This review contains spoilers for episode 5 ofThe Falcon And The Winter Soldier.
After a shocking scene that saw John Walker revealed as the flawed Captain America he is for the whole world to watch,The Falcon and the Winter Soldiersees the entire cast gear up for an exciting finale promising to pay off all of the show’s plotlines so far. Episode 5, titled “Truth,” sees Sam Wilson finally come to terms with the fact that he must become Captain America, helps Bucky edge closer to forgetting his Winter Soldier past and, of course, gives John Walker a new purpose in the MCU, while also looking towards the future.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldierhas really proved to be something different from the action-packed short films the show’s trailers promised, but this week’s episode does kick off with Sam and Bucky going up against the enraged Walker who refuses to turn the shield over to them only to get his arm broken as even the super-soldier juice isn’t quite enough for him to overpower the heroes. The fight is perfectly choreographed to be reminiscent of Cap and Bucky’s face-off versus Iron Man inCivil War, but it’s the only combat exhibition fans will be getting until the series finale.
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Instead, episode 5 is mostly dedicated to character development, especially that of Sam and Bucky, whose storylines had been somewhat sidelined in favor of showcasing Baron Zemo, Walker, and even Sharon Carter to make them relevant players. Here, Sam’s post-mission meet-up with his friend Joaquin Torres could potentially set up the latter as the future Falcon, as Wilson tells him he no longer needs his old Falcon wings, also signalingWalker’s terrifying villain-like behaviormade him decide to become Captain America.
Nevertheless, Walker grew fond of the role during his brief stint and he has no qualms yelling out at everyone that he’s still Captain America, no matter that the U.S. government thinks otherwise when they discharge him. It must be saidWyatt Russell’s performancehere stays on par with his great work so far, as he’s incredibly convincing with his PTSD, the ticks, his anger, and also his friendship with Lamar Hoskins making him a pretty convincing villain.
Now,The Falcon and the Winter Soldierwriter Malcolm Spellman had teased a surprise cameo in episode 5 and this turns out to be none other than Madame Hydra, or Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, which is the name Julia Louis-Dreyfus uses to introduce herself to the MCU. The actress is alsoset to appear inBlack Widow, but her character’s comic book background points to the S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra double agent playing a pivotal role in future Marvel projects and perhaps becoming one of Sam Wilson’s main antagonists in the future.
Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine quickly takes a shine to Walker’s new super soldier appeal and instantly onboards him, though Walker is pretty busy at the moment trying to figure out what to do with his life. John Walker pays a visit to Lamar’s family, and it does a lot for his emotional character arc since the former Cap does come out a new man, even if not necessarily for the best.
Over in Europe, Buckyhunts down Baron Zemoto honor his promise to Ayo, and despite having the chance to simply kill Zemo, he makes a point to tell him he will never resort to that again. This is quite a meaningful moment for Bucky, however Zemo’s farewell is perhaps one of the show’s lowest points since the villain ended up mostly being used as a prop with a ticket to Madripoor, as the Dora Milaje take him to The Raft for his imprisonment and perhaps setting up a new story if Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross happens to be in charge of the facility.
As part of his journey to embrace the shield, Sam returns to seeIsaiah Bradley to get the complete versionof his story, though sadly fans don’t get a proper flashback of the black Cap in action nor his throwdown with the old Winter Soldier. The scene serves as a way to fuel Sam’s optimism, his sense of duty, and belief that things can indeed be different. He goes to Isaiah not to ask for his blessing, but instead to face what he as a black man already knew to be true.
From there,The Falcon and the Winter Soldiermoves to Louisiana, where Sam takes care of his personal affairs finally convincing his sister Sarah not to sell the family business, because Captain America can’t have such loose ends in his life. The blossoming bromance between Sam andBucky does a lot to propel both characterspast their initial state when the series began. Bucky now understands why he wanted Sam to take the shield, which for him is almost a living entity; Sam can now see that becoming Captain America is not trying to emulate Steve Rogers. He can only be the best Cap he can be.
The Rocky-styled training montage of Sam Wilson getting ready for the toughest battle of his life again shows the audience this same thing. Sam Wilson is no super soldier like Steve was. The best he can do is get in top-level form and put in the hard work to toss that shield as best as he can. His moral compass and overall character are the reason why Rogers chose him. There’s also that Wakandan Captain America suit Bucky had made for him, but that reveal will have to wait until the final showdown.
Meanwhile, while everyone else is busy, Sharon Carter continues to work in the shadows, and her hiring of Batroc towork alongside the Flag-Smashersnow has her placed as the heavy favorite to be revealed as the Power Broker, so much so that she only gets a few seconds of screen time in an episode where the Madripoor crime boss would have gone practically unmentioned had it not been for her.
As for the Flag-Smashers, they’ve now crossed the Atlantic and are visiting the Big Apple to crash the Global Repatriation Council’s impending vote on refugee legislation and setting up the final episode’s epic three-way battle between them, rogue John Walker and Sam Wilson plus Bucky, because these two would rather not be referred to as a team.
The post-credits scene shows Walker channeling his anger, grief, and frustration into a rather dangerous DIY project: crafting his own Captain America shield. It’s no surprise a man with Walker’s broad set of skills can weld his own weaponry, which does explain his different look in themid-seasonThe Falcon and the Winter Soldiertrailer Marvel shared this week.
All this means that fans are in for an epic finale battle that will pit Walker’s superpowers and run-of-the-mill shield against Sam’s vibranium relic, Wakandan armor, and strict fitness regime in the streets of New York. So with the final episode set to be an hour-long banger that finally shows Sam in his new Cap threads, the questions then pass over to what will happen to Walker after the series ends.
It seems Marvel Studios opted to skip the Super Patriot part of Walker’s story sincehe’s looking like the perfect U.S. Agent for now, a narrative that’s further strengthened with Madame Hydra’s cameo. Whatever happens might involve her rescuing him from defeat.As for Sharon Carter, who may just be Power Broke after all, the writers really have to make up some ground to introduce this character they’ve been teasing for too many hours now. Finally, be on the lookout for a possible victory tour from Sam fully embracing his Captain America identity, maybe even back at Isaiah’s house, once the new Cap emerges victorious from whatever unfolds in the streets of New York.
