THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER is an entertaining Marvel show that does exactly what it is supposed to do, but has some shaky writing along the way. By far the best thing about this season is Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan's chemistry as The Falcon and Bucky Barnes. Every scene the two shared together was fun to watch, and the arcs of both their respective characters developed in a meaningful manner that brought closure to the life-changing events in movies like Avengers: Endgame. Other characters I loved were Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), a character who is far more interesting here than he ever has been, and even John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is also a fascinating character even though his arc feels a bit rushed near the end.

The show also delves into the complicated political realm of today in the last two episodes, especially talking about The Falcon's identity as a Black man and what that means for someone trying to step into the shoes of Steve Rogers, and I thought the writers handled it as well as they could have in six episodes. However, when it comes to politics, there are some aspects that don't quite pan out; specifically the villain characters, known as the Flag Smashers. This group, as menacing as they may sound, has such a justified reason for existing that I never saw them as villains, yet the show always presents them as an entity to be destroyed. This seemed a bit short-sighted, and the show never seemed to know what to do with these characters, so they aren't given much of an ending.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER is yet another bingeable and fun superhero show for those who want it that provides enough subtext to keep people looking for something deeper happy until the next MCU entry. It definitely isn't close to being the best project the MCU has churned out, but it is still definitely worth the watch to see how The Falcon and Bucky evolve into the next stage of their stories. B.