‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – ‘One World, One People’ – Review

It’s all lead to this, the final episode of Marvel Studio’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and it’s all on the table now as Sam Wilson/The Falcon and Bucky Barnes/ The Winter Soldier race to stop Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers from unleashing destruction on the GRC before it’s too late.

Declaring an all-out assault on the GRC, wanted fugitive Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) unleashes her final plan to stop the GRC for good, and stuck in the middle of it are Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), who are trying to stop Karli before it’s too late. But not content with just arresting Karli is former Captain America John Walker (Wyatt Russell), who is out for blood and is willing to do anything to stop Karli once and for all.

Right from the start Episode 6 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, ‘One World, One People’ cranks up the action and director Kari Skogland gives audiences an incredible opening fight scene that carries on for two acts of the final episode and showcases an all-new Sam Wilson, who has now accepted the responsibility of both the shield and the mantle of Captain America. And it is fun to see him come into his new role within the greater MCU.

Featuring everything from intense ground combat to a full-on helicopter aerial battle chase, this opening act of ‘One World, One People’ is sure to get your adrenaline raised up and with so many different characters and perspectives, Skogland keeps everything interesting and on point. Praise needs to be directed not only at the battle between Wilson’s new Captain America and Georges St. Pierre’s vindictive mercenary Batroc but also at the brutal showdown between the Flag Smashers and John Walker, alongside the final fight between Karli and Wilson. All of these moments have serious narrative consequences, and in them we see these characters come full circle in their unique arcs within this series.

Of particular note is the presence of John Walker, who stripped of his moniker of Captain America, and driven by rage overcomes his anger and accepts his duty once more as a protector, choosing against his own need for vengeance over his duty as a hero. It’s a quick redemption for Walker, and in the closing moments we see him re-assigned to a new position with the US Government’s counter-terrorism fight and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of his complex heroism in the MCU down the line as he skirts the line between hero and villain.

‘One World, One People’ is ultimately the triumph of Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as he accepts his calling and the promise he made to Steve Rogers to carry the shield of Captain America and it’s certainly inspiring to see him make that character completion. In one of the episode’s most compelling moments, Sam also pays back a debt to the character of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), an African-American Korean War veteran and super-soldier whose legacy and achievements were torn from him and it’s this moment that many veterans will shed a tear to as Bradley is finally paid the respect that he is ultimately deserved. It’s one of the series most moving and emotional moments and certainly has an effect on all who watch it.

This final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was also not without its shocking revelations and things definitely took an interesting turn for Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter. While not to lead to the risk of spoilers, I will say that Sharon’s new evolution as a character in the MCU was something I did not see coming, and it’s a revelation that will have long-running consequences for years to come. Also of note was Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl), who even locked up in The Raft gets his final revenge, and I believe we haven’t seen the last of his Machiavellian scheming just yet.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, like WandaVision before it, leaves the MCU in a very interesting place going forward and with new characters and new threats, I believe things will get very interesting from here going forward within the greater MCU.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney+

Image: Walt Disney Pictures