Echo is a mixed bag. While I enjoyed many aspects of it, I cannot overlook glaring story issues and poor editing that drag it down. This is a show that was plagued with production troubles, and it shows in the final product. While it had massive potential, sadly, in the end, Echo just barely delivers the minimum and never reaches the bar it set for itself.

The cast is easily the strongest part of this show. The talented Alaqua Cox is a badass leading lady and manages to convey so much without speaking a single word. It’s challenging to anchor a show around a character who cannot speak but thanks to her performance, it works really well. The supporting cast, particularly Grahame Greene, Cody Lightning, and Vincent D’Onofrio, are all excellent and steal the scenes they are in.

The representation in the show is another high point. The Choctaw Nation is front and centre the entire show, proudly showing off their culture while educating us about it at the same time. This is most prevalent in the final episode, where we see a powwow break out. It’s very cool to see Indigenous culture, which is rarely showcased in mainstream media, take centre stage in something as big as a Marvel project. It’s so important for representation to be given and the fact that we’re seeing it more and more in the world’s biggest franchise is something incredibly welcome.

A big part of this show’s promotion was the action sequences and bloodiness of them. I am happy to report that for the most part, it delivers on all those fronts. The audience is treated to some thrilling action sequences like a train heist, a Daredevil fight, and a roller rink brawl that not only make for creative set pieces but are also quite entertaining. They harken back to the Netflix era of Marvel TV and it made my little fanboy heart jump with joy.

Quite possibly my biggest issue with the show is the choppy pacing and editing. The first episode is one of the worst things Marvel has ever put out, as it’s essentially a fan edit of Hawkeye with 5 minutes of new footage, ala Silent Night Deadly Night 2. The rest of the episodes feel like they were put together in the editing room as a way of salvaging what happened behind the scenes. It never feels cohesive and it’s even more glaring when you watch the final episode and feel like you missed so much information. It’s a massive problem that isn’t easily swept under the rug.

Echo is a mixed bag for Marvel Studios, and I felt a bit let down in the end. There was so much potential here but it was obvious that they hacked this series to the high heavens making it hard to enjoy an incomplete story.