‘Hawkeye’: Episode 2 Rundown, Bro

With just days to go before Christmas, Clint Barton’s got to get his hands on the Ronin suit. The Ronin suit has returned and knowing the consequences if that’s out on the street, Clint realizes he’s got to track it down before it’s too late. Picking up where we left off with Episode 1, Episode 2 of Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye, "Hide and Seek," has the former Avenger teaming up with an unlikely duo: Kate Bishop. And also, Pizza Dog.

 

As Clint quickly learns, getting the Ronin suit back and disconnecting Kate’s name from it is easier said than done, as he’s got to fend off not only the Tracksuit Mafia but also a group of role-playing individuals. But Clint fought Thanos, so this should be a piece of cake! 

 

Can You Sign My Bow, Bro?

Clint Barton, meet Kate Bishop. After finding Kate — wearing the Ronin suit — out in New York City, Clint realizes he’s got a big mess to clean up. However, Kate has other ideas, as she’s Hawkeye’s biggest fan. Taking him back to her apartment in hopes of hiding out, no sooner does she hand over the Ronin suit that she’s also got a few things she’d like the Avenger to sign for her. While the two try and sort everything out, there’s suddenly a commotion from outside — 

 

Tracksuit Cocktail, bro

So maybe Kate messed up a little and her name is on the call box outside, leading the Tracksuit Mafia right to her. The gang outside throws a flaming Molotov cocktail through her window, setting the place ablaze. The two of them realize they need to flee, with Pizza Dog in tow, and escape out the back. However, in the chaos, the Ronin suit is left behind meaning that after Kate is safe and secure, again, Clint’s got to go back for it. With nowhere else to go, Kate realizes that her aunt, Moira Brandon, is away for the winter so the two of them and the dog can hide out there.

 

A Battle to the Death, bro

Clint’s mission back to Kate’s charred apartment is a failed attempt to retrieve the Ronin suit. By the time he gets there, it’s gone. However, Clint notices a sticker on one of the fire trucks for NYC LARPERS and investigates it a little bit more (via social media) when he returns to Moira’s apartment. Turns out, one of the firefighters at Kate’s apartment picked up the suit and is now going to wear it into battle — a LARPing battle, that is.

 

For those unfamiliar, welcome to the world of Live Action Role Playing — LARPing for short. Seeing no other way to get the Ronin suit back, Clint finds himself on a different kind of battlefield, going up against New York City firefighter Grills to win the suit back. But Grills will only hand it over in a battle to the death.

 

“First of all, I'm a fan of all this stuff,” Clayton English, who portrays Grills, tells Marvel.com. “I literally felt more like my character than I probably should have because I'm fanning out the whole time. I'm Like, ‘Oh, I get to kill Hawkeye [in a LARP-er battle].’ It was amazing.”

 

Gathering all the LARP-ers around, Clint and Grills battle it out, with the latter victorious — that was the plan, after all. The suit returns to Clint.  And in real life, Grills didn’t want to hand the Ronin suit back, either as Clayton tells us, “I didn't want to take it off. I took so many pictures in the suits that I know I can't even post yet!”

 

A Branding Issue, bro

This is where Clint Barton and Kate Bishop say goodbye — or at least Clint hopes. He’s got his own problems to deal with, so he walks Kate to work hoping that by the end of the day the Ronin situation is all sorted out. While the two walk, Kate grills Clint on being an Avenger and concludes that he’s got a branding issue. No one wants an Avenger who’s so closed off and a scrooge, so Clint’s got to soften his approach and wear his emotions on his sleeve a little bit more. This is not the conversation Clint wants to be having right now, and though they trade phone numbers — for emergencies only, Kate — the two say goodbye.

 

The Bartons Back Home, bro

With another day come and gone, Clint realizes he’s still no closer to being home for Christmas. Calling Laura, the two briefly talk about Clint’s current mission and what his plans are next. Clint knows he’s got to talk to the Tracksuit Mafia and decides to use a “catch and release” technique, something Natasha used to do herself. Stashing the Ronin suit away in a locker, Clint heads off to be willingly captured.

 

The Swordsman, bro

Amidst the current chaos, Kate realizes she’s got to show up for work or her mom’s going to get suspicious. Eleanor also happens to be Kate’s boss, as she’s the woman in charge of Bishop Security. Racing into the office, Kate makes a b-line for her mother, who she finds talking to Jack. They’re still discussing the events of the night before, and Armand’s murder. Knowing that now’s not the time to talk, Eleanor suggests that Kate come over for dinner later that night. She begrudgingly agrees, and only if she can pick the topic of conversation.

 

Kate only has one topic in mind: Jack and exactly what his motives are for marrying into the Bishop family. Dinner conversation quickly turns into a swordfight, literally, as Kate challenges Jack to a duel right in the foyer. While Jack tries to play it off that there's not a master swordsman, that’s not exactly true. He’s good, maybe even better than Kate. And sure, maybe Kate tries to stab Jack in the face with the pointy end, but it was all to prove that he was lying!

 

In a show of good sportsmanship, Jack then offers Kate some hard candy — Armand’s butterscotch to be exact. Immediately recognizing the candy design, Kate realizes that Jack has recently been to Armand’s and he could be the killer they’re looking for. Rushing out, Kate calls Clint to offer up this new clue, only to hear a different voice on the other end of the line: Tracksuit Mafia member Kazi Kazimierczak.

 

Catch and Release, bro

It’s not hard to find the Tracksuit Mafia if you’re giving yourself up to them. Clint is taken to their hideout — an old, abandoned toy store — where he’s interrogated by some of the more boisterous Tracksuit members, Ivan, Thomas, and Enrique, who are trying to track down Ronin themselves. Tied up in a chair in front of them, Clint does his best to explain to them that Kate Bishop is not Ronin. Heck, Clint doesn’t even know Kate Bishop, so she can’t be Ronin! This would probably work on the dim Tracksuits if it weren't for Kate who, literally, crashes into the scene after falling from the ceiling. Whoops.

 

Realizing the Tracksuit has both Clint and Kate, Kazi heads off to inform the boss that they’ve got them.

 

But will Clint make it ho-ho-home for the holidays? The first two episodes of Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye are now streaming on Disney+.

Starring Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Hawkeye also features Vera Farmiga, Fra Fee, Tony Dalton, Zahn McClarnon, Brian d’Arcy James, and newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez. Helmed by Rhys Thomas and directing duo Bert and Bertie, Hawkeye debuts exclusively on Disney+ on November 24, 2021.

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Stay tuned to Marvel.com for more details and sign up for Disney+ and start streaming now! And be sure to follow Disney+ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more.