The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - S1E6: One World, One People
DISNEY+The grand finale of Marvel’s second television outing, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, focuses on delivering an action spectacle. Not dissimilar to the end of WandaVision, the finale also sets up Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) as his Captain America comic book counterpart with a snazzy new costume.
Wardrobe changes aside, action is very much at the forefront here. The ‘terrorist’ group, the Flag Smashers, have taken the members of a political conference hostage, with Georges St Pierre’s Batroc providing combat support. Sam, Bucky (Sebastian Stan), Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) all join in the fray, offering the chance for multiple setpieces.
Sam is given most of them, but none particularly stand out. A fistfight with Batroc seems to forget the laws of vibranium as a mere fold out chair is enough to knock Captain America’s shield across the room. A situation involving a helicopter containing hostages is resolved purely on the convenient coincidence that one of the hostages is a pilot. Bucky and John get a forgettable street level scuffle - the sole importance of this scene is seeing John rise above his need for vengeance. It’s disappointing to note that the amount of craft and care conducted during the first episode’s set piece seems to have been a one off. Nothing the show has done in terms of action since has replicated that sequence.
Aside from this, there are several loose ends that the series looks to tie up before the credits roll. Both Sam’s acceptance of the Captain America mantle and Bucky’s acceptance of the actions of his bloody past get resolutions, despite the fact the journeys to these resolutions feel mostly absent from the show. Sam’s issues with America’s past and history with Black people has only become relevant with the events of the previous episode. Bucky’s journey, which had a promising start in episode one, only resurfaces in the final few scenes of this episode - the four episode gap in between served to offer him nothing more than an action man part.
The last episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier highlights the series’ biggest flaws - its writing team. Any trace of theme is lost under the convoluted story and any character journeys have been sidelined in favour of mediocre action sequences. The only character who makes it through with a full story is John Walker, and Wyatt Russell is partially to thank for that success. There is a constant need for the show to scream its connectedness to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which isn't always for the best. The most ridiculous connection comes in this episode – Sharon wears a Mission Impossible type face mask used by Black Widow in The Winter Soldier, only for Sharon to dismiss the fact she even needs to wear it.
As the show comes to a close, it’s evident that these long runtimes may be a hindrance to the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been an entertaining one, but one that has been bogged down by filler and poor plotting. Many scenes end up going nowhere and characters, such as Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo, are genuinely wasted. If anything, the show could have worked best as a tight, two hour Disney + original film.