The MCU changing and delving into new narrative territory feels like a long-time coming, so it’s great to see how The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has blurred and questioned the difference between good and bad – especially in this week’s episode.
Last week, we saw Sam (Anthony Mackie, Outside the Wire) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan, Captain America: Civil War) have to play nice with Zemo (Daniel Bruhl, Inglorious Basterds), and now they find themselves working outside the law again. We saw Sharon (Emily VanCamp, Revenge) working within the seedy criminal underground since being barred in the U.S. Even Zemo made a big turnaround outside of the show with a few flashy dance moves, making him a quick fan-favorite on social media. Frankly, I don’t know if we’re still in the MCU we once knew or The Twilight Zone, but the post-Endgame MCU really begins to blur lines in great ways. Good and bad are no longer as easy to define and at the center of this debate is Karli (Erin Kellyman, Solo: A Star Wars Story) and the Flag Smashers as they continue their operations.
There is a big question that still burns throughout this episode: Are Karli and the Flag Smashers a revolutionary force for good or a terroristic entity enacting change through violence? Zemo and John Walker (Wyatt Russell, Overlord) believe that they are too far gone. They believe they’re beginning to reach a point where they can’t go back to just being peaceful Robin Hood figures anymore. It’s honestly tough to blame them given that Karli has more Super Soldier serums and looks to expand her army. There’s definitely a lot of dangerous potential to Karli and the Flag Smashers’ actions with Karli constantly mentioning that violence is the only thing people understand and that they’re reaching a point of no return. It’s easy to see where they’re coming from, but the meaning and impact of their good efforts certainly aren’t forgotten – especially by Sam.
Sam believes there’s still a chance to talk her down before things escalate too far. There’s a really interesting moment where Karli is talking with one of her allies about how Captain America meant a lot to them and represented someone who genuinely cared about helping people – something they haven’t seen from world governments. He partly inspired them to help those in need and they’ve built such a good report with people that Sam and Bucky struggle to get information on Karli’s whereabouts. They end up having to hilariously rely on Zemo and his Turkish Delights enlisting the help of a young girl to finally let Sam and Karli have a heart to heart.
The conversation between Karli and Sam is easily the most comforting moment of the series thus far with how it really showcases why Sam deserves to be the new Cap. Instead of treating her like a criminal, Sam genuinely talks to Karli about how impactful her movement can be and how she should not become the enemy the government wants to make her out to be. He even brings in his own experience and Sarah’s issues to relate to her better, and if Walker didn’t come in to make her not trust him, he had a great chance at changing things. There’s a deep realness that Mackie brings, especially here, to show how much Sam wants to see the good in things. It’s really heartwarming that he can embody what being Cap really means without wearing the suit or carrying the shield. Don’t get me wrong, Sam needs to have that shield by the end, but he really doesn’t need it to be the good-hearted hero that he already is.
Frankly, Walker could learn a thing or two from Sam since he makes two big mistakes. If there’s any valuable lesson that Walker should learn quickly, it’s that it’s not smart to mess with the Dora Milaje. Ayo’s (Florence Kasumba, Black Panther) last-second appearance last week was such a perfect surprise, and it’s great to see the series quickly capitalize on it, with her bringing along some fellow Dora Milaje to scoop up Zemo. While Zemo does escape their grasp, we do get to watch them absolutely take down everyone. This reviewer was honestly as shocked as Bucky was when Ayo was able to detach his arm with ease and equally not as surprised to see Lemar (Cle Bennett, Jigsaw) be made ineffective. The Dora Milaje hold nothing back in putting Walker and the rest of the boys in their place, and it’s epic as hell.
For Walker though, it’s the final nail in the coffin. His beating by the hand of Ayo and the Dora Milaje and the hilarious comment by Bucky while it’s happening really strikes a nasty chord with him that makes him turn to a greater, more dangerous power. The second that Super Soldier vial went into his pocket, you just knew what was going to happen next. Walker has been stuck in Cap’s shadow since the start and it’s clearly been getting to him.
His defeat at the hands of Ayo was the first thing that made him crack, and his talks with Lemar about what they lost fighting in Afghanistan further provoked him to become more powerful through this Super Soldier cocktail. However, it’s Lemar getting killed by Karli that really sends him over the edge and causes him to do the unthinkable with this new power. Walker killing a Flag Smasher with the shield sends chills throughout your body and presents one of the darkest images in the MCU: the shield has blood on it and Walker has more blood on his hands. Walker losing it has been a long time coming, but it was tough to believe it’d be as brutal as this. Before, Walker was just kind of a joke, however with this brutal power under his belt he’s certainly no laughing matter anymore.
Change has been coming on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but now change is here with Walker becoming a greater threat as a Super Soldier and Zemo being M.I.A. Even stranger is this looming presence of the Power Broker, who is still a question mark. Regardless, this episode presents some of the best character-driven narrative moments in the entire MCU and greater threats that Sam and Bucky will have to come face-to-face with.
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