Friday, April 2, 2021

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, “Power Broker”, Review!

Last episode was so spoiler filled, let’s unpack it now in this re:Cap.  Karli gets to a safe house for her Flag Smashers with a man and his wife looking to help them.  She recieves a text that an unknown number that they took the medical supplies from that person. The texter threatens to find and kill her!  Another member finds that they were spotted in Munich, Germany.  Karli has the other commit to the cause with their slogan, “One world, one people.”  It just hit me that if Sarah in her difficult financial state joins the Flag-Smashers, it would crush Sam!  Bucky takes Sam to Baltimore, Maryland.  There is a house with a young kid (Elijah Richardson) tries to send them away, Bucky says to tell Isiah that the “guy from the bar from Guyang is there.” Richardson was in the New Amsterdam drama.  They meet Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), he of course is known for the action series, Alias.  We find out that Isaiah was sent after the Winter Soldier and ripped off part of his cyborg arm.  Also, that he has the Super Soldier serum, this is shocking since we find that he was Captain America revealed in Truth: Red, White & Black #1 (2003).  Also, that the young man is Eli Bradley, who eventually becomes Patriot in Young Avengers #1 (2005)!    

Isaiah tells them that he was imprisoned and his blood taken from him, this is how the Super Soldier serum led to the Flag-Smashers?  They leave and Sam is angry, police officers stop him, more real world entering the MCU.  Still, Bucky is arrested after he misses the session with Dr. Raynor, could she be the mysterious Power Broker?  They are freed by John Walker.  She has an uncomfortable session with Bucky and Sam.  Once they finish, the duo heads to see Zemo (Daniel Brühl), whom we last saw in Captain America: Civil War (2016)!   This episode starts with a commercial from the Global Repatriation Council with their tagline, “Reset, Restore, Rebuild.” Then, a GRC police van rolls up, the new “Captain America” appears with the shield.  He questions a man who harbored Karli and brings in Battlestar to translate.  Angry, “Captain America” slams him back.  At Zemo’s detention center, Bucky tells Sam that he will go in to talk to Zemo.  In his Hannibal Lector-like cell, Zemo repeats the code words that activate Winter Soldier, but of course they don’t work on Bucky.  He tells Zemo about the Super Soldier serum being recreated.  



Later, at a garage, Sam is angry at Bucky for wanting to break out Zemo.  Bucky explains Zemo’s plan where he has two prisoners fight and manages to slip into an officer’s uniform in the confusion. Sam is upset at seeing Zemo.  A team up with a super villain, yup, Sam and Bucky are in a desperate situation.  Zemo shows them the cars that he has collected working against the Super Soldiers and takes the purple mask, this is the mask of the super villain in the comics!  They appear at an airport, Zemo dressed in a suit, explains that he was a baron in Sokovia.  He meets with an elderly assistant and on the flight, Zemo sees Bucky’s list and asks about Nakajima.  This is of course the Winter Soldier’s kill and he got to see his father in the pilot.  Falcon knows the book and mentions that he recommended Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” to Steve.  They both warn Zemo, of course his manipulation most likely resulted or formed the Flag Smashers.  He brings up Madripoor, this is a setting more familiar with X-Men, introduced in New Mutants #32 (1985).    


At Riga, Latvia, Karli is kicking around a soccer ball with some kids.  She is called over to tearfully see a woman who is in a bed.  Then, we get the night lights of the city of Madripoor. On a bridge, Sam mentions he is in pimp-like clothes of the man he is impersonating, the Smiling Tiger.  It looks like Bucky is dressed as the Winter Soldier.  They get into a car to head to Low Town which was the former haunt of Wolverine in the comics.  Several motorcycles surround the car and then pull away as escorts.  They reach the town, rough with people carrying machine guns, spray painted on the wall is “Power Broker is Watching.” At a bar, Zemo asks to see his contact, Selby.  A figure in a hood walks away at Zemo’s mention.  The bartender cuts open a snake to add to the Smiling Tiger’s usual drink.  A bearded man mentions to Zemo that he is not wanted there, Zemo mentions to Sam about the Power Broker who runs Madripoor.  He sends the Winter Soldier a seemingly order to attack several bar patrons.  This gets a meeting with Selby (Imelda Corcoran), he offers her the Winter Soldier in exchange for what she knows of the Super Soldier serum. 


                                        The Winter Soldier’s costume from Avengers: Endgame, D23 Expo, 2019, photo by the author. 


Selby brings up Dr. Wilfred Nagel.  In the middle of this, Sam gets a call from Sarah!, Selby wants him to answer the call on speaker!  Sam tries to act tough talking to Sarah about the “situation.”  Selby hears Sarah calling him Sam, the jig is up, thanks Sarah.  She is assassinated and while they take down the guards, her death leads to a bounty on this trio!  Sam and Bucky are chased into an alley and gunmen are shot down by their ally.  Who turns out to be Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), she was last seen in Captain America: Civil War (2016)!   She has her gun on Zemo and Sam tries to update her on the situation.  Agent 13 has gone into hiding in Madripoor, she mentions that her father doesn’t know she’s there.  At Sharon’s apartment in High Town, she has stolen goods from museums, she says brings up Sam giving up the shield.  This leads to Dr. Nagel (Olli Haaskivi) and the secret of the Super Soldier serum!  We see Agent 13 in action, the deadly trio in Latvia and another surprise cameo!  This episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier covers some high stakes action! 


Four Redwings out of Five!  


#TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier, #PowerBroker, #DanielBruhl, #EmilyVanCamp, #CarlLumbly, ElijahRichardson, #ImeldaCorcoran, #OlliHaaskivi

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