Returning home hasn’t exactly worked out as planned on Marvel‘s Echo. In “Lowak,” Maya (Alaqua Cox) carries out a dangerous plan as she continues to hide from her family. This episode is directed by Syndey Freeland (Diné). Writing credits go to Steven Paul Judd, (Choctaw/Kiowa), Bobby Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) and Rebecca Roanhorse.
1200 AD – ALABAMA
Known as the ‘little brother of war,’ stickball was a way to settle conflicts without bloodshed. Stickball is a sport similar to lacrosse, but much more physical. The game that is played at the beginning of episode two is intense. The Choctaws and Cherokees are at war for land. When we join the game, the Choctaws are winning, forcing the Cherokee chief to bring out his secret weapon. The Choctaw star player, Lowak (Morningstar Angeline) does not like this player and vows to defeat him. She loses focus and gets angry very easily when the Cherokee scores enough points to catch up. Lowak’s teammate Tvli (Tatanka Means)tells her to calm down and focus. He reminds her that the losing team will be banished from the land forever.
In the final play of the game, Tvli gets the ball and tosses it to Lowak. She runs the length of the field, avoiding hits from the other team. Just as she approaches the goal, an opposing player grabs her and pulls her back. Lowak is surrounded by players from the Cherokee team. She fights for the ball, but freezes when she sees visions of Chafa (Julia Jones). Lowak’s hands start to glow like Chafa’s. She takes the ball, jumps over the hurdle and flips into the goal, winning the game for her team.
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PRESENT DAY
Maya is on a mission. In the last episode, she asked her uncle Henry (Chaske Spencer) for access to a train car on his shipping route. The shipping yard belongs to Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). Maya wants to send a message to Fisk’s people because it’s time they served a queen. Henry refuses to help her, so Maya has to come up with another plan. Maya enlists the help of her impressionable cousin Biscuits (Cody Lightning). She starts by asking him to purchase supplies for her. He is able to find most of what he needs at Skully’s (Graham Greene) pawn shop. Maya also wants to use her grandmother’s postal truck.
While Chula is at a powwow committee meeting, she learns that Maya is in town. Chula visits Henry to find out what he knows. Henry doesn’t tell her much, just that Maya is only passing through town. Chula is very cold about the subject, relaying the message that Maya passes through town without causing any trouble. She also wants Maya to stay away from Bonnie and Biscuits.
Maya influences Biscuits to go for a ride in Chula’s truck. She works on something while he drives to a bridge. Maya takes his phone and puts a tracker on it. She tells Biscuits to use the tracker to follow her movements. Then she jumps from the bridge onto a moving train.
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Maya knows exactly which train car is carrying the cargo she needs to send her message. Car D-9X. She easily jumps from car to car, avoiding the guards around the D-9X. Maya climbs into the car and looks at the cargo. She leaves just as quickly as she got in and jumps to the back of the train. She slips on one jump and her prosthetic leg gets caught in the connector between cars. Maya freezes and sees the faces of Chafa and Lowak. Her hands start to glow and she pushes the connector apart, freeing her leg.
SENDING A MESSAGE
Maya’s phone buzzes indicating the tracker is offline. Maya continues her jump to the back of the train, but Biscuits can’t see her. When Maya gets to the back of the train, she pulls out a hammer and uses it to create sparks on the train wheels. Biscuits sees the sparks and heads in Maya’s direction. When Maya sees the truck she climbs up on top of the car, just as the train is headed for a tunnel. Maya jumps from the top of the train onto the truck. When Biscuits stops the truck, Maya is holding on to the back of the truck.
The train pulls into New York city and train car D9-X is sent to Fisk’s armory. The manager Zane (Andrew Howard) is happy to see it arrive and instructs his men to unload the cargo. Zane leaves as his guys open the cargo and a bomb goes off. Back in Oklahoma, Henry gets a call on his personal cell phone, work cell phone and landline at the same time. He rushes to the Fisk Shipping yard where his assistant meets him. They heard about the explosion and prepare to show that they prepared the cargo as usual.
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Maya takes her prosthetic leg to Skully and asks him to fix it. He puts together a temporary leg while he works on something more permanent for her. Henry texts Maya, wanting to talk, but she doesn’t see the need. They hit her and she hit them back. Henry is worried that they will come for her, but she says they can’t do much with their armory melted. As Maya gets used to her temporary leg, she finds a small statue of Chafa. Skully says her grandmother can trace their roots back to Chafa. Chafa watches over their family in their time of need. He encourages Maya to talk to Chula about it, but Maya is only interested in the new prosthetic.
SECRET’S OUT
Chula is delivering mail when she sees Biscuits drive by in her truck. The windshield is busted, the bumper is dragging and Biscuits looks scared to death as he drives by. He takes the truck to the garage to get it fixed. While he’s there he announces on a CB radio that he’s selling his Playstation to pay for the repairs.
Bonnie (Devery Jacobs) hears his message and asks about the truck. Biscuits doesn’t go into detail, but says the truck is in bad shape. Bonnie asks if he’s okay and he accidentally says he and Maya are both okay. Knowing that he spilled the beans, Biscuits disconnects the radio quickly so he doesn’t have to explain anything about Maya’s return.
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Maya is sitting on top of her house eating breakfast when Henry pulls up. He asks her what she’s doing starting a war with Fisk’s men. She says the war started before she came home. She has the power to stop it whenever. Henry calls her strategy chaos and says she sounds like Fisk. Maya asks if he’s with her or against her. Henry says all he knows is that he has to clean up her mess. He tells her to lay low and starts to leave. Before going, Henry reminds Maya that the people close to her are the ones who get hurt.
Bonnie texts Maya, asking where she is. Maya is so frustrated that she takes out her gun and shoots up the swing set in the backyard. She also sees the faces of Chafa, Lowak and another ancestor with a gun.
Echo is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
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