“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” Episode 6/Series Review - Of Spangly Things and Falcon Wings

By, Rob LoAlbo

(Full spoilers ahead!)

Photos courtesy Marvel Studios

With last week’s cliffhanger episode, we open with an unclear threat of terrorism that was previously hinted at. Karli and the Flag Smashers waste no time in moving in on the GRC elites and taking them hostage in an episode devoid of subtlety and thematic development but full of closure and tying up loose ends. 

And with a great swoop and a flourish, in crashes in our newest Captain America to save the day!

Sam has now taken on the Cap mantle with Wakandan tech, Steve’s shield, and a shiny new outfit that brings on the goosebumps. (And apparently he’s been practicing with it all on, too!) It’s a lot of great excitement watching Sam skillfully battle it out in the skies, flinging his shield through helicopters and skyscrapers while the wings (intuitively?) retract, reinforce, and swoop. But it’s more than just the suit: Sam has embraced and chosen to carry on a legacy.

With hostages on the move, Batroc on the leap, and Sharon on the sly, the group enacts a thrilling chase through the city that harkens back to the exciting Captain America: The Winter Soldier, whose strength was always grounding the action in a relatable, street-level way. Seemingly ripped right from a major motion picture, there’s no cutting corners for the showrunners or Disney. Watching a crashing helicopter bounce off of Sam in a crouch with wings and shield for protection isn’t cheap FX money.

It’s all a study of people being pushed to their limits, with their character being revealed when they are reacting under pressure. When Karli is pressed for what’s next, she haltingly stutters through suggesting killing the hostages to ensure the momentum of the movement’s message. Despite screen time, Karli’s character picks the short straw and doesn’t get much character development as there might not be anywhere else to go. 

Now at the end of the series, we can better assess the Flag Smashers and their role, which I’m still not really sure what their plan was. Given that the show gave us so much empathy time with them, we anticipated a more elaborate plan than a kidnapping. A lot of setup with not a lot of payoff. I love that the show gave us three-dimensional villains, but that they fall flat at the end is a real Marvel/DC problem. (Black Panther was really the only property to solve the villain issue with Killmonger. Can we all just agree that Ryan Coogler should be directing ALL the superhero movies?).

Karli does get the line of the week with Walker, who struts in with his do-it-yourself trash can lid: “I didn’t mean to kill your friend. I don’t want to hurt people that don’t matter,” which only incenses him all the more. Like a true 80’s icon, he struts into frame shouting, “Let’s finish this!” But Walker is clearly out of his element mentally, roid-raging his way through a Karli beatdown. He finds some redemption by attempting to rescue hostages in peril and allowing Karli to get away, so there might be a small shred of humanity in Walker. But just a shred. #notmycap

The group then cat and mouses their way through the basement building, and Karli and Sharon come down to a standoff, where Sharon is finally confirmed to be the Power Broker, a reveal so obvious that it comes three episodes too late. (Fun fact: You might remember that Carter was found in Madripoor, a popular X-Men hangout. One theory - Carter is Mystique masquerading as Sharon, a possibility that Marvel might cash in on when audiences are ready for mutants.)

Karli and Sam throwdown in a somewhat confusing and silly context: Sam still believes in Karli’s inherent goodness, so despite her super soldier pummeling, he refuses to fight and back down. Karli takes a bullet from Sharon, and the music swells. Sure, she’s a sorta tragic figure, but she did just try and kill a lot of hostages, right? And has murdered innocent people in the past, too? I get it: sometimes there are no good or bad guys, just bad decisions, but haven’t we covered this ground before? Sam then angelically brings her to the feet of the GRC elites like a sacrificial offering that’s much too on the nose. 

Then after 25 straight minutes of thrilling action, you know what Marvel fans love and want? That’s right: an in-depth lecture about the role of government, bureaucratic red tape, and the American caste system! Sam struts and frets his way onto his soapbox and shames these CEOs for a FULL FOUR MINUTES while the world watches silently. It’s a groan-inducing moment of “telling/not showing” and might be the show’s biggest misstep to date. Why on earth the screenwriters thought that they should get their message across in a stilted expositional dump is beyond me. In a show that has prided itself on subtle thematic elements, the scene feels wildly out of place and puts a big dent in the vibranium shield. Not only poorly scripted, it’s poorly executed as the CEOs lower their eyes and heads in shame because a man in a spangly outfit is asking them to do better. Need I remind everyone that these people are also politicians? 

And just when you thought he was out of it, it’s Zemo! The last of the Flag Smashers are carbombed to martyrdom by his murderous elderly butler, and from The Raft, Zemo’s radio relays the good news. (Did he just look at us and smile?) Thankfully, he’ll seemingly still be a major player in the game. Mad respect, yo.

Seemingly everyone is getting new duds, too! Even John gets a new outfit just like the last but in black (to match your soul, Walker!!!) and just like that, U.S. Agent is born to straddle that gray area of government involvement. That the show attempts to pivot on our feelings of Walker is a bit jarring, though. Bucky back-slaps him bro-ishly, but doesn’t he remember that Walker tried to kill Sam recently? Does quoting Lincoln immediately extol one of past crimes? It’s a neat commentary on how white males in this country continually fail upwards, but it’s a bit too whiplash for us.

So, is Walker redeemed? Sort of, maybe, depending on what the MCU wants to do with U.S. Agent. The character has held many positions in the comics, some good and some nefarious, so depending on where Julia Louis-Dreyfuss’s morality falls will depend upon how Walker shakes out. In short: he’s not a superhero like Rogers, he’s a super soldier who’s great at following orders, and whose loyalty he follows remains to be seen. No matter what, to me he’ll still be a glory-hogging rageaholic.

Bucky also gets to grow as he embraces his newfound White Wolf persona, looking not at paying back for wrongdoings but instead at giving closure to those whose lives he’s destroyed. When the end title changes over to “Captain America and the Winter Soldier” revealing the character change, it’s a shame it doesn’t change to the “White Wolf” to show his character growth, too. Maybe just seeing him smile is payment enough.

To put the show’s themes of legacy to a fitting close, Sam brings Isaiah to the Cap museum to show how his contributions have been added to the story. As Isaiah fights back tears, it’s a comment on just how badly black history has been suppressed from our collective story of what and who have made America, and on whose backs. 

Yes, the episode is entirely predictable to the point that we could have mapped it out after last week, but it mostly sticks the landing. We get a lot of satisfaction because of the journey that each has taken in just six episodes. Marvel has always handled character arcs well (just take a look at Tony Stark from Iron Man to Endgame, or Steve Rogers, for that matter) and knows how to grow a character over time. Seeing Bucky and Sam’s relationship grow from outright unyielding obstinacy to backslapping pals fills a need and warms the heart. 

And despite extreme predictability, that doesn’t make it bad: it just makes it safe. Where the bonkers approach to the MCU in WandaVision was refreshingly new and well-received, TFATWS is comfort food on a warm summer afternoon.

It’s not a perfect show, but it’s still a win in the Marvel playbook. Remember: this is really only their second foray into the medium (not counting non-MCU series), so that they succeed way more than they fail is great. It’s wonderful to see them tackling issues that either the movies gloss over or don’t have time for, a great utilization of the long storytelling format, but they need to still work on some structural and pacing issues. Yet watching the show deep-dive into issues of historical racism, misplaced patriotism, and especially the role of legacy has deepened our experience in ways we never thought possible in a superhero show.

So, with two bunted home run shows in a row, Marvel television proves that they know what they’re doing, giving us a confidence boost for Loki, which we have to wait until June 11th for. Judging from the trailers, it should be a great combination of time-foolery and twisty storytelling, and with Tom Hiddleston in the character seat, oh boy what a ride.

Next year: Black Falcon and Bucky in the new film Black Captain America 4 and in show Captain America and the White Wolf Winter Soldier 2!
Star City Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (for the episode and the series)