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matt-p-smith
Reviews
Echo (2023)
Promising show that fizzles out too quickly
Echo starts off with plenty of promise, the darker street-level vibe makes it feel more like a spin-off of one of the shows in Netflix's Defenders series, in no small part thanks to a fantastic flashback fight sequence between Echo and Daredevil in the opening episode. D'Onofrio's Kingpin is back too, once again stealing every scene he's in, laying the foundation for a broken father-daughter-esque relationship between him and Maya.
I can't find much to fault in the production of the first few episodes either, the new cast all play their parts well as the show slowly builds a world around Echo's Chocaw family and the underground crime ring they have become reluctantly involved with. Echo herself is admittedly one-note character, but this hasn't always been a problem in Marvel shows, and there's clear potential for a redemption arc as she takes down Kingpin's rebuilt crime operation.
Unfortunately, this promise never really transpires in the short 5-episode run and my heart sank going into the 34 minute finale. While the initial setup was in place for an explosive ending, this turned out to be mostly a fake out, with Kingpin's henchmen taken out laughably by two of Maya's relatives. Meanwhile, Maya seems to have discovered mystical superpowers which were never apparent until this point, allowing her to escape Kingpin's grasp with ease.
It's difficult to say whether or not a longer run would have resulted in a significantly better show, with so much world building and character development absent from the show that made it's way to screens. Nevertheless it's disappointing that Marvel didn't give the show enough time to build to a proper finale that gave the characters the send off they deserved, assuming this is the last we see of Echo and her Chocaw family.
Fresh Meat (2011)
Mixed bag of British comedy
A university sitcom by the creators of Peep Show with recognizable cast from Inbetweeners and other classic British comedies. It never quite lives up to the potential though, there's some really funny bits and a few likable characters, but they're mixed up with some quite irritating personalities and filler storylines that don't really go anywhere. It didn't capture the vibe of British university life as much as I would have hoped for, the cast all seem a bit too old and not like the kind of students you'd typically meet in real life. I watched it through to the end and enjoyed it enough to pass the time, but there's a handful of similar British shows I'd recommend before this one.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Ribbit and Rip It (2022)
Better, but still far from MCU at it's best
The strongest episode of the season so far, in no small part due to the arrival of Charlie Cox reprising his role as Daredevil. Questionable new costume aside, his character felt very much in line we the one from the Netflix show and delivered some of the show's best action scenes so far. Welcome (back) to the MCU, Matt Murdock.
Yet it's still very much a She-Hulk episode, and suffers many of the flaws that have made the show one of the most divisive entries in the MCU canon. The frog villain was too goofy to take seriously and Jen's 4th-wall breaking is as cringey and misplaced as it's ever been. As usual the humour straddles a fine line between light-hearted fun and trying too hard to be funny.
With one episode remaining, Daredevil's appearance wasn't enough to save the show but did at least give a few reasons for making it this far. Here's hoping they can keep this momentum going till the end.