Wow.
We thought ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ hit its peak in the previous episode, but we were wrong. If episode 5 ended in just 20 minutes, it would still be the best episode of this miniseries. There were a lot more callbacks and references than easter eggs in this episode, but the ending cliffhanger has set up an incredile finale (we suspect). So before we discuss what to expect in episode 6 of this MCU TV series, let’s take a look at 8 of the important references from this episode:
The Fight We Have Been Waiting For
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier VS Captain America. Saying those words out loud will bring shivers down the spine of hard-core Marvel fans. But we got to see the real thing within the first five minutes of this episode. Almost reminiscent of the epic fight between Steve Rogers (and Bucky Barnes) and Tony Stark at the end of ‘Captain America: Civil War’. Even Bucky dropping the Shield near Sam was so similar, it was uncanny.
Also, Sam got the Shield back, so YAY.
John Walker
Before we talk about this character, we first need to acknowledge the brilliant performance by Wyatt Russell. John Walker is currently going through a lot, mentally, physically and emotionally and while the editor has done an amazing job, Wyatt has done something incredible – he makes us feel empathy for him. He kills a man and we feel bad. If that’s not brilliant acting, we don’t know what is.
John Walker is going through a transformation currently. We would love to see him in more Marvel projects – preferably as an anti-hero, but even if he becomes a hero or a villain later, he is still a Marvel character worth developing.
The Music Department
Okay, We need to acknowledge this. Marvel has done some brilliant editing, got an epic cast and the writing is phenomenal, not just in this TV series, but pretty much in every MCU project – but this time, the music department deserves a special mention – especially that score at the end of that fight scene between the titular duo and John, which is then followed by the title card. Goosebumps.
THE CAMEO
Wait, What?! The Queen of Comedy – Julia Louis-Dreyfus is portraying Madame Hydra! Someone slap us!
Okay, we do not know if she will take that persona yet, but Julia will be portraying a very important MCU character – Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine AKA Val. Val is superspy, just like Fury and in the past has infiltrated Hydra to break them down from within. In the MCU however, she is a smooth-talking woman, who calmed down Walker after his disaster of a hearing and made herself the best possible person to join up with; without even giving us a clue who she really is. When we previously mentioned that “If episode 5 ended in just 20 minutes, it would still be the best episode of this miniseries”, this Cameo was what we meant.
This character was supposed to cameo for the first time in ‘Black Widow’, but this entrance was just as good. We can’t wait to see what Marvel has in store for her.
Old Characters Return
A lot of familiar faces return in this episode. Joaquin Torres makes a short appearance after his injury and Sam gives the remains of his wings to Joaquin – Is Sam passing on the mantle of The Falcon here?
Georges Batroc also returns, but this time he is out for revenge. He wants to kill Sam for what happened between them at the beginning of this series. But Sharon did manage to talk to him before Karli managed to get to him – so, maybe he changes sides? We will have to wait and see.
And of course, Isaiah Bradley makes a return in the series. Bradley talked about a lot of important topics with Sam, which is the next item of discussion on the list.
Black Captain America
The topic of a Black Captain America is a brilliant one. There can be parallels drawn from the MCU and the real world, but this is a brilliant example of how racism is discussed – between the people who face the racism. Isaiah did something similar to Steve – he saved a bunch of soldiers who were held captive. While Steve was rewarded, Isaiah was jailed for 30 years.
The difference in experiences between both Isaiah and Sam are huge and so are their ideologies and that is something which can be seen even to this day. Isaiah’s derision of the shield and Sam’s respect for it, shows us that huge difference. How Marvel handled this topic is brilliant and we can’t wait for Marvel to address more “controversial” topics, from both sides of the table.
Zemo Story Ends.. For Now
Oh Zemo. You were surprisingly a welcome addition to this brilliant series. Zemo was more like an annoying side-kick in this series than an outright villain and a brilliant comedic character (surprisingly). Zemo made peace with Bucky and has been taken by the Wakandans, but we suspect that this won’t be the last time we will see this iconic character.
Who knows, we might even see him in ‘Black Panther 2’.
Sam And Bucky In A Healthy Place In Their Relationship
Finally. After the mission went side-ways, both Sam and Bucky needed a break. Bucky coming to help out Sam was a good decision from his part and we got to see them both bond properly for the first time in this series. Sam and Bucky talked to each other about their fears and they promised to help each other in times of crisis. Good talk.
These just might be the best “buddy duo” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we expect them both to show up in other Marvel projects as a duo from now on. Also the shield “passing exercise” between them was cool. So was Sam’s training montage with the shield.
Extra: End Credit Scene
With Karli taking over the vote within the GRC, Sam is gearing up with the wings Bucky brought for him from Wakanda (Vibranium Wings? Fingers crossed). We expect Bucky to gear up as well, since Sam promised to keep him in the loop. But John was the person who will be wanting revenge for the death of Lemar. He will be gunning for Karli, just like she would be gunning for him. Him making his own Shield is kind of awesome and we can’t wait to see what is looks like.
Five episodes of ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ are currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The series finale drops next Friday, on 23rd April 2021.
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