The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Whole World is Watching Review

TFATWS "The Whole World is Watching"

The ideal Avenger ironically does not give in to revenge. The show has endeavored to give dimension to the John Walker character, in the wake of a truly deflating introduction. But this episode presents Walker in a downward spiral that leaves no doubt as to his unworthiness of Captain America's shield, in a final scene that touches on traumatic current events. Walker surreptitiously injects himself with the super soldier serum, and tragedy follows. In fact, the broad raison d'être of the episode seems to be showing how dangerous enhanced individuals can be.

We open in Wakanda (!), as Ayo tests the Winter Soldier code words on a newly descrambled Bucky. Bucky breaking down when he realizes Shuri's procedures worked is Sebastian Stan's best work on the show to date.

Speaking of Ayo, she and members of the Dora Milaje come to arrest Zemo but end up tangling with Walker, Lemar, Sam and Bucky - that is, everyone but Zemo, who everyone takes their eyes off as he makes a discreet exit. Really? The impulse to show off Dora Milaje fighting is an unimpeachable one, but the motivations behind the fight feel incomplete. Nevertheless, there is cool choreography - my favorite moment is one of the Dora doing a move right out of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to remove Bucky's vibranium arm.

The script struggles to convey big ideas compactly, landing clunky lines that tell instead of show. In the cafe scene, Lemar supports his friend Walker by telling him he "consistently makes the right decisions" under fire. Is Lemar administrating a personnel review, or conversing with his friend? When the script is playing tic tac toe with inelegant thematic dialogue, this becomes a bit of an issue when so much of the core conflict of the show is ideological.

After a botched confrontation with Karli Morgenthau, Zemo finds and destroys most of the remaining serum, but Walker sneaks a vial and takes it in secret. Lemar reasons that taking the serum makes you "more of yourself", an insight familiar from Abraham Erskine's wonderful scene with Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger.

But after Lemar is captured, the ensuing rescue attempt finds Karli punching Lemar so hard his body breaks, and he dies. An enraged and empowered Walker corners Karli's fellow Flag Smasher Nico in a public plaza and brutally kills him with the shield. The moment finds Walker going Derek Chauvin on his unfortunate victim, an association made stronger by the horror of the bystanders, recording the incident on their smart phones.

The scene also parallels two moments from the MCU. In Black Panther, T'Challa angrily accosts Ulysses Klaue in Busan as onlookers watch, and is talked down from doing something drastic by being reminded that the world is watching. That phrasing is familiar from the title of this very episode. Secondly, when Steve Rogers prevails in battle over Tony Stark in Captain America: Civil War, Steve lifts the shield in anger, and brings it down on Tony's armor rather than his face. Nico, though enhanced, has no such protection as Iron Man armor. At the time, Tony said that Steve didn't deserve the shield. Forget Steve, that sentiment absolutely applies to Walker.

With an ending that reflects very public police violence, there is weight to what the episode depicts. But the ideological conflict between our heroes and the Flag Smashers still doesn't fully land dramatically, and some of the dialogue is subpar. In any case, John Walker's time as Captain America should be coming to an end, leaving the job open for Sam. 6/10.

Power Rangers Dino Fury: Superstition Strikes Review

PRDF "Superstition Strikes"

"You're even bad at spelling." - Amelia Jones

Amelia gets a focus episode with "Superstition Strikes", which certainly has shaky elements, but comes together as a fun installment that she comes out the other side stronger for.

It all starts after we get a version of the classic mainstay of focus episodes: introducing the family member. In this case, it's Amelia grandfather, whose ladder Amelia accidentally walks under - which means bad luck. Her morpher breaks during a solo sporix fight, so even that button that makes such an ungodly racket on the official morpher toy doesn't work.

However, I have to take issue with one highlighted incident of "bad luck". The monster of the week fires an energy blast at an unmorphed Amelia, who defends herself with the lid of a trash can. The deflected blast happens to hit in front of Izzy and Javi, who are morphed. So instead of Amelia coming out like a rose and looking great for quick thinking saving herself from certain death, the episode considers this some down-the-middle example of her bad luck and clumsiness. Oh please! She cannily saved herself and the people she mildly inconvenienced were morphed. That's not bad luck! It's good reflexes and actually pretty great luck!

In any case, Amelia hangs back in the base while Solon works on a replacement morpher. It turns out to be lucky that Amelia is there to defend the base from Boomtower, who teleports in with Amelia's original morpher. This sequence gives Amelia some triumphant moments, a trend that continues when she combines her Ankylozord to the Megazord for the first time, creating a "Hammer Formation". Uniquely, Amelia uses a semi-accidental Rube Goldberg attack from the Megazord cockpit which helps to win the day.

Elsewhere, Izzy secures the raw sporix blob from Boomtower's clutches and says, "Okay, boomer". I'm... going to allow that because it's not a bad play on words. 

My rant above stands, but otherwise, "Superstition Strikes" gets credit for giving Amelia great moments in her focus episode. If it wasn't for Trashcangate, I would rate the episode higher. 6/10.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Power Broker Review

TFATWS "Power Broker"

The show gets a shot in the arm with the reintroduction of Daniel Bruhl's Helmut Zemo, whose status as an excellent villain is enhanced by his appearance here. The episode as a whole thrillingly engages with the canvas of the MCU, making for the show's best installment yet, though it's a couple of those very connections to the wider universe that prove puzzling.

John Walker is largely on the backburner this episode, but his outburst at the man at the Flag Smashers safe house highlights just how ridiculous the "costumed superhero" bit can be, especially when it's the wrong person in the costume. A sentiment, no doubt, Zemo would agree with. Zemo's anti-superhero ideology is drilled down on, establishing his motivation with laser precision. Zemo is integrated into Sam and Bucky's dynamic seamlessly, making for a great third wheel - not least during Marvin Gaye banter.

Henry Jackman again trots out his discordant Zemo theme. We also see "action Zemo" for the first time, and he gets his purple mask from the comics. Speaking of that, it is also revealed that Zemo is a Baron and part of a rich family. I get it, this brings the character closer to the comic villain Baron Zemo. But it doesn't fit with the Zemo of Captain America: Civil War. This level of resources devalues the presentation of his character in that movie as an obsessed ex-soldier. The Civil War Zemo simply works less well as the scion of an affluent family. It's another example of the MCU TV shows shunting characters closer to their comic incarnations, at the expense of the previous movies. I can live with all this, but it's not my absolute favorite trend.

Writer Derek Kolstad navigates a web of a lot of characters for Sam, Bucky, and Zemo to chase the trails of. There's even a John Wick moment when assassins are simultaneously alerted to bounties on their heads - appropriate because Kolstad is the creator of that film series.

The episode also brings back Sharon Carter, reinvented as... a tortured action hero! Sharon is given a lot of room to exercise her action chops, in notably brutal (for the MCU) fashion. She's still a fugitive, hiding out on Madripoor. I really don't understand why all of Steve Rogers' renegade team from Civil War was pardoned, but not her. Maybe it's because she was a CIA (and S.H.I.E.L.D.) agent?

Speaking of Civil War, there's even a "move your seat up" callback, which strikes me as gilding the lily. And more dramatically, Ayo (Florence Kasumba) of the Dora Milaje is on the scene, ready to avenge Zemo's murder of King T'Chaka! It's flourishes like that, plus the dynamic characterization of Zemo, and muscular action, that mark "Power Broker" as a standout episode. 8/10.

Stray observations:

- Bucky makes the distinction that he is not an Avenger while Sam is. Quite so, going by official team rosters and so forth. Of course, Bucky became an honorary Avenger during the Battle of Earth when Steve Rogers called out "Avengers, assemble."

- Zemo mentions that Sokovia is all but erased from the map. Notably, Wanda never updated us on this, but she had a lot on her plate, and Sokovian geopolitics never came up.

Power Rangers Dino Fury: Winning Attitude Review

PRDF "Winning Attitude"

One episode after her introduction, new Ranger Izzy gets a focus episode in "Winning Attitude", as she learns a lesson about selflessness, and is rewarded with the discovery of her zord. This type of genuinely earned power-up is always a welcome development for Power Rangers.

The episode introduces Izzy and Javi's cousin Lily, who seems to have Down syndrome. In a positive piece of representation, the character has a place in the emotional arc of the episode, and reference is made to the Special Olympics, a grounding detail for the show.

Meanwhile, a sporix beast called Brineblast shows up at a park and scares a group of kids, who represent a core test audience for the scariness factor of monsters. Arriving to oppose the monster are the five Rangers, given a full morphing sequence together for the first time.

Percolating in the plot is a hunt for the Green and Black Rangers' zords, engaging both heroes and villains in the chase. Void Knight finds a potential map to them in the archives of Area 62, giving rise to the amusing idea of a monster doing research and shuffling through human paperwork.

After Izzy hangs back in a marathon race to help an injured rival, Izzy discovers her Tigerclaw zord, and combines it with the Megazord to form the Dino Fury Megazord, Claw formation. With a clear and clean focus on Izzy's arc, "Winning Attitude" scores a win. 6/10.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Star-Spangled Man Review

TFATWS "The Star-Spangled Man"

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve Rogers' first tour of duty wasn't on the front lines of war, but on the stage. Captain America was trotted out as a walking piece of propaganda, a patriotic symbol shilling war bonds. The song and dance routine around him took the form of Alan Menken's wonderful "Star-Spangled Man with a Plan", an appellation echoed in this episode's title, and a melody echoed by a marching band. A significant part of this episode is concerned with clarifying the John Walker character. A seemingly stand-up soldier, he is a replacement symbol of an American superhero, but also a symbol of tone-deaf government marketing meetings.

Meanwhile, the symbolism of Sam Wilson's Falcon takes a hit, as his drone Redwing is destroyed by the Flag Smashers. And this, just after Redwing started taking to cooing and beeping like it's an astromech droid. The Flag Smashers remain somewhat opaque as villains, although there is time for their motivations to land more clearly. They are stealing vaccines (a timely gambit, that) for apparent delivery to struggling European resettlement camps. And they are led by a young woman played by Erin Kellyman. Between this and Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Kellyman is typecast as someone who wears a scary mask.

And most cogently, the Flag Smashers are led by multiple super soldiers. An effective high-speed action sequence in Germany has Sam, Bucky, John, and his partner Lemar up against eight super soldiers; perhaps this gives a taste as to what the red herring threat of multiple Winter Soldiers would have been in Captain America: Civil War. This proliferation of people enhanced by Dr. Abraham Erskine's infamous serum leads Bucky to reveal to Sam and the audience a character named Isaiah, a Black super soldier active during the Korean War. 

In Isaiah's neighborhood, there's a loaded scene where cops accost Sam because he's having an animated conversation with Bucky. Things defuse when the cops realize these are Avengers. But nonetheless the moment represents a new step for the MCU, a step toward greater sociological realism. It's depressing, not for its inclusion, but for the fact that archaic racism remains an open wound in this country.

"The Star-Spangled Man" brings Sam and Bucky together without much pomp and circumstance. But it does set up their "buddy cop" bickering, and the running thread of Bucky's indignation that Sam gave up the Captain America shield. Sam and Bucky's back and forth on this will continue to give the show a vein of drama going forward. And forward is the way to Helmut Zemo's jail cell. 7/10.

Stray observation:

- John is played by Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell, who of course played the main villain of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ego the Living Planet.

Power Rangers Dino Fury: New Recruits Review

PRDF "New Recruits"

"You humans sure do love zords..." - Zayto

"New Recruits" finds both the heroes and villains' ranks swelling. It's very early in the season for this, but it's nonetheless a familiar pattern. In fact, the two new Rangers are rather spoiled by appearing in the opening title sequence up front.

The two new Rangers are siblings, bringing to mind Gem and Gemma from RPM. Their stepfather is the warden character introduced in the premiere. Izzy is a star high school athlete, seen practicing her javelin throw. Izzy is interviewed by people dressed in red, pink, and blue, who have to abruptly leave. Then Izzy comes upon the Red, Pink and Blue Power Rangers and doesn't make the connection. Izzy's brother Javi is a musician who very quickly establishes his "thing" as a desire to save money for a keytar! 

Meanwhile, the villains get a new general, Boomtower, plus a monster of the week in the form of Dragnarok. There's a recurring bit in the episode where no one can remember Dragnarok's name. But Mucus can remember to put a villainous twist on "It's morphin' time", as she quarterbacks the plan to steal a nephrite orb from the local museum.

In an odd moment where the dramatic stakes have been fastforwarded past, Javi decides to destroy the nephrite orb so as to prevent it from falling in the wrong hands. Inside are two Ranger keys for himself and his sister. Javi is the Black Ranger, Izzy the Green. And then, a revolutionary moment happens. Izzy rips the skirt of her Ranger suit off, saying skirts aren't her style. Indeed, the Green Ranger in Ryusoulger is a man. It's like if Trini in Mighty Morphin had done away with her own skirt.

Another piece of characterization for Izzy is that she's apparently a font of millennial catchphrases. They help to dispatch Dragnarok, and the two new Rangers are introduced to Solon. She introduces herself as "half cyborg, half dinosaur". Surely it would be simply, "a cyborg dinosaur"? In any case, "New Recruits" does a yeoman's job introducing two new Rangers into the fold. 6/10.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: New World Order Review

TFATWS "New World Order"

The expectation going into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is for a more "meat and potatoes" action show for the MCU, after the formal experimentation of WandaVision. And while that isn't inaccurate, it's also proving to be a reductive descriptor. Because by grounding the characters in a sometimes distressingly real world, and tapping into real anxieties, this show has found a dramatic vein to support the whiz-bang action sequences.

We begin with just such a big set-piece. Sam Wilson is tasked with extracting a hostage taken by none other than Georges Batroc, the Lemurian Star hijacker from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The mercenaries fly through the air in an extreme sports heist, brought to life with high-flying aerial footage that strongly recalls the Point Break remake. The sequence is an impressive opening salvo, a solo mission for Sam that more fully showcases his bag of tricks established in the films, including his drone Redwing and his wing shield.

A different shield looms large: Steve Rogers' vibranium shield he entrusted to Sam in Avengers: Endgame. Sam donates the shield to the Smithsonian, and he and pleasant-surprise guest star Rhodey take a walk in the updated Captain America exhibit. The iconography of the superhero surrounds them, and Sam's self-doubt comes into focus.

A trip to his native Louisiana, to his sister Sarah and her kids, opens up Sam's character after his existence in the movies almost always being defined in relation to Steve Rogers. Apparently without a nice, fat Avenger stipend, Sam stubbornly sets his mind on dissuading his sister from selling the family fishing boat. Elsewhere, Bucky struggles to reconcile his heinous past as the Winter Soldier.

And that's when a theme of this show becomes clear. I say this with a smile on my face, but: this show is kind of depressing! The Wilsons have financial problems, Bucky refuses to open up to his psychiatrist, terrorists are running amok. And the worst is saved for last. It's a truly deflating moment when the US government trots out their own "symbolic" Captain America, a doofy white man carrying the same shield Sam donated to the Smithsonian. The audience is 100% with Sam in his reaction. We feel for him to such a great extent that it stands out in the whole MCU.

Henry Jackman, who scored The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, makes the jump to TV to score this show. Delightfully, the Falcon theme he developed for The Winter Soldier is all over the show, alongside, of course, the eerie screech of his Winter Soldier motif. Dialogue scenes are shot with notably intimate close-ups, further involving the audience in the domestic character drama. And with the show taking the slow route building up to a "buddy" dynamic between Sam and Bucky, this premiere ably sets the tone for the show. 7/10.