Marvel Studios shows that investing in authenticity and representation pays off with their new Spotlight streaming series, “Echo.” Alaqua Cox, who first appeared as the character in “Hawkeye” is stunning as the titular warrior. Joining Lauren Ridloff’s Makkari from “The Eternals” as the second deaf character on screen. Cox is also an amputee, and member of the Menominee and Mohican nations.
All of those factors end up enhancing the story and character in a way that gave a wonderful glimpse inside one of the most layered characters we’ve seen in a while. Coinciding with the news that the Netflix Marvel series are now part of the MCU canon, giving us a glimpse of the intimate fallout of Kingpin / Wilson Fisk’s impact (played again by Vincent D’Onofrio). Pairing Cox and D’Onofrio up again pays off in droves in “Echo.”
Worth a Thousand Words
Language becomes one of the most interesting centerpieces of the series, as there are not only considerable portions of the show in American Sign Language, but also in Choctaw (the character is a member of that nation). Director Sydney Freeland at a press conference for the show spoke on the need for specificity:
“We want to be as authentic in our portrayal of the Choctaw language, the Choctaw culture, the Choctaw experience as we can. And that came from the Choctaw Nation, you know. I think a lot of times people tend to jumble all Native American tribes and cultures into this one big kind of monolith, and that’s not the case. Every tribe is different, every language is different, every culture has its own unique specificities.”
Sydney Freeland, director, “Echo”
The next portion contains mild spoilers for the series.
What struck us was how cleverly the show used fluency (or lack thereof) in the various languages to show the dynamics between the characters. Echo being able to communicate with her family in order to pull off certain situations demonstrates the strength she’s able to draw from her community. Fisk not bothering to actually learn ASL himself in spite of proclaiming himself an adoptive father brilliantly demonstrates the underlying barrier between the two. He’d rather hire someone or create technology (which would be an amazing technology in real life) to aid him than do the work himself.
The language of the action also flows beautifully on screen. Cox’s extensive training with the stunt teams pays off in droves as the action is more brutal and akin to some of the grittier Netflix Marvel shows.
Overall “Echo” shines through the strength of Cox’s portrayal, and the clear love and commitment that went into making the series.
All episodes of “Echo” are streaming now on Disney+ and Hulu.
