TV Review: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 3 “Power Broker”

Director: Kari Skogland

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Wyatt Russell, Clé Bennett, Florence Kasumba, Erin Kellyman

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 51 minutes

Spoilers follow:

Forcing action heroes to team up with their villains is a reliably fun storytelling trope and it’s especially well-suited to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.  This show is obsessed with uneasy alliances, from Bucky and Sam’s central, dysfunctional bromance, to their tense working relationship with Walker and Hoskins, and also including Bucky’s adversarial relationship with Dr. Raynor.  So adding Zemo, an extremely personal villain for Bucky specifically, to the mix substantially adds to the levels of suspense and intrigue in the show, while also leading to some surprisingly effective comedy.

The beginning of “Power Broker” briefly uses the expected Silence of the Lambs-style setup with Bucky interrogating Zemo, only the transparent wall of his cell separating them.  Zemo immediately attempts to use Hydra’s code words to trigger the Winter Soldier but isn’t surprised when they don’t work and is actually pretty open to helping Bucky, especially when he hears that he’s trying to stop a group of rogue super-soldiers, but there’s not much he can do locked up.  At a garage hideout, Bucky tries to convince Sam that hypothetically breaking Zemo out might be necessary but Sam isn’t having any of it and is shocked and annoyed when Zemo walks in, as Bucky had already freed him.  Zemo has a contact on the criminal island Madripoor that he believes might have information on the super-soldier serum and the newly formed trio heads there on his private jet (it’s revealed that MCU Zemo is in fact the son of a baron, just like his comic book counterpart).  Daniel Brühl slips back into the Zemo role effortlessly and the episode expands on the character’s history and personality to make him even more layered and compelling than before.  Zemo as he was presented in Civil War was a grim figure, hellbent on getting revenge for the death of his family, but while his dark side is still clearly buried beneath the surface, a lot of Brühl’s scenes are unexpectedly humorous, and he shows off a delightful new playful, mischievous side to his performance.  A notable example of this comes during the plane ride.  Zemo is lightly taunting Bucky’s notebook full of people to make amends to when Sam intervenes, noting that it’s the same notebook Steve used to record pop culture references and other things from his time frozen in ice that he wanted to learn about.  Sam reminisces about telling Steve about a Marvin Gaye album he found absolutely crucial and begins to poke fun at Bucky when he grumbles that he prefers 1940s music.  Zemo joins in, pointing out how Gaye “captures the African American experience,” leading a weirded-out Sam to say “He’s out of line, but he’s right.” Brühl and Mackie bounce off each other wonderfully, with Stan as a perfectly glum straight man and the episode is full of great interactions like this.  Even better, the scene also adds to Zemo’s character and the themes that accompany him.  He notes how Bucky and Sam clearly both looked up to Steve but states that this is one of the dangers of super soldiers as they can become symbols that people blindly follow, leading to the creation of tyrants like the Red Skull, which is what he’s trying to prevent.

In Madripoor Bucky is forced to play the part of the Winter Soldier, who Zemo claims now serves him, while Sam reluctantly disguises himself in the flamboyant garb of an African man known as the Smiling Tiger that Zemo says he bears a strong resemblance to.  The introduction of Madripoor to the MCU is very exciting for fans, especially because of what it means for the future.  Although the island is featured in any number of comics it first appeared in New Mutants and has become a fixture of the X-Men franchise, with Wolverine in particular spending lots of time there.  The guys walk by the Princess Bar, which Logan frequents and is sometimes shown as the owner of and the camera lingers.  WandaVision taught a lot of fans not to be too hasty in terms of when to expect to see actual X-Men in the MCU and these Easter Eggs shouldn’t be taken as indications that Logan or any other mutants will be appearing The Falcon and the Winter Soldier but even the inclusion of the island itself is a nice sign that the day they make their debut is getting closer, as Kevin Feige confirmed that the franchise would not have been able to use Madripoor if Disney had not acquired 20th Century Fox, and with it the X-Men’s live-action rights.  Aside from Wakanda and Westview none of the MCU’s Earth-bound locations really add much to the stories but Madripoor is a vibrant setting.  The foggy atmosphere and use of neon blues in the lighting make for some John Wick-like visuals well-suited to the outlaw world of the island.

At a different bar, Zemo has Bucky get into a fight with a bunch of locals (with Zemo noting to Sam how quickly Bucky shifts back into ruthless assassin mode) to demonstrate that he is truly the Winter Soldier, which earns them a meeting with Selby (Imelda Corcoran), Zemo’s contact.  Zemo offers Bucky’s services to Selby, who in return reveals that the Power Broker, who controls Madripoor, hired Dr. Wilfred Nagel to recreate the super-soldier serum.  But before she tells them Nagel’s location a call from Sarah to Sam blows the guys’ cover and Selby orders them to be killed before she herself is shot by an unseen shooter.  Fleeing the scene (with Sam comically shouting “I can’t run in these heels!”), the guys are stopped by the shooter, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), niece of Peggy Carter and former S.H.I.E.L.D. and CIA agent who served as an ally (and, briefly, love interest) to Steve in the Captain America sequels.

Sharon’s intro scene is a bit clumsy, as she explains that she has been in Madripoor since Civil War while holding the guys at gunpoint in the middle of the street but her material improves after they make their escape.  Back at her luxury residence, she elaborates on how she’s made a living as a black market art dealer but while she lives more than comfortably she’s still angry at being labeled a fugitive by the government she used to serve so loyally, and VanCamp does a good job of bringing a jaded, world-weary layer to her performance.  Sam sympathizes with Sharon’s feelings of disillusionment and offers to get her a pardon if she can help them locate Nagel, to which she agrees.  Sharon was one of only a handful of major comic characters the MCU never really let live up to their full potential but the new approach Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes rejuvenates her, and her potential arc about returning to the selfless, heroic person she once offered VanCamp the chance to depict a much deeper journey than she’s ever had the chance to in the role.

After a party with some of her clients (during which there is a brief shot of Zemo of all people dancing that the internet has fallen in love with), Sharon manages to find Nagel, who the Power Broker is keeping in a shipping container on the Madripoor docks.  He explains to Sam, Bucky, and Zemo that he originally worked on Hydra’s super serum that was given to the other Winter Soldiers that were briefly shown in Civil War.  After Hydra fell, he was recruited by the CIA and given access to samples of Isaiah’s blood, with which he was close to creating a stable version of the serum before being erased from existence by the Snap.  When he returned five years later the Power Broker hired him and Nagel successfully created twenty vials of viable serum, which Karli stole.

While the guys interrogate Nagel, Sharon remains on watch outside, and when bounty hunters arrive to capture or kill them, she engages them.  Her fight scene is excellent and another important step in building Sharon up as an important and compelling MCU figure in her own right.  The choreography is more gritty and brutal than most MCU battles, with Sharon not hesitating to go for killing moves with guns and knives.  Between that and the smooth movement of the camera the scene adds to the episode’s John Wick vibes nicely and it’s great to see that while she might not be able to go head to head with superheroes and villains Sharon’s experience as a covert agent still makes her a deadly fighter against regular opponents.  As she gets inside to warn the guys, Zemo gets his hands on a gun and kills Nagel so he can’t create any more super soldiers before an explosive goes off.  After climbing out of the wreckage the guys and Sharon get into another gun fight, with Bucky and Sam arguing about which escape route to take (Sam yelling that his strategy is “in EVERY ACTION MOVIE!”).  Zemo dons a comic-accurate purple mask and takes out a few remaining bounty hunters.  He’s most frightening as a cerebral threat and he’s not going to be taking on Thor any time soon but Zemo is a former black ops soldier and, as with Sharon, the show effectively reminds the viewer how physically dangerous he can be on a human vs human level.  He also secures a swanky car for he and the boys to ride off in, with a nice call-back to Civil War when Bucky refuses to move the shotgun seat up to give Sam more leg room.  Sharon remains behind, holding Sam to his word to get her a pardon.  She’s picked up by a driver who she tells they have several problems.  A lot of viewers have started to theorize that Sharon herself is actually the Power Broker but while this isn’t a crazy idea at all and something larger is definitely going on with her I’m not sure that will be the case.  The MCU has successfully turned comic villains into heroes before but doing the opposite is arguably harder to pull off as it risks upsetting existing comic fans, many of whom were already dissatisfied with Sharon’s portrayal in the movies.  But I don’t think the possibility can totally be ruled out and even if she isn’t actually the Power Broker I could definitely see her being forced to work for them or in a similarly desperate situation due to her fugitive status.

On the plane ride out Sam fumes about the government’s inhumane treatment of Isaiah, and wonders if he shouldn’t have destroyed the shield, rather than give it back, considering what he’s learned about the dark history of the super soldier program.  Bucky remains adamant that the good Captain America represents outweighs the bad and says he would take the shield for himself rather than let Sam get rid of it.  We’re only halfway through the show so I imagine things will get even more dire for our heroes but it’s impressive how much serious development they’ve been put through already and this felt like a significant low point in Sam’s arc before he inevitably is built back up.  I also like the allusion to the idea of Bucky as Cap from the comics, though I think this is probably the closest we’ll ever get to that in the MCU (outside of any alternate universe shenanigans that could occur in future properties).

Elsewhere in the episode, Walker continues to hunt Karli, with little success, and ultimately he tells Hoskins that he thinks their best bet is to follow Sam and Bucky.  The Walker material is pretty brief but it makes some important points about his character, particularly when he, Hoskins, and government forces bust into the home of the European family that sheltered Karli.  When the owner of the house criticizes Walker, he shoves him against a wall and roars “Do you know who I am!?” like a spoiled trust fund kid.  The man spits on him and while the situation cools down before anything horrible happens it underlines that not only is the arrogant Walker completely unworthy of the Captain America mantle, he’s also dangerously unstable.

In Latvia, Karli visits a sick woman named Donya Madani (Veronica Falcon), who then dies. Karli refers to her as “Mama Donya” but it’s not clear if she’s actually her mother or related to her in some other way.  Regardless, the loss radicalizes the young rebel and after the Flag Smashers steal government supplies to distribute to needy children she bombs the building, even though there are still people inside, telling one of her teammates that “This is the only language these people understand.”  Kellyman continues to give a solid performance but the show’s approach to Karli and the Flag Smashers isn’t totally working.  It seems to want to portray them as misguided but also the most sympathetic of the antagonists (even though Brühl’s performance actually makes Zemo the most likable) and is also setting them up as future victims of overly severe retribution from Walker and or the Power Broker but increasing Karli’s ruthlessness contradicts this.  As it stands now the Flag Smashers, specifically Karli are essentially guilty of terrorism and Sam and Bucky should be just as determined to defeat them as they are the other threats.  Ultimately, the Flag Smashers are only really working as a way to move the plot and other characters around, not as their own compelling group and I hope there’s still time for the show to rectify this.

The guys arrive in Latvia, but while Sam and Zemo continue to look for Karli Bucky says he’s going for a walk.  He retraces their steps, picking up metallic balls along the way that are eventually recognizable as kimoyo beads, high-tech devices used by the Wakandans and he eventually comes face to face with Ayo (Florence Kasumba), a member of the Dora Milaje, Black Panther’s elite female special forces.  Ayo declares that she’s there for Zemo as the iconic Black Panther theme blares. This is an awesome way to complicate the plot, as it brings up consequences for freeing Zemo and ties back to Bucky’s time healing his mind, but more than anything it’s just incredibly fun to see the Wakandans emphasized as important players throughout the MCU.  Kasumba was actually one of the first members of the Black Panther cast introduced back in Civil War, during which she gave Black Widow the iconic command to “Move or you will be moved,” but her screen time and especially dialogue has been very limited, so a television appearance will be a great way to flesh out her character.  This is a delightful and logical twist that also makes for a perfect end to a very strong episode overall.

Notes:

• The first scene is a commercial for the Global Repatriation Council, which is meant to help people displaced by or otherwise effected by the Blip but the soldiers working with Walker and Hoskins on their raids are also shown to be members of the GRC which is a bit confusing, as the previous mentions of the group didn’t indicate that it was a paramilitary group in any way.  This might be meant to make a point about the militarization of law enforcement and the GRC now seems to be a stand-in for ICE but the show could be clearer in its use of them.
• While fuming about his purple disguise Sam says he looks like a pimp, to which Zemo responds that “Only an American would assume that a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp.” I really liked how this scene went from a standard but funny comedic beat to something deeper that was still funny.
• Selby’s name seems to be a reference to a minor (male) mutant from X-Men comics.
• Marvel’s YouTube page has an hour-long loop of dancing Zemo.