Ryan Shoots First: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (S1 Ep3) “Power Broker”

We’re back for episode three of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, fresh off last week Bucky and Sam are out of leads and forced to turn to their only Hydra connection, Baron Zemo.

The episode starts with John clearing out a Flag Smasher stronghold trying to find Carli. John kind of loses his cool and freaks out on the locals. Meanwhile Bucky is meeting with Zemo as he is their only lead on the super soldiers. Zemo begins reciting the activation words from Civil War and it has no effect on Bucky. Zemo has an idea to help and Bucky has the brilliant idea to break him out of prison. Sam is obviously not down with the idea. Bucky stages a riot and breaks him out. Sam hates the idea but eventually gives in. While clearing out some family cars he sees a mask that is his comic book mask and he grabs it. It turns out Zemo is rich and has a private plane ready to go. Zemo finds Bucky’s list of names and Bucky is not happy about it, the three have a conversation about the dangers of idolization in heroes and we learn they are heading to a pirate haven but to do so Bucky will need to become the Winter Soldier again. Zemo leads them all in disguise to the Low Town of Madripoor. They enter a sketchy bar and Sam is forced to drink something that has parts from a live snake in it. Zemo learns he is not welcomed by someone named the Power Broker. He runs Madripoor, someone lays a hand on Zemo and Bucky is forced to play Winter Soldier to take out some thugs and get into the meeting with Zemo’s contact. 

They meet Selbi and Zemo makes a deal, details on the serum for the Winter Soldier. It turns out the serum is in Madripoor and the Power Broker is behind it’s new life. Sam unfortunately gets a phone call from his sister. Their cover is blown but suddenly Selbi is taken out by a sniper. The three quickly leave but not before a bounty is put out on Selbi’s killers. As they escape the same sniper takes out a few people chasing after them. It turns out to be Sharon Carter Agent 13. She is on the run still from the events of Civil War and is held up in Madripoor. Sharon is a little jaded now from being burned and is anti-heroes now. Sam makes a deal to clear her name if she helps them. She tells them to lay low while she works some connections. They meet up with Nagel by going into an empty storage container with a trick door. They go through and discover his secret lab. Outside Sharon is forced to take out a ton of Bounty Hunters trying to get to the three. He was brought in after Hydra failed and used the blood samples from the old super soldier they met to recreate the serum, then he was blipped. 5 years later the project was shut down so he went to the Power Broker. He made 20 vials and they were all stolen by Carli. Zemo executes the guy as a rocket launcher tears the lab apart. Outside everyone fights their way out and Sharon sends them on their way before getting into a car and saying they have a problem. 

We learn Carli isn’t so much motivated by taking over the world but using the serum to help the disenfranchised. John is on the case on Zemo’s break out and suspects Sam and Bucky were behind it. Sam regrets giving up the shield but instead thinks he should have destroyed it. The FS meanwhile are raiding supplies and Carli blows up the building with prisoners inside. At the next location Bucky says he is going for a walk but seems to notice Wakandian beads around the area. The Wakandians are there and they want Zemo. 

The show is getting better each week, the spy thriller globe trotting is fun but adding Zemo to the Buddy Cop dynamic of Sam and Bucky was a nice touch, add in Sharon with her jaded view and possible double motives and there is a decent amount of mystery to carry us into next week. 

Observations

• John got some demons you know it. 
• Nice touch breaking back the Zemo score from Civil War. 
• Sam is great in this episode for the comedic relief. 
• Ok the bounty is to be paid in Bitcoin that is awesome. 
• Seriously 1K bitcoin is an insane bounty, right now it sits at around 60k so that bounty is 60 million dollars???
• Sharon’s quick recap is pretty hilarious. 
• Zemo in the cluuuuuub.
• It makes sense everyone would be trying to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. 
• Oh crap, I bet Sharon is the Power Broker.
• Carli is playing the same character she did in Solo as Enfys Nest. 
• Never mind, Enfys never did anything like that.