Hide and Seek (Hawkeye)

"Hide and Seek"
Hawkeye episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.	Episode 2
Directed by	Rhys Thomas
Written by	Elisa Climent
Cinematography by	Eric Steelberg
Editing by	Terel Gibson
Original release date	November 24, 2021 (2021-11-24)
Running time	51 minutes
Cast
Ava Russo as Lila Barton Ben Sakamoto as Cooper Barton Cade Woodward as Nathaniel Barton Clayton English as Grills Carlos Navarro as Enrique Ivan Mbakop as Detective Caudle Tinashe Kajese as Dee Adetinpo Thomas as Wendy Robert-Walker Branchaud as Orville Adelle Drahos as Missy Rhys Bhatia as Stevie Pat Kiernan as himself
Episode chronology
← Previous "Never Meet Your Heroes" Next → "Echoes"
List of episodes

"Hide and Seek" is the second episode of the American television miniseries Hawkeye , based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Clint Barton / Hawkeye and Kate Bishop. The episode follows Barton working with Bishop to learn more about a conspiracy. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It was written by Elisa Climent and directed by Rhys Thomas.

Jeremy Renner reprise his role as Clint Barton from the film series, with Hailee Steinfeld joining him as Kate Bishop. Tony Dalton, Alaqua Cox, Fra Fee, Aleks Paunovic, Piotr Adamczyk, Linda Cardellini, and Vera Farmiga also star. Thomas joined the series in July 2020. Filming took place in New York City, with additional filming and soundstage work occurring in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Hide and Seek" was released on Disney+ on November 24, 2021. Critics praised the chemistry and performances of Renner and Steinfeld and the LARPing sequence.

Plot

After encountering Kate Bishop in an alley, Clint Barton is taken to her apartment before they are shortly attacked by the Tracksuit Mafia, who set fire to the place. The pair are forced to evacuate, leaving the Ronin suit behind. After relocating to Bishop's vacationing aunt's apartment, Barton sends his children back home, but promises to return by Christmas Day.

Barton escorts Bishop to her workplace and then recovers the Ronin suit at a LARPing event from a firefighter named Grills. Later, Bishop fails to convince Eleanor Bishop of Jack Duquesne's involvement in his uncle Armand Duquesne's death. After challenging Duquesne to a fencing duel, she tries to contact Barton, but learns that Barton knowingly allowed himself to be captured by the Tracksuit Mafia. She tracks down Barton's location but ends up being captured herself. The gang informs their leader, Maya Lopez, of Barton and Bishop's captivity.

Production

Development

By April 2019, Marvel Studios was developing a Disney+ series starring Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton / Hawkeye from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, in which Barton would bequeath the mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop. ^[1] In July 2020, Rhys Thomas was hired to direct three episodes of Hawkeye . ^{[2] [3]} Thomas executive produces with series' head writer Jonathan Igla alongside Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum, Trinh Tran, Victoria Alonso, Louis D'Esposito, and Kevin Feige. ^[4] The second episode, titled "Hide and Seek", ^[5] was written by Elisa Climent, ^[6] and was released on November 24, 2021. ^[7]

Writing

Igla felt that it was important to show the lasting impact of all the blows that Barton has taken over the years, despite being in great shape and knowing how to take a hit, as he is just a normal guy. The use of the montage showing what Barton had gone through in past MCU appearances was to remind the audience of the "scale of things that he has been through, partly in contrast to the scale of the challenge that it feels like he's facing now". Igla felt that based on what he was told and saw, it was a collection of events that eventually led to Barton's hearing loss, as opposed to one cause, so for the montage, Igla wanted to feature clips of "the biggest, most cinematic, expensive-looking explosion and Avengers-level offense that he has been through". ^[8]

Casting

The episode stars Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne, Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo, ^[5] Fra Fee as Kazi, Aleks Paunovic as Ivan, Piotr Adamczyk as Thomas, ^[9] Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, and Vera Farmiga as Eleanor Bishop. ^[10]

Design

External videos
Marvel Studios' Hawkeye: Episode 2 End Credits Main On End Title Sequence presents the episode's main-on-end title sequence, YouTube video from Perception's channel

The episode's main-on-end title sequence was designed by Perception. ^[11]

Filming

Filming began in early December 2020 in New York City, ^{[12] [13] [14]} including in Downtown Brooklyn at the Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets subway station, ^{[12] [15] [16]} and in Midtown Manhattan. ^[13] Additional filming took place at Trilith Studios and Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. ^{[17] [18]}

Marketing

After the episode's release, Marvel announced merchandise inspired by the first two episodes as part of its weekly "Marvel Must Haves" promotion for each episode of the series, including apparel and Funko Pops of Hawkeye and Bishop with Lucky. ^[19]

Reception

Audience viewership

The viewer tracking application Samba TV reported that the episode was watched by an estimated 1.3 million households in the first five days, while the first episode was watched by 1.5 million households. ^[20] According to Nielsen Media Research who measure the number of minutes watched by United States audiences on television sets, Hawkeye was the second-most watched original series across streaming services for the week of November 22–28 with 853 million minutes watched. ^[21] The two-episode premiere of Hawkeye was the top streaming series for viewers in the United States for the week ending November 28 according to Whip Media's TV Time. ^[22]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 14 reviews. ^[23]

Jack Shepherd of GamesRadar+ gave the episode a 4 out of 5 and said that Renner and Steinfeld had "electrifying chemistry." He thought both got a chance to shine, both together and separately. Shepherd said the LARPing scenes were the best part of the episode largely due to the fact that "Hawkeye's tough-as-nails straight-man act plays wonders". He really liked when Barton and Bishop were together, saying that their pairing was "the standout element of the show so far". As a result, he said when the pair were apart "the series slows down arguably too much". ^[24] In giving "Hide and Seek" a 4 out of 5, Keith Phipps of Vulture said the story was able to get down to business after the exposition heavy first episode and praised the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld. ^[5]

Kirsten Howard of Den of Geek gave the two-episode premiere a 4.5 out of 5, saying that "Steinfeld is predictably great in the role [of Bishop]". Howard felt that "Marvel Studios has created an appealing, Die Hard-esque world for Clint Barton" and the more grounded approach to the series suited him. ^[25] Matt Purslow of IGN also praised the chemistry between Renner and Steinfeld, saying that "while the duo makes for an energetic feel, there are elements at play that keep things human and weighty", but added that Steinfeld specifically stole the show. Purslow felt that up to this point "the Hawkeye the title refers to is almost certainly Kate." He liked the balance of the LARPing scene as it was consistently funny, while he also felt that it did a good job showing "Barton's reluctance to being pulled into a conflict." ^[26]

References

1. Otterson, Joe (April 10, 2019). "Hawkeye Series Starring Jeremy Renner in the Works at Disney+ (Exclusive)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
2. Kit, Borys (July 17, 2020). "Marvel's 'Hawkeye' Disney+ Series Lands 'Troop Zero,' 'Comrade Detective' Directors (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
3. Jackson, Angelique (November 18, 2021). "Hailee Steinfeld on Joining the MCU in 'Hawkeye': 'Kate Bishop Is a Character I Would've Loved to Have Had Growing Up'". Variety . Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
4. "Hawkeye Fact Sheet" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
5. Phipps, Keith (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Recap: Don't Call Me, Maybe". Vulture.com . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
6. "Hawkeye (2021)". Writers Guild of America West . Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
7. Ausiello, Michael (October 14, 2021). "Hawkeye: New Trailer for Disney+ Series Teases Linda Cardellini's Return". TVLine . Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
8. Lane, Carly (November 24, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Head Writer Jonathan Igla Breaks Down the First Two Episodes, From Kate and Clint's Initial Meeting to That Episode 2 Closer". Collider . Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
9. Romanchick, Shane (November 29, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Poster Unveils the Tracksuit Mafia, the Bro-iest Gang Around". Collider . Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
10. Taylor, Elizabeth (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Introduces a Major Marvel Character". E! Online . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
11. Failes, Ian (January 21, 2022). "How the main titles of 'Hawkeye' helped tell the story of Kate and Clint". Befores & Afters. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
12. Dela Paz, Maggie (November 30, 2020). "Disney+'s Hawkeye Series to Begin Filming in New York this Week". ComingSoon.net . Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
13. Carolina (December 3, 2020). "Friday, Dec. 4 Filming Locations". On Location Vacations . Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
14. Polo, Susana (December 9, 2020). "Hawkeye set photos reveal costumes, but more importantly, a dog sidekick". Polygon . Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
15. Welch, Chris [@chriswelch] (December 2, 2020). "The Hawkeye set, at least for today, is underground in the subway. Good luck getting any leaks" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020– via Twitter.
16. Carolina (December 2, 2020). "Thursday, Dec. 3 Filming Locations". On Location Vacations . Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
17. Ho, Rodney (September 30, 2020). "Upcoming Georgia productions: Jeremy Renner's Marvel series 'Hawkeye,' Gerard Butler's police drama 'Copshop'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
18. "#1261 08/26" (PDF). Production Weekly. No. 1261 (published August 26, 2021). September 6, 2021. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
19. Paige, Rachel (November 26, 2021). "Shop Marvel Must Haves: 'Hawkeye' Episodes 1 and 2". Marvel.com . Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
20. D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 29, 2021). "'Hawkeye' Viewership 40% Behind 'Loki' Premiere In Samba-Measured Disney+ Homes". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
21. Hipes, Patrick (December 27, 2021). "'True Story', 'Hawkeye', 'Red Notice' Topped U.S. Streaming Rankings During Thanksgiving Week". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
22. Prange, Stephanie (November 30, 2021). "'Red Notice,' 'Hawkeye' Top Weekly Whip Media Streaming Charts". Media Play News . Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
23. "Hide and Seek". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved February 28, 2022.
24. Shepherd, Jack (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Episode 2 Review: "Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld Are Electric Together"". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
25. Howard, Kirsten (November 24, 2021). "Hawkeye Episode 1 and 2 Review: Welcome to the Party, Pal". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
26. Purslow, Matt (November 23, 2021). "Hawkeye Episodes 1 and 2 Review". IGN . Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.

External links

• "Hide and Seek" at IMDb
• Episode recap at Marvel.com