What could be any better gift for Christmas than a spectacular Christmas season’s end? That’s precisely the kind of thing Hawkeye offers. The finale is the top of the run of six episodes and is a complete fulfillment of the promise of fun-filled, festive entertainment and plenty of emotion underneath the thrilling wrap. It also completes Kate and Clint’s first tale to an end, and even though not every protagonist is able to achieve the same level of success it’s a chapter which doesn’t leave you looking for more than the next season.

The introduction to Episode 5’s The Kingpin suggested that Hawkeye’s collection of anti-heroes and heroes will be united for the conclusion, and all featuring Wilson Fisk in their crosshairs. This never happens, but it is more intriguing because of it. The last hour is divided into three showdowns: Clint against Yelena, Kate versus Fisk and Maya against Kazi.

The most significant of these personal conflicts evidently, is Clint’s his, who has been spending this whole season battling his grieving over Natasha’s demise. Yelena’s insistence that he kill her despite her conversations about Kate as well as (presumably) an incredible intelligence network, is somewhat sloppy. The particular whistle sequence that breaks up their fight seems a little rushed and too similar to the “Martha” get-out provision that was featured in Batman and. Superman. The ensuing argument, however, permits Clint to voice his regret that he did not stop Natasha from sacrificing herself and to declare that she was capable of doing that because she was superior to him. Clint has never had therapy and therefore, just having a conversation about what transpired with someone else who has the same affection for Natasha is the last step in his journey to healing.

Yelena splits Clint and Kate together means that our pint-sized archer has to be up against The Kingpin of Crime solo that is a mismatch that will last for a long time. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Fisk is revealed to be much stronger than he was in Daredevil capable of sending Kate flying with a single punch as well as tear apart a door of a car off its hinges. This raises the question whether this really is the identical Kingpin that is featured in The Netflix show, particularly with that grotesque attire. Whatever the case, it provides an interesting David and Goliath aspect to the battle that Kate is able to win with wit instead of brute force.

Kate does not get the last blow to Kingpin however. The main Kate moment is with Eleanor and it’s gratifying that her mother is being treated as a villain for the things she’s done instead of an innocent person who gets caught in the middle. It’s a major moment for Kate and she resents her family and accepts Clint as her boyfriend and surrogate father. I’ll admit that watching Clint return her to his family over Christmas left my eyes slightly weepy. A lot of the MCU has focused on the idea of finding familymembers, as well Clint and Kate’s bond has been one of the best instances of this.

Kingpin’s fate lies to Maya which is why she has the strongest personal animus against Kingpin. In the course of the show, Maya never really experienced the level of growth required to make her part in the conclusion ring true nevertheless, it’s enjoyable to watch her settle the matter with Kazi and Kazi and her uncle. The scene where she shoots Kingpin completely directly in the face an awe-inspiring moment, in part due to the fact that Vincent D’Onofrio only recently been introduced, but the incident occurring off-screen appears to be the television equivalent of “things aren’t as they seem”.

It’s a pity to see Kingpin to have to leave the scene since D’Onofrio is once more an incredible presence as Fisk even if this one episode doesn’t give him the same nuance as Daredevil did. His ability to mix sophisticated massive with unhinged mob-boss appearances makes him one of the best MCU villains. The terror that he brings to the table is far superior to any threat Hawkeye has presented in the previous five chapters.