The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Episode 5: "Truth"
Sam/Falcon: Sam asking Walker for the shield was not--obviously--a move to "claim" it (at the moment, but his counselor mode kicking in, knowing that one, that weapon had to be confiscated, and two, its legacy had to be protected / disassociated with so heinous a crime ASAP. Again, he shows just how level-headed he is that he can try to talk Walker down, even in the heat of raw anger / battle.
Amazingly tense moment as Sam used the thrust of his jet pack to break Walker's arm, finally wrestling the shield away from him.
The Falcon wings' ultimate failure in the fight opens another door in Sam's mind--whether its worth it (for his life in the grand scheme of things), or as some are already wondering, if his telling Torres to keep the wings while walking off with the shield was not just protecting the shield's legacy, but the moment Bucky had been waiting for.
Isaiah Bradley delivers the statement of the episode: "Those stars and stripes don't mean nothin' good to me."
Sam: "I need to understand."
Bradley: "You understand. Every black man does, whether you want to deny it or--"
Sam: "Don't do that 'bitter old man' thing with me."
Bradley: "If you ain't bitter, you're blind!"
Sam: "I don't get it, okay? What went wrong?"
Bradley: "I used to be like you...until I opened my eyes. Until I saw men--and the Red Tails...the famous 332 fight for this country, only to come home to find crosses burned on their lawn.."
Sam: "I'm from the South I get that.But you were a Super Soldier like Steve, you could have been he next--"
Bradley: "The next?? What?!? Huh? Blonde hair, blue eyes, stats and stripes? The entire world has been chasing that Great White Hope since he first got dosed with that serum!"
Sam: "Steve did not put you in jail!"
Bradley's story was heart-wrenching, as it--like his previous appearance--was taken from elements of real history; since the African diaspora sent my ancestors to nearly every corner of the world, they were not only subjected to the unforgivable evil of slavery (and the tools it is partnered with, like incessant rape, deliberate removal of any ties and awareness of the civilizations / achievements of their own people, creating endless laws to keep people--during and after slavery--in psychological bondage, etc.), but were used like lab rats for experimentation. Whether it was on men for Grand Guignol-esque, sideshow butchery to "uncover" the "secret" of their allegedly "different" virility and strength, to James Marion Sims' use of enslaved black women for horrifying experiments which would have him crowned the "Father of Modern Gynecology", to Tuskegee and and on and on, this show's Bradley sub-plot is the fictionalized continuation of this "tradition," and necessary ice mainlined into the veins of the MC/TVU.
Sam's reply to Sarah--"What would be the point of all the pain and sacrifice if I wasn't willing to stand up and keep fighting?" was his call to action / realization I had been waiting for. He will always carry the burden of being a black man in the U.S....and the world, but he can still believe in and fight for the kind of right which had never been tied to--or defined by any dominant society / political body.
Bucky/Winter Soldier: Note the look on Bucky's face as he drops the shield next to Sam, his expression all but saying Sam not only made the wrong decision in not at the start of this chapter, but he has a choice to make right now,,,
In a single stroke, Bucky--in simply scaring Zemo with his unloaded gun (with a slight smile)--disproves he was that programmed killer Zemo was counting on as he slowly crossed that ideological moat Zemo had always tried to fill between Bucky, Sam and Steve's legacy. Further, his loyalty to Ayo and the Wakandans was not as fractured as the previous episode implied.
Sadly, we now know why Bucky was so upset with Sam retiring the shield--he felt it was the only "family" he had left. In all of the years, since his escaping the Winter Soldier program, and post-Endgame, he's never truly bonded with anyone--apparently the Wakandans, too--at least not in any familial sense. He never had the chance to rebuild a new life in the present day like Steve.
He finally comes to realize his misunderstanding of Sam's feelings about the shield, how that's tied to men like Bradley and what it all means for Sam not only as a hero, but as a black man having to walk that ever-unstable tightrope between black American identity and...American identity.
Zemo: He gives another hint about where Sam might go by saying he was "as stubborn as Steve Rogers before him." but none of that matters, as he's off to the Raft prison...but I doubt anyone will be shocked if he escapes...or is released.
Sharon Carter: With every new scene, she becomes more of a mystery...unless the initial fan assumptions were correct all along.
John Walker / Cap 2.0: Walker, as expected, tried to rationalize murder (and his from a ma who appeared to have serious regrets about acts committed as a soldier). Indeed, his self-entitlement issues were intensified by the serum, as he skipped over murder, and spouts off--
"..we could have been a team."
"..I AM Captain America!" -- something he repeats during his hearing. While he yells out that the government "made" him, and that he always did what "they" asked of him, his entitlement issues cam roaring back with his obsession with being that which he cannot be officially, and certainly not where the soul is concerned.
..and repeatedly, he tries to kill the duo (Sam more than Bucky) in that manner he used against the Flag Smasher. I considered that the act of his resentment over what he sees in Sam--a threat to his unearned mantle. Others might argue that is the effect of the serum, but as noted time and again, the serum only builds on what is already in the person.
The episode tried to look at his empathetic corner of his mind through the scenes with Lamar's family, but as each moment of the scene passed, one could see his wheels turning about his recent act(s), and who he believes he was meant to be.
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine....another character sending up "this is not going to go well" flares...
The Flag-Smashers / Dovich / Karli Morgenthau: Karli is so far gone, that with one episode left, I cannot imagine her doing anything other than going out in some suicidal attack / nonsensical statement. Gone is her consideration of Sam as a person she could (at least) talk to, as she's going to help Batroc attempt to kill him. So, it seems the showdown is set for the streets of New York. That should be very, very interesting.
NOTES:
In such a powerful, edgy episode, there were a few funny moments, mainly Bucky flirting with Sarah, and Sam being so uncomfortable with that.
Note Jackman's reprise of his "End of the Line" track from The Winter Soldier's score as Sam looks at the shield before the title reveal...
We leave off with Sam and Bucky really becoming friends (such joy at that scene from everyone watching at my house), and Sam becoming very proficient with the shield. As the episode closes, opening the Wakandan case; I'm assuming Ayo provided (as that favor to Bucky) an amazing upgrade to the Falcon wing/suit concept.
GRADE: A.