The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – One World, One People

  • Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth
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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - One World, One People television review

The six-episode run of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier concludes with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) becoming Captain America and working with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and at times even the disgraced former Captain America (Wyatt Russell), to take down the Flag Smashers. Along with putting Sam in costume for the first time, the episode also features the character calling out politicians for their cavalier attitudes which led to creation of the Flag Smashers and their movement. Although never mentioned in the series, the entire world shakeup was caused by selfish decision of Tony Stark which the world is still paying for long after his death. While the episode earns points for Sam calling for change, it shouldn’t be lost on audiences the episode ends soon after and prior to the show introducing just how such change could fix the complicated problems of the world which look to be the true legacy of Tony Stark.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth

  • Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth
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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Truth television review

“Truth” picks up immediately after the previous episode with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) chasing down the new Captain America (Wyatt Russell). For show that has been about moments rather than consistently good storytelling, the episode delivers with a strong action sequence that (along with a scene or two later in the episode) effectively ends John Walker’s tenure as Captain America. While some may be wowed by the action scene which opens “Truth,” it’s the half-hour which follows where the series actually deals various issues it raised in previous episodes (and then promptly ran away to the next action scene). The big turn to end “The Whole World is Watching” no doubt had more people talking about the series, but it’s here The Falcon and the Winter Soldier puts in the work on character development and storytelling.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is Watching

  • Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is Watching
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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - The Whole World is Watching television review

Well, that escalated quickly. One of the oddities about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, given it’s shortened six-episode run, is the series is somehow both slow to advance plot while also skipping over and rushing to big moments at the same time. “The Whole World is Watching” certainly gives us the big moment, it also takes the new new Captain America (Wyatt Russell) from frustrated hero with an inferiority complex to psychopath in the space of a single episode (and that’s before he chooses to juice himself with the super-solider serum which only enhances his flaws). The result is a memorable final scene that sets stage with brutal murder, a bloody shield, and several questions about where the show goes from here. While a step-up from the previous episode, the structure of the peaks and lulls continues to provide some great moments but also some hit-and-miss plot to move characters from one of these events to the next.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Power Broker

  • Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Power Broker
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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Power Broker

The third episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes a bizarre turn as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) work with an escaped Zemo (Daniel Brühl) whose knowledge of Hydra’s former super-solider program they hope may give them their first break in finding the Flag Smashers. Visiting Zemo in person and helping him on the outside are two very different things, Bucky even apparently helps trigger his escape, and working with Zemo certainly stretches the credibility of our heroes (even with Sam’s weak initial objections). The episode also weaves in grittier version of Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) who Marvel is apparently going to keep sticking into projects until the character works.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Star Spangled Man

  • Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Star Spangled Man
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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - The Star Spangled Man television review

After The Falcon and the Winter Soldier kept them apart for the entire opening episode, “The Star Spangled Man” throws Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) together so quickly you almost wonder if you missed an episode in-between. Finally playing to the strengths of the odd couple pairing, and offering a more consistent narrative that doesn’t ping pong around nearly as much as the show’s opener, the second episode gives us a team-up not just between Bucky and Sam but, unexpectedly, working alongside the new Captain America (Wyatt Russell) and his sidekick (Clé Bennett) who discover the gang of Flag Smashers they’ve all been chasing (well, except for Bucky who just tags along to bug Sam) turn out to be super-soldiers.

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