Cinepals - ECHO Episode 1 Review!

Episode Date: January 11, 2024

Jaby Koay and Achara Kirk watch and review the first episode of Marvel's latest show Echo which is airing on Disney Plus and Hulu. This is a spoiler review for Echo 1x1 Reaction. Echo stars Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, with a cameo from Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil as well as another favorite villain Vincent D'Onofrio Wislon Fisk / Kingpin. The show also stars Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs) as Bonnie, Cody Lightning as Biscuits, Chaske Spencer as Henry, Graham Greene as Skully and Tantoo Cardinal as Chula.  Watch our cutdown reaction on https://www.YouTube.com/@CinePals or watch the full length reaction on our YouTube memberships or on https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   Music from Epidemic Sound as well as Easy Jam by Kevin MacLeod http://incompetech.com  

Sinha. Pals. What is going on, everybody? I'm Jabby Kouye, joined by Acharya. Kirk. What's up? Thanks so much for joining us. We are watching Echo, Season 1, Episode Uno. Very exciting. There were some things I liked. I thought it was a really strong first episode, actually. It was like a really good setup for what is to come. And like her motivations, how her history is affecting who she is today. Yeah, it's definitely interesting stuff. Yeah. Well, why don't you go first?

And then I'll say what I have to say after. Well, I mean, I think the things that I enjoyed are probably the same things that you enjoyed. Like, you know, they did a really great job of setting up her relationship with her dad right from the get-go. I mean, we already know from the Hawkeye show, right? Like, she was really close to her dad. Like, within the first however many minutes, like 10 minutes they had before they showed him dying, like you really get a sense of, like, like what happened to her with her mom and everything and like how close they were and all of that. And it hurt when he died.

Yes, it did. It really hurt. And that's really good to be able to affect our emotions that strongly in like literally the first 10 minutes of a show. I agree. You know, that was really cool. And I enjoyed the stuff with her backstory, her family and all of that. And it's also interesting kind of. Seeing how her culture is coming into play because there is that kind of spiritual aspect to it that comes from her ancestry that seems to be kind of playing into the story as well.

So I'm curious to see how they're going to weave that into the storyline because it does seem to be something that is probably going to be quite significant. So the taller guy, his name is Omid, okay? We met him at the gym. and then the shorter he's not short but like the shorter guy between the two of them his name is Seth Austin

and so I used to flip with both of them for years at joining all movement back when joining all movement was called White Lotus like that's how far back I go with all these dudes and so the last time you saw Seth Austin

well the only time you met Seth Austin was at El Ram's party and we were talking to him up to the end of the night it's like it's amazing to me that you don't remember him but anyway and then Omead we you know

we talked extensively with at the gym recently because you were like, he was like, what's your ethnicity? Are you? And I forgot what he thought you were. Oh, yeah, yeah. But anyway, both super nice guys, super dope guys. This is one of those things where it's like, I like the ideas being expressed in this show. And it makes me a little bit sad that we didn't get, like I mentioned, just a longer run with Hawkeye and a side-by-side parallel storyline.

Because this is a very interesting storyline. And to develop both of them simultaneously would have been neat. But I understand why they didn't do that because Hawkeye is more kind of cheery and Christmassy. This is more dark and bloody and, you know, serious. And so, you know, that is more kind of fun and goofy, right? This is not. This is serious. Anyway, the shortcomings I'm spotting is like in the beginning,

some of the acting stuff, which just wasn't working for me, when the mom passed away and then the hospital scene, and it's like, you, you know what I mean? Like, grandma was kind of going off on the father. It's like, I didn't like any of that. I was just like, this is just not working for me acting wise. But when they had when they had Papa and daughter together, That worked for me.

There was something in that that seemed to gel. Like, their performance off of each other, even the grown-up one, like, that all strung together in a way that was meaningful to me and impacted me, right? There's also part of me that's just kind of projecting because I lost my dad. So, like, you know what I mean? Like, there's stuff going on there. Yeah. And it works.

The action, like, I was really amped up because I'm like, I'm seeing two dudes who I know are very capable, just from personal experience. Like, I know these guys. Very capable guys. The shot that they were going for was very ambitious. but there were things in there where I was like, that's not, that's not working. Yeah, sometimes it didn't, sometimes it didn't land.

Like, I agree with you there. But I did feel that once Daredevil came into the scene, and I don't know if this is just because, like, I really love Daredevil, and I'm just so excited to see him back. Yeah. But I felt like it was cooler once he arrived on the scene and they could just focus on the two of them fighting

as opposed to trying to do this, like, whole big oneer with a lot of different people and like moving the camera around and going random round and all of that yeah I don't know who his stunt double was traditionally it was Chris Bruce during the past but I think it was someone else

but anyway whoever doubled Daredevil did a really really nice job I just want to commend whoever did his stunts because whoever did did a really nice job in terms of like the acrobatic stuff right the fights there were like with Daredevil were certainly elevated it was certainly better It was still like, not quite what I was hoping for.

Not quite my tempo. Not quite my tempo. Not quite my tempo. It's all good. No worries. Here we go. But like, for the most part, it was cool. It was like, okay, cool, cool, cool.

It's just like, there's such a high standard that was set in season one of Daredevil. Yeah. Episode two with the hallway fight. It's like, dude, that just, it crushes. And then Shang Chi, it crushes. Yeah. And then here I'm like, okay. All right.

All right. You know, it's cool. It's cool. And so, yeah, there's the acting and then that action stuff. I was just like, and then her. I'm still getting used to her. Like, as a little girl, I liked her a lot. And then there were some scenes where I liked her as the grown-up.

But, like, when she was on the water tower and she's like, kind of mugging or whatever that is that she's doing and just so much attitude, I'm like, I don't like you as much right now. There's something about you that's just rubbing me the wrong way. But there's episodes to go, and she might win me over. So now we can see the trajectory of what's ahead. It's basically she wants to be, you know, queen pen. That's cool.

Yeah. Yeah. No, I think that's interesting. I'm just kind of worried, right? Because I'm just like, she is our protagonist. And I guess right now, it's still left to be seen whether she is a good guy, a bad guy, or if she's just kind of like this great character who is somewhere in between.

And maybe that's where she lands. You know what I mean? I really want her to have this redemption arc where she goes from being Kingpin's, like right-hand girl, as it were, and going around murdering, killing people and doing whatever, I want her to kind of come to the good side, you know what I mean? And maybe, but here she is kind of saying to that guy, yeah, I want you to help me bring this war with Kingpin to our home. I'm like, ah, that's not really, that's not really the heroin-like behavior that I would like to see from you, Echo.

But, you know, maybe that's going to be her journey. Do you know what I mean? And, like, she's going to bring all this stuff and then realize that maybe that's not what show. I don't know. It's still the first episode. I don't care if she goes to the good side or goes full scarface. Either one is fine as a trajectory.

I just want the show to be good. Yes, I agree with you there. I agree with you there. Like, whatever you want to do is fine. Just qualitatively speaking, like, I have got some grievances with the show. And that's it. So I'm like, all right, it's the first episode. We got, you know, the rest of the movie to go because this is basically a movie broken up at

departs. I just hope I like it more than Killers of the Flower Moon. So... Yeah, I mean, and speaking of Killers of the Flower Moon, I will say, and I know I say this a fair bit about the whole representation thing, but I just thought it was so cool to just kind of get to be in this world with her, where we're

seeing a lead character who's signing, and then like all the other characters around her are signing as well, and, you know, getting to see bits and pieces of her Native American culture come in, and I really hope that that has been done well and sensitively, but obviously, like, we don't

know that because that's, you know, we're not part of that culture, but I think it's so cool that that is a big part of the story and the character and that we're getting to see it on like a big platform like this. So, yeah, no, I appreciate that stuff a lot. So the dad character. Okay, so for those of you that don't know and haven't heard me say it a million times, I used to be a session runner for commercial casting. And really early on, I had this audition I was helping to run, just camera. And I forgot the name of the casting director, but he works a shit ton. It's fine.

Anyway, he was the first guy, that casting director, to ever tell me the notion of a divorce party. I didn't know what that was until he said it. But anyway, so what happens is it's an audition for a film, for a director who is the director that discovered Amanda Bynes. Okay. And so this is his comeback film and it's about Native Americans, something, something, something. And so that dude came in, the father. And I remember, you know, filming him and doing, he's doing his scene, he's chewing gum.

And it takes his gum out, looks like the garbage can, and throws it. The gum was at least six feet away from him. Oh, the trash can. The trash can was six feet away from him. And he fucking landed it. I'm like, in the audition, he landed it. That's crazy. I would book him on that.

And so, that was just... Maybe that's why he does in every audition. Maybe. And that's my button. Yeah, maybe. He fucking killed that moment. Okay, so what was the other thing was the Billy Jack? Billy Jack is in 1971 American Action Driving Independent Film,

the second of four films centering on a character of the same name. Is there anything about Native Americans here? Billy Jack is a mixed race. Navajo, Green Beret, Vietnam War veteran, and Hokkudo Master. So the name of the dog is a reference. Okay. Yeah. Nice spot, Jabby Coe.

Yeah, I only knew that because my dad showed me this movie a long time ago. And there's like some martial arts in it and stuff like that. I never finished it. So we could totally do it. If people are like, if this is something people are into, like we could totally do a reaction to it. Because I've only seen the first 20, 30 minutes of it. Oh, okay. Yeah.

But interesting reference for them. So anyway, you guys, thanks so much for hanging. I'm Jabby Koie. This is. A chara cook. Peace out.