![]() WandaVision made the moment more traumatic, but there’s been no sense of just how much of a humanitarian crisis it was prior to The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, the return of half the population was framed as a joyful punch line. Episode four spends a lot of time dealing with the Flag Smasher’s reactions to the GRC, and the more The Falcon and The Winter Soldier focuses on this, the more unfocused and out-of-line with the rest of the MCU it feels. That’s not to say there aren’t some factors working against this. But, through the use of Sam’s sympathies and the blood-stained shield motif as a closing note, episode four is able to close with its values and messages in clear focus. ![]() This does occasionally make for muddy watching, though there are frequent moments through this episode where so many characters are in opposition to Karli that it feels as if the show is instructing viewers that she’s a clear cut villain. And in a cinematic universe that usually uses clearly defined good and evil (that’s the comic book way, after all), it’s admirable to see showrunner Malcolm Spellman holding the show true to this vision. This all further reinforces Morgenthau and Walker’s positions not as the show’s antagonists, but as complicated humans in a complicated world. Yet, like Walker, Karli’s desperation and anger has convinced her to choose violence, and her conviction in these methods only seems to grow stronger and more problematic, particularly with her misguided threats against Sam’s family. Sam’s desire to understand her approach - despite everyone around him being against this - works to further make the Flag Smashers sympathetic and establish at least the foundations of a united cause between the characters. These conversations solidify that Karli’s overall goals are noble and her anger justified. This is reflected in Karli Morgenthau, who we get to spend much more time with in this episode thanks to her finally getting face-to-face time with Sam. But while he has honest belief in what he’s fighting for, his flawed reading of what power grants a person leads him to become the vengeful, hot-headed antithesis of Steve Rogers. But while clearly developing into the form of an antagonist, his motivations are broadly understandable he's angered not just by what he sees as terrorism from the Flag Smashers, but also his inability to fight them due to his lack of enhancements. ![]() With John Walker, we see an increasingly aggressive Captain America that strays further and further from the ideals laid down by his predecessor. A more honed focus on the serious matters allows episode four to take a much deeper dive into the motivations driving each of its characters. ![]() While this makes for a more dour episode, it works in the show’s favour the quips have been very hit and miss over the season, and ultimately this serious story is better served by leaving the comedy behind. Surprisingly, it’s penned once again by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad, but this time around the fun espionage adventure vibes are cast aside and the buddy comedy dialogue almost entirely purged from the script. Episode four is the darkest, most serious chapter of the run so far.
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