Deaf Person Reacts To Marvel's Echo (2024) // Marvel Echo TV Show Review

[@rikkipoynter]

What did you think of Echo?! Become a Patreon supporter if you'd like: patreon.com/rikkipoynter

[@BanthaWorship]

The entire manuscript was submitted to the Choctaw Nation for review before starting production. Indigenous writers, directors, actors, disabled actors, writers, etc. -- kind of astounding for Hollywood, and I hope it's a continued trend. When her father says Maya must learn to navigate two worlds, it is vital the viewer realize this is a multidimensional statement: She must navigate the hearing and deaf worlds. The indigenous and non indigenous worlds. The disabled and non disabled worlds. The criminal and non criminal worlds. That's a big ask of a child. Considering this is integral to understanding everything else. I only have to manage two of those and it's like walking a tight rope daily.

[@BanthaWorship]

Check out Vincent Shilling here on youtube for a lot of behind the scene footage and such from the show (and others) and actor interviews.

[@Macusercom]

The fact that Fisk never learned ASL and chose an interpreter and after that the AR translator just shows how little he was interested in Echo. He chose the easy route by picking translation over actually "speaking" her language. I felt like the speed of using ASL varied quite a lot and I wonder if this was intentional. Her uncle signed quite slowly compared to her grandmother. Also she didn't talk English simultaneously to signing while others did. I very much liked the series and I think it was something unique and different in the MCU (though mind I don't speak ASL or any other sign language). I just hate how the show gets torn apart on IMDb because of her "lack of facial expressions" and her leg being to rigid because she can kick in doors (I mean sure, Ironman has an artificial heart and the Ironman suit but an artificial leg is unrealistic) 😅

[@rikkipoynter]

Yeah, feels more like a throwaway niece that you only show up to say hi to when you need her and maybe a birthday and Christmas. Like the interpreters probably also played nanny. The variation in signing speed and fluency is normal. There will be people who are just better at the language, know more, or because of their age, they're not able to sign as fast or as smooth. Or disability involved in wrists, maybe. Also if I remember right, they haven't seen her in a very long time so they likely haven't been using ASL for two decades so it'll be clunky because of that too. I can't say anything about her leg and I'll leave that to others who use prosthetics, but man... she's a pissed off orphan who was trained to be a fighting machine! Yeah, that RBF is gonna be the main look on the face!! lol

[@ntcssj]

I was also thinking how unrealistic it seemed that all of Maya's family knew sign language, but having the context that her mom was also deaf and in the bios it's said that her cousin Bonnie is a CODA (child of deaf adults), I'm assuming that in the show, her family/town have multiple deaf community members to keep up with ASL? I've watched most of the Marvel tv series that were originally on Netflix, (I blame Jessica Jones for getting me into Marvel lol) and Kingpin was a main supervillan in Daredevil. He is a Jeff Besos level billionaire who was shown to be so immensely scary and powerful because there are threads of his mafia power, influence, violence, and corruption in like every level of New York from police to politics. Noone could be trusted to not be corrupted in some way by Kingpin and it's been very hard to defeat him. So, it's a huge show of power/strength that Maya Lopez, a deaf disabled indigenous woman was presumed to have killed him (in the Hawkeye movie) and goes up against his level of power in Echo.

[@rikkipoynter]

Hahaha yeah, you do get the rare occasion that an entire family will know sign language so it was very nice to see! My friends and I like to make jokes out of it and exaggerate it a little bit. I mean, it's true but... you get lucky sometimes too, haha. Oh, Jessica Jones in a throwback. That show and Luke Cage were like the only two Marvel shows I watched and enjoyed. I mean, I haven't really hated anything I've seen from Marvel except for uhhh what's it called Iron Fist or something, but Idk, something about Marvel doesn't grip me. Seems I am a DC girl at heart at the end of the day. Thanks for the Kingpin info!

[@ntcssj]

Yeahhh Jessica Jones and Luke Cage were awesome. I didn't like Iron Fist either but watched it 'cause I knew he was gonna be in The Defenders with the others and wanted to have the context. @@rikkipoynter

[@BanthaWorship]

You also have to take into consideration the culture aspect. Indigenous communities tend to be more tight knit than America at large. Family is really, really important. When I lost my hearing the white half of my family never learned even 1 word in ASL but my indigenous family took classes and crowd funded for my hearing aids.

[@rikkipoynter]

I love that.

[@jordanbrown6208]

“That’s why there’s an interpreter shortage” LMFAOOO. Real talk though, as an interpreter, would I accept a job from a Marvel supervillain if I knew it might be the last job I ever accept? …yeah, probably 😅

[@rikkipoynter]

Go big or go home.

[@wanderingokamikitsune]

I have not seen it yet, due to flashy lights. Until I figure out what is causing my non-epileptic seizures, I have to miss out all these amazing shows and movies. I think it's amazing that there are shows that are deaf friendly. I so wanna see these shows and movies!!!

[@whitecrow1949]

I'm a fan of both DC and Marvel. I loved Echo. Before I say more, Jeremy Renner has a delightful channel with lyric videos; and via Masterpiece thru Amazon Prime, there is a wonderful series called Little Bird, which is about the experience of Indigenous children and their families in Canada. Anyway ... ↘️ I connected with Echo in more than one way. Deafness, of course. Part of my ancestry is Native American (reservation born grandmother). I was an elder in two Native American Circles. This heritage, culture and spirituality are sacred to me. Echo did a fantastic job representing this. ↘️ I loved the cast. The old timers. I loved seeing Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs). And more.

[@seelisiili]

I don't think Kingpin really spent that much time with Maya, sadly.

[@rikkipoynter]

Yeah, def feels more like a throwaway niece that you only show up to say hi to when you need her and maybe a birthday and Christmas. Like the interpreters probably also played nanny.

[@ASLSuncats]

I also really liked the ASL and Deaf representation in this! Though I did wonder how realistic it was for the family to retain so much ASL fluency after such a long time of Maya being gone (I got the impression she’d been gone for at least 10, 20 years, etc.) and I didn’t see any other reason for the family to keep up their practicing unless they did so on purpose on the hopes she would be back someday. The “interpreter shortage” joke is hilarious!

[@ASLSuncats]

I also forgot to add that they added the storyline about Maya’s amputated leg because the actress, Alaqua Cox, is an amputee - they didn’t search out an amputee to fit the character because the original character is not an amputee. So I thought that was pretty cool that they were willing to incorporate that into the story and make that part of the canon for the actual character just for Alaqua!

[@rikkipoynter]

Ah thank you for the info about the amputee! For some reason I thought original Echo was in the arms, at least. I think it's just because of some gloves or bandage wrapping I saw in a photo and I thought it was a prosthetic, oops lol.

[@harveyabel1500]

Zane was quite the distraction in the background!😂 Nice to see you doing well after your recent heartbreak...cos, ya know, life does go on ❤

[@rikkipoynter]

"Doing well" Oh I'm glad I'm hiding it well it seems hahaha at least on here LOOOOOL

[@harveyabel1500]

@@rikkipoynter I just wish you well, Rikki!💗

[@Jabberwocky4k]

Thank you for this reaction video, I was very curious on your opinion of this show.

[@rikkipoynter]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@Jabberwocky4k]

Always ​@@rikkipoynter

[@JonahMoskowitz]

Please review the Queer Eye episode "Protect the Nest" - the 'hero' is a Deaf teacher, coach, and athletic director at LSD. I'm less culturally Deaf than you, so I'd love your perspective!

[@rikkipoynter]

Yes, that is on my list!

[@BastettheGh0st]

Awwww! 💕 I cry though family scenes too 😢 We have a similar background from what I've seen in your vids.

[@thewkovacs316]

i think the show would have been better had they gotten the show runner from reservation dogs

[@rikkipoynter]

I have not seen Reservation Dogs! I should check that out.

[@TheScottwright]

I was really looking forward to this show and I kinda got what I wanted. I really hope we get more of Maya in the future. I was a big fan of her family Skully and Biscuits very funny and supportive. I was a bit sad they made a big deal about Bonnie being her best friend and how much bonnie missed her only for barely any time given over to them reconnecting that was sad. Also was really looking forward to seeing your reaction and i`m glad you watched it big fan

[@rikkipoynter]

Yeah, I felt like the show was both too short and also too long? I at the very least would've expected more about Bonnie since it was such a big deal in episode one, like you said.

[@sojabursche]

I think Hawkeye finger spelled boss because he didn’t know the sign, he’s hoh but canonically isn’t fluent in sign and only knows some signs for when his hearing aid is broken. So I was already surprised he canonically knew that many signs. 😂 I thought the most unrealistic thing about the show was jumping and running with a non running blade prosthetic 😅 The interpreter getting killed was funny like there are already not enough interpreters and they are making it worse. It was funny because it’s like “that’s why there’s no interpreters, they all get murdered by crime bosses after interpreting for them!” 😂 I liked when she turned the music up really loud, like if you can’t hear stuff the bad guys don’t hear anything either, levelling the playing field. Maybe giving them disadvantage from loud being painful. 😂 I didn’t like the bad guy having a facial difference because real world ableism. There are monthly contacts you can leave in until you need to replace them. I can’t use any contacts because my eyes are too flat but my friend has them. I thought the blurry was meant to show how crowds and stuff can be disorienting. But I’m not sure.

[@rikkipoynter]

Oh yeah for sure- I knew he was HOH and English was his first language so the ASL is all in learning mode. Just fun to see which ones he knows and which he doesn't! In regards to the contacts, I meant more like because it was the AI sign language glove-y type of deal and I'm like... well I would've taken those off by now! YEAH CRIME BOSS STOP MURDERING THE INTERPRETERS WE NEED THEM haha

[@jillgodfrey8445]

It’s also on Hulu

[@asyabellia6791]

Thank you for this video. If you ever watch Hawkeye, that's where Echo gets her name. I agree with your opinion on the show, but I love Alaqua Cox both here, and in Hawkeye. I didn't know her supposed "lack of expression" was an issue. I thought she was actually perfect in this. She was either angry or stone faced. Wonder why, given her line of work.

[@rikkipoynter]

I should probably watch Hawkeye now that I have my friend's login lol People have been asking me to watch it since it came out, I just didn't have access to an account until now!

[@RockBandPlayer84]

I don't think it was unrealistic that her family learned sign because Maya's mother was also Deaf

[@rikkipoynter]

Are you deaf/have experience with this?

[@adrianrobertoruizmartinez9325]

Actually, the writers (and actors) of this close were writers in this show.

[@rikkipoynter]

I did see Josh's name! Somehow I kept missing Shoshannah in the credits.

[@adrianrobertoruizmartinez9325]

@rikkipoynter maybe she was part of the writers room but didn't wrote the teleplays but I don't know.

[@jesstse3336]

In the Hawkeye show where Maya and Kingin's relationship was first shown, Kingpin signs to Maya, and he understands her. But in the Echo show, Kingpin doesn't know how to sign. I think the writers in the Hawkeye show didn't think this far, and the Echo show writers uses Kingpin not knowing sign as an important character design, to show his shallow commitment to Maya. Bit of a plot hole, but this change makes us hate Kingpin more.

[@rikkipoynter]

Interesting! I need to watch Hawkeye, for sure.

[@jillgodfrey8445]

I saw on the news in my state Connecticut a day care teacher teaching sign to the kids while that’s all well and good she’s not doing some of the signs right so therefore shouldn’t be teaching anything esp if your not gonna take the time to learn right

[@lostincyberspaceIII]

Kamen Rider! you keep becoming more and more one of my favorite people.

[@lostincyberspaceIII]

Also thank you for this. As I was watching Echo I kept thinking I wonder how good the ASL is, and so I looked for reviews but I was struggling to find anything. I know enough to know it wasn't fake or terrible, but wasn't sure beyond that.

[@rikkipoynter]

I was a huge Stephen Lunsford girly back in the day when Teen Wolf was at its peak so I went through all his catalog I could lol and then watched the Japanese Kamen Rider W. Those are admittedly the only two I've seen in a full but aaah. Lovely show to just wind down to.

[@rikkipoynter]

Yeah, Alaqua is deaf and fluent and the hearing actors did pretty well, normal for how I expect hearing folks who have been signing as long as they have. Or like me, hahaha.

[@jaimerandhawa4391]

Ha ha yeah now I know why we don’t have many Interpters in NZ! Damn you kingpin! Overall I liked it I wanted more Deaf stuff I do understand some cultures aren’t good with facial expressions ect sooooo…. There’s that but I liked it I liked the ending needed more though . Like pherhaps more of her mum and upbringing of being Deaf . Ice cream was a great example of Audsim but …. When the AI came out I was like ohhhhhhh no!!!! (Faceplam) he could have and should have learnt!

[@rikkipoynter]

Yeah, the show felt both way too short and way too long since there are stuff missing that it could've benefited from and too much of stuff that didn't need to be so drawn out. Kingpin is making his rounds around the world with the interpreter shortage lol

[@jefft5789]

We want to see the scenes with you if "fair use" reactions allow it. Requesting your thoughs on Joey Lucas from West Wing and nextflix Deaf U

[@rikkipoynter]

It's less a Fair Use thing and more of a I don't have the setup to properly do reactions at the moment. I did a video about Deaf U when it came out though.

[@jefft5789]

@@rikkipoynter Got it. I missed that one, thanks for the Deaf U video.

[@aranerem5569]

Hello, have you seen Tarzan The Fearless?

[@rikkipoynter]

I haven't!

[@aranerem5569]

@@rikkipoynter I think it's on youtube

[@natgonzza]

Fisk is evil and a narcissist. It's on brand that he never bothered to learn ASL. Also, about Echo's leg, maybe she'll have a cool prosthetic like Bucky Barns' (winter soldier) arm. That character had a villain-soviet robot prosthetic but then when he became a good guy, "the good ones" built a cooler prosthetic with vibranium (the best metal in-universe) and Wakanda's tech.

[@rikkipoynter]

Lmaooo yes, your first two sentences nail it perfectly.

[@Dada228822]

🫶🏼