The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season 1, episode 3 review: Power Broker

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier keeps the action going, as Sam and Bucky form a reluctant alliance with an old foe.

The first two episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did a perfect job of setting up the conflict between the titular pair and the Flag-Smashers, with Bucky and Sam both going to visit Zemo at the end of the last episode. Now, the third episode of the Disney Plus show, “Power Broker”, dives deeper into the conflict and introduces Zemo back into the MCU fold.

John Walker’s investigation and the great escape in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The episode begins with John Walker’s Captain America and Battlestar bursting into the Munich internet café that the Flag Smashers utilised as a base of operations in the previous episode. The group inside the café claim to know nothing about the Flag-Smashers, with one man spitting on Walker and showcasing some disrespect, as Walker struggles to keep his cool.

Meanwhile, Sam and Bucky head to Berlin, where Zemo is being held under maximum security. Bucky wishes to speak to Zemo alone, much to Sam’s disdain, as the former Winter Soldier claims that the villain will not speak to Sam because of his status as an Avenger.

Bucky enters the cell and Zemo tries to see whether the trigger words will still work on the former Winter Soldier. They don’t and this leads to a conversation about Bucky and Zemo makes it known that has knowledge of where the Super Soldier Serum may have come from.

Bucky and Sam meet up again, as the former confidently and calmly explains how a prisoner could escape the high security facility Zemo is being held at, leading to the reveal that Bucky has indeed helped the sinister villain escape. Sam is furious, with the pair bickering in an argument which is hilarious, as they both tell Zemo to “shut up!”

The pair eventually agree that Zemo can aid them, with Helmut Zemo revealing that he is a Baron and quite wealthy as he suits up in his uniform and the trio head to their next location: Madripoor!

A hive of scum and villainy!

Travelling on Zemo’s private jet, the trio head to Madripoor where Bucky must pretend to be under Zemo’s control and Sam disguises himself as a criminal. The banter between the three reluctant allies is hilarious in this scene, as they head to Madripoor, which is a shady city that is filled with criminals, questionable characters and a Cyberpunk aesthetic.

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Their entry into the city and search for answers leads to the trio discovering that the Super Soldier Serum was recreated by Dr. Nagel. During their investigation, Bucky returns to his vicious assassin combat style he had whilst he was the Winter Soldier. However, after Sam accidentally reveals their true identities, we are gifted with a pure John Wick-like action sequence – a bonus of it being written by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad.

The action leads to Zemo and the two titular characters nearly being killed, until they are saved by an old friend. That’s right, Sharon Carter returns and reveals that she has been on the run since Captain America: Civil War where she broke the conditions of the Sokovia Accords.

This showcases some great character development for Sharon as she takes a less heroic turn than we’re used to seeing from her as she deals with dark individuals. While she does agree to help the trio in return for the promise of a pardon with Sam, it is quite sad to see how her life has been destroyed through helping Steve Rogers and his allies. Sharon’s skillset comes in handy as she discovers where Dr. Nagel is situated.

Action at the docks, Zemo lets loose!

Sharon’s intel takes the group to the docks, where Zemo, Sam and Bucky find a hidden lab inside a shipping container. Meanwhile, Sharon does her best impression of John Wick by absolutely dominating the bounty hunters pursuing the group. Sharon certainly lives up to her badass Carter heritage, with the character brutal and swift in her takedowns.

Meanwhile, the boys interrogate Dr. Nagel and use Bucky’s history as the Winter Soldier to get information. As it turns out, Nagel was working with the CIA to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. However, after the Blip the CIA had decommissioned the project and Nagel created 20 vials for the Power Broker, all of which were stolen by Karli of the Flag Smashers.

After Sharon deals with some of the bounty hunters, Zemo kills Nagel to ensure that the Super Soldier Serum is not recreated once more, leading to all-out chaos in an explosive (literally!) action scene. Zemo proves during this scene how much of a loose cannon he is and how dangerous he is capable of being as the villainous Sokovian dons his purple mask and ruthlessly takes down a number of bounty hunters with precision and savagery.

Zemo ends up finding a cool car and picking up Sam and Bucky, with Sharon parting ways with the group to speak with a mysterious character. Their journey to take down the Flag Smashers leads them to Latvia, where Bucky discovers they are being tracked. The former Winter Soldier discovers that Dora Milaje warrior Ayo is following them, and she wants Zemo!

Flag Smashers making moves

While the main plot revolved around Zemo, Bucky and Sam, the Flag Smashers were also present, as the death of Mama Donya, who Karli was close with, rocked the group. This subplot leads to the Flag Smashers infiltrating a Global Repatriation Council (GRC) compound for vaccines and supplies, while blowing up the building with live hostages inside. This is a new step towards darkness for Karli, as she becomes more of a villain when trying to enact the values of the group.

It will be interesting to see whether the character can be redeemed, as the show seemed to be setting her up as a sympathetic villain. While there still may be hope, this move is not a step in the right direction towards redemption.

Overview

This is the strongest episode so far, as the grouping of Sam, Bucky and Zemo is surprisingly hilarious. The three actors have terrific chemistry and great banter, with the next episode hopefully showcasing more of this, while seeing Zemo absolutely brutalise enemies also showcases how dangerous a villain he is going to be in the series. The story of Sam is furthered in this episode, as the character is once again questioning his decision to give up the shield to the Captain America Exhibit.

The aesthetic of this episode is absolutely gorgeous, with the set pieces looking amazing and the action scenes flowing beautifully. Seeing Madripoor in all its glory and Sharon Carter absolutely brutalise her opponents were both major highlights of the episode.

Overall, episode 3 furthers the stories of all the characters involved and sets up an explosive fourth offering as the show enters its second half already.

You can catch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Fridays at 12am PST/3am EST on Disney+.

What did you think of this week’s episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? Let us know in the comments below!