1x03 Tuklo

[6.7/10] So for my last write-up, I mentioned that Echo seemed to be influenced by True Detective in terms of the style and vibe it was aiming for. Well, this episode seemed to prove me wrong! Instead it felt closer to something like Burn Notice or other cable drama procedurals with an action bent.

I don’t know what to say. The confrontation with Kane at the skating rink felt alternatively ludicrous and generic. The small town goons who run-into the big city mob is a cliche. The whole “I’ll intimidate you,” “No I’ll intimidate you!” routine over and over again is even more so. The hostage situation and friends getting wrapped up in it is a hoary trope as well. And the characters themselves mostly felt like generic archetypes, even if the guy who played Kane at least had a presence.

Don’t get me started out on the combat stuff here. I suppose it’s silly to ask for realism in what is still a superhero show, but Echo seemed to be going for a more grounded tone. Now, apparently, she’s MacGuyver-ing projectile weapons out of a skater’s utility room, using arcade components like whips., and taking out professional killers with skee balls. Some of the action scenes in the show have been heightened, to be sure, but this is the first one that was nigh-impossible for me to take seriously.

Somewhere in the middle, there was a good sequence. Maya chasing the New York goons through the laser tag area made for an appropriately chaotic pursuit and dust-up situation with a cool aesthetic. And even a few moments like her kicking someone through the “Make America Skate Again” wall make up for in cool factor what they lose in plausibility.

But the vast majority of this episode is one grand set piece (or, series of set pieces, to be fair) at that location, and very little of it works.

Some of the character stuff is a little better. I appreciated the scene of Chula and Skully getting together to talk about Maya. They have a great dynamic, even if the dialogue is a little clunky. The idea that both Maya and Chula clearly harbor deep feelings about one another, positive or negative, but can't push themselves to talk to one another adds a standard but still potent personal angle to the proceedings.

I’m less moved by the chance reunion between Maya and Bonnie (even if it’s nice to see Reservation Dogs’ Devery Jacobs in the show). The fact that it happens with Bonnie getting wrapped up in the loony skating rink assault scenario feels contrived, and the over-the-tipo situation they’re reunited in saps the event of its emotional force. The moment demands some realism to land, and “Tuklo” has little of it to spare.

There are a few things in this one that I did appreciate. Chaske Spencer, who plays Henry, does a superb job in this, and so giving him a few more notes to play is a plus. Him wanting to stay out of it, but choosing to fight with Maya once the war comes home is a good beat for the character. I also appreciate the fact that despite all her badassery, Maya loses. On theme, it’s because people she cares about have been put in harm’s way, which proves a vulnerability to her and to them. That's on theme, and the fact that iIt takes Kingpin’s last minute intervention to save her further muddies the waters between the two worlds she’s being pulled into.

I also like the idea, realized in both literal and figurative terms, that Maya is imbued with the power of the women who have come before her. The silent film homage didn’t work especially well for me, but I’ve cottoned to the fact that we’re seeing Choctaw women from the past to the present stepping up in key moments, and that they’re linked in a chain not just through their powers, but in their boldness and courage when the moment calls for it. The magic powers angle honestly feels kind of unnecessary, but it’s not like Marvel has eschewed that sort of thing in its street level heroes thus far.

Not for nothing, the last five minutes is a high point. Maybe I’m a sucker, but a beautiful song playing while Maya considers reconciling with her friend but instead drives off pushed the right melancholy buttons for me. And as a tease, Kingpin showing up in Maya’s backyard, practically seeming like a ghost, at a moment when her ties to the criminal world of New York and her ties to the Choctaw world she left in Tamaha are at their most fraught, is outstanding.

Overall, the main event here is exceedingly weak, but there’s some positives around the margins.