The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Episode 4: "The Whole World is Watching" Recap and Review
Intensity was just a precursor to brutality, as our new captain america is pushed over the edge in the MCU spy thriller’s latest episode.
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
They say that power corrupts, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. John Walker was always teetering on the edge of that line. His methods, philosophy and fragile psyche, mixed with the pressure of carrying the shield of Captain America, proved to be a volatile mixture in “The Whole World Is Watching”, the latest episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”. Much like the Avengers themselves, he just needed that final push towards his destiny, but the contrast in results couldn’t be greater. This episode gave us the full descent of Walker as the man pushed over the edge, delivered by an excellent performance from Wyatt Russell. We are given a striking contrast in tone - particularly compared to the antics of the previous episode - that is used to build a quiet tension that strains and tightens until Walker snaps, and our villain emerges.
The episode begins in Wakanda, six years ago. Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is in a session with Ayo (Florence Kasumba) as they test whether or not the Winter Soldier programming in his mind is still active. She says the activation words, and although Bucky is in tears, he successfully resists activation. In the present, Bucky and Ayo square off on the subject of Zemo (Daniel Brühl). Ayo is very clear about Zemo deserving Wakandan justice, but Bucky manages to buy eight hours in order to complete their mission. Bucky returns to the safe house to explain their newest predicament, when they learn that Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) bombed a G.R.C. supply depot, killing three people. They decide to investigate, and ask around the refugee camp that Karli’s mother was at when she passed away. Neither Bucky nor Sam (Anthony Mackie) make any headway, but Zemo uses Turkish delight in order to get some information from one of the children at the camp. This information leads them to a funeral service for Karli’s mother.
Back at the safe house, they take stock of their situation and decide they need more help. Sam calls Sharon (Emily VanCamp) and asks for help keeping an eye on the camp. Karli and the other main members of the Flag Smashers retrieve the stash of super soldier serum that they stole, and reflect on their own actions and goals. As Sam, Bucky, and Zemo head to the funeral, they are confronted by John Walker and Lemar Hoskins (Clé Bennett), who are looking for answers. As Walker catches up on the situation, he tries to take charge as the leader of the operation, but Sam has other ideas and wants to talk to Karli alone. Walker firmly disagrees with Sam, but it is Hoskins that convinces Walker to let Sam try to convince Karli to end this peacefully. The group is led to the funeral, and when they get to the area, Walker immediately handcuffs Zemo to a furnace and tells Sam that he has ten minutes before he comes in with force. Sam watches from the rafters while Karli gives the eulogy, Karli notices Sam but finishes anyway. After the funeral, Sam uses his experience talking to veterans and tries talking sense into Karli.
As time passes, Walker grows increasingly frustrated and decides to go in, but Bucky stops him. Walker looks Bucky dead in the eye and says “That’s your partner in there, do you really want his blood on your hands?” Sam is making progress with Karli, telling her about his sister and family, when suddenly John Walker barges in and declares Karli to be under arrest. Karli questions Sam’s intentions as Walker moves in, but her strength is too much for him and she easily overpowers him before escaping. Bucky does his best to give chase, but loses her in the facility. Karli seems to be in the clear but Zemo is waiting for her, having escaped his handcuffs. He fires off a few shots, wounding Karli and sending her diving for cover. As she does so, her stash of the serum falls out and scatters. Zemo takes one look at it, and then begins smashing every last vial, Karli uses the distraction in order to escape. Walker finds Zemo and knocks him out, then looks at the smashed vials, finding one that Zemo missed. Walker picks it up and inspects it before putting it in his pocket.
Karli is recovering when the Flag Smashers receive another threat from the Power Broker. Karli decides she wants to get Sam away from the others to speak to him, and to kill Captain America. At the safe house, Sam asks Sharon to watch Walker, and Zemo recovers from the blow to his head. Suddenly, Walker and Hoskins burst in demanding to take Zemo in, but Ayo and the Dora Milaje are already there to do the exact same thing. Walker and Hoskins clash with the Dora, with Sam and Bucky having to step in to make sure the Dora don’t kill Walker and Hoskins. Zemo seizes the opportunity and escapes. The Dora leave and the others recover, but Walker is devastated by his inadequacies against the Dora Milaje. Hoskins picks him up, and they leave. They get coffee and talk about the situation, when Walker asks Hoskins what choice he would make if he had a chance to take the serum. Hoskins doesn’t hesitate to say that he would take it.
Back in Louisiana, Sam’s sister Sarah (Adepero Oduye) gets an unexpected phone call from Karli Morgenthau. She asks Sarah about Sam, and arranges a meeting with him under the threat of Sarah and her children’s lives. Sam sees no other choice but to meet Karli and take Bucky with him. Sam and Bucky suit up and go meet Karli, who asks Sam to join her. Sharon contacts Sam to tell them that Walker and Hoskins are moving in on the Flag Smashers. Karli tries to delay them, but Sam manages to stop her and escape. Walker and Hoskins tactically make their way through the Flag Smasher hideout, before they get separated and Hoskins is abducted. As Walker tries to find him, Hoskins is knocked out, tied up and left in a bathroom. As Walker searches, he encounters a few Flag Smashers, but something is off about Walker.
Bucky, Sam and Karli race to the hideout. Sam gets there first, just in time to see Walker bend a pipe like a pretzel. It becomes obvious to Sam that Walker has taken the serum. Hoskins wakes up and starts trying to cut his way through his restraints. Sam and Walker are ambushed just as Hoskins frees himself. Sam, Walker, and now Bucky, are doing their best against the Flag Smashers, but the latter manage to grab hold of Walker. Karli runs in with a knife, straight at Walker. Hoskins rushes in and saves Walker as he tackles Karli. In the heat of the moment, Karli punches Hoskins with all her power, smashing him into a concrete pillar and killing him instantly. Reality strikes all the Flag Smashers at once and the fight ends. Walker rushes to Hoskins’ side. Karli and the Flag Smashers run away as Walker breaks. He jumps out of the third story window and crushes a van beneath him, before scanning around and seeing one of the Flag Smashers. Walker runs him down, and drops him in the middle of the town square. Walker releases all of his grief and anger, beating the Flag Smasher to death as dozens watch and film with their cameras. Sam and Bucky run up to see the aftermath of the carnage, Karli escapes, and blood stains the shield of Captain America.
This is the episode I have been waiting for: the episode where “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” realizes its own potential. Russell’s John Walker has been arrogant, condescending and volatile leading up to this, but Hoskins was always with him to keep him somewhat grounded. Clé Bennett has played Battlestar in a way that shows that deep down he is a good person who is torn between doing what is right, and helping his brother in arms however he can. He acts as the voice of reason to Walker more than a few times. So, when Hoskins is killed, that anchor for Walker is gone and he becomes everything that Steve Rogers fought against. Earlier in the episode, Zemo mentions that anyone who gets the serum is a supremacist; that by taking the serum, it makes them better and above other people. This describes Walker perfectly. His insecurities about being Captain America initially revolved around whether or not he could fill Steve’s shoes, but shifted after he saw what a super soldier could actually do. It was the fight with the Dora Milaje that really focused those insecurities. If Sam and Bucky were not there, the Dora would have killed Walker and Hoskins with ease. He convinced himself that not only did he need to take the serum, he deserved it. However, as unlikeable as John Walker is, he wants to do what he thinks is right, and has a history of trauma and loss. Losing Hoskins just pushed him over the edge. This makes Walker a compelling and multi-dimensional antagonist that is often missing in the MCU.
Karli is a different story: she thinks she knows what she wants to do, and how she wants to do it. It is slowly becoming clear to her that the Flag Smashers may be doing more harm than good. When she blew up the G.R.C. facility, she didn’t have to look at the faces of those she killed. When she killed Hoskins, she froze. She could have killed Walker right then and there - that was her ultimate goal, after all - but when she saw exactly what she did, she ran. Her conversations with Sam proved that she has a heart, and given enough time, Sam could have gotten through to her, but Walker got in the way. With four deaths on her hands now, Karli can’t escape justice, but she can still be redeemed. Sam seems determined to reach Karli, and this brings back Sam’s original job as a counselor at a VA facility. Every episode seems to reinforce how worthy Sam is of the shield that he gave away.
Baron Zemo also dialed up the sinister a little bit. Daniel Brühl tightens the leash on his portrayal, and gives us a few spine tingling moments. His interaction with the children at the refugee camp in particular raised my pulse a little bit. He always seems to be one step ahead, keeping him in the game. He even accomplished one of his goals by destroying what remains of the super soldier serum, or so he thought. If this is his last appearance in this series, which I hope is not the case, then using the Dora Milaje as the vehicle to remove him was great. Their brief appearance proved that the Dora are not to be trifled with, and Ayo’s interactions with Bucky prove her to be a strong and commanding presence that demands respect.
“The Whole World Is Watching” is well paced, has great action, and even better character moments in an episode that centered around a dynamic performance from Wyatt Russell. When it comes to building an antagonist, showrunner Malcolm Spellman has succeeded. Every appearance of John Walker has been a mixed bag of arrogance, insecurity, and an earnest desire to make the world a better place. Like Thanos, his goals have a core of coming from a good place, but his methods are his problem. So far, he has only had the backing of the U.S. government to wield, and when confronted by stronger opponents, it is clear that he is severely outmatched. In his scarred mind he deserves every advantage that Captain America had: he already wears the shield with impunity, but now he also has the strength of a super soldier. What Walker fails to realize is that it is not the Shield that makes you Captain America, it is who you are at the core that matters. Walker’s brutality, volatility, and supremacism are exactly the opposite of what Captain America stands for. The whole world now has video evidence showing that Walker is unworthy of carrying the shield, but something tells me he is not going to give it up willingly.