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tomeandflickcorner · 4 years ago

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Falcon and Winter Soldier Episode 4- My Thoughts

Okay. I have no idea what to expect now. As always, spoilers under the cut.

This episode shook things up by starting off with a flashback, involving the time Bucky spent in Wakanda after the events of Civil War. It’s the moment where Shuri managed to remove the Winter Soldier programing from Bucky’s brain, and Ayo is personally performing a test to make sure the procedure was truly successful. As many people have already discussed, this whole scene was masterfully done. As Ayo is reciting the Winter Soldier Activation Words, Bucky’s utter fear of relapsing is tangible in his face and voice. But as the test continues, the fear in Bucky’s face slowly is replaced by disbelief and elation. Because he’s realizing the Winter Soldier Activation Words aren’t affecting him anymore. But it’s not until Ayo directly tells him that he’s finally free that he fully lets himself believe it, and he breaks down crying from the joyful relief. Anyone who tries to claim that Sebastian Stan isn’t a phenomenal actor has clearly never watched this scene.

Of course, this flashback ends up being immediately contrasted to the present day scene, where Ayo is confronting Bucky in Latvia over the issue of him helping break Zemo out of prison. We saw in the flashback that Ayo was the one who personally tested Bucky to ensure he was freed from the Winter Soldier programing, which suggests they had a personal bond. But now, that bond has been damaged because of the whole issue with Zemo. I fully understand why Ayo is angry about this. After all, she’s not only part of the Dora Milaje, but she’s the second in command of that band of elite warriors. As such, her first priority will always be to Wakanda and it’s throne. And we all remember that Zemo was directly responsible for the death of the late King T’Chaka, so it’s natural that he’d be considered their enemy. Plus, while it’s been a while since I saw Civil War, I think it was Ayo who was supposed to be protecting King T’Chaka at the time of the UN bombing. If it was, that would further explain why she’s so miffed, because she must feel like she’d failed in her duty to protect him because of Zemo’s actions. (And, in a way, Zemo’s actions in Civil War probably also led to the events of Black Panther. Because without King T’Chaka’s death, there might not have been that power struggle between T'Challa and Killmonger.) But now, Bucky assisted Zemo’s escape from prison. The same Bucky who the people of Wakanda had taken in, cared for and helped get his life, identity and autonomy back. Yeah, I can see why Ayo would take this personally. Bucky really should have checked in with them before doing what he did. Granted it was a spur of the moment decision and he probably didn’t have the time to contact them in order to give them a heads up about it, but the point still stands. Still, when Bucky explains he needs Zemo to finish his current mission in stopping the Flag Smashers, Ayo reluctantly agrees to give Bucky a mercy period of eight hours. At which point the Dora Milaje will return in order to take Zemo into their custody.

After Ayo leaves, Bucky rejoins Sam and Zemo, and they begin discussing the issue of Karli and the Flag Smashers. Sam says that he wants to try reasoning with Karli in order to come up with a peaceful solution. Because he understands where she’s coming from in regards to how she clearly feels the world is not listening to her people and properly addressing their needs. But he doesn’t agree with her methods of fighting. Zemo, however, doesn’t think it’s possible to reason with Karli because of her taking the Super Soldier Serum. His argument seems to be that everyone who has ever taken the Super Soldier Serum gets corrupted in some way. The only exception to that rule was Steve Rogers, but Zemo points out there has never been another Steve. (Interestingly, when he says this, the camera seems to focus on Sam. I wonder if that was an intentional decision or just a lucky accident.) And yes, they also don’t really acknowledge the fact that Bucky didn’t become a Super Soldier voluntarily. Unlike Steve and the Flag Smashers, he wasn’t given a choice in the matter. But I guess that’s beside the point.

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure what Zemo’s goal is right here. Because he does seem to be sticking around with Sam and Bucky, even though he had a few chances to give them the slip. But at the same time, this is still Zemo. And he seems to have a major grievance against Super Soldiers and all enhanced individuals. Which probably explains why he’s sticking around, considering the mission involves the Flag Smashers, who all injected themselves with the Super Soldier Serum. But is he eventually planning to try and take down Bucky, too?

In any event, the trio decide their best chance of getting Sam his opportunity of sitting down and talking with Karli is at the funeral of that woman who we saw die in the last episode. Because this woman was apparently well-loved by the community. (Side note, I shared Bucky’s confusion when Sam begin talking about his TT. I have never heard that particular slang word for aunt before. Is this a regional/cultural thing?) They do manage to determine the location of this funeral thanks to Zemo, who manages to gain the trust of this one little girl by offering her some Turkish Delight. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe vibes aside, that was a pretty good idea. I don’t even remotely like this guy, but I can admit he’s smart. But them, when they’re on the way to the funeral, John Walker pops up, being his usual likable self. He argues with Sam for a bit over Sam’s intention to try talking with Karli in the hopes of coming to a peaceful resolution, which contradicts with Walker’s plan of just apprehending her. Thankfully, Lemar Hoskins is able to convince Walker to at least try giving Sam a chance.

After the funeral, Sam approaches Karli and begins to talk with her, utilizing his skills as a councilor and therapist of war vets. And he’s actually starting to get through to her. But then, Walker botches it all up. Because he just couldn’t give Sam the ten minutes he requested and barges in to arrest her. Which results in Karli thinking that the whole thing was just a setup and throwing all of Sam’s progress with her out the window. Karli and the other Flag Smashers end up getting away, but in the process, Karli had a brief run-in with Zemo. And their confrontation resulted in Karli accidently dropping the vials of Super Serum she’d been carrying around in her fanny pack. Zemo, going along with his whole shtick of enhanced individuals must go, starts to destroy the vials. But while he’s doing so, Walker comes up and knocks him out with the Shield. And that’s when Walker sees that there’s only one vial of Super Serum remaining. Unbeknownst to Sam and Bucky, he secretly ends up pocketing the vial before they arrive on the scene.

Sometime later, they’re all back at that apartment(?) where Bucky, Sam and Zemo have been crashing in Latvia. Walker decides enough is enough, and he’s going to return Zemo to his cell in Germany. But that’s when Ayo and the other Dora Milaje appear. It seems that the eight hours that Ayo gave Bucky are up, and they’ve also come for Zemo. Of course, Walker, being the arrogant moron he is, is rather dismissive towards the Dora Milaje, trying to claim that they don’t have jurisdiction there. Which leads to Ayo stating her epic line, of how the Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever they are.

https://youtu.be/jG8u1UdD-T0

When Walker proceeds to neglect to show the proper respect towards Ayo and the rest of the Dora Milaje, despite Sam’s urging to not start anything with them, Ayo proceeds to put him in his place by giving him the beatdown he deserves. And I really like how Bucky seemed content to just sit back and watch it happen, embodying the viewing audience in the process. (His ‘looking strong, John’ was just so wonderfully snarky.) Eventually though, Sam gets Bucky to step in.

Of course, that leads me to the part where Ayo reveals she can detach Bucky’s vibranium arm with just two moves. Which seems to be a pretty polarizing moment in this episode. Okay, I acknowledge that this whole situation is extremely complicated. And as I stated earlier, I fully appreciate that Ayo is feeling particularly betrayed by Bucky’s actions in assisting Zemo’s escape from prison without discussing it with the Wakandans first. That being said? DUDE! I know it’s easy to forget sometimes, but the fact remains that Bucky is an amputee. A man with a physical disability. You don’t up and remove a disabled man’s prosthetic limb without his consent! What’s wrong with you? It’s the same as going up to a deaf person and ripping out their hearing aid, or taking away someone’s wheelchair!

Also, it’s possible I missed something about this scene, but the way it was set up doesn’t make a lot of sense. I didn’t see anything to suggest that Bucky and Sam were attempting to prevent the Dora Milaje from leaving with Zemo. If Walker hadn’t started trying to throw his weight around, they probably would have allowed it without an argument. Bucky only intervened in the ensuing fight in order to dissolve the situation. And when he stepped in, it almost looked as if Ayo was preparing to make a killing blow. Which is way extreme because, while Walker is an arrogant, smug prat and deserved to get knocked down a few pegs, at this point, he hadn’t really done anything to warrant getting impaled by a spear. Yeah, I get Ayo and the other Dora Milaje are undoubtedly super angry right now because of the whole Zemo thing and tempers are running high. But at the same time, that fact alone means they really shouldn’t be acting rashly. Oh, at it gets better. Because while everyone was distracted by all the fighting, Zemo slips into the bathroom and manages to escape by moving the bathtub aside and slithering away down the drain like the snake he is. (Exactly how big are the pipes in Latvia?) So because of all this fighting, Zemo is now roaming around free somewhere, and the Dora Milaje have to leave without him. I repeat, I fully get this is a complicated, complex situation, and I understand where they’re coming from. But perhaps if the Dora Milaje didn’t start fighting with Bucky and Sam when they stepped in to interfere with Walker’s well-deserved beatdown, maybe Zemo wouldn’t have gotten away. Just saying, they were doing a pretty good job of keeping Zemo on a leash up until now.

So anyway, in the aftermath of this fight, you see Walker starting to have a mental breakdown. Because he is completely flabbergasted that he was effortlessly taken down by the Dora Milaje. Because while they are unquestionably highly skilled and trained warriors, they are still completely ordinary people. Not a single one of them have been injected with the Super Serum. So how is he supposed to manage going up against the Flag Smashers, who are Super Soldiers? (It’s also possible that Walker’s despondency over this is partially fueled by him having sexist and xenophobic viewpoints, considering the Dora Milaje are all African women, but that’s open to interpretation.) While he and Hoskins are sitting at a diner somewhere, Walker, clearly thinking about the fact that he has the last vial of Super Serum, asks Hoskins if he would take the Super Serum if he had the chance. Hoskins states he would take it. Which is clearly meant to parallel an earlier scene, where Zemo asked Sam if he would take it if it was ever offered. Because Sam stated he wouldn’t without hesitation. Which once again further cements the fact that Steve made the right choice in choosing Sam as his successor. (It’s also evident by the fact that Sam is the one trying to find a peaceful resolution with the Flag Smashers, while Walker is simply trying to charge in and simply take them out.)

Things come to a head when Karli actually calls up Sam’s sister, Sarah, and directly threatens her and her kids in order to give Sam an incentive to meet with her again. So Sam, with Bucky accompanying him, suits up as Falcon in order to confront her. Karli attempts to try and convince Sam to join up with her, but Sam still insists that, while her goal is honorable, there’s a better way to fight without resorting to violence (such as blowing up buildings with innocent people inside). But once again, Walker mucks it all up. Because, Sam is then contacted by Sharon Carter. Who seems to be able to track Walker via satellite? Which seems to contradict something she said earlier about not having access to satellites, unless I misheard that line. Yeah, Sharon is kinda shady in this episode. If the fan theory that she’s actually the Power Broker turns out to be right, I won’t be that shocked. In any event, it seems that either Walker and Hoskins ended up going after the Flag Smashers again or Karli’s meeting with Sam was just a diversion to keep Sam and Bucky out of the way while the Flag Smashers tried to go after Walker in order to kill him. I’m not sure which it was. But regardless, Sam and Bucky immediately go off to try and find Walker before it’s too late, with Karli also running off to join the fight.

Here, it’s one big action sequence, with Bucky, Sam and Walker fighting against Karli and the Flag Smashers. Hoskins eventually joins in the fight as well (he was absent from the start of the fight because he was jumped by some of the Flag Smashers and was briefly tied up in a bathroom somewhere until he managed to free himself). But in the mist of the battle, Karli ends up either kicking or punching Hoskins into a stone pillar with full Super Soldier strength. And the impact apparently snaps Hoskin’s spine, killing him instantly.

Okay! I was seriously not expecting them to kill Hoskins off like that! And it’s a shame, too. Because while I barely knew Hoskins, he still seemed like an okay guy. At least he was the one who, however briefly, convinced Walker to at least try to give Sam a chance to talk to Karli. Which indicated he wasn’t as gung-ho and impulsive as Walker is. Unfortunately, it seems that Hoskin’s death was the breaking point for Walker, because he immediately snaps. And while Bucky and Sam go after Karli when she makes a break for it, Walker goes right for the other Flag Smashers. He quickly corners the Flag Smasher called Nico, who I think was Karli’s right-hand man, in the middle of a crowded square. And, in full view of everyone, mercilessly murders Nico with the Shield. And he is showing no reaction to the fact that the onlookers are all staring at him in shock and horror, or even that some people were filming him with their camera phones. He simply straps the Shield, which is now covered with blood, onto his arm. And that’s where the episode ends.

Well, crap! That’s a rather dark note to end the episode on. Clearly, Walker is unstable. And I have no idea what the final two episodes of this show will be like. The even more chilling aspect is that, while it’s not explicitly stated, it’s implied that Walker might have already taken the Super Serum! And this show of rage and aggression was the result of it. After all, as Dr. Erskine had said way back when, the Serum elevates everything. Good becomes great, but bad becomes worse. And Walker was clearly undergoing a phycological breakdown to begin with. So if he’s taken the Super Serum (like we were probably supposed to assume he did when he effortlessly bent a metal pole like a pretzel during the last battle scene with the Flag Smashers), then he must be REALLY unstable now! And now, the Shield, the very symbol of Captain America (which is tied to Steve Roger’s legacy), is now tainted by a bloodstain. Again, I have no idea where the show plans to go from here on in.

Speaking of the Shield? On a closing note, I do have to address the fact that Bucky once again scolded Sam for giving away the Shield in the first place. *Sigh* Okay. Bucky? I love you, man. You’re my favorite character in the MCU so far (apart from Goose, of course). But you really need to stop blaming Sam for this. Because Sam didn’t give the Shield away like you’re suggesting. That’s not what happened. Sam donated the Shield to the Smithsonian, with the understanding that it would be kept there, as a monument to everything Steve Rogers did and stood for. It was the US Government who went behind Sam’s back and took back the Shield in order to hand it over to Walker. Sam didn’t know they were going to do that until after the fact. Yes, Bucky has every right to be mad about what happened. His feelings are justified and valid. (Particularly if they end up revealing what I think they’re going to reveal.) But he’s taking it out on the wrong person. And he really does owe Sam an apology.

#falcon and winter soldier #falcon and winter solider series

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