It’s wild to think about but we are exactly 1/3 of the way through a season of television with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. As such a milestone, the show leans into some deeper themes and forces us to reexamine the legacy of one of the MCU’s most popular characters.
Episode 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up with an introductory press conference for the new Captain America before digging into the main action of Bucky and Sam reuniting to try and follow the Flag Smashers, their run ins with new Captain America John Walker and his pal Battlestar, and Bucky introducing Sam to an important person. Let’s dig into the highlights and low lights of the episode:
Isaiah Bradley. Lots of people talk about moments being a game changer all willy nilly, but the introduction of Isaiah is truly an important moment in the MCU. One of the comics storylines I most wanted to see done, Isaiah is one of the Black super soldiers the US government created during Steve Rogers’ time in the ice and he was even on the level of Bucky when the two faced off during the Korean War. Unlike the venerable Steve Rogers, he never saw acclaim and was in fact throw in jail for 30 years. His scene is a gut punch to Sam as well as the entire audience, not just that there was another super soldier, but that he was Black. Since Black Panther, the MCU has been pushing more into telling stories about race that are reminiscent of our world today and Isaiah’s is a story that’s all too common. This was such a beautifully rendered introduction to the character and a wonderful performance from Carl Lumbly.
The only beat involved in this story that I did not like was Bucky tell Sam that he never told Steve because it seems unlikely in the world of the MCU that Steve would not have found out about this project given that he put all of SHIELD’s files on the internet, and this likely seems like a secret they would know about. It feels very narratively convenient to do this in this manner rather, especially because we know with Steve’s character he more than likely would have wanted to help Isaiah in some manner.
This sort of gets to the bigger issue; Steve Rogers is a shadow cast over the entire series and many of the characters but this is the first time the rose colored glasses have truly been taken off. Up till now in the show, they’ve been focused on international threats, extraterrestrial threats, and each other (the real big three), but have routinely not dealt with the United States history. Having Hydra grow within SHIELD is one thing, but this is actively showing the country for the raggedy place it is. I suspect this will go part and parcel with why Sam will snatch the shield back. We’re being led on a journey of what I think will end with Sam wanting to be an example of how Captain America should be.
Speaking of, the current holder of the mantle John Walker…baby not since Bakugou first appeared on the screen has there been a character I’ve wanted to hit more. He seems like a decent enough person, but there’s honestly nothing special about him. Hell, he even has a Black friend (codename Battlestar). Chile, the US government couldn’t have been lazier about finding a new Cap if they had tried. John is a serviceable person and his fighting style clearly leaves much to be desired, as he can’t do more than throw the shield from point A to B. His most egregious error this episode was in how he approached wanting to work with Bucky and Sam. Word to the wise, it’s probably not smart to mention to two people who have had issues with the government that you’ve been tracking them AND calling one of them Steve’s wingman. These two men are Avengers, they’ve fought Thanos and his minions, John should have come in way more humble. As such, it looks like the two groups of men will be heading to a big showdown.
Finally, Bucky has lots of issues, but I cannot believe that therapist heard him tell Sam that if Steve was wrong about Sam then maybe he was wrong about him and just…let him leave. Girl, that’s a huge admission from a guy who barely admits anything! My heart broke hearing Bucky say that and hopefully that man will find some peace.
P.S. No more overtly racist police interactions please. I get it and the audience does.