After the first episode of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” we get introduced to John Walker, the new Captain America, and in this episode we see more of his character and how he feels up taking the mantle.
The episode shows us not only the views of each character on the shield but also a perspective on life and how everything isn’t what it seems to be.
The episode starts off with John Walker being interviewed by Good Morning America, showing his desire to take up the mantle and making sure that he would try to be the best Captain America that he could be.
Meanwhile Sam and Bucky meet up and head to Munich to confront the Flag Smashers with Bucky asking why Sam gave up the shield.
They get there and see a couple of members smuggling medicine with both heroes detecting a person in the cargo, possibly a hostage.
However the hostage was actually the groups leader Karli Morgenthau. They struggle while on a moving truck until Walker and his partner Lemar Hoskins join to assist them.
They discovered that some if not all the members are all super soldiers being able to take on Bucky in the same level.
The Flag Smashers gets away and Walker asks Bucky and Sam to join them on finding the group but they refused.
Bucky and Sam head to Baltimore to talk to Isaiah Bradley about the super soldier program. Bradley is a former super soldier that fought Bucky in the Korean War when he was the Winter Soldier.
He refuses to talk since he was arrested and experimented on by the government and Hydra for being in the program.
After that Bucky gets arrested for missing his therapy appointment, leading to the two of them having a funny but serious conversation with each other.
John Walker meets with them to try to get them to join them but gets denied with Walker saying to “stay out of my way.”
The episode ends with the two of them heading to Berlin to confront Zemo about the Flag Smasher.
The second episodes story was great as it gave a more in depth look at John Walker. Many thought that he was going to be the hated character but it’s good to see his character’s perspective and it’ll be great to see more of it.
Bucky and Sam’s chemistry together is both funny and serious as it was great to hear the conversation on why Sam gave up the shield and the title.
Both Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie kill it as Falcon and Winter Soldier but here its better to have them fleshed out and know more about them that the movies could show.
The action and cinematography was very clean, and on point. It was viewable, with no shaky cameras, just smooth action scenes.
Overall the episode show’s a lot of good character development and exciting scenes that have me anxious to watch the next episode.
“The Star Spangled Man” gets a four out of five, a great second episode for the series.
