[7.6/10] I like that in some ways, this was a Karli Morgenthau episode. She’s been our antagonist, if not quite our villain, for a while now, so it’s nice to get an episode that delves deeply into both her motives and methods. While her conversation with Sam is a little on the nose, it also does a good job of illustrating why the Flag Smashers want to go back to how things were during The Blip: a sense of displacement, not just of people but of the border-crossing communities that formed in the wake of a world rent in twain. Sam doesn’t agree with those aims, just how she goes about achieving them, and it makes us understand her position better too.
It’s also a good episode for super soldier serum fans. We see meditations on the reason why folks would and wouldn’t want to take it. Karli and her crew take it to empower people otherwise lacking in it. Zemo smashes vials of the serum on sight on the principle that wanting to make more super powered individuals is inherently supremacist. Sam professes, without hesitation, that he wouldn’t take it if offered, even if we don’t get to hear his reasons. And John feels his limitations as a simple physically gifted mortal, and decides he needs to have those extra abilities to be able to measure up.
It’s a telling development for Walker, and a good episode for him too. It’s not exactly flattering for the character, but we see more of his presumptuousness (this time with the Dora Milaje -- it goes about as well as you’d think), but also his insecurity. He wants to do this right, and doesn’t understand why it doesn’t come easy to him like so much else has. We see his temper and impatience, not to mention his propensity to default to violence, which makes it scary if the dearly departed Battlestar is right and the serum magnifies who you already are, then the blood-stained shield he holds in vengeance as the episode’s cuts to the credits is a bad portent.
We also get some good Bucky material here. There’s some great non-verbal acting from Sebastian Stan in the opening sequence, where we see glimpses of his slow but meaningful recovery in Wakanda from his horrible brainwashing. His back and forth with the Dora Milaje is powerful in its intensity and his standing up to John Walker is potent, especially when Walker lays on the guilt trip. Hell, even the simple facial expression he takes on when a member of the Dora Milaje detaches his arm is pretty damn impressive.
Zemo is also a blast here. I love him as an agent of chaos, one who isn’t afraid to slip out unnoticed whenever possible and has a blasé attitude to various parties trying to arrest and re-imprison him. There’s a droll-yet-principled quality to him which, backed by Daniel Bruhl’s performance, makes him a real treat of a presence.
And not for nothing, it’s a good Sam episode too. As I said, his conversation with Karli is a potent one, and it’s particularly telling that his default is to at least try to get through to his foe, to understand where they’re coming from and aim to deescalate the situation, whereas Walker just wants to come in and punch things. Even when Karli threatens his sister, he’s angry and tense, and even shows up in his battlesuit, but doesn’t take violence as a first option. Another sign of his worthiness to succeed Steve, in spirit, if not in the mantle.
Overall, there’s some big time plot developments here, but the big thing that stood out to me was the character work. I’m willing to forgive a lot of janky plot material (which this episode definitely had some of), if I buy the characters and their relationships, and The Falcon and the WInter Soldier is delivering on that front.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-04-10T05:07:02Z
[7.6/10] I like that in some ways, this was a Karli Morgenthau episode. She’s been our antagonist, if not quite our villain, for a while now, so it’s nice to get an episode that delves deeply into both her motives and methods. While her conversation with Sam is a little on the nose, it also does a good job of illustrating why the Flag Smashers want to go back to how things were during The Blip: a sense of displacement, not just of people but of the border-crossing communities that formed in the wake of a world rent in twain. Sam doesn’t agree with those aims, just how she goes about achieving them, and it makes us understand her position better too.
It’s also a good episode for super soldier serum fans. We see meditations on the reason why folks would and wouldn’t want to take it. Karli and her crew take it to empower people otherwise lacking in it. Zemo smashes vials of the serum on sight on the principle that wanting to make more super powered individuals is inherently supremacist. Sam professes, without hesitation, that he wouldn’t take it if offered, even if we don’t get to hear his reasons. And John feels his limitations as a simple physically gifted mortal, and decides he needs to have those extra abilities to be able to measure up.
It’s a telling development for Walker, and a good episode for him too. It’s not exactly flattering for the character, but we see more of his presumptuousness (this time with the Dora Milaje -- it goes about as well as you’d think), but also his insecurity. He wants to do this right, and doesn’t understand why it doesn’t come easy to him like so much else has. We see his temper and impatience, not to mention his propensity to default to violence, which makes it scary if the dearly departed Battlestar is right and the serum magnifies who you already are, then the blood-stained shield he holds in vengeance as the episode’s cuts to the credits is a bad portent.
We also get some good Bucky material here. There’s some great non-verbal acting from Sebastian Stan in the opening sequence, where we see glimpses of his slow but meaningful recovery in Wakanda from his horrible brainwashing. His back and forth with the Dora Milaje is powerful in its intensity and his standing up to John Walker is potent, especially when Walker lays on the guilt trip. Hell, even the simple facial expression he takes on when a member of the Dora Milaje detaches his arm is pretty damn impressive.
Zemo is also a blast here. I love him as an agent of chaos, one who isn’t afraid to slip out unnoticed whenever possible and has a blasé attitude to various parties trying to arrest and re-imprison him. There’s a droll-yet-principled quality to him which, backed by Daniel Bruhl’s performance, makes him a real treat of a presence.
And not for nothing, it’s a good Sam episode too. As I said, his conversation with Karli is a potent one, and it’s particularly telling that his default is to at least try to get through to his foe, to understand where they’re coming from and aim to deescalate the situation, whereas Walker just wants to come in and punch things. Even when Karli threatens his sister, he’s angry and tense, and even shows up in his battlesuit, but doesn’t take violence as a first option. Another sign of his worthiness to succeed Steve, in spirit, if not in the mantle.
Overall, there’s some big time plot developments here, but the big thing that stood out to me was the character work. I’m willing to forgive a lot of janky plot material (which this episode definitely had some of), if I buy the characters and their relationships, and The Falcon and the WInter Soldier is delivering on that front.