Echois the newest series from Marvel Studios, leaving viewers with mixed but mostly positive feelings judging by the 70% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although it’s a slow burn in the beginning, by the end of the first episode, viewers are likely to want to binge the rest of the season. With all five of its episodes released on Disney+ earlier this week, the opportunity is there.
The series is thefirst in the MCU to receive a TV-MArating due to its graphic violence, which is quite a shift for Disney. However, given the show’s narrative, the series warrants such violent depictions, asEchoexudes a much more adult tone, which serves the series well. It should be noted that whileDaredevilandJessica Jones, both of which have a TV-MA rating, are nowconsidered MCU canon, those series were originally created by Netflix and only brought into the fold recently.
After her father is murdered, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) seeks to bring those responsible to justice while simultaneously dismantling Kingpin/Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal enterprise. The series picks up where Maya’s role inHawkeyeended, but audiences don’t need to watchHawkeyeto understand or enjoyEcho. Furthermore, although the show takes place adjacent to the world ofDaredevil, it manages to tell its own story outside the confines of the MCU as the first series under theMarvel Spotlight banner. As such, it’s been described as a much more brutal and violent show than previous Marvel ventures.
While the show does contain plenty of brutal scenes, it’s realistic, which automatically sets its fight sequences apart from other MCU content. However, such violence shouldn’t deter prospective viewers because those moments don’t overstay their welcome. Furthermore, the narrative of the show outweighs any violence portrayed on screen. There’s more to the series than the stints of its brutality, but make no mistake, it’s not a show for younger audiences and deserves its TV-MA rating.
EchoIs More Realistic Than Brutal
Marvel’s Echo
Read Our Review
While the show is by far the most violent of any previous series or film in the MCU, such a classification shouldn’t deter viewers from watching it. The fight sequences throughout the series are more realistic, making the show more violent overall. However, such portrayals aren’t egregious. Instead, it makes sense for the type of show thatEchois.
In a series engulfed in organized crime, there must be realistic portrayals of violence. Otherwise, the series would fall flat. Furthermore, Marvel productions aren’t without their own bouts of violence. Almost every character within the MCU has been in various fights; however, to maintain a PG-13 rating, most of the blood is cut out, or the editing relies on quick cuts to avoid anything too graphic.Echoshows the audience the reality of intense hand-to-hand combat, which makes it feel more brutal.
While the action sequences are more violent, the series' overall tone is darker because of Maya’s status as an anti-hero. Although the protagonist of the series, Maya is no saint. She kills many people for theMCU’s Kingpinwithout question and continues to rack up her body count as she seeks to avenge her father’s death.
Seemingly okay with inflicting violence on whomever she needs to, Maya doesn’t struggle with her actions, which by definition sets a more brutal tone. However, given the nature of her character and the hardships she faced as a child, it makes sense and works for the series. In doing so,Echobecomes a much more complex and somewhat dark show compared to other MCU projects.
Echo’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Fights Back After Terrible Start
Echo dropped all five episodes on Disney+ today, and after a terrible start is now seeing a wave of appreciation on Rotten Tomatoes.
Echo’s Narrative Outweighs the Brutality
The series definitely kicks it up a notch compared to most Marvel content. However, simply describing the show as brutal and nothing else is a misstep. Although violent, there’s so much more toEchothan its one-shot fight scenes. Its narrative outweighs the violence and does so with grace and complexity rarely seen in the MCU. For example, its representation of the Choctaw community is nothing short of amazing. Having worked closely with the Choctaw community to accurately portray their culture and tell a story from their perspective, the series sets itself apart from other shows and films outside the MCU.
Although derived from the world of comic books and superheroes,Echotells the story of women and the generations of women whose existence reverberates in the present. It’s a story of family and overcoming the trauma and anger of the past. It’s about strong, powerful women and the bonds between the ones who came before. True to form, the series involved indigenous women behind the camera, and it’s obvious throughout every facet of the show.
After watching all five episodes ofEcho, it does a disservice to the series to describe it as brutal. Because of the implication of the word, audiences could easily avoid a series worth watching. Instead, the show is a well-crafted, realistic portrayal of a character with a violent and traumatic past, which simply means it’s not a series for children, which is evident by its TV-MA rating. Adults, on the other hand, should flock to the show immediately.
Exclusive: Echo Star Alaqua Cox Talks Relation to the Character and Importance of Representation
Alaqua Cox, the star of Echo, talks about her character in the upcoming MCU series and the importance of behind-the-scenes representation.
Echo Is Rated TV-MA and Isn’t for Younger Audiences
Echo’s TV-MA rating is accurate. Unlike previous MCU ventures,Echoclearly has a more adult tone, and children should steer clear of the series. Parents who are unsure whether their child could watch it would be wise to air on the side of caution. While there are plenty of great aspects of the series that children would benefit from seeing, its violent fight scenes aren’t one of them. However, parents could always watch the series first and decide for themselves.All episodes ofEchoare currently streaming on Disney+.
