The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

⭐ 8.5/10

(Originally written by KathleenQ)

YES! Loving these MCU miniseries! They are pretty much my only source of joy right now in yet another dreadful lockdown. This show was a 10 for most of the series, but got bumped down a few stars for the kind of weak and confusing ending.*

What the MCU does best is character stories, and that was true of this series. I especially found Bucky's story compelling, as we've been following his harrowing experiences for a decade. Every week I was anxious to find out how he might move forward. Sebastian Stan's performance: 11/10, A++. That flashback scene in Wakanda? Please give the man an Oscar.

I went into it not having strong emotions about Sam, but the writers finally gave him a more rounded character and moving emotional arc. The introduction of John Walker was powerful, and Wyatt's acting superb.

I was impressed that Disney/Marvel decided to tackle race issues head-on, which was a smart move, even if it wasn't fully fleshed-out.

And as always, the fight choreography here is top-notch. I love how every character's fighting style is unique and recognizable, and every fight scene is still tense and you can feel the stakes.

I know Disney is the devil, but...thank you for giving us these gifts.

*I've heard that the writers had to make some HUGE and last-minute changes to the plot due to the pandemic, and I think most of the weakness unfortunately can be attributed to that. They had to do a ton of re-shooting and reworking late in the game. Someday I'd be interested to know what the original plan had been.