The Falcon and the Winter Soldier review: “Power Broker”
The newest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier reintroduces some old characters while serving up fun action and solid character moments.
The latest episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier brings back fan favorite characters and serves up exciting action. “Power Broker” picks up where we left off last week. Sam and Bucky need Helmut Zemo’s help to gather information about the super-soldier serum that powered the members of the Flag-Smashers they fought in “The Star-Spangled Man.” After breaking Zemo out of prison, the trio heads to the fictional island of Madripoor to meet with Zemo’s contact.
We knew from trailers and last week’s cliffhanger ending that the Civil War villain would return for this show, but I didn’t expect him to stick around with the duo and work so well with them. This is Daniel Brühl’s episode; he commands the screen throughout. Zemo’s first scene is chilling as he toys with Bucky by reciting his code phrase to control him. Brühl is fantastic at playing the quiet and calculating villain, but he also comes across as charming. His chemistry with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan was one of the highlights of this episode.
I wasn’t sold on Zemo’s plan. His idea for meeting up with his contact involves disguising themselves as criminals to blend in with other underworld types. And while they do find out who’s making the new super-soldier serum — a guy by the name of Dr. Wilfred Nagel — their ruse quickly goes south and they get a bounty placed on their heads, all of which seems out of step with the mastermind we know Zemo to be from Civil War. Also, Sharon Carter happens to be in the same area and rescues them, which felt too convenient, but the show doesn’t dwell on any of this for too long.
Speaking of Sharon, we learn what happened to her after Civil War: She’s been lying low in Madripoor with no contact from her family. Unlike with Sam, the Avengers didn’t bail her out after she helped Steve. Hopefully she’ll get to go home; at this point I’d say she’s earned it.
Carter shines at the end of the episode as she takes on dozens of bounty hunters in a shipping yard. I was hoping to see more of Carter kicking butt after seeing her in action in the trailers, and I am glad “Power Broker” delivered. While the action isn’t as elaborate as it was last week, there’s still a lot of tension as Carter navigates through the labyrinth of shipping containers. This claustrophobic action is carried over from the Captain America movies and is a welcome addition to the show.
The group manages to locate Nagel’s lab. They find out the good doctor is working for someone named the Power Broker, but before they can find out more, Zemo shoots Nagel dead and bounty hunters show up. Also the lab is destroyed. The highlight of this sequence is probably Zemo donning his purple ski mask and taking out some thugs in cold blood. I thought Zemo would abandon our heroes here, but he ends up saving the day. It’ll be interesting to see how Zemo works with the pair moving forward, as I expect some double-crossing soon.
Aside from all the action, “Power Broker” also serves up a couple of solid character moments. While on the flight to Madripoor, Zemo explains the danger of putting heroes like Captain America on a pedestal. He thinks that by doing this, the public will forget their flaws and fallibilities. This line helps flesh out his motivations beyond just an obsession for revenge.
Sam and Bucky continue to butt heads over Cap’s legacy, and Sam goes as far as saying he could’ve destroyed the shield after seeing how much harm the super-soldier program has caused. He has a point, but Bucky also has a point that more good came out of it than bad. Steve and the shield became a symbol that people could look up to. Bucky even says how much the shield means to him. I’m curious to see whether Sam will eventually accept the shield, since we’re halfway through the show and he’s double-downed on giving it away. Still, I enjoy seeing him and Bucky fight over it.
Overall, “Power Broker” was a great episode. It ends with another cliffhanger: it looks like we’ll be going to Wakanda next week!
Grade: A –
dark. Next. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiere is a solid start
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