Hawkeye episode 5 recap: How are Eleanor and Kingpin connected?

Hawkeye episode 5 was full of twists, turns, and boxed mac and cheese. Not only did Yelena throw a (slightly terrifying) girls’ night with Kate, but she also revealed a shocking truth about Eleanor. Plus, Echo begins to distrust a close person in her life, too.

Read on to discover what happened in Hawkeye episode 5, “Ronin.”

Hawkeye episode 5 recap: What has Yelena been up to since Black Widow?

The beginning of the episode starts off with Yelena rescuing a Widow named Ana from mind control — or so she thinks. It turns out, Ana wasn’t brainwashed. Instead, she’s gotten wealthy using her Red Room skills to be an assassin-for-hire.

After the misunderstanding is cleared up, the two chat about Natasha and her and Yelena’s plans to live together in New York. Unfortunately, when Yelena excuses herself to the bathroom, we see that she was a victim of Thanos’ snap.

When Yelena comes out of the bathroom, she’s shocked to find five years have passed, during which time Ana has gotten married and even adopted. She frantically asks for help finding Natasha, as she needs to let her know she’s okay.

Hawkeye episode 5 recap: Are Yelena and Kate new BFFs?

In the present day, Yelena shows up at Kate’s house with mac and cheese, scolding her for having only one proper fork and plastic cutlery. Kate is reluctant to buddy up with her considering Yelena just tried to kill her, but Yelena is adamant she did nothing of the sort. If she wanted her dead, after all, she’d be six feet under already.

Kate eventually gives in, having dinner with her and giving her sightseeing recommendations. She’s a bit unnerved when Yelena continues using her full name — even more so when Yelena reveals she knows pretty much everything about Kate.

Kate is shocked when Yelena reveals she’s in the city to kill Clint. Kate argues that he saved the world, but Yelena says her sister Natasha is the one who did that. Floored by the revelation this is Natasha’s sister, Kate tells her that Clint and Natasha were best friends, but Yelena won’t hear it. She tells Kate she doesn’t really know him and that he’s not trying to protect her — he’s just trying to save his reputation after the Ronin killing spree.

Kate continues trying to defend Clint, saying he’s an Avenger, which comes with collateral damage sometimes. She encourages Yelena to look into who hired her because Clint is a good person. Yelena is unmoved, saying there’s no escaping this. She thanks her for the girls’ night before warning her to stay out of her way, dramatically leaving through Kate’s window.

Hawkeye episode 5 recap: How are Eleanor and Kingpin connected?

Eleanor tells Kate she’s glad she’s safe, patching her up after the fight on the roof. Kate reveals that Clint protected her during the battle and told her to stay away from him, which relieves Eleanor. Now, she says, she can do something a little less reckless. Kate is upset that being a superhero isn’t in the cards for her, but Eleanor tells her she’ll find her path, as she knows exactly who she is and will keep moving forward.

Kate also drops the bomb about Jack and his possible involvement in Armand’s murder, and Eleanor promises to look into it. She does, and it ends up with Jack getting arrested. Jack, however, is adamant he’ll get everything cleared up and be home in time for Christmas.

Kazi patches up Echo, telling her that she needs to stop what she’s doing — it’s too dangerous. Echo refuses, as she’s so close to ending everything, and Kazi makes a deal with her: they stop once she captures Ronin.

Clint struggles with his next steps, staying at Grills’ apartment and visiting an Avengers memorial, where he talks to Natasha. He says she was the bravest of all of them and that he misses her, apologizing for what he’s about to do.

He shoots a few arrows in the Tracksuit Mafia’s car with a note telling Maya to meet him at the spot she first met Ronin. He then calls Laura, telling her he needs to put an end to everything tonight or else the family could be in danger. Laura tells him she trusts his judgment, encouraging him to follow his gut and do what he needs to do. She understands more than anyone.

Clint meets Echo as Ronin, and they engage in some hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. When Clint eventually gains the upper hand and corners her, he tells her that if she ever gets near his family, he’ll kill her. He says the two of them are alike: they’re weapons filled with rage that can be manipulated.

Though Echo is skeptical at first, she listens when he reveals it was her boss that wanted her father dead. Echo escapes on her motorcycle and goes to confront Kazi about why he wasn’t there the night her father was murdered. She’s getting suspicious of him.

Kate swoops in to save Clint after the tables begin to turn, and they Uber to safety. During the ride, she reveals that the Black Widow assassin was Natasha’s sister, which shocks Clint. The two go to Grills’ apartment, where Kate receives a text from Yelena saying it was Eleanor who hired her to kill Clint. She sends a photo she took of Eleanor and Kingpin together — the man Clint has been worried about the whole time.

What did you think of the episode? Comment below!