WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

The end is near.

With only one more episode left for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there’s so much left to unpack. To recap, John Walker just bludgeoned some Flag Smasher to death in front of a crowd to get revenge for his best friend, who was killed during a fight with Karli and her team in the last episode. “Episode 5” opens with a huge confrontation, with John Walker running off, haunted by the murder he just committed, and with Sam and Bucky following close behind. 

Sam and Bucky attempt to reason with Walker and cool him down, but it only fuels the fires inside him, resulting in a long-awaited fight scene between the three. At last we see the tensions between Walker, Sam, and Bucky build up into one big explosion of a fight, where our heroes finally reclaim Captain America’s shield.

There’s a moment where Bucky hands the shield off to Sam, who gives his wings to Torres. There are already theories that Torres may be the next Falcon, which would be awesome to see, considering that Torres steals the spotlight in the few scenes he’s actually in. 

We discover that Walker is in Washington, D.C., where a Senate council has decided to strip him of his titles and military privileges, and they take the role of Captain America away from him. There’s an incredibly powerful moment in this scene where Walker lashes out at the council, stating that all he ever did was what they wanted him to. I couldn’t help but feel some pity here for Walker, who in reality was just transformed into this murderer by his own government, who put the pressures of being Captain America onto the wrong man.

Walker is later approached by a woman by the name of Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who offers him work in light of the fact that he took the serum. Some believe her to be the Power Broker, although in the comics, she is one of the versions of Madame Hydra, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who turns evil. 

Meanwhile, Bucky finds Zemo at a Sokovian memorial, preparing to part ways with him. He pulls a gun on Zemo, but rather than killing him, he at last turns him over to the Dora Milaje, who had been seeking to imprison him again as Zemo murdered their former king.

Sam then visits Isaiah once again, and we’re reintroduced to Sam’s conflict over accepting the role of Captain America, as Isaiah denounces all that Captain America represents, citing the racial history of this country, and stating that, “No self-respecting black man would want to be” Captain America. Sam is therefore torn about what it means to be the face and hero of a country with such a long history of racial discrimination. 

Sam ultimately goes back to live with his sister, Sarah, and Bucky later comes to join him, his family and his community. I actually really enjoyed these few light-hearted scenes with Sam and Bucky bonding while fixing a boat, and the light flirting going on between Bucky and Sarah.

Sam and Bucky even train a bit with the shield together, discussing its legacy, and at last resolving the early tensions of the show between the two, and the fate of the shield. Oh, and we get a cool montage of Sam training with the shield, and seemingly accepting the responsibility that comes with it. 

Cut to Sharon, who is on the phone with Batroc, a mercenary who despises Sam. The conversation is in another language, but they seem to be doing business and making deals. We also discover that Karli is also working with Batroc, buying weapons from him to intervene in the upcoming vote on the Patch Act. There are theories about how this may all work out, with Sharon potentially being the true villain behind so much of this, and there’s still the matter of the Power Broker, who has only been mentioned by name in the show. 

But wait! The show’s not over yet!

Yup, we get a good old Marvel end-credits scene to remind us that this isn’t the last we’ll see of John Walker. He is seen constructing a shield like Captain America’s. Is he going insane? We don’t know at this point. 

This episode was amazing. It’s interesting to see how the further we get into the MCU, the finer the lines between hero and villain become. Not to mention that there are so many characters that are existing in a moral grey area, and their fates are so uncertain. All we do know is that this episode has established a lot for the finale, and perhaps a second season.

We still don’t know who the Power Broker is, what role Sharon will play in all of this, and what Contessa Valentina is exactly after. However, something tells me that the finale won’t answer everything, but it will instead largely set up for a second season.