Echo Episode 2 has some of the most intense moments of the first three episodes of the series. While some may see this episode as “filler,” it contains essential information for the series moving forward and some great Easter eggs.
Game Time
We begin this episode with groups of early Choctaw playing a game similar to lacrosse to determine who gets to stay in the village. One of the players is one of Maya’s ancestors, who we have seen in her visions. During the game, she experiences a vision herself, and the same glowing symbols we saw on Chafa, the first Choctaw, appear on her hands, giving her the strength to retrieve the ball and win the game.
This game is called Stick Ball or Ishtaboli and is an integral part of the Choctaw culture and one of the oldest organized sports played in America. Choctaw Stick Ball is an aggressive game in which players try to retrieve a ball called the Towa and get it into goalposts on each end of the field.
Traditionally, Stick Ball had few rules and was used as an alternative to war and to mediate village conflicts between tribal members or other towns. While Stick Ball is still played regularly today, it was so amazing seeing it depicted this way on screen while also giving us more confirmation of the link between Maya and her Ancestors, which comes back in a big way later in this episode.
Runaway Train
Maya begins her plan to take over Kingpin’s role, and we see a list she made containing items for her heist of the shipping container mentioned in episode 1. During the heist with the aid of Biscuits, we see Maya use all the items on the list as she infiltrates the train. The shipping container is labelled D9-X, most likely referencing Daredevil numbers 9 and 10 (1999), which is Maya’s first appearance in the comics and the telling of her origin.
The whole train sequence is excellent, but during it, Maya gets her prosthetic leg stuck between two of the cars. While trying to pray it open, she receives another vision from the Ancestors, and her hand starts to glow with the same symbol as we mentioned above. It seems that by getting the symbol, Maya used the same skill that her Ancestor used when winning the game of stickball and was able to tap into that strength. This goes back to the concept of the Healing Hand we discussed in Episode 1 and the celestial energy that could connect Maya’s lineage and allow them to retain the skills and memories of those who came before.
Family Roots
After Maya’s leg is crushed, she goes to her grandfather’s pawn shop for him to make her a new one. One quick thing to point out is Maya’s jacket has the same triangle circle symbol that we see her with often in the comics. We see that he has a statue of Chafa, the first Choctaw, and Maya immediately recognizes it from her visions. He tells her the story of Chafa and that her grandmother can trace their roots all the way back to the first Choctaw.
According to the grandmother, Chafa and the Ancestors would watch out for the family in times of need. Suppose Chafa and the first Choctaw were actually the Manidoog or Native American Gods from the comics. In that case, this explains why there is a spiritual connection through their lineage and how they can sense or access the skills and memories of one another—making Maya and her family literally from two different worlds. We see something similar in the comic Phoenix Song: Echo (2021), in which Maya has to navigate through her ancestral lineage to understand the Phoenix Force and accept her new role.
‘Echo’ Episode 2 – Final Thoughts
This episode was packed with action, some great nods to the comics, and the larger things they are setting up in this series. We know that Maya’s powers are being slightly altered for the MCU, and I think swapping out the Phoenix Force with Celestial energy passed down through generations would be a cool way to incorporate the lore established by the MCU into Maya’s character, making it closer to the comics as well as something new.
Echo is now streaming on Disney+. Check out a trailer below:
