‘Echo’ Episode 3 Recap & Review: Kingpin Makes His Terrifying Return

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Echo Episode 3.

All episodes of Echo are available to stream on Disney+, but the third installment feels like a true connector from the first two episodes to the conclusion. Marvel Studios’ first TV-MA-rated project leans heavily into the violence, almost to a fault when it favors it over a compelling story. The Boys and Gen V prove that added intensity and maturity don’t mean the story has to suffer, but the MCU is clearly experiencing some TV-MA growing pains.

When this story keeps its focus on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and her struggle with family and identity, it’s a home run. When it leans more into Maya’s fight with forgettable Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) grunts, it loses a hefty amount of steam. This installment contains a bit of both, so let’s dive into all the details with our Echo Episode 3 recap.

Maya Lopez Is Caught Up With Family Drama in ‘Echo’ Episode 3

Episode 3 opens with an old black-and-white story of Tuklo (Dannie McCallum) that pays homage to classic Westerns. The men that Tuklo describes as Lighthorse Police deny her the right to fight because she’s a woman, but she ends up using the same powers as her ancestor Lowak to save them when they need it most.

Back in the present day, Grandma Chula (Tantoo Cardinal) goes to visit Grandpa Skully’s (Graham Greene) pawn shop, and he tells her she needs to let go of her pride before she loses Maya forever. The bowling alley snitch, Vickie (Thomas E. Sullivan), has a plan to hand Maya over to Zane (Andrew Howard) for a big payout. Maya is out for a walk in the woods when she has a vision of her ancestors before someone ambushes her from behind. She awakens to find herself hanging upside down in the bowling alley, where Uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer) is also tied up.

Bonnie (Devery Jacobs) arrives at the bowling alley looking for Maya and Uncle Henry, not knowing they’re currently captives. Vickie and his crew briefly free Uncle Henry and let him talk Bonnie into leaving. Bonnie goes back out to her car to call for help, but someone grabs her from behind. The captors bring Bonnie to the same room as Maya, where she’s now face-to-face with her old friend. Maya uses a knife in her boot to cut herself and Bonnie free, but Bonnie has some choice words for her.

Maya Unleashes Her Inner Rage During the Skating Rink Fight

Bonnie calls Maya out on never returning home or any of her calls or texts. Before they can finish their conversation, they get into a scuffle with the captors, who can’t kill Maya if they want to get paid. Maya uses skate repair tools to make herself a weapon and escape from the locked room. The buyers arrive, and they are immediately recognizable as the crew from the D9-X shipment Maya blew up in Episode 2. The buyers murder Vickie after they realize he is no longer capable of handing over Maya.

Maya turns on the music, turns off the lights, and takes out the buyers one by one using all kinds of bowling alley equipment. Before Maya can take them all down, Zane walks in with a gun to Bonnie’s head. They are about to execute Maya and Bonnie when they get a call that orders them to fall back. Outside the bowling alley, Maya promises to protect Bonnie and sends her on her way.

Uncle Henry tells Maya that Kingpin is the only one who could have called off Zane, but Maya insists that he’s dead. Grandpa Skully stops by the house to drop off Maya’s new prosthetic, and the two share a sweet moment where he tries to convince her to go visit her grandmother. As the episode concludes, Maya returns home to find Kingpin on her doorstep, and the screen fades to black.

Marvel Studios Made a Smart Choice in Releasing All Episodes of ‘Echo’ at Once

More than halfway through the series, the stage is set for a grand showdown between Maya and Kingpin. Her lust for power has far outgrown anything he can offer her, and the time has come for her to take his place as the new crime boss of New York. We know Wilson Fisk will have a large role in Daredevil: Born Again, so Maya may be making a huge mistake in challenging her former uncle.

All episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Follow the Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.