The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Episode 3 - Review

The halfway point of the series also marked the apex of the series so far. The best episode came with a lot of added layers, familiar faces, and enough mystery to let the series ride this wave until the end of the line. There will be spoilers throughout.

The titular characters found there way to Madripoor, a location heavily steeped in Marvel lore, particularly with the X-Men. While I don't think we will actually see any X-Men related stuff here, it is nice to start peppering in small little things like this from the wider Marvel Universe.

Of course, the reason they were there was following Zemo's lead. A fragile and tumultuous alliance made for absolutely compelling television. The big action set piece this week wasn't as grandiose as the last two, but they had higher stakes than the others did. Emily Van Camp's Sharon Carter made her debut and kicked more ass than she ever has before. If the only thing we get out of the show is a much more defined and badass Sharon Carter, it will have been worth it.

The legacy of the Super Soldier Serum, and the shady history it has continues to be at the forefront. It is a fascinating thing to tap into, and is a great way to add to the history of the MCU without retconning too much.

John Walker is starting to show his true colors. At first, his only sin was that he was "not Steve Rogers". Now though, a bit of his rotten personality is shining through, and it seems to be just a small piece of a larger scheme.

Sebastian Stan's Bucky was extraordinary in this. His reaction to Zemo, and him slipping back (almost too easily) into the Winter Soldier role was so much fun to watch. He's a soldier like Sam, but also more of a spy too, which add a whole other layer to him that is fun to explore. 

I was not expecting a Wakanda angle at all, so that was a very nice surprise to end the episode on. It will be interesting to see if we get more of the Dora Milaje, or other Wakandan representatives through the show. Adding that layer is a stroke of genius, and I cannot wait to see where it goes.

It is hard to believe the story is halfway complete already, there was a bit of slow burn to start, but it is picking up speed now. It seems like they have a lot to do, and not a lot of time in which to do it. But if these 3 episodes are what to go by, then we have nothing to worry about.

New episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier hit Disney Plus on Fridays.