I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking: Steve should have given Sharon the shield.
Before I get any nitpicking in the comments, yes, I am just being funny. Sharon’s not a soldier, she’s a spy like Natasha, and Sam was the absolute best choice for the next Captain America. Not the best choice? John Walker.
He didn’t have much to do this week besides play catch up to Sam and Bucky but he still managed to make what there was of his screen time excruciating. “Do you know who I am?!” Fun fact: the good guy never, ever says this. This leads me to a revelation I had while rewatching last week’s installment: Walker is a super soldier. There’s no other explanation for Bucky saying “Things are really intense for you, aren’t they, Walker?” and Walker’s reaction to that comment. Bucky knows what Walker’s experiencing because he’s been there.
It makes sense with what we learn this week as well. Nagel was close to cracking the super soldier serum from Isaiah’s blood when he got Snapped. Are we really expected to believe the U.S. just said “Well, never mind, I guess” and didn’t make any progress on it during the five years Nagel was dust? We know where Karli’s got her super soldier serum now. She stole it from the Power Broker, Nagel’s employer. Now, I don’t read comics but that sounds like a comic book name if I ever heard one. Hopefully he or possibly she will be making a big splashy entrance soon. Preferably with a catchy theme tune à la WandaVision’s “Agatha All Along.” At the very least, we now know who those threatening text messages Karli received were from.
This week was fun, a good mix of exposition with action. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is making clear, in case you weren’t yet aware, that it is Big and Sexy. Madripoor looked great. Zemo’s escape was slick. The party scene was wholly unnecessary but Zemo got to show off his dance moves so I’ll allow it. Plus, I mean, how much ass did Sharon kick?
Despite being a victim of the Snap, Sharon’s been busy. Is there more to Sharon than meets the eye? She is the spiritual successor to Black Widow and her years on the run seem to have changed her not for the better. While it would surprise me to learn she is a Big Bad or working for one, I don’t think she’s telling our team the whole truth either. Who was she talking to at the end? A lot of the internet seems to think she’s the Power Broker but I don’t think so, somehow.
I feel like I should care about the Global Repatriation Council more than I do. The show is halfway over and I just…don’t care? I mean it’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine all the fallout of the Snap and the Blip but I feel like the show is trying to sell the GRC as an evil entity and I’m not sure about that yet.
There was some priceless bantering on the airplane. Marvel is really feeding Bucky fans with this show. Did Steve give Bucky his notebook? Did Bucky explore the list of things Steve caught up on? I think it’s frankly precious that Bucky still clings to 40s music. He’s like a grandpa yelling at kids about rap. He brought his date flowers in the first episode too.
Bits and Pieces
In case you need a friendly reminder: Erskine said “The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse.” Steve’s superpower was never his strength, speed, or stamina, it was that he was super good. Avengers: Endgame taught us, in a moment I will surely treasure for the rest of my life, that Steve is Worthy. Something tells me that John Walker won’t be picking up Thor’s hammer anytime soon.
Zemo brings up the tendency of people to put their icons on pedestals and forget their flaws. Zemo would REALLY hate Twitter. It’s probably better for him to be in prison away from the internet completely, now that I think about it.
Nagel worked for the CIA and Walker repeatedly mentioned working for or with Langley. You know what that’s not? A coincidence.
I really expected someone to get super powers after that lab explosion. I mean, that’s how things work in comics land, right?
Quotes
Sam: “We have to do something about this. I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”
Zemo: “Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp.”
Sam: “I can’t run in these heels!”
Sam: “You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you?”
Three and a half out of four dancing Zemos
sunbunny
Sharon would be a good candidate except she seems quite Anti America/government herself right now. She also used to be CIA and pretty high up, that is the coincidence her being in the place the new serum got made. She clearly has something going on but i too doubt she is the actual power broker.
ReplyDeleteI thought Zemo playing the Sokovian Bruce Wayne stole the show and who thought the duo could work as a trio...with ZEMO...and yes. THE DANCING
Walker is struggling with the pressure of being Cap, i think Bucky immediately read him and all his insecurities.
Good review, but I don't think Walker is a super soldier yet. Looking at how he fought in the previous episode he did no better than Falcon or his buddy Battlestar. The only thing that helped him in that fight was the shield and as soon as he lost it he got tossed. Now in the comics he did have powers that were given to him by a certain broker, but we will see if they decide to do that in the show. I also love the banter and I especially loved the call back to Civil War with them in the car.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked by how violent the show got in this episode for a Disney produced original series. Great episode!
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