TV Review: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 4 “The Whole World Is Watching”

Director: Kari Skogland

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

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 53 minutes

Spoilers follow:

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has so far achieved a strong balance between telling a serious superhero story that explores social issues such as race and the treatment of veterans while also delivering plenty of quippy comedy but episode 4 has a rather different tone.  It’s not devoid of humor, as there are still some great verbal jabs between the cast and Zemo’s whole vibe continues to be surprisingly funny, but overall “The Whole World Is Watching” is more somber and dire than the episodes that have come before and it does an excellent job of building the tension up until a devastating, disturbing ending.

Following Ayo’s surprise appearance at the end of “Power Broker,” the episode opens with a flashback to Bucky’s time in Wakanda.  In a remote forest area, Ayo is testing him to see if Hydra’s mental commands still activate the Winter Soldier, or if Shuri’s treatment successfully erased the conditioning from his mind.  Bucky is terrified that doing this will cause him to hurt someone and the mixture of fear and disbelieving relief on his face as Ayo says the words and he remains himself (even as the images are blended with ones of him as the Soldier) is gut-wrenching. Stan is always great in the part and has been especially so throughout this show but his acting in this scene is on another truly incredible level and the result is one of Marvel’s most deeply moving moments.  Florence Kasumba also gets to show a nice warmth that adds some greatly appreciated nuance to Ayo.

Unfortunately, the friendship (or is it something more?) between the two is considerably strained in the present day.  The Wakandans are furious about Zemo being freed and Ayo herself is particularly desperate to recapture him, as she was part of King T’Chaka’s security detail in Civil War and feels she failed to protect him. She tells Bucky that he has eight hours before she and other Dora Milaje come for Zemo, regardless of what he and Sam do.  Bucky informs the others of this but they nonetheless continue to track Karli following the bombing.

Zemo manages to get the location of Donya Madani’s funeral from a local girl and he, Sam, and Bucky are headed there when they are intercepted by Walker and Hoskins.  Walker is also angry at Sam and Bucky for releasing Zemo but reluctantly agrees to work with them.  Their alliance continues to be dysfunctional, as Walker characteristically wants to take Karli in by force while Sam insists on trying to talk her down, citing his experience counseling veterans as a reason for him to go in alone at first.  Walker agrees to give him ten minutes but quickly becomes impatient, and though Bucky tries to prevent him from interfering Walker gets under his skin by playing up the risk the Flag Smashers pose to Sam, telling Bucky that he’s risking losing another partner.

After the funeral, Sam attempts to reason with Karli.  He explains how he understands and even agrees with some of her goals but pleads with her to use less extreme methods.  This episode provides the best encapsulation yet of why Sam is the hero the world needs as Captain America.  Earlier on Karli had discussed the idea of Cap with another Flag-Smasher.  She believes the identity to be a completely outdated one and wants a hero who understands what disenfranchised people have been through, ideally one that has gone through similar experiences.  Sam blends this background and understanding with the best of Steve’s old-school nobility to create the ideal hero for the modern world.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get enough of a chance to show his empathetic skills, as Walker soon bursts in, trying to arrest Karli, who then believes Sam was lying to her to stall.  She easily knocks both of them aside and manages to escape Bucky’s pursuit.  However, Zemo had gotten out of the handcuffs Walker put him in and catches her by surprise, shooting her several times.  This scatters the remaining vials of super serum on the ground and after a brief pause, Zemo begins crushing them to make sure that no more super soldiers can be made, although Walker knocks him out with the shield before he can get to the last one, which Walker pockets as Karli escapes.

The Flag Smashers receive another threatening message from the Power Broker while the guys recover at their local hideout.  Zemo asks Sam if he would have taken the serum if he was ever offered it, to which Sam immediately says no.  Zemo is impressed by his lack of hesitation but continues to argue that Sam can’t hold out hope for Karli and that she and the Flag Smashers must be taken out so there are not more god-like people roaming the Earth and that “Super soldiers cannot be allowed to exist,” but Sam pushes back, asking “Isn’t that how gods talk?” and “If that’s how you feel, then what about Bucky?”  Zemo continues to be an excellent addition to the series, with his character making for very interesting interpersonal dynamics, and the themes that accompany him add a lot of intrigue to the plot.  That said, I’m not entirely sure I buy the idea of him being conflicted about killing Bucky if he was given the chance.  He definitely gets a kick out of pushing Bucky’s buttons and maybe has developed some genuine affection for him but their relationship hasn’t been developed quite enough to sell the idea that Zemo would view him as an exception to his “superhumans are evil” rule.  If anything I could see Sam being one superhero who Zemo would choose to leave alone, although even that may be contingent on the fact that he doesn’t have actual powers.

Sam is in the process of messaging Sharon (who apparently has access to satellites) to keep an eye on Walker when he and Hoskins arrive at the hideout, looking to bring him Zemo in.  Unfortunately for them Ayo then shows up with some other Dora looking to do precisely the same thing, causing tensions to rise. Sam warns Walker that he’d have more luck fighting Bucky than the Dora but Walker can’t help himself.  He smugly asserts that the Dora doesn’t have jurisdiction, to which Ayo declares “The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be,” and when Walker puts a hand on her shoulder she and the other women attack.  Despite his skills and the shield Walker and Hoskins are completely outmatched, much to the delight of Bucky who sarcastically yells “Looking strong John!” in a perfect moment of pettiness until Sam calls on him to try and stop the fight. But Ayo also quickly disables Bucky, with a series of jabs to specific points on his vibranium arm causing it to fall off. After easily winning, with one of the Dora almost keeping the shield after taking it off Walker they depart after noticing that Zemo escaped in the confusion.  I would have liked to see Ayo be developed more as a person and I hope that can still happen either in the remaining episodes or in a future Marvel property but I also appreciated the choice to portray her and the Dora as forces of nature.  They’re Wakandan justice personified and it’s truly incredible to see them in action.  The fight is so fast-moving that not all the choreography can even be fully comprehended but this actually adds to the effect by emphasizing their overwhelming power and speed.  Walker is humiliated at having been so thoroughly beaten by people who aren’t “even super-soldiers,” but this is honestly one thing he shouldn’t beat himself up for.  The Dora are some of the most powerful figures in the Marvel universe and even Steve Rogers himself probably would have struggled to take more than one on at once.

Later on, Walker and Hoskins are at an outdoor bar when Walker brings up the general idea of the super-serum, though without revealing that he has a vial. Hoskins says he absolutely would take the serum if given the chance, musing on how many lives he or John could have saved during their prior service with it. Hoskins believes “Power just makes a person more of themselves,” leading John to wonder what it would do to him. Hoskins reassures him that he consistently makes the right choices in combat and reminds him of his medals of honor but John scoffs at how the awards are really just reminders of the worst day of his life and wonders if he and Hoskins would be so decorated if the public knew what they’ve really been forced to do during their service. John views being Cap as the first thing he’s done that feels certainly right.  This was a great scene that effectively humanized both Walker and Hoskins and Russel and Bennett’s performances effectively convey the weight of the characters’ histories and how they inform their current actions and personalities. I really appreciate how the show is portraying Walker not as a stereotypical “crazy vet” but as a nuanced, sympathetic character who really is trying to do the right thing, while still maintaining an air of instability and danger around him.

As Walker begins to look more human, Karli continues to become more and more villainous. She calls Sarah Wilson, threatening her and her sons if Sarah doesn’t tell Sam to agree to another meeting.  She later claims she only wanted to understand Sam better but it’s clear she’s becoming less of a freedom fighter and more plainly evil.  When Sam and Bucky arrive to meet her Sharon contacts Sam to tell him that Walker has found the other Flag Smashers.  Realizing that Karli is really targeting Walker he and Bucky briefly engage her before escaping to try and help.

Hoskins is taken captive, leading Walker to take the serum, as he demonstrates by bending a pipe with his bare hands and beginning to easily dispatch Flag Smashers.  As Bucky, Sam, and Walker battle the Flag Smashers Hoskins manages to free himself before entering the fight himself.  When Karli attempts to kill Walker, Hoskins throws himself between her and his friend but her superpowered strike sends him flying into a pillar and the impact kills him.  As a stunned Walker tries to rouse his friend the Flag Smashers attempt to flee.  But Walker’s grief quickly turns to rage and he chases down the closest Flag-Smasher, easily dispatching him.  But Walker doesn’t stop with apprehending the guy and begins beating him with the shield in the middle of a public square before using it to impale him to death.  As Sam, Bucky, and the crowd look on in horror (many of them recording the incident on smartphones), Walker stands up, with the shield covered in blood. It’s a chilling image that effectively recalls real-life incidents of police brutality and elevates taking the shield from Walker from a desirable outcome to a moral necessity.

Notes:

• As awesome as their appearance was, the fact that the Dora’s fight with Walker caused them to lose track of Zemo was a bit out of character.
• Furthermore, I don’t really like the Wakandans putting a failsafe in Bucky’s arm.  While it adds to his own self-doubt it seems a little too cold of a move for T’Challa or Shuri.
• I love how detailed the action scenes in this show are, as it subtly adds a lot to the world-building and characterization.  For example, despite lacking powers himself Sam is much more successful at fighting the Flag Smashers than pre-serum Walker, due to the former’s extensive experience battling superhuman opponents.
• To make the final scene extra tragic, the Flag Smasher Walker kills is the same one who told Karli he used to look up to Captain America.