Truth
Review

With justice hanging in the balance and the American Way missing presumed sold to the highest bidder, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER turns its attention to TRUTH, but just as some characters are closing in on their truth, others are dealing with their consequences.

SPOILER WARNING

The penultimate episode of the season retains the more cohesive feeling of last week when the stubbornly disparate storylines finally came together to deliver an eventful and powerful episode culminating in one of the most chilling, horrifying images the Marvel Cinematic Universe has yet given us. Although TRUTH sees a return to the uneven pacing and structural problems which have plagued the series, it maintains just enough of that earlier momentum to get things primed for what can only be a packed and action-packed final episode.

It begins, as it was always going to, with Sam and Bucky deciding to confiscate the shield from John Walker, not that he’s about to willingly give it up. It’s a decent enough fight, with echoes of the final Iron Man/ Captain America/ Winter Soldier dust-up in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR nevertheless there’s something that feels ‘off’ about it. Perhaps it’s the reduced budget and rehearsal time that comes with a TV production but the fight choreography is something of a step down and the irritating lack of consistency in terms of ability comes to the fore due to narrative expediency. Walker may be stronger now thanks to the super-soldier serum but Bucky seems to have lost a yard or two when it comes to combat again, showing none of the skill and responsiveness he had last time and while Sam has some slick moves, it still feels like the fight goes on for a little too long for comfort given it’s our two heroes against one of the villains.

Perhaps it’s a deliberate ROCKY homage, though, the initial bout before the triumphant rematch in ROCKY II. It certainly wouldn’t be the only thing TRUTH borrows from that particular franchise as this episode boasts not one but two separate montages, both of which feel slightly discordant with the rest of the episode and, indeed, the series so far. We finally get the inevitable-since-episode-one montage of community action fixing up Sam’s sister’s boat and while it’s a nice enough sequence, it also smacks of the realisation that while there’s been plenty of drama and friction between the pair, THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER has conspicuously failed to provide enough genuine bonding moments for the pair of heroes whose only real connection is that they shared a mutual best friend – a friend who is euphemistically ‘gone’, if not forgotten. Is Steve Rogers dead? It seems like THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER won’t tell.

The second montage seems even more absurd but probably gets by because it follows on from a friendly game of vibranium frisbee and an important heart to heart conversation exploring the legacy, both good and bad, of Captain America’s shield and what it means for Sam Wilson, as an African American, to not only wield the shield but take on the mantle of Captain America itself. Sam deals with the former with a series of exercise drills over an indeterminate and ill-defined period of time. It’s a lazy shortcut to answering the question of how Sam Wilson, a skilled and talented individual no doubt, can possibly go toe to toe with evil super soldiers. He’s getting himself into peak condition and the remaining gap will no doubt be covered by whatever is in the mysterious Wakandan suitcase Bucky dropped off as an excuse to flirt with Sam’s sister,

So much for the heroic chess pieces being positioned for the final gambit (there’s an outside possibility we may also get a brand-new Falcon in next week’s show if Lieutenant Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) can get those wings fixed in time). What of the opposition? Well, it’s a relatively quiet episode for Karli Morgenthau after last week’s devastating confrontation but she’s not licking her wounds, more laying low while she plots her big comeback. To do so, she’s enlisting the help of perennial Avengers punching bag Batroc (ze leaper) using his personal grudge against Sam Wilson as leverage, but given Batroc has been sent there by Sharon Carter (who is working for or may be The Power Broker), you have to assume there’s a twist or two in store in that alliance.

Zemo’s time on the lamb runs out too as Bucky tracks him to Sokovia only to hand him over to the Dora Milaje instead of executing him. Just before he’s whisked off to The Raft, though, he exchanges some brief but meaningful words regarding the TRUTH about making amends, something that Bucky evidently takes to heart.

The episode saves its most impactful moments, though, for Captain John Walker (Wyatt Russell) as he deals with the fallout from his actions last week – and the death of his long-time friend. Outraged that the official Captain America has acted in the most American way imaginable, the authorities quickly move to strip him of his authority, rank and title, expelling him from the army and telling him he’s lucky not to be going to prison. This doesn’t sit well with the recently ‘roided super soldier and he nurses that resentment with a visit to Lemar’s parents and a spot of impromptu steelworking but not before the US Army reject is approached by a mysterious figure who offers the possibility of future gainful employment. Apparently, we should have met Julia-Louis Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in the BLACK WIDOW movie already, making this a fun cameo but I guess we’ll have to make do with the reveal being back to front. Thanks, COVID.

While TRUTH doesn’t exactly set the series free from some of its worse habits and it can’t cover up for the feeling that THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER is four hours of storytelling stretched out to six, it does at least set the scene for a final episode which has the potential and promise to fundamentally reshape the grounded side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for years to come.