Sam and Bucky free Zemo from prison and take him to the city of Madripoor to track down the The Power Broker, the person who’s been giving out super soldier serum like candy. Together, they all go undercover to complete their mission, but everything is complicated when they get in way over their heads.
I am enjoying this show so much, and episode three really brings things to a head nicely. This hour is so steeped in espionage and action that there is precious little time for anything else, but that’s okay because so much is throw at us, I think that anything more would have been too much.
As it is, Falcon and the Winter Soldier reintroduces us to two old characters, but has wisely recontextualized them. Zemo, though reintroduced as a Hannibal Lecter knockoff in the episode’s opening, quickly becomes the third wheel in the Bucky and Sam comedy tricycle. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the three and how Zemo says every line with a smile… it’s almost like he knows that he’s the one who’s really in charge here, doesn’t it?
Sharon Carter has gone much darker since we last saw her in Civil War and, honestly, how could she not? She was left behind and had to go into the wild overgrowth to survive. It’s something that, honestly, I can completely understand and sympathize with: Sharron Carter was screwed over and, more than that, the last time she saw Captain America, she kissed him only for him to go back in time and shack up with her dead aunt. That’s got to sting.
The action in this episode was surprisingly brutal, especially for the MCU and especially for something on Disney+ which has touted itself as a family platform. “Mommy, why did that man catch a knife with his arm?” Still, as an adult drama and thriller, it’s magnificent and I couldn’t be enjoying it more. I’ve said this before, but I am so happy that Sam and Bucky (and Wanda) are finally getting the character development they’ve been desperately needing.
This is the halfway point and, with the unexpected arrival at the end of this episode, I can only imagine what Falcon and the Winter Soldier have in store for us next.
Jason Gaston 