I’m a couple of weeks late with this list, but time and the holidays make fools of us all. The first season of the Hawkeye TV show on Disney+ came and went and it was an utter delight! Marvel Studios is doing a wonderful job adapting their movie characters into TV shows, and I have enjoyed every one — especially Hawkeye. From just liking Clint Barton on the big screen, to looking forward to the introduction of Kate Bishop, I had high hopes for the Hawkeye show from the very beginning. And it lived up to the hype and then some.

TV Rating: 9/10 – Great.

I will admit that these Marvel shows aren’t all grand and wonderful television. There are shows that are more dramatic and engaging, shows that are more inventive. But in terms of creating enjoyable TV shows out of MCU characters and properties, these Disney+ shows — and especially Hawkeye — are doing a great job. They’re hugely fun, very entertaining, and use the characters in fun and cool ways. I think Marvel Studios is nailing it in their quest to expand onto the small screen, and I really look forward to the movies and shows interacting and intersecting even more. The pandemic pumped the brakes on that, but it’s only a matter of time.

Join me after the jump for my full thoughts/review of the Hawkeye TV show. Expect FULL SPOILERS for the show! And feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments!

6. Every bit of this show was pitch perfect

I have zero complaints about Hawkeye. I loved pretty much every minute. The characters, the story the tone, the action, the superheroics, all of it worked for me. Hawkeye was a fun, well-paced extension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It used a wide variety of fun characters and found the time to really let the characters butt heads, be pals and enjoy the screen together. I loved the Christmas storyline and the need to get Hawkeye home to his family for Christmas. That’s classic stuff, and it worked nicely to give the action an extra layer of oomph. I loved the team-up between Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, and would gladly watch more seasons of the two of them. The Tracksuit Mafia were just as delightful as I’d hoped. The humor was nice. The action and cinematography were a hoot. And the show really dug its heels in deep into Hawkeye as a unique character and his unique world. I am very pleased with everything we got in Hawkeye.

5. Jeremy Renner was phenomenal

I have always been a fan of Renner as Hawkeye. He’s a great fit for the role, and I really think the movies found a nice niche for him to fill. He was great as the heart of the team in Age of Ultron, and even as he retired, the movies kept finding small and fun spots for him. Renner was phenomenal in the show as being “too old for this crap”, while still having the heart of a hero and the willingness to do what needed to be done. His relationship with his family was great, especially that telephone call with his son. Such a touching and creative scene. Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton hasn’t lost an ounce of his charm over the decade he’s played this role, and this TV show as a nice event.

4. The guest stars were choice

What a bevy of stars on this show! Clint and Kate were already a perfect pair to carry the show, but then we got Swordsman, Yelena and the freakin’ Netflix Kingpin! I know Marvel likes to pack these shows and movies with characters sometimes, but they are always capable of managing the juggle. Yelena was one more complication added several episodes deep, but she fit perfectly and had some great scenes with all the major players. We can only hope Yelena and Kate Bishop get to team up even more in the future. And Swordsman was so much fun! I loved the red herring swerve and the reveal that Jacques really was just a charming, aloof guy who had some very particular skills. That he was played by obvious villain Tony Dalton was a nice touch, seeing as that man is quite evil on Better Call Saul. I hope Dalton enjoyed playing a good guy.

And what more can I say about Vincent D’Onofrio as the Kingpin? I had the reveal spoiled for me ahead of the show — because I can’t stop myself from reading about MCU rumors and character appearances. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end, and he was just as cool, dangerous and powerful. It’s a great choice by Marvel, and I very much look forward to seeing more of him in the future.

Echo worked as a character as well, but I don’t think she was explosively popular as Marvel was hoping. I’m still for sure going to watch the Echo TV show, though. Just try and stop me.

3. I loved Rogers the Musical

It is boggling my mind that not everybody loved that full production number of “I Can Do This All Day” as the post-credits scene. How is that not universally beloved? The skill that went into creating a purposefully cheesy Broadway musical number, complete with a whole cast of characters giving 110%, is mind-blowing. It’s also perfect world-building. Of course the MCU would have stuff like this, and I love that Marvel Studios put in the effort to make a full production. It was the perfect capper to the Hawkeye series. I don’t need to see a full musical, mind you, but it was a perfect bit of world-building in a show like Hawkeye.

2. All the trick arrows!

There was clearly a day where the showrunners and writes sat down and just brainstormed a bunch of fun trick arrows to put into the show. Somebody had the smarts to realize that Hawkeye needed to feature a lot of bow and arrow action, and they delivered! From that spectacular chase scene in the third episode, to the rousing finale fight on the ice rink, Hawkeye delivered exactly what we all wanted!

1. May Kate Bishop appear in all the things

Hailee Steinfeld was transcendent as Kate Bishop and I’m so glad she’s having such a career high right now, with starring roles in a bunch of popular and beloved shows. Now she’s got a very strong debut into the MCU that she can hopefully ride to a lot of opportunities going forward. She was charming, funny, vulnerable, playful and game for everything the show and character demanded. If Hawkeye was indeed a passing of the torch show, and Renner’s Clint Barton has retired into the sunset, then Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop is off to a great start. I want to see her show up everywhere and interact with everybody! She needs to be in the New Avengers, she needs to team up with Yelena and America Chavez and Shuri and Ironheart and Cassie Lang and Peter Parker. The sky needs to be the absolute limit for this character and I can’t wait to see Kate Bishop show up again sometime soon.

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