So, here we are, one episode away from the end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Compared to the explosive events throughout the last two episodes, and those final chilling moments last week as new Cap John Walker bludgeoned a Flag Smasher to death with the iconic shield, Episode 5 “Truth” dialled things down a notch, but sets the stage for a finale with a huge amount of promise.
Episode 5, with a title much kinder on word counts, opens with John Walker moments after killing the Flag Smasher in a town square in Latvia. We’re treated to a fight between Walker, Bucky, and Sam, which leaves them all looking a little worse for wear. Sam loses his Falcon wings, Walker’s arm is broken in a bid for Bucky and Sam to snatch away the shield, and Bucky looks about done with the lot of it.
Our heroes are at their lowest, and speaking of low, Walker returns home to the U.S only to be stripped of his titles as Captain America and receives an other than honourable discharge. But things appear all set to change with the arrival of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Bit of a mouthful, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus looks positively chilling in the role. The Flag Smashers, meanwhile, are laying low since Battlestar died in Episode 4. The show’s weakest villains have felt little more than a subplot balanced against the Wakandans, Zemo, and John Walker’s fall from glory.
Now they’ve teamed up with Georges Batroc, last seen during his fight with the Falcon over the skies of Tunisia in Episode 1. He’s assisting the Flag Smashers to attack a GRC conference while vowing revenge against the Falcon. It’s worth noting that Sharon Carter is responsible for Batroc’s release from an Algerian prison, sowing seeds of doubt in the minds of many that perhaps Carter is either the Power Broker or at the very least, connected to this mysterious as yet unrevealed villain. We still have one week to go.
Although it’s ramping down on the action, “Truth” still offered some blockbuster moments despite a television budget. The opening fight was ugly and epic, while Sam training with the shield was something we’d all been waiting for. Isiah’s talk with Sam was haunting, while Bucky hitting on Sarah will likely keep him and Sam squabbling. In a mid-credits scene, Walker builds a new shield from his old war medals and scrap metal.
