The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 3: Power Broker Review

For our review of the last episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, click here.

When we thought we knew what was going on in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, this latest episode showed that it is only the beginning as a new force loomed large though it was referenced in the last episode, the Power Broker (hence the episode title). Meanwhile, an old villain makes an appearance as does an old friend who has definitely changed since the last time we saw them. These characters were thankfully more than just nods to the past and look to be integral parts to the story as they were each fleshed out in compelling ways. While the pieces were definitely coming together in the first two episodes, this episode delivered intrigue, suspense, and plenty of action as there is still much more to learn as far as the supersoldier serum is concerned. The unresolved tension between Sam and Bucky about the shield and what that position meant to them was also still there.

Power Broker began where the last episode left off with Sam and Bucky going to Berlin to see Zemo while Walker and team were nipping at their heels and mostly stayed away in this episode. It was clear that Zemo was not going to remain in a German prison therefore despite Sam’s objections, Bucky assisted Zemo so he can elaborately escape. Nevertheless, Sam opened up to the idea and from there, they were off though with the wildcard that is Zemo, it is unclear how things will end up.

Being a baron, Zemo is rich and still had access to plenty of resources and criminal contacts so the three had to dive deep into a criminal underworld to try and get to the bottom of the serum. To do so, they would need to travel to the shady city of Madripoor, a neon-soaked, cyberpunk-looking mecha run by someone known as the Power Broker, the de facto judge, jury, and executioner of Madripoor and the probable big bad of the series. It’s no coincidence that Zemo had Bucky reassume his identity as The Winter Soldier as part of he and Sam’s disguises while entering the city. There’s always some plan with him as his character here was more akin to that of the comics. Daniel Brühl was excellent here.

Things got dicey, prompting The Winter Soldier back to action, but the gang got the identity of the doctor who made the new supersoldier serum before being saved by Sharon Carter, who definitely made up for lost time and was much more bitter since the last time we saw her and had been holding out in Madripoor as an art hustler as a result of her legal troubles after Captain America: Civil War. She found the doctor who confirmed working on the serum for the CIA and the Power Broker by backwards engineering it from Isiah Bradley’s blood before he met an untimely demise. When it looked like Zemo saw an opening to escape, he surprisingly didn’t.

The apparent leader of the flagsmashers, Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), continued her assault on the Global Repatriation Council and its attempts to help those displaced by the Blip rather than her and her fellow refugees displaced by the Blip while trying to remain out of the clutches of what appears to be the Power Broker. However, her motivations beyond seemingly helping her people remain unclear as this part of the story remains underdeveloped.

The episode ended in Latvia where another of Zemo’s contacts resided. However, there was someone else hot on their trail. Wakanda certainly did not forget what Zemo did to their former king.

In the end, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is essentially an action movie made into a series but it offers something more thanks to stellar writing and performances, making it something a lot deeper than that. Hopefully it holds up.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.