REVIEW: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Season 1 Episode Three 'Power Broker'

 REVIEW: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Season 1 Episode Three 'Power Broker'

The snap which occurred at the end of Avengers Infinity War has become a curious part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's an event with huge ramifications - especially considering that it took five years for the Avengers to reverse it - and would have no doubt affected countless lives.

So it's truly great to see these Disney Plus shows devote such a large amount of time exploring the aftermath of the snap victims' return. In this episode we open with an advert for the GRC (Global Restoration Council), a scheme that seeks to rehabilitate the returned back into society alongside those who never went away. It's such a smart idea to include a fake advert like this into the narrative, as it contributes greatly to the constant world-building of the MCU, and communicates necessary plot information in a quick and engaging way. It's a great method for showing rather than telling the audience what you want them to know.

In my review for the previous episode, I mentioned that I didn't think John Walker (Wyatt Russell) seemed so bad. Well, this week I take that all back, because in this episode he seems totally unlikeable. The way he spits in the face of the business owner in Germany because he won't do as he wishes really made me despise this man who has been labelled the new Captain America. He seems like a man who thinks too highly of himself and the position he is in. He expects rather than earns people's authority, which is an attitude Steve Rodgers never possessed.

I really like the idea of having Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) team up with Baron Zemo (Daniel Buhl). It's something which helps to add an air of unpredictability to the series, as you're constantly wondering how long it will be before one of them betrays the other. Will Sam and Bucky send Zemo to the authorities behind his back, or will Zemo escape and return to his life of criminality? Seeing just how easy he finds manipulating Bucky, first in the prison and then in the bar in Madripoor just hammers home how much trouble his very presence could potentially cause for our protagonists, and it means the screenplay has this really gripping thread of distrust throughout the episode.

One of the things I love about the MCU is just how well they can translate these goofy comic costumes into live-action. On paper, it absolutely should not work, as what looks visually impressive in a comic-book won't necessarily look good in a live-action television programme or film. But like other live-action MCU characters, Baron Zemo's comic-accurate purple mask absolutely works here. Marvel Studios have once again managed to bring it to life in a way that doesn't appear daft, but genuinely foreboding. There's this real sense of presence about it, that conveys this kind of cunning and manipulative figure in a way that fills you with a sense of dread. Surely it can't be too long before Baron Zemo double-crosses Sam and Bucky?

Madripoor is another element from the comics that is very nice to see. This location has not been seen in the MCU before, and it makes for a stunning skyline in live-action. This is the first time Disney's buyout of Fox has been felt in the Marvel Studios projects, as the studio previously did not hold the rights to this location (owing to its strong connection to the X-Men), so it's nice to see the merger taking full effect.

It was also great to see Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) finally show up in the series, although her presence is disappointingly short-lived. She gets some great action scenes, especially outside the ship storage containers where we get a fighting sequence reminiscent of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, but her refusal to return to the states with Sam, Bucky and Zemo seems to suggest that's all we'll see of her in this season. It's a shame if so, as I'd hoped for more.

Speaking of the ship containers scene, one of these containers contains a lab, where Wilfred Nagel (Oli Haaaskivi) has been making the super soldier serum, and again, this returns to what I said at the beginning of this review. We get a really nice connection to the blip, where Wilfred states being snapped away interfered with his work regarding the serum, and we feel the consequences that the snap had on people's lives some more. One of the most important aspects we were taught at university in regards to screenwriting is that the screenplay has to answer 'Why is it happening now?'. Well, this is why it's happening now. Because the snap directly interfered with Wilfred's plans.

This episode also features more of Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), and wow is she ruthless. Here she blows up an entire GRC facility, even though she knows there are people inside, and she doesn't seem to care. It seems these 'flag smashers' are essentially glorified terrorists, and they make for a very intimidating presence. These are not people you want to cross paths with.

After the surprise character who popped up in the first episode, we get yet another shock return at the end of 'Power Broker', and whilst it's nowhere near as cool as who we saw in The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's debut instalment, it is still an undeniably amazing moment. It seems weird that The Falcon And The Winter Soldier is the show to deliver these surprise cameos rather than WandaVision, given that the latter was built around a mystery, but I love that we are seeing characters pop up who weren't previously announced, and it makes me wonder who will show up next.

Overall, 'Power Broker' was another excellent instalment in Disney Plus's latest Marvel series. Featuring returning characters, fun nods to the comics and entertaining action scenes, this episode has something for everyone. You'd have to be a flag smasher to not enjoy this one.

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What are your thoughts on The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's third episode? Let me know in the comments section.