Original series streaming now.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a 2021 superhero series created by Malcolm Spellman. It is now streaming exclusively to Disney+. It will run for six episodes until April 23, 2021. The series stars Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. It is based on various Marvel comics. This series runs parallel with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, acting as the second original Marvel series and a sequel to Avengers: Endgame. It was preceded by WandaVision and will be followed by Loki.
"I am Captain America." -John Walker
Plot
After John Walker murders one of the Flag-Smashers while the world is watching, he is stripped of his title as Captain America and dishonorably discharged from the army. Sam and Bucky take the shield from Walker as Sam begins to get ready to take on the role of the Star-Spangled Man. Meanwhile, Karli Morgenthau and the Flag-Smashers move forward with their plot to return things to the way they were during the Blip.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER EPISODE 5, STOP READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Usage of Sam and Bucky / Walker / Emotional Aspect of Walker / The Cameo / Season Plotline / Setup for Finale / Final Thoughts
Episode 5 "Truth" Review
This is the version of the first episode that I would've wanted.
Episode 5 is the most character-based episode we've had since the first episode. If you've been following my reviews of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, you know that I've been frustrated with the sidelining of Sam and Bucky in the show. But this develops Sam and Bucky perfectly. We go back to the boat plot line that was brought up in the first episode. I didn't love the first episode. It was missing Sam and Bucky together and didn't really do a great job of kicking off the story for the season. But this episode has Sam and Bucky and still develops the plot. We get great character moments. We see these larger than life superheroes in everyday life. It was just done better than the first episode, and I really dug it.
And I really love what's done with Walker this episode. He doesn't have a ton of screen time, but this episode does make you feel some sympathy for him. Even though he is a unlikable person, this episode does make the audience understand where he's coming from. He watched his best friend get killed, and that can hurt. In an act of rage, he did a terrible thing. And then he loses everything that he stands for. To get dishonorably stripped of a title that was entrusted to you would be incredibly difficult for anyone.
You can also see the effect that the Super Soldier Serum has on Walker. He was an a-hole before, but the serum just increased his a-holeness. He also becomes entangled in a web of lies. You see him just forcing out these words that simply aren't true. Wyatt Russell gives his best performance that he's given in this show yet. There is emotion in Walker's storyline, and I really like that.
Another thing that I really appreciated was the appearance of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the woman who plays Elaine in Seinfeld. I think her character is Madame Hydra, a villain from the comics. You can see the planted seed. She probably won't have much to actually do in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but she will definitely have a bigger role in Phase Four. This is why the MCU is so good. It does an incredible job of setting stuff up in early movies and paying them off later.
However, the overarching idea of the show is starting to become a problem. We are about to go into the last episode, and we still don't know what the main conflict really is. The Flag-Smashers' plan hasn't really been confirmed. Supposedly, the original plan with the Flag-Smashers was to have something with a deadly pandemic that was going to kill a lot of people. Then something in the world called COVID-19 happened, and that was cut. The entire Flag-Smasher storyline had to be re-written...and you can definitely feel that.
I am worried about the finale. There are so many plot lines that are being squished into six episodes. I don't really understand what Marvel was thinking. They stretched WandaVision out to nine episodes when the first three episodes could've been one long episode, making it a six episode season. But The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is six episodes and has tons of revolving plot lines that need to be solved. Karli. Walker. Who is the Power Broker? What are the Flag-Smashers going to do? Is there going to be anything more with Zemo? Who was Sharon on the phone with? Are there consequences for stealing the shield from Walker?
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier works best with individual episodes, but the season as a whole has a lot of problems. Maybe the finale will resolve everything nicely. I'm just a bit nervous.
Even though I do have frustrations with the show, I still like it a lot and this was still a very solid episode. And I am very excited for the last episode.
If you liked this review, I have tons of Marvel content and reviews on all episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well as WandaVision. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok @sweetnsourreviews.
"Truth"
Fun Factor: 8.5/10
Acting: 8.5/10
Story: 7/10
Characters: 9.5/10
Quality: 8/10
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent
Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau/Flag-Smasher
Adepero Oduye as Sarah Wilson
Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo
Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter
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