Review | The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Episode 3: Power Broker)

The Falcon And The Winter Soldier continues to impress in all the right ways. It’s an amazing sequel to the Captain America trilogy!

Today is Friday so this means it’s time for a new episode of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier! Episode 3 is entitled ‘Power Broker,’ it’s the name of the person controlling Madripoor.

Enter Baron Zemo – An Unlikely Alliance

Until now, Helmut Zemo was only known as such in the MCU but with this episode, he finally takes on the villain name we all know – Baron Zemo. He also has his “costume” along with his famous purple balaclava. Seeing this look in live-action is something special!

I love how this episode develops his character and expands on what we already knew of him. First of all is the Baron title and the reveal that he is rich, which is in line with the comics.

Unlike what the trailers tried to tease, Zemo is actually not the villain, at least for now. He is teaming up with Falcon and Bucky to find the Super Soldier serum and then to find the Flag Smashers. It’s an unlikely team and it sheds new light on Zemo. As he is not a villain, we see him act differently. He brings some humor in the episode like when he meets up with our heroes or when he dances at the bar. And yet, you still recognize the Zemo we knew from Captain America Civil War. He is still ruthless when it comes to his interests. In the episode, he doesn’t hesitate for a second to kill Dr. Nagel if that means the serum won’t be replicated again. I have to say Daniel Bruhl nails it, he is a talented actor and has been able to give so many layers to Zemo.

Old Friends Return

Zemo is not the only one making his return, this episode also brings back Sharon Carter. When we last saw her she was a fugitive because she had helped Steve Rogers during Civil War. I love how this series so far has felt like a direct sequel to the Captain America trilogy. It brings back all the characters we’ve met in these movies and it expands on their story taking up the legacy Steve left.

Unlike the Avengers, Sharon Carter hasn’t been pardoned by the US government so she is still on the run … or is she really? We meet her in a famous place from the comics – Madripoor. It has a beautiful Blade Runner-Esque/Asian aesthetic.

A view of Madripoor from Marvel Studios’ THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

However, her last scene in the episode is mysterious. She is working with people so is it the US government or is she working with another organization? That’s a lot of questions that I can’t wait to see answered. Anyway, I’m really glad to see this character again. She gets some powerful action scenes in this episode – that’s violent!

A third character also makes his return this week – Ayo, one of the Dora Milaje who appeared in Black Panther, Avengers Infinity War, and Captain America Civil War. It’s quite a surprise but it makes sense to see Wakanda involved. They want Zemo to pay for his crimes and be judged by the Wakandan justice. Ending the episode with Ayo is an exciting way to do it because now I think we can all agree to say is it next Friday yet?

The True Face of Walker and The Flag Smashers

Beyond returning characters, ‘Power Broker’ expands on its new characters John Walker and the Flag Smashers. On the Captain America side, it seems he is finally starting to reveal his true self. We see an angry John Walker when his team arrests Flag-Smasher sympathizers. That scene shows he doesn’t understand what being Captain America means. Had Battlestar not stopped him, he would have beat the hell out of his prisoner. There is a second scene hinting at Walker’s shady behavior. Near the end of the episode, he mentions he is ready to go dirty if it means that he’ll succeed in his mission.

Karli Morgenthau reveals what she is capable of too. She blows up unarmed soldiers for the sole reason that it’s the only way they’ll understand they mean business. Though, like Baron Zemo, there is a duality with Karli. You see her ruthlessly killing people but you also see her in pain, she lost someone. She is trying to survive but maybe she doesn’t do it the right way.

I love how the writers are treating the antagonists – it’s more than just having villains for our heroes to fight, it’s about building up these characters too and that’s important!

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Now, let’s talk about our two main characters because it’s what the show is about. With every episode, I the dynamic between Sam and Bucky a little more. It’s how different they are that makes them such a great team. The bickering never stops. Because of that, their team is not properly coordinated yet. Bucky just helps Zemo escape from prison without telling Sam. And when the team is surrounded by pirates, both go their own way because they didn’t pay attention to what the other was doing.

Beyond that, they care about each other as well. In Vanilla Sky, Tom Cruise’s character said “The little things. there’s nothing bigger, is there ?” I think that line applies here. It’s little lines here and there that tell you there’s more than just the bickering. That moment when Sam asks Bucky if he’s alright after he just beat up a dozen people à la Winter Soldier, that’s what friends do, they’re there for each other. Although Bucky isn’t ready to express how he feels, he is getting there.