The Whole World Is Watching
Episode 4 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier begins in Wakanda 6 years ago. Bucky sits in front of the dancing fire with Ayo. Flashes of the past come back as Bucky shakes and struggles to hold back tears. Eventually though, Ayo tells him that he’s free. We then jump back to the present, where Ayo confronts Bucky and tells him they’re coming for Zemo. When Ayo leaves, Bucky heads in and updates Sam and Zemo, letting them know Ayo is on her way. However, a bombing from Karli interrupts them as they get to work trying to get their revenge against her group. Well, this begins with hunting for Donya Madani. Bucky and Sam’s heavy touch doesn’t quite do the trick but Zemo does manage to charm the kids with his Turkish delights. Zemo finds out Donya is dead but beyond that, refuses to open up and tell the others all he knows. As he so eloquently puts it – this is leverage. Meanwhile, Karli contemplates her next move, thinking Cap’s shield should be destroyed and justifying her actions by claiming she’s a revolutionary. While she holds the serum in her hands, Sam and Bucky catch up with John. It’s a short-lived conversation in truth, one steeped with tension as they head off to find Karli. Karli is, of course, at Donya’s funeral. Sam heads in alone to talk after the ceremony, likening her pain to what he’s felt in the past. While they talk, John loses his patience and decides to head in gung-ho. This causes absolute anarchy as Zemo chases Karli and corners her. While she’s pinned down, Zemo stamps on the different syringes holding the super soldier serum. John comes in and knocks him down though, taking the last one for himself. Karli is forced to regroup, but finds herself between a rock and a hard place. Specifically, Power Broker messages through and demands she hand over the serum. Only, that’s obviously not possible given Zemo has stamped them all out. Meanwhile, tensions run high in the apartment building across the way. John Walker demands Zemo be taken into custody with him. Ayo shows up with the other Wakandan soldiers though, claiming that she has jurisdiction wherever she goes. While fighting erupts in the room, Zemo slips out. John Walker, beaten and ashamed, contemplates his next move after realizing the Wakandan soldiers aren’t even super soldiers. This is enough to make him seriously contemplate using the serum. Karli rings Sarah and asks her to broker a meeting with Sam. It’s certainly an unnerving moment for her, but Sarah keeps her cool long enough to entice Sam and Bucky to head over and confront Karli. Only, this is actually a distraction to isolate John Walker. Sam and Bucky realize this at the last minute and race off to try and find him. This fighting eventually leads to Karli and her crew killing Lemar. John is enraged and chases the Flag Smashers through the streets. Eventually he corners one of the men and beats him down with Cap’s shield. With blood staining the shield, John looks around as a whole crowd have gathered, taking pictures and snapping videos.
The Episode Review
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier returns with a much better episode this time around, one chock full of action and contrasting ideas. Karli may not be the most interesting villain in the MCU, but she is one that steps beyond the generic bad guy wanting to destroy the world. In a way, she has a lot in common with John and the others, although their methods are obviously very different. The symbolic ending with the blood staining Cap’s shield is significant for how Roger’s memory has been tarnished and it’ll be interesting to see how the crowds react to this going forward. On the other hand though, we’ve got the Wakandans, led by Ayo, demanding Zemo be handed over and claiming they have jurisdiction everywhere. Now, they may have struck a deal for Zemo but this kind of radicalized thinking is exactly what led to the civil war in the first place so it’s kind of ironic that it’s been thrown in here. For now, this superhero action series has been a bit of a mixed bag but this episode is a much improved chapter. With two episodes to go, Falcon and the Winter Soldier is poised to deliver some decent drama going forward.
