The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Whole World Is Watching (1x04)

Well, uh... shit. Whole review under the cut for spoilers.

Cons:

Okay, honestly, I don't know how to feel about Lamar's death. If you watch this episode, it's very much this thing where the black sidekick gets killed so the white "hero" can go crazy and get his revenge, to fuel his need for vengeance and display his man pain. Now, I think the fact that John Walker is not really meant to be sympathetic here does help a little bit, but I was still pretty miffed at that unceremonious slaughter of a man of color in order to further a white man's narrative. Maybe I'm just primed to be on the lookout for this stuff. Maybe it's different/less egregious because this isn't an all-white show with one token black character? In any case, I was made uncomfortable by the trope I saw playing out in front of me. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

I continue to wrestle with the same overall issues that I have from minute one. The bad guys make good points, and Sam is sympathizing, but things are escalating. How does this end? Sam takes the shield, tries to save Karli but ultimately can't find a way to do it, so she dies? I don't know how I feel about that. But what other options have we been presented with?

We have the continued echo of Bucky chastising Sam for not taking the shield. Now, as I've mentioned in earlier reviews, I don't mind the fact that Bucky is upset, or angry, or lashing out. He's wrong, but he's not wrong to feel how he's feeling. The thing is, I feel like Bucky has had multiple chances to state his position, and Sam hasn't had the chance to really take a stand and state his. Bucky isn't letting it go, and it's getting to the point where it's not okay. Feel your feelings, James Buchanan Barnes. But it's not Sam's job to take care of your emotional state and behave the way that would be the most comforting for you.

Pros:

But now that I've chastised Bucky for his behavior, I do want to talk about him and the Wakandans in this episode. Especially Ayo. That opening scene... I tell you, my soul traveled back in time to 2014 and I was weeping in a movie theatre over Bucky and Steve and brainwashing and love breaking through brainwashing... it was really moving, to see Bucky fall apart over being free at last from his trigger words. And yes, I will be overanalyzing the fact that there was a flash of the "with you 'til the end of the line" moment when the word "homecoming" was said... that's the good shit. Thank you.

And then it's so brilliantly coupled with later on, while they're fighting, and Ayo disarms Bucky. Literally. That... gave me chills. Just from like a... Bucky is an amputee, and the people who saved him, who deprogrammed his brainwashing, who gave him his amazing superpowered arm... they have control over his body. They can weaken him with hardly any effort at all. I was shocked to see it, and I feel like there's a lot that could be explored there with regards to Bucky's trauma, and trust, and healing journey. Ayo was a friend. Ayo and Shuri saved his life in a very real way, and then there's this moment where he realizes that once again he can't be totally free and safe with someone. I thought it was really effective storytelling with just a few brief moments of the script.

But moving on to Sam, and speaking of trust!! His conversation with Karli, Karli calling Sam's sister... oh man oh man. All of this was so juicy, so intense. I like that Sam sympathizes, that he agreed with her cause just not with her methods. He's speaking that truth out for all to hear. John Walker is focused on eliminating a threat, whereas Sam sees the full complexities of the situation. It's why Walker with the serum is bad news, and why Sam... well, Sam would become more of himself, and I can only imagine that as a good thing for the world at large.

It was so intense, and so frustrating, to see Sam actually getting somewhere with Karli and then having Walker ruin it by coming in and interrupting. And then to see the switch flip, when Karli dared to threaten his family. Sam shows up dressed as the Falcon, and he is not playing games. That was such a great showcase of Sam's compassion, the person he is at his core. But he's also a bad-ass and he won't let anything bad happen to those he loves.

I also like the complexity of Sam (and Bucky to a lesser extent) decidedly not happy with John Walker, not willing to work for him or even with him towards a common goal... but there's sort of a bigger loyalty question which is that neither Sam nor Bucky are "anti Captain America," and they know how bad it would be if the Flag Smashers actually succeeded in killing him. Realizing that Karli had called Sam in as a distraction to get him away so that the new Captain America could be killed, Bucky and Sam of course race to the rescue. That whole sequence was really intense. I don't like John Walker. In fact I rather hate him. But I also really felt the urgency that Bucky and Sam were feeling to do right by everybody in the situation.

So that brings us to Zemo managing to escape in the chaos of the Dora Milaje, the Flag Smashers, John Walker and Lamar, and Sam and Bucky, all going head to head. Bucky and Sam are just trying to stop anybody from dying in this whole mess, but they each have their competing and complex thoughts about the situation as well. Zemo sneaking out, after being such a weirdo and kind of helping but also just being obtuse on purpose, was such a great tension-builder. He's a sinister character who also adds some dark comedy to proceedings.

Let's talk about Sam and Bucky and how they should get married.

No but really, I've expressed some frustration with Bucky's behavior, but ultimately this show is about the loyalty between these two men who have been through so much together, who have so many shared experiences and traumas, but who also can't possibly understand each other's perspectives fully. There's the moment when Walker calls Sam "your partner" when talking to Bucky, and Bucky immediately affirms that Sam is capable of talking to Karli, backing up his play, and then says "he's not my partner." There's a defensiveness there, but then an undeniable loyalty. When Sam tells Bucky that Karli told him to "come alone," Bucky doesn't miss a beat before saying "I'm coming with you." When they're in the middle of a fight, they back each other up. Sam checks on Bucky after the arm thing I mentioned earlier. They've fallen into being partners with each other without really dissecting if it's what they want. This stuff is catnip to me, truly. I can't wait to see where they land in the final episodes.

John Walker fucking cutting a dude to pieces with Captain America's shield in broad daylight and with multiple phones on him, recording it all... well, damn, Disney. That's quite the image to linger on. Obviously this is going to be A Situation. I knew something was going to break bad with John Walker, I just didn't know exactly what it was going to be. Lamar's death doesn't sit right with me. I feel like Walker might have gone off the deep end even without that particular catalyst. But the fact of his breakdown was really chilling, and effectively shot, and is sure to lead to intense consequences in the final two episodes!

Man, I'm sad it's coming to an end so soon... I want so much more of Sam Wilson, please and thank you!

8.5/10