Another week, another episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The series so far has not been delivering on the levels it could have been. Will this week be any different? We will answer that question and we will be spoiling things in the process. If you have not seen the show as of yet you can stream it on Disney+.

Episode Four:

We open six years previous in the beautiful country of Wakanda, as seen in Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War. Bucky and Ayo are standing around a fire and she tells him he is free. As she and Shuri helped him during his time in Wakanda. In present day, Ayo and Bucky have been reunited and she questions Bucky about teaming up with Zemo. She reminds him Zemo murdered King T’Chaka and she gives him eight hours to complete the mission and then she will come for Zemo.

We see our trio discussing Karli’s actions after finding out she blew up a GRC supply location. Sam believes there must be a peaceful way to stop Karli but Zemo disagrees. Karli and a group of Flag Smashers are hiding out upon hearing their actions on the news. Zemo, Sam and Bucky go to Riga and split up to see what they can find out. Sam makes his way upstairs and asks a child has he heard of Donya Madani. Everyone seems to be hiding from Sam and won’t answer any questions about Donya Madani.

Zemo asks a young girl about Donya and asks where Donya’s funeral will be. He tells a group of children that Sam and Bucky are bad men and that they should not be trusted. Zemo tells Bucky and Sam that Donya’s funeral is that afternoon. After an altercation, Sam calls Sharon for more help and she agrees. In a cemetery, Karli and a Flag Smasher pull out the hidden serums and discuss their actions. They discuss how heroism has changed and that heroes can’t keep their hands clean anymore. Both Flag Smashers leave the cemetery to pay their respects to “Mama Donya”.

John Walker and Lemar Hoskins find Bucky, Sam and Zemo and demands to know how Zemo broke out of prison. Zemo tells the pair he knows where Karli is, Sam tells them he wants to talk to Karli alone and the new Captain America disagrees. The pair and the trio can’t seem to agree until Lemar is willing to give Sam’s idea a try. John Walker agrees and Zemo spots the young girl from earlier. She shows them the way to the funeral, John handcuffs Zemo and he informs Sam he has ten minutes to talk to Karli.

Karli is giving a speech at the funeral and spots Sam from a distance. Sam and Karli finally meet and he tries to reason with her. John gets impatient and attempts to make his way inside before Bucky stops him. Just as Karli and Sam are about to reach an understanding, the new Captain America storms in with Lemar and Bucky behind him. Karli runs away and Bucky chases after her. He loses her and she comes face to face with Zemo. Karli drops the serum and Zemo destroys it. John hits Zemo over the head, finds the last of the serum and puts it in his pocket.

An upset Karli confides in her friends and gets a text from The Power Broker. If she cannot deliver the serum to The Power Broker they will find her. Karli comes up with a plan to kill Captain America. Back at their accommodation, Zemo and Sam discuss Karli and a frustrated Bucky thinks Sam should not have given John Walker the shield. John and Lemar come busting through the door and demand Zemo be turned over to them. Sam refuses and John puts the shield down. Suddenly Ayo shows up with two Wakandan women and a fight breaks out between Captain America and the Dora Milaje. Bucky attempts to stop the fight as Zemo sneaks out of the room. Bucky’s arm falls off and The Dora Milaje leave. As Bucky reattaches his arm, a defeated Captain America leaves as well.

At a cafe, John and Lemar discuss the serum and if they had the chance would they take it. Lemar hypes up his friend and John further contemplates taking the serum. Sarah answers her phone to Karli and threatens her and her family. Sam hears from Sarah and tells her to take her kids and leave. He gets a text and the pair go to see Karli. Karli wants Sam to join The Flag Smashers and Sharon informs the Falcon of John Walker’s location. John and Lemar enter looking for Karli and are met by Flag Smashers.

A masked Karli is running down the street and it becomes apparent John has taken the Super Soldier Serum. The Falcon encounters the new Captain America and they search for Lemar. John and Sam fight off more Flag Smashers as Lemar breaks free. Bucky joins them and the fight continues. As Karli is attempting to charge at Captain America, Lemar intercepts her and she uses her Super Soldier power to fling him across the room. The fight stops and John makes his way to see if Lemar is alive.

After he comes to the realisation his friend is dead, John throws himself through a window and chases a Flag Smasher. An enraged Captain America uses his shield to beat this man senseless. A crow surrounds them pulling out their phones. Sam and Bucky show up and see that the new Captain America’s shield is covered in blood as he has just murdered someone.

American Horror Story: John Walker

This episode is an improvement upon the bland material we have already seen. The pacing was improved thanks to the incredible action sequences and the score. Is it a vast improvement? No but an improvement none the less.

We saw a new connection made between Karli and Sam. He believes that she is nothing but a mixed up young woman who is grieving the loss of her mentor. This is something that Sam can relate to in relation to his friend and mentor Steve Rogers. I hope that this connection will come to fruition when the series wraps up.

Karli is definitely the MVP of this episode. Erin Kellyman is delivering in this episode and should be receiving more praise in this role. Her Super Soldier abilities could prove useful in a future Young Avengers project but we can only hold out hope.

This episode featured the most incredible action sequences. It comes close to those seen in Captain America: Civil War and hopefully the final action sequence will be epic. Although the series has faced a major villain problem, the villain of this episode is John Walker. This character has proved to be majorly unpopular with Marvel fans everywhere. It becomes evident that John Walker took the Super Soldier Serum he pocketed after his conversation of Lemar where he compared himself to Steve Rogers.

This new Captain America realises he will never come close to being Steve Rogers. Bucky, Sam and the Marvel fanbase all agree. John Walker is a murderer and this goes back to what Karli and her friend discussed in relation to heroism. Being a hero has changed in the aftermath of the blip and John Walker is an example of that. His crime will be seen as self defence and not a vicious attack in the next episode. Here is hoping that we never see him again after the series ends.

The end of this episode left me hungry for more and it is the first time in the series I have felt this way. The story is finally finding its rhythm and Marvel fans have big expectations.

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is now streaming on Disney+. Episode Five drops on Disney+ Friday 16th April.