Power Broker: Falcon And The Winter Soldier – Disney+ Talk

6th April 2021

Power Broker: Falcon And The Winter Soldier – Disney+ Talk

Last week saw the 3^rd episode of ‘The Falcon And The Winter Soldier’ come to Disney+, also marking the show’s halfway point. And, while the two previous episodes focused on the Blip and the more human side of the lead characters, this episode aims to move the story along.

Episode 3, titled ‘Power Broker’, sees Sam and Bucky team up with General Zemo after he is broken out of prison. They then discover how the Super Soldier Serum has resurfaced.

This episode focuses on how the Serum resurfaced, as well as Sam and Bucky reuniting with an unlikely ally to help them: General Zemo, previously seen in ‘Captain America: Civil War’. And, because of Zemo and Bucky’s history, Zemo is happy to see how far he can test the character’s patience. This is specifically shown when Bucky decides to see Zemo alone in his prison cell. Zemo sees him and the first words out of his mouth are the codes to unlock Bucky’s mind control, just to see how he’d react. And, while Bucky may appear calm, his eyes show a hint of fear; the past still affects him and Zemo is aware of this. It’s also important to note that the last time these two characters saw each other was when Zemo was trying to mind control Bucky in ‘Civil War’, so tensions are running high.

However, it’s Bucky that ultimately helps Zemo break out of prison, and his argument makes sense: Zemo is the only one who can help them and, if they don’t accept help from him then they have no leads at all. While I’ve been looking forward to seeing Sam in this show, it’s clear that Bucky is the more logical character. Furthermore, the actual prison break sequence was such a delight to watch and was extremely well-choreographed. And, even when Zemo is broken out of prison, he spends most of the time testing the leads’ patience. This, strangely, makes the trio enjoyable to watch.

Meanwhile, John Walker suspects (and rightfully so) that Bucky and Sam broke Zemo out of prison. So, I imagine the next episode will focus on this aspect, as they chase after the trio. I imagine the next episode will also focus on Bucky as the White Wolf, as he reunites with General Okoye from Wakanda. The White Wolf name was briefly mentioned by Bucky in the last episode, but hopefully the next episode will give some of its runtime to this particular story arc.

I also hope the next episode will give more of its runtime to Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman). She is supposedly the show’s villain, however, she is the weakest Marvel villain ironically since Zemo. This is purely because she has no character, because the show hasn’t given her enough runtime to develop any. It also hasn’t explained her story arc and motivation well. I still don’t understand what her plan is and, while it can be argued that the show will explain it soon, there’s only 3 episodes left. Therefore, if it’s going to explain her motivations, it’s got to start doing so from the next episode! It’s a shame that the writing hasn’t given her any screen time because the idea of another female Marvel villain is fantastic, considering the lack of female lead/villain characters in the MCU. But this feels like another missed opportunity.

And, despite everything that has happened in this episode, Sam and Bucky still find time to talk about whether Sam’s decision to give up the shield was a good one. It’s clear that the one small act at the beginning of the show has deeply affected Bucky which, again, I agree with. Bucky’s emotional reaction to this decision makes sense.

Overall, while I don’t dislike ‘The Falcon And The Winter Soldier’, it does feel like it’s dragging its feet. The psychological side of the characters are the most interesting aspects so far, as well as more focus on how the Blip affected normal civilians. However, it also has the weakest Marvel villain to date, thanks to the writing, and not enough humour to balance out the seriousness of the story. Hopefully the last half of the show will improve on these aspects.

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