A Preview of ‘Echo 3’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For the most part, action and thriller stories that feature a noble hero that is out of their standard element and taking part in a uniquely grand fight without the support of their team or their government, follow some pretty standard formulas. For instance, if the hero has lost someone close to them, or someone they admire, then their mission is one of revenge. The kind that can only be fulfilled with a grandiose villain being brought down in the third act. Or their fight is grounded in some notion of honor, one that likely stems from a grave injustice in the world that only they can right in this life. For they are perfectly trained from a fighting and moral perspective to teach the audience about what it means to stand tall in the face of evil.
​
All of which makes for some supremely entertaining and engaging stories. The kind that we the audience absolutely flock to and enjoy, because those are fine concepts to fight for and they satisfy and leave us walking away from the theater or toward the kitchen with a smile on our faces. For good, conquered evil, and that’s always a wonderful thing. But it does beg quite the important series of questions. In that… with these formulas being so popular and so embraced by the masses, is it possible to bring a vastly different kind of action/thriller to life? One that could potentially question the nature of violence in our modern world and feature an intimate concept to inspire the hero or heroes to fight? Well as it turns out, Apple TV+ is about to answer those questions in the affirmative, courtesy of a brand-new series on the network, Echo 3.

Which premieres on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, and well… it pulls such feats off, by first… offering up a plot unlike any other out there when it comes to this genre. For in this story, we are introduced to three important people. There’s Prince and Bambi, a pair of special forces soldiers that are tied together by way of Amber. Who just so happens to be Bambi’s sister and is madly in love with Prince, and well, she’s so important to both of them, that when she goes missing on a research project in Colombia, both men drop everything to find her. Which really is quite the refreshing plot. One devoid of notions of fury and revenge, or honor. It’s love that drives them to do the right thing, and it’s the value of a life that forces them to put their daily lives aside to ensure Amber’s safety. 

But while that alone could have carried this series from beginning to end, there’s so much more to explore within this series. For this is a tale that dives deep into discussions upon the finer points of war, and combat, and how perhaps our perceptions of that have been skewed and romanticized through popular culture. Which is downright unheard of regarding stories in this genre, since they do tend to glorify such matters. Giving rise to an intelligent and meaningful series that sucks you in courtesy of that plot, its commentary and the many surprises it harbors along the way, alongside some utterly magnificent and powerful performances. For Michiel Huisman (Prince), Luke Evans (Bambi), and Jessica Ann Collins (Amber) simply bring their A-game to the table in this story and sell every powerful moment. 

Of which there are many, and you’ve likely noticed that we’ve kept the spoilers and details light here and there is good reason for that. For this is an experience, one that Showrunner and Writer Mark Boal has masterfully crafted, unlike any other and spoiling that would be cruel and foolish. Especially when we are days away from the premiere of this series and we here at NTG cannot wait for you to see it and geek out with us about it as the season continues along, and we also hope you check back with us for our recaps and more of our pre-release coverage of the show, since we have an interview with Michiel Huisman, Luke Evans, and Jessica Ann Collins to share with all of you. But while you wait for all of that, we hope this preview and the treats below, will be enough to tide you over until the premiere of Echo 3 on Apple TV+.

As an added bonus, here are photos from the ‘Echo 3’ World Premiere and some clips for all of you to enjoy as we count down to the series premiere.

---

Photos from the World Premiere

Sneak Peek #1

Sneak Peek #2

Sneak Peek #3