascinating philosophical questions.
A Bird’s Life
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In the first moments of the series, we met Chafa, the young woman who saved her people and formed a new tribe.
When Chafa led her people outdoors, a bird greeted her and has since assisted Chafa’s ancestors.
Alas, episode five opens in an alarming manner. A young Maya Lopez appears predisposed to violence.
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Even before Maya encountered the Kingpin, she liked slinging stones at birds.
Maya cripples a bird, which she had not intended to seriously injure. She just wanted to know if she could make the shot.
Maya takes the injured bird to her mother, lying at first that she’d found the bird in that state.
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Taloa knows better and chastises Maya for wounding an innocent creature. Then, Taloa works her magic.
The descendant of Chafa heals the bird and allows it to fly free.
Meanwhile, Maya wonders whether she will see it again. And we all know the answer is yes.
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Speaking of Chafa’s descendants, Chula shows up at Skully’s shop. She wants to buy a sewing machine.
Many years ago, Chula had pawned the appliance when she lost her family.
Skully happens to have a sewing machine. It’s the one Chula had pawned…and he has added some TLC over the years.
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A happy Chula exits the building, having rekindled the spark with her ex. On the way out, she runs into…Wilson Fisk.
The two exchange pleasantries and seem to like one another. Then, Chula mentions her relationship to Maya.
Yeah, Kingpin is totally kidnapping Chula now…but not like RIGHT now.
The Healing Begins
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Actually, hold that thought. Maya sits down at a roadside restaurant somewhere outside her hometown.
Biscuits texts her to ask whether she’s seen Pokni (Chula) or Bonnie.
Maya sees her warning bird, senses the danger, hops on her motorcycle, and drives to Chula’s home.
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When Maya arrives, she sees not Chula but…Taloa. Yes, Mama Echo would like a word.
Taloa knows the horrible things her daughter has done, just as the mother understands the why of it.
There is no judgment on Taloa’s face, only sympathy and love.
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Taloa places two fingers of each hand on her daughter’s heart. Then, they transport to the past.
They sit in the car where Echo lost her mother. Taloa makes the same healing gesture here and asks her daughter to release the pain.
Echo resists at first, but Taloa is a healer.
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“I will help you. Your ancestors will help you. You come from a long line of very special women, all the way from Chafa herself.
They have carried the fire. They were the protectors of their people. They fought for their family. Now, it’s your turn.”
Maya once again refuses her mother, who makes one final plea.
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“Don’t run. Stay. Fight. Remember your gifts: Strategy, Cunning, Ferocity, and Love.”
Images cycle through the various descendants, with Lowak as Strategy, Tuklo as Cunning, Chafa as ferocity, and Taloa as Love.
Taloa finishes by saying, “All of that is infused in this.” She points to the costume Chula made pre-kidnapping.
Image: Disney
The seams connect generations of Chafa’s descendants. And it’s quite beautiful.
Taloa has healed her daughter, Maya.
The Town Shindig
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Elsewhere in town, we remember Zane exists.
I mentioned in the last recap that Zane was still hanging out in Oklahoma and appeared to be working for himself.
Well, Zane has bought himself an RV and got his hands on some explosives. The dude plans to bomb the town shindig.
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As the Choctaw people throw an annual celebration, he sits on top of his RV and waits for the (violent) fireworks to begin.
Also, Kingpin has presumably kidnapped Bonnie and Chula.
Maya senses the danger and attends the event, dancing in her shiny new costume.
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Meanwhile, Henry has figured out the dilemma and asks Biscuits if he has any weapons.
Biscuits is now driving his super-enhanced Chula truck, which he apparently rebuilt into the Batmobile during two hours at the junkyard.
Image: Disney
Some of this stuff…doesn’t hold up well to careful inspection.
Don’t even get me started on the sewing machine/costume edit, as they cut the scene to make it seem like Kingpin met her outside.
Barn Dance
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Anyway, all the key players attend the Choctaw Powwow Festival, and events escalate quickly.
Maya locates Kingpin, while Henry and Biscuits notice Zane sitting on top of his RV. We’ve got simultaneous boss fights!
Maya enters the building where Kingpin and his thugs are holding Bonnie and Chula. And this encounter quickly spins out of control.
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Ultimately, Kingpin accuses Maya of betrayal, causing her to wonder, “Who betrayed who first?”
Various people strike Maya during this encounter, thereby signaling Chafa and her descendants to fight.
Maya Lopez assumes the echoes of her predecessors and takes her place as the Choctaw warrior of her generation.
Image: Disney
A fabulous shot shows Chafa, Lowak, Tuklo, and Taloa stand beside Maya. She then assumes their forms as she fights.
Maya also somehow networks her powers with Chula and Bonnie, who quickly disable their oppressors.
Meanwhile, Biscuits drives his MONSTER TRUCK (?!) over the cars of Zane’s thugs.
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Zane acts inexplicably nonchalant about this action, casually grabbing his rocket launcher and getting ready to fire.
At this point, Henry employs what I presume are countless years of video game training to good use.
The Black Crow snipes Zane from a distance. The rocket soars harmlessly into the air, causing the locals to presume it’s a fireworks display.
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Back in the barn tent, Kingpin eventually loses enough helper assassins that he feels the need to fight his own battles.
As Kingpin attacks, Maya does the unlikely, but it’s the most satisfying conclusion imaginable.
Maya attempts to heal Wilson Fisk the same way her mother had healed her.
The War Within
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At this point, the show returns to story elements from Daredevil on Netflix.
We watch a middle-aged Kingpin relive his childhood in his room, overhearing his father beat his mother.
His white suit splatters with blood as the implication of the hammer strike plays out off-screen.
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Fisk, like Maya before him, is wholly unwilling to let go of the pain. Maya, like her mother before her, insists.
Maya’s “Uncle” may not leave this room until he accepts her healing.
We cut back from the child’s bedroom to the barn. Fisk grasps Maya’s hands aggressively, but he asks a pleading question.
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“What did you do?”
That’s the million-dollar question, and we’ll apparently wait until Daredevil: Born Again to learn the answer.
Echo and Kingpin’s story ends here as she pulls away. Then, he drives away, riddled with confusion.
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Who is Wilson Fisk the Kingpin without his rage? For that matter, who is Maya Lopez without hers?
Since we’ve had zero indication of a second season for Echo, we may not learn the latter answer for a while.
Instead, the only closure we get is that Maya happily attends a family dinner with Chula, Bonnies, Biscuits, and Henry.
Image: Disney
Still, that’s a strong sign of inner peace for the previously troubled woman.
Maya’s story ends there, but a mid-credits scene teases Fisk’s future. He’s apparently gonna run for Mayor of New York City.
Daredevil will haaaaaate that. But it’s a story for another day.
Final Thoughts on Echo
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For months now, I’ve been braced for the worst with Echo.
The behind-the-scenes turmoil and editing woes hinted at another Secret Invasion in the offing.
I’m thrilled to report that nothing could be further from the truth.
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While Echo is far from perfect – and sections of it definitely won’t hold up well to scrutiny – it’s a thoroughly entertaining show.
The Choctaw Nation setting makes all the difference with Echo.
I strongly suspect that Echo featured more story in New York City, presumably with additional appearances by Daredevil.
Image: Marvel
Instead, the people in the editing bay correctly determined that Oklahoma provided the heart and soul of this story.
Everything else with Echo would have proved distracting and unproductive.
Set in this marvelous Oklahoma town, Echo resonated due to its authenticity.
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Fittingly, the episode ends with Marvel offering a heartfelt thank you to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma “for their collaboration.”
I’m not exaggerating when I say that these contributions made all the difference for a struggling production.
Personally, I’d happily watch more Echo, something I hadn’t expected to say.
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For its part, the Choctaw Nation has honored Echo in its own way.
You can visit the official Echo section on the Choctaw Nation website here.
Echo is permanently immortalized through this honor.
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