Recap and Review of Hawkeye, Episode 5: “Ronin”

After the climatic battle that featured both Hawkeyes, Maya, and a Black Widow ended, we were left with all kinds of questions. Who hired Natasha’s sister to kill Clint? How much more willing is Maya to do, especially since she knows about Clint’s family? Will Kate really do what she is told, and go home and forget about all of this?

That is all on the table as we start episode 5…Ronin

Recap of Hawkeye, Episode 5: “Ronin”

We don’t open on the heroes of the show but instead, we open with Yelena, sister of Natasha in 2018! She and one of the other recently freed widows are at the house of another. But after a brief fight, they discover that this widow, Anna, is already freed, and making quite a nice life for herself as a hired mercenary.

But when Yelena excuses herself, we discover that she was one of the people dusted in Thanos’ snap and when she returns 5 years later, the world is a much different place. The biggest difference to her is the discovery that while she is back and okay, her big sister Natasha is gone…

Kate returns home, battered from the fight and from Clint’s rejection of her. He was pretty clear that it was time for the two of them to end their partnership as things will only escalate from that point, especially with someone hiring a Black Widow assassin.

Kate is heartbroken but has a real heart to heart with her mom Eleanor. As mom patches, the wounds of the physical nature, Kate confesses to wounds of the other kind, especially since Clint rejected her as his superhero partner. Kate’s Mom assures her that everything will be okay, even agreeing to look in her soon-to-be husband’s company, Sloan, which Kate and Clint discovered is a front for the Track Suit Mafia’s dirty money.

In a similar scene, Kazi is patching up Maya, who explains about another fighter being present, though it seemed like Clint and Kate didn’t know who she was. They argue but in the end Kazi promises to help her capture and kill Ronin but that then it needs to end.

Kate returns to her firebombed apartment, only to discover that Yelena is there, having prepared some boxed macaroni and cheese. The two of them eventually get to where they have a discussion.

First off, Yelena is running down the list of things that she wants to see, as this is her first time in New York City, transition into how to cook reindeer to make it not tough and Kate shares some tourist sites. And the whole time Yelena is talking to “Kate Bishop” using her full name, as Kate figures out, to intimidate her. Yelena confesses to being there to kill Clint Barton, wondering how everyone has forgiven him for his past.

Kate is surprised when Yelena reveals that she is Natasha’s sister. When Kate tells her that Clint is an Avenger, the argument gets stronger, with Yelena blaming Natasha’s death on Clint, saying she was just collateral damage in his path. The only leeway Kate seems to make in the conversation is when she makes Yelena pause to ask who would want Clint dead and has hired her.

Meanwhile, Clint returns to Grills’ house, one of the LARPer posse. Upon seeing Clint, he welcomes him in and helps patch up his wounds, ordering pizza. He asks Grills to look after the dog for a few more days, but Grills demands that Hawkeye stays at his house and that the new costumes for him and Kate were dropped off. He finally sleeps.

When Kate finally arrives home at her mom’s, she discovers Jack being led away in cuffs, as Eleanor has done some investigating and agrees that Jack and the company he claims to know nothing about are dirty.

The next morning, Clint heads to the Avengers Memorial. There, he turns off his earpiece and has a heart to heart with his dead friend Natasha. “I do my best to earn what you gave me everyday,” he says, adding “and I just want to say I miss you. And I am so sorry for what I am about to do.” And with that, he raises his hood and walks off.

Meanwhile, Kate is going crazy on Clint’s voicemail, leaving messages, clues, etc. filling up his inbox.

Later the Track Suit Mafia have a message arrow delivered, arranging for Maya to be at the place where she first met Ronin. But Clint clues in his wife for how deep the conspiracy is going and that Maya knows about her family. Clint says that he is worried that the “Big Guy” could get involved.

At the fight, Ronin/Clint expertly removes the Track Suit Mafia guys until he and Maya have an epic fight, at Fat Man Used Cars. When Ronin gets the upper hand on Maya, he wants to impart some wisdom to her, saying “We are weapons. And when you are filled with rage, it makes you blind. You can be used. You can be manipulated. Trust me. I know.” A

nd he confesses to killing her father because an informant gave him the information, from her boss. When she rallies to attack him, Clint is saved by an arrow from Kate. And the two of them Uber away in a ride, during which time, Kate reveals having spoken to Yelena, who Clint knows by name.

When Kazi and Maya meet, it is pretty sure that he is the informant but she is careful not to play all her cards.

The next morning, everything gets an even deeper level of nutty, as Yelena sends Kate a series of messages, revealing that the one who hired her to kill Clint Barton is non-other than Kate’s mom herself, Eleanor Bishop, who is in a picture she sent with…Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, who Clint unfortunately recognizes and says “That is the guy I’ve been worried about this whole time.”

Thoughts on Hawkeye, Episode 5: “Ronin“

The choice to give us some more Yelena story at the beginning is perfect. It bridges from where she was at the end of the Black Widow movie to where she winds up in the cut scene at Natasha’s grave. Knowing that she is now just a paid mercenary was a great move.

There are few things I am an expert in on this world and boxed macaroni cheese is one of them. If Yelena needs that much hot sauce, she is doing it wrong. A few pro tips:

1. Cook the noddles well.
2. After draining the noodles, add the butter and stir until melted.
3. Add in your milk, stirring.
4. Add in the powder packet. Stir well until it is wholly dissolved.
5. At this point, if you want to add in something else you can do so. I am a fan of tuna fish, to add some protein. But after adding it all (or not), give the whole thing a few more minutes on light heat, stirring well. It was turn out delicious.

I cannot wait to see these two costumes!

It was interesting to see a low key Avengers Memorial like that.

Kingpin! So many questions. Was Clint the weapon that Kingpin was using to take out his competition for illegal markets? And was he really to blame for Maya’s uncle’s death or was it Kazi? And no matter what, how betrayed must Kate feel, if Yelena is right and her mom hired Yelena to kill Clint?

And no Christmas soundtrack or playlist is complete without Run DMC. Period. So nice choice for them to add it in!