Sam and Bucky encounter An Old Enemy, A Forgotten Friend, and a New Locale in “Power Broker” from Disney+’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Kenneth Laster: We return to the life and times of Sam & Bucky! This week takes us to a locale that many X-Fans were either pleasantly surprised to see or had the deep dread of “Here’s how mutant’s enter the MCU” YouTube thumbnails fill their souls. Honestly…I liked this episode–very much a diversion from the main thrust of the show but a welcome one! What were your thoughts on this ep Charlie?
Charlie Davis: I wanted to make sure that when Mikey covered WandaVision that we didn’t go into speculation mode and we just looked at what the show was telling us so I’m glad you poked at that Ken. As for this episode? I think I’m liking this show more than most, but I am very, very aware of its flaws. I think this episode recontextualized some characters that absolutely needed more time to shine in the MCU, but at the same time continues to waffle on literally taking a firm stance on ANYTHING. Shall we get into it?
Zemo or ZemNo
KL: Lets! The show wastes little time delivering on the promise of reintroducing the Captain America: Civil War baddie, Zemo (now officially titled Baron). This is very much a departure from the single minded man out for revenge from that film but honestly worked well in the context of this show? I’ve got mixed feelings, but what were your thoughts on Zemo?
CD: I liked him! He was fun! I loved that he had his coat and his mask, because something about that feels very comic book to me. I mean, what isn’t comic book about a spotted fur collar? The MCU is often lauded for not leaning in enough to the comic book of everything and I agree, but we seem to be going to some fun places in regard to this. That said, he seemed a little too much like Loki to me? I’ve got little to no concept of what or who Baron Zemo is in the comics, but this felt very much like it was picking some threads of something that they knew might get the audience interested in this newish character. It was fun to watch Zemo pal around with Bucky and Sam but uh…they sure were doing a lot of paling. A lot of Bucky’s trauma was exploited by Zemo. Seems like it was very quickly shuffled under the rug. Maybe that is Bucky compartmentalizing because of the bigger task at hand, right now, we don’t know. How did you feel about that?
KL: I agree! He definitely falls into the MCU mold of “likable rogue” villain that’s not afraid to joke which is a little disappointing because one of the reasons he stood out a bit in Civil War was because he was very much not that. I also am not very familiar with comics Zemo aside from being very much a Hydra figure which the MCU version sliiightly askews from by having him just using Hydra secrets for his own means. It’s enough a disconnect that ties to the comics origins but gives leeway enough for Sam and Bucky to not go clubbing with an actual Nazi. Despite my reservations on Zemo becoming a bit more likable, I can’t help but to have liked him. This episode does a lot to recontextualize him, by giving him his wealth and title, showing him maneuvering the underworld, and giving him some banter. Honestly a very good showcase for Daniel Brul and I wouldn’t be shocked if he turns up in some kind of Thunderbolts team somewhere down the line. Any last thoughts on this guy or thoughts on where exactly we’ll end up with him?
CD: I think the Thunderbolts is a really good shout. MCU antagonists have always gotten the short end of the stick character wise, so it’s nice to get to see someone with some actual personality. I can count the villains that were given that space one hand. I think we all know the meme of Zemo dancing by now, which was a fun bit, but again, he played too much like Loki for me to not squint a little at the screen when he was on it. Either way, I’m interested to see if they keep him aligned with our heroes or if we go for a dramatic betrayal that everyone saw coming.
KL: Definitely, I’m particularly interested if Ayo from the final scene puts rips up any multi-film contract Zemo might be signing. But that’s a question for next week…the question for this week is “What’s Madripoor?”
Mayhem in Madripoor
CD: When it was said, I took a bit of a double take. Then I had to ask myself if we’d been to Madripoor before, or if it had been name dropped. Apparently no. But damn, I have to admit that I was super excited to see what Madripoor had in store for us.
KL: So my biggest vice is that I am a lurker of r/marvelstudiosspoilers, (because I love to be cursed with knowledge and set pics) so I knew they were filming scenes with a Madripoor flag, and despite the dread of knowing X-stuff is getting folded into this universe and I’m already seeing the “Madripoor/X-Men Explained” youtube videos BUT it was kind of exciting to see. However there have been some very solid criticisms on the depiction in terms of racial and ethnic makeup of the population. Madripoor, historically is not the best depiction of South East Asia and any attempt at depicting it in the mainstream needed to have some care but unfortunately the show took a page out of Doctor Strange and noted that it would indeed be problematic to show this island of crime with exclusively one ethnic group, so it swung in the complete opposite direction where the island is multicultural to the point of just not having any Asian people visible on this island in SouthEast Asia. It’s not amazing.
Despite this huge misstep, I still really enjoyed the vibe of Madripoor that the show set up. It really feels like a place teeming with crime (but like the cool kind where there’s nice outfits and neon). We got hightown and lowtown, and even a sneaky cameo of the “Princess Bar”. It exceeded the expectations I personally had when I discovered the filming location, but it definitely disappoints in the “putting Asian people in the SouthEast Asian island”.
CD: You’re 100 percent right in everything you’ve said. Even if I enjoyed Madripoor’s aesthetic immensely, and I really, really did, I cannot ignore the fact of what it’s supposed to be versus what it is. I am really unsure why they make the decisions they do, but it’s always, always a bad look for them. Some of Zemo and Sam’s banter here isn’t great either, but that isn’t my place to speak on and mostly not Zemo’s either. I always commend the MCU for slipping into genre so easily, but the pseudo spy, buddy cop thing that’s going on between Sam and Bucky seems so much more forced that it ever did in the movies. Maybe that’s just because we’re seeing more of them together here than ever before? Unclear. One thing is clear though, Emily Van Camp reprises her role as Sharon Carter and MAN did I think they were going some great places with her character until they…didn’t. Sighs.
I am simply frustrated that it seemed like while Sharon was taking this very cynical and very good new direction, it pivoted right back when Sam offered to try and get her pardoned. This new Sharon simply should not care. She seemed to be headed down a new path and her calling out of them for literally not taking any actions was GREAT. Then she just…fell back into old patterns. I just want this show to make it’s minds up about its characters.
KL: Weirdly enough I have to say I liked Sam/Bucky dynamic muuuuch more here simply because they had Zemo and Sharon to bounce off of. But speaking of Sharon–I was not expecting for me to like her in this return appearance! Civil War really gave her absolutely nooooothing except as Steve’s beard so it was so nice for her to have a real semi-meta “you and by extension the MCU forgot about me fuck you” moment which really worked for me. She also brings a cynicism that felt…refreshing (that’s weird to say?). I just really like that she’s a forgotten character that instead of having a triumphant return, or a full on heel turn, she just shows up and is kind of like “not this bullshit again”. I will say I am fully expecting more of her in this series and would be shocked if she doesn’t pop back up again. So I’m hoping we do get more of her before the series is out.
But again, as exciting as her return was–I do have to point out that bringing her and Zemo in so far into the show kind of suffocates the runtime for our titular leads and I think Sam once again takes the brunt of this with a lot of people noting he feels like a sidekick despite being first billed and I…can’t disagree. I have to think back to WandaVision (two extremely different shows I know) and how it managed to keep all it’s characters balanced in half the time each week. It’s an interesting counterpoint to Marvel’s new TV experiment. Where WandaVision played in a more episodic space, Falcon and Winter Soldier is opting for basically a six part movie and I think one format does it’s characters a bigger favor than the other. But speaking of characters this show doesn’t do any favors towards–
Who are the Bad Guys Again?
KL: This episode also gives a look at our “villains” the Flag Smashers, who have the exact moment that I predicted in the first episode which was…disappointing. Did you have any thoughts on the ever growing mixed bag of the Flag Smashers?
CD: I am mostly frustrated about how middling they are? I really truly think that maybe the thing that MCU is worst at besides adapting costumes, is trying to make their antagonists feel like people and not just obstacles. Killmonger is perhaps the only exception, but while lots of parts of The Flagsmashers cause is just…I know how this is going to all boil down and I can’t bring myself to care. Thano’s snap seemed to cause more of a moral dilemma than people in this world are willing to admit. Maybe someone should actually talk about that. BUT ANYWAY. Apparently the formula if you need to generate some empathy for people is to have the untimely death of someone close to the antagonist, but that’s not how that works actually. I HATE the MCU hammering on the empathy button like it’s gonna automatically change everything you feel about a character and make them more complex than they actually are.
KL: For me I can definitely see them not being particularly interesting, but just in paying close attention to what they want and it’s a completely different type of frustrating. I predicted in the first episode when they were first introduced as “bad guys” who wanted a world without borders, and to distribute healthcare to people in need that there would be a moment that they went “too far over the line” and I think it’s that formula I’m getting more frustrated with in the MCU. Blowing people up is objectively bad and I’m not going to argue it isn’t. However, this is a story that’s being told and it’s a repeat of the Killmonger element. People point to that character’s brutality as the reason he “must be stopped” and the same thing occurs here. There’s such a reliance on the trope of “good intentions but going too far” to discredit leftist/radical ideologies in this type of story and I’d say it’s getting old and tired if it wasn’t entirely intentional. I know it is in fact the MCU as made by Disney so what can I expect, but I am both frustrated by the blatant centrism just as much as the deeply lazy and boring storytelling.
CD: For a show that’s trying to say so much, it’s saying very, very little. It boggles my mind in every episode. Not to mention that this episode, framed John Walker as much more of a jerk than the previous episode wanted to. I just…what’s the outcome? What are we trying to say other than nothing at all? I honestly would take just some generic superhero stuff instead of cramming so much into 6 episodes and making the most limp noodle points possible.
KL: Three episodes down and three to go. Will this limp noodle stick to the wall when it’s done? Keep reading to find out!
Charlie Davis is the world’s premier Shatterstarologist, writer and co-host of The Match Club.
Kenneth Laster is a critic, cartoonist, and cryptid with a movie degree.
