Hawkeye season 1, episode 4 review: Partners, Am I Right?

We are coming towards the end of fun and games as the fourth episode of Hawkeye season 1 creeps towards the climax. 

The fourth episode of Hawkeye entitled “Partners, Am I Right?” opens where the previous installment has left off as Jack Duquesne (Tony Dalton) holds Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) at sword-point, although Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Eleanor Bishop (Vera Farmiga) arrive, forcing Duquesne to drop the assault.

When Eleanor is alerted by Kate’s breach of her account into Bishop Security, she and Clint are forced to divulge that they are working together on a criminal investigation. Kate attempts to wedge out of this but Eleanor sees Clint off to the elevator and talks him out of getting Kate involved with the case due to her admiration of the former Avenger.

What is Jack Duquesne’s secret?

As Clint exits, he texts Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini) about Kazi Kazimierczak (Fra Fee) and his ties with Sloan Limited. This is not long after Eleanor mentions Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and how despite how skilled she was in the line of duty as Clint is; she ended up still perishing during the Time Heist that resulted in the Blip following the events of Avengers: Endgame. Clint refuses to drop the case, although promises to keep Kate safe.

Later, Clint learns from Laura that Sloan Limited has been money laundering as a front with the Tracksuit Mafia with Duquesne listed as its CEO. Clint also found out that a Rolex was stolen from the Tracksuit Mafia at the Avengers Compound.

Meanwhile, Kate, still distrustful of Duquesne decides to relax as Eleanor attempts to distract Kate about Duquesne even though she attempts to let Eleanor in on his secret by silencing her about arranging a festive party.

Heading to the safe house where Clint spends the night, Kate joins him with the dog as they discuss their next course of action while enjoying many different activities within the Christmas holidays. They spend time decorating and enjoying a movie marathon among other festive revelries.

As they enjoy the activities, Clint teaches Kate a move that could be quite useful for later: shooting a projectile with a small, harmless object with just their fingers while several yards away.

Night of festivity turned ugly reveal

During the conversation, when Kate asks about the best target Clint has taken, he mentions his first encounter with Romanoff. Kate also questions Clint about how he lost his family during the Blip and in regard to Ronin. Kate unwittingly realizes that Clint in fact became Ronin to deal with his trauma.

Drifting off to sleep, Clint recalls the time he was Ronin during the dark when Kate goes off to bed and when he lost his family during the Snap.

Clint assigns Kate a task to recover trick arrows at an NYPD facility with help from the New York City LARPers. Meanwhile, Clint stalks Kazimierczak and convinces him to have Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) drop her path of vengeance against Ronin. Curious as to why Clint is so interested in his rank and employee status at Sloan Limited, he gives up pursuing him and Kate for the moment.

Kazimierczak looks into advising Lopez on putting an end in locating Ronin but not before attempting to maim Clint with his pistol and knife hidden in different compartments which the archer removed from his disposal whilst seated in his car.

Back at the safe house, Clint rendezvous with Kate and the New York City LARPers to retrieve his trick arrows. Clint grows annoyed with Kate in bargaining with the LARPers for information in return for materials they can use for their costumes. Just then, he receives Intel from Laura regarding the location of when the stolen Rolex is kept. Clint and Kate head for the location.

Clint Barton and Kate Bishop v Maya Lopez and Black Widow II

Against Barton’s instructions, Bishop infiltrates the apartment where the Rolex is kept by entering the front door rather than breaking in from the balcony. Bishop locates the Rolex but also finds a notebook listing the names of Barton’s family plus also inadvertently trips a silent alarm. The owner of the apartment is in fact, Lopez. She attacks Bishop, though, at the same time a Black Widow assassin ambushes Hawkeye who is later revealed to be Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).

Hawkeye season 1 episode 4 review

Moving past the halfway point of this light-hearted action-adventure crime series, it’s clear that we are reaching the climax of this six-part arc. The greatest part of this episode is Renner’s and Steinfeld’s chemistry with one another as their respective characters.

Throughout, Hawkeye manages to find the right stakes and tone for a guy without any superpowers but an amazing particular set of skills. Both characters continue to complement each other with what the other lacks: Barton’s inability to recognize his own influence in heroism and his unwillingness to step out of the shadows plus move past his own inner demons.

For Bishop, it is her own false sense of security and know-it-all attitude that gets her into more problems than actually resolving them. Plus her lack of experience in handling real-life situations under pressure puts holes right through her invisible armor.

Tonally, this is arguably what DC’s counterpart within the Arrowverse could have been without being an ersatz Batman with green leather and matching quiver as the show continues to progress.

Not much is lacking as the episode written by Erin Cancino and Heather Quinn and directed by Bert & Bertie who know when to get through cheery scenes and when to get through heavier topics such as loss and regret.

The creative team knew when the action needs to trade place with exposition and plot (not including the Lopez and Belova sequences) which were captivating.

If there are any gripes with this chapter, it is how unfulfilling the mystery behind Duquesne is and his criminal ring (although the connection to Echo was intriguing) though it does make you keen to find out what Barton was investigating as Ronin.

Also, what can be found irritating is Bishop’s penchant for seeing the superhero lifestyle as more of a scout’s honor in addition to the sensationalized consumerist aspect rather than the serious implications that come with such a job.

Catch Hawkeye every Wednesday on Disney+.

What do you think of the fourth episode of Hawkeye? Do you like the archer duo together? Let us know in the comments below!