Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode Five Review

This was a seminal episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier--the make-or-break point. I say that because the episode completes the arcs of John Walker, Falcon, Bucky, Isaiah Bradley, Zemo, and even Sarah. There's an argument to be made that these arcs all end in emotionally satisfying way, but in terms of plot and character logic it's problematic. The early data on Google Trends shows a sharp uptick in worldwide interest, while the American end remains about the same as episode four. Those stats say nothing about people's level of satisfaction (WandaVision's finale had the highest traffic for the show, but the result of that was not as positive as hoped), but it means the show has overcome its viewership doldrums (episodes 2-4 worldwide, 2-3 in the US).

The show continues to suffer from a lack of a serious antagonist and it's far too late to fix that now (Batroc as the finale fight?). I've said for the previous four episodes that the show was an improvement over WandaVision, but I'm unsure of that now. What's clear, two shows in, is that the MCU lacks the same level of story oversight provided for the films and its unclear that we'll see that fixed any time soon. It has, perhaps rightfully, lowered my expectations for future shows.

The episode was written by Dalan Musson, although like the other writers the issues with the episode are largely story-related rather than dialogue. Here's the breakdown:

• 7min Walker runs off after killing the guy, struggling with it and Hoskins' death; confronted by Bucky and Falcon, he tries to justify killing--Falcon gives him an 'out' (heat of battle), but then demands the shield--pretty dumb for a guy who counsels people--Walker refuses and understandably expresses frustration that Falcon was unwilling to help him, and Bucky undercuts the idea of a peaceful resolution by saying they want to fight him; what's not at all clear is why Walker tries to kill the pair--this runs contrary to his portrayal, even if it fits Bucky calling him crazy previously (I've gone over how the show never justified that)
• 2min Falcon and Bucky talk about the aftermath, with the former saying they are never going to find Kellyman (which is true--without help the duo has accomplished absolutely nothing in the show); Bucky leaves for Zemo; Torres says the mission has moved beyond Falcon and Bucky and how amazing Kellyman is (despite spending the show largely moping like an emo kid)
• 5min Walker is tried by a military court--his ephemeral wife appears again--Walker blames the military for his behaviour--he tells his wife they don't know what it takes to be Cap--the cameo by Julia Louis-Dreyfus is cringeworthy--the tone is wrong for the moment and the show and even regular Marvel fans will have no idea who she is until they look her up; she says she would have done what he did and that she'll be in touch (perhaps hinting at the Thunderbolts, but given this performance I pray that's not the case)
• 1min Flag-smasher scene where nothing interesting happens
• 3min Zemo and Bucky at the Sokovia memorial--Bucky threatens him to demonstrate he doesn't kill anymore and then hands him over to the Wakandans (it's sad to see Zemo gone from the show); Zemo tells him he holds no grudges for his actions--for some reason the Wakandans are taking him to the Raft, even though that's the American facility Walker would have taken him too--Bucky also asks them for a favour (which is making Falcon's new suit)
• 6min Isaiah Bradley scene where he in part blames Steve Rogers somehow for his treatment--a guy who was in the ice the entire time--but steers away from that in story time where he tells Falcon he shouldn't take the shield because of what it represents to him--but this is irrelevant, because Falcon is going to take it anyway, which means Isaiah is simply wrong and that robs the power of his story; the most effective part of the scene is him talking about being experimented on
• 7min Falcon repairing the boat--Sarah's decided not to sell because it's too damaged to be worth it--Falcon starts repairing; Bucky shows up with the Wakandan suit for Sam and offers to help with the boat; this section drags interminably
• 2min Walker talking to Hoskins' family, lying that he killed the person who killed Hoskins (which is out of character)
• 1min Sharon talking to Batroc, having got him out of prison
• 2min Falcon's nephews playing with the shield (already deflating Isaiah's story); more boat
• 4min Falcon practicing with the shield--Bucky apologizes (presumably for pressuring him to take the shield) and absolves him of what happened to Walker (which is indirectly wrong)--Falcon unironically says it doesn't matter what Steve thought...even though his whole motivation in relation to Walker was based on that; Bucky is still having nightmares and Falcon tells him to make amends
• 2min More boat where Sarah and Sam 'make peace' (Sarah providing the 'counter' for Isaiah, even though it's already clear with the practice decision what Falcon is going to do with the shield)
• 2min Falcon training montage
• 2min Batroc shows up to help Kellyman, the deal being that he gets to kill Falcon (setting up their confrontation in the next episode)
• 1min Torres knows where the Flag-smashers are
• 1min GRC meeting about moving refugees that Kellyman interrupts
• 1min Falcon looks at his new outfit from Wakanda (although its not shown)

Performances, generally, are excellent (with the minor exceptions of Dreyfus, Gabrielle Byndloss, and a middling performance from Danny Ramirez); the action is good, albeit the show overuses the Walker shield bash shot.

I mentioned that we can sum up most of the character arcs at this stage, so let's break them down.

Falcon

This is his show--the title, in a way, is a lie, because Bucky doesn't really matter in the narrative. When we begin Falcon is working freelance for the military (a mercenary) and surrenders the shield because he doesn't think anyone can live up to the legacy of Steve Rogers (the shield is government property anyway, so this wouldn't really be his decision). His sister has financial problems he wants to help with (as the pair both own their parent's estate). How does the show resolve these beats?

Becoming Captain America

He doesn't want the role until it's given to John Walker; meeting Isaiah Bradley has him talk about how complicated things are, but ultimately those complications make no impact on his desire for the shield; rather than earning it back, he has to wait for Walker to fail and then takes it

The family financial crisis

He wants Sarah to fix the boat while she wants to sell it; he fails to get them a loan (as she predicted), but ultimately his plan is what works as the community helps them fix the boat--there is no arc here, as Falcon simply gets what he wants (the only nuance is that rather than going to the system for help, the community sorts it out for them)

How active is Sam in solving the plot? It's worth going through it in detail:

• Torres informs him about the Flag-smashers initially (both investigating and understanding them)
• Walker and Hoskins save he and Bucky from the group, but he rejects them because...Walker wants him as a partner?
• Talking to Isaiah is apparently the first time he's asked questions about how the military has handled race (although this has no impact on his decisions)
• After Walker frees Bucky of his therapy obligation, they reject him again...because reasons
• Bucky decides they need Zemo and it's Zemo who begins their journey in Madripoor, which Sharon Carter completes for them
• He allows Zemo to kill Nagle, who then gets them back to the Flag-smashers
• His response to Kellyman killing people is that it's okay because she's 'a kid'
• Zemo is then the one who finds Kellyman
• Walker arrives and wants to arrest her, but Falcon wants to talk first, which fails and in the ensuing melee she escapes and Walker gets hold of the serum
• When Walker asks for Zemo (as, indeed, legally he can), he's refused because of their arrangement with the Wakandans...who want to take him to the Raft where Walker would take him (?). The Wakandans then start a fight where Zemo escapes--the fight pushes Walker towards taking the serum
• Kellyman threatens Sarah and her kids and meets with Falcon to say join me or leave me alone (an act that's had no impact on his opinion of her yet)--this ultimately leads to a fight, Hoskins death, and Walker killing one of Kellyman's cronies
• Falcon tries to reason with Walker by demanding the one thing left to him that matters (which, naturally, fails)
• He revisits Isaiah whose advice he ignores
• His neighbours solve he and his sister's boat problem and he unironically tells Bucky that Steve's opinion doesn't matter...when his choice is doing exactly what Steve told him to do (as opposed to Isaiah)
• Once again Torres knows where the Flag-smashers are.

What has Falcon done? He's a passenger throughout the Flag-smasher plot, with his active decisions failing (rejecting Walker makes things worse; negotiating with Kellyman fails twice; Sharon has to save him after he blows their cover in Madripoor; he requires the help of others to find the terrorists). As for becoming Cap, the decision he makes is to do what Steve Rogers told him--to ignore the Isaiah Bradley story on the one hand, but reject John Walker (or any other Cap) on the other. There's reasoning provided for this--we haven't had anything occur to invalidate the speech he gave in episode one when he gives it up.

Point-by-point, it's difficult to imagine a more poorly deployed arc--I believe it's the worst in the show--but the performances by Mackie and others help lend it an emotional energy which is where I think people who've enjoyed it will find satisfaction.

The one positive that remains is that Falcon won't take the serum. I've mentioned before that I believe that's the stronger decision, albeit it's far less brave (or interesting) than refusing the role and believing that being Falcon (himself) is more than enough to inspire people. This latter idea was never truly an option, as Marvel wanted their moment of Sam in the costume.

Bucky

He's been pardoned for his actions as Winter Soldier, but must participate in mandatory therapy as part of that deal. His therapist wants him to make an amends tour that he struggles with. His other issue is that Steve wanted Falcon to have the shield and if that choice is wrong, maybe his other choices were too (the specious logic here is painful). How does the show resolve these beats?

His psychological problems: four episodes later Falcon tells him to do what the therapist was telling him. Bucky isn't actively involved in this process, but doesn't suffer any difficulties from his trauma in the main plot of the show (indeed, you'd have no idea he had problems outside the therapy moments).

A different Captain America: Walker fails after his partner and friend is killed and Falcon takes up the shield. Bucky's only involvement in this process is to reject Walker and continually implore Falcon to take the shield--which he does.

Because Bucky is a sidekick, there's less requirement for him to be an active participant, but unlike Falcon he does make some proactive (freeing Zemo and delaying the Wakandans to let him work).

John Walker

Oddly the most compelling character in the series, so much so that it's worth (point-by-point) going through what happens to him.

• He's married to his high school sweetheart (a relationship given no weight with a limp performance from Byndloss), but we never hear about nor see his family
• As a military hero he's given the role of Captain America once Falcon surrenders the shield (in theory the government could have simply taken the shield, but this point is never brought up)
• He wants the role of Cap in order to do good things in the world, believing what happened as a soldier wasn't good enough (which is absolutely true)
• We're told he has a temper and tends to punch his way out of problems, which is something that's seen throughout the show
• He and Hoskins arrive to save our heroes from the Flag-smashers; in return, they are rejected
• He frees Bucky of his therapy obligations, asks for help, and is rejected--he tells them if they won't help to stay out of his way
• He correctly deduces that the best way to find the Flag-smashers is by following the heroes
• He correctly deduces that the heroes broke Zemo out of jail
• They successfully find the heroes who know where Kellyman is; he wants to arrest her, but Falcon wants to talk (something he considers risky given his experience with people suffering from PTSD)--when the allotted time is up he goes to get her and she escapes
• He catches Zemo and pockets a vial of serum, already feeling insecure about his abilities without it
• He demands Zemo be returned to him now that his usefulness is over, but the heroes refuse; he suggests they fight for it, but the Wakandans show up and beat-up everyone, allowing Zemo to escape
• He asks Hoskins if he'd take the serum, who said he would and Walker should, saying he always makes the right decisions in the heat of battle--off-screen he does (being defeated by the non-powered Wakandans convinces him he can't perform as Cap without it)
• He successfully finds the heroes and Kellyman, but as a fight breaks out Hoskins is killed and Walker loses his mind and tries to kill her (killing a crony instead)
• Struggling in the aftermath he's confronted by the heroes and when Falcon asks for the shield and Bucky threatens him, they fight and he ultimately loses
• The military discharges him and he's approached by a cartoon character with an offer for help
• He lies to Hoskins family saying he got revenge for the death of their son

Up until episode five, this is all well-developed and its far more compelling than anything else we get as a character arc. Walker is far more competent than our heroes when it comes to thinking his way through the story. The kneejerk rejection towards him by the heroes makes things worse and their reasoning seems to be the plot has to happen--it's poorly thought out.

One of the major problems with Walker as an antagonist is that he never wins in fights, which  means there's no weight in defeating him (it also eliminates any tension while fighting him). We also have Hoskins asserting that Walker always makes the right choices in battle, but this is an element that the show does very little to back-up.

It's a funny thing to realize that the whole storyline of Walker could have been avoided if Falcon just kept the shield in the first place--the entire tragedy is because of that.

Zemo

His goals from Civil War haven't changed. Once freed he successfully kills Nagle to prevent more serum from being made, encourages the death of Kellyman, determines that Falcon doesn't want the serum and has no issues with Bucky who was forced to take it. Zemo is actively involved with the plot, as he helps the duo locate the Flag-smashers in episodes three and four. He also makes a number of insightful comments about the duo (their indifference to the fate of Sokovia is particularly apt). Why the Wakandans need to be the ones to take him to the Raft is baffling--they are only needed if he's going back to Wakanda, so their entire appearance is just as a gratituous easter egg.

Isaiah Bradley

As I went over previously, his past with Bucky makes no sense given prior MCU lore (nor does it make much sense even in isolated). Isaiah is upset that he and his compatriots were lied too when they were given the serum, but he never objects to the idea of being given the serum or what he did as a member of the military, just how they were tricked and treated. He believes nothing has changed and doesn't want Falcon to take the shield (Falcon doesn't really present a case for something else), but his story and opinion makes no impact on Sam's decision. This would have been so much better if Falcon gave up the shield because of this revelation and then through the process of the show decided that having it was the better choice--I think the writers were afraid of going this route because fans would be left to debate his decision.

Sarah

A tertiary character. Her arc is financial stability, which she believes can only be solved by selling the family boat. Falcon wants to save the boat and while his attempt to get a loan fails, he's ultimately right. Her only other purpose is as slight plot motivation for Falcon to meet with Kellyman, but since he's hunting her anyways, this is superfluous.

Conclusion

Because the show has just one task--make Falcon become Cap--and it needs this to seem like the only option to the audience, any chance for subtle, complex storytelling became impossible. There was so much potential to tell an evocative, interesting story here, but Falcon hasn't been changed by his experiences at all. The Falcon in episode five is the same Falcon from Endgame--yes, he now accepts the shield, but the only motivating factor in the show seems to be to deny it to anyone else.

The social commentary in the show is ephemeral, just like it was in Captain Marvel. The effort to address racism in the US refuses to dive into it in a meaningful way--Isaiah Bradley is wasted, as despite an excellent performance from Carl Lumbly, you could cut those scenes and nothing about Falcon's decision (or the rest of the story) changes.

One other thing to consider is how does Falcon becoming Cap impact Elijah Bradley becoming Patriot? Just like death and taxes, the Young Avengers are inevitable, so what to do with the derivative character? If we take Falcon, U. S. Agent (Walker), and Patroit that's three characters who have the same MO, something I think is impossible to get away with. I suspect Marvel will tweak him to avoid that (Feige doesn't like repeating things, after all), but it's not clear in what way. It's been my belief that Falcon won't be Cap for very long, mostly because his iteration of Cap has never worked in the comics, but we shall see (successor characters rarely work, although it is possible).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)