Ryan Shoots First: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (S1 Ep5)”Truth”

With only two episodes left and the shocking end of last week’s episode, Falcon and Winter Soldier seems to be heating up a bit as Sam and Bucky prepare to take down that poser Cap. 

This week starts with John literally running from his problems to an abandoned warehouse. Sam and Bucky catch up to him, they try to reason with him to bring him in but when Sam asks him to give up the shield John says no. Bucky tells John they do want to take the shield and a fight breaks out. John ends up ripping the wings of Falcons suit but before he can do his guillotine move Bucky stops him. They get the shield and knock out John. Bucky picks up the shield and after a brief moment drops it next to Sam. After the credits a significant moment when Sam’s buddy as he is leaving tells him he has left his wings and Sam says “keep them”. John is having his trial before military court and loses his cool once they take his title away and strip him of his rank and he is discharged. While in the hallway he is approached by none other than Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Val. She is recruiting John for some black ops stuff and tells him the government doesn’t own the shield actually. Back with Karli and her crew they discover their safehouses have been cleared out by the GRC. We catch up with Zemo in Sakovia who is approached by Bucky who is armed. Zemo tries to convince Bucky he needs to kill Karli and that Sam won’t do it. Bucky says they will do it their own way and aims at Zemo’s head but the gun isn’t loaded. He spares Zemo as the Wakandians show up to take him in. Zemo makes peace with him and tells him he crossed him off his book and they have no hard feelings. 

Sam goes back to see Isiah and brings him Cap’s shield but he is not into it. He tells a story of the Red Tails who fought in the war and came home to burning crosses on their lawns. Sam asks him why he didn’t take up the mantle. He tells Sam they would never allow a black man to take up the mantle. Sam learns there was a group of black soldiers they tested the serum on but some were not able to survive the process and some were bombed while captured so the details couldn’t get out. He then reveals he was experimented on for 30 years while the tried to find out why the serum worked on him. Lastly he tells Sam no self respecting Black man would ever want to carry that title. Sam goes home to his sister to help her out with the family boat. Sam calls in some favors from the neighborhood to try and get the boat fixed. Bucky shows up to help and brings Sam a gift from Wakanda. He then stays to help fix the boat. 

We see John visit Battlestars family to tell them about what happened and tells them the guy he killed is who killed Lamar, that is of course a lie. Next we see Sharon talking to someone on the phone who was in a Nigerian prison. Back in the south we see Bucky and Sam training with the shield. Sam tells Bucky he needs to find who he is for himself no one not even Steve Rogers can tell him that. We get a cool montage with Sam training with the Shield slowly becoming more use to it before cutting back to Karli who is meeting with GSP’s character from the first episode. I assume this is who Sharon was talking too since she is the Power Broker. We pan out to see they are in New York to launch an attack on the GRC. As they initiate their attack we see Sam open the box from Wakanda and he is visibly startled, before we can see the suit the episode ends. With next week being the Season Finale we will finally see Sam become the next Captain America. 

Observations

• Winter Soldier Bucky would wipe that fake Cap
• It is kinda funny cause in MCU Cap has killed his fair share of peeps…just never in public. 
• Sam taking up the mantle
• Villain origin story. 
• I didn’t even know Julia Louis-Dreyfus was in this show good secret keeping. 
• Good boy Bucky
• Man nothing is off limits to these Marvel Shows
• It’s funny Sam has to play the “they knew my parents” card but not the “I’m an Avenger” card. 
• Ha ha Bucky not using his Vibranium arm because he’s right handed is pretty funny. 
• Ok this just took a very weird turn with Bucky sanding with his vibranium arm to some Sanford and Son Music. 
• Either SELL THE BOAT OR DON’T
• Between the Buddy Cop vibes, and now a montage there is some serious 80’s movie tropes in this series. 
• Of course we ain’t seeing the suit this week.