Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe Falcon and The Winter Soldier
Disney Plus
Season 1 Episode 6
One World, One People
The Flag Smashers have taken over the GRC meeting and the area is surrounded. Sam is ready to move in and Bucky runs into a familiar face on the ground. As the tension mounts, the next part of Karli’s plan goes into effect and we get our first look at Sam in his new suit courtest of Wakanda. It’s a great moment that is filmed beautifully and without any pomp and circumstance to get in the way of the coolness.
Sharon Carter has become a pretty ruthless character as of late and I don’t know if I like that turn in her, but it is effective. Sam continues to struggle with hand to hand combat skills and that’s disconcerting as well during his fight with Batroc. There is a lot of great action throughout the opening of this episode and it does have parallels to the opening scenes of the series with both the aerial action and the thrills.
Karli and the rest of the Flag Smashers are planning to kidnap the members of the GRC to force them to negotiate regarding their relocation vote. A storyline that didn’t get enough fleshing out in my opinion and Karli is becoming more radicalized by the minute as she sees her plans falling apart due to Sam and Bucky’s intervention. There is a great moment in the episode where her acolytes are having doubts about the plan and it is indicative of Karli’s increasingly unstable behavior.
More derring-do occurs when Bucky catches up the Flag Smashers in an attempt to rescue the counsel members and every character is given their moment to shine, including John Walker who shows up to get revenge and has a moment of clarity finally about what he is trying to be. Sam returns and the fight goes underground where Sam displays the empathy he’s been showing to Karli the entire season and is brave in ways beyond his ability to fight. The moment also reveals the identity of the Power Broker, but the moment is less of a surprise than it is a confirmation.
In the aftermath, Sam Wilson is given more moments to show that he is Captain America in both word and deed. It’s a great moment that transcends the series and drives home its messages regarding race, identity and what true heroism is. It’s a moment to be proud of the character and it is delivered beautifully by Anthony Mackie.
The final episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier wraps up a lot of storylines while also setting the stage for a bigger, more interesting story to come. The finale is solid, action packed and filled with heart. Much like WandaVision, the series does a great job of exploring the characters as people and giving a universal context to their struggles. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a great series and despite some weakness with its secondary characters, the finale is infinitely watchable and has all the thrills and production of a full length movie.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier S01XE06
