How do, friends? Welcome back for my thoughts, opinions, and whatnots about Friday's ep. As always, the opinions are mine, the spoilers are plentiful, and the mistakes unintentional.
Now, on with the show...
"I'm not Tony Stark. I'm not Dr. Banner." And you ain't Cap, either, so sitcher ass down, boy.
I think the theme for this ep should be 'Fuck this, fuck that, fuck that guy in particular, and fuck his friend over there.' That is a fairly succinct summation of my emotions regarding this ep.
I have never related harder than I did to the scene of Bucky reconsidering his stance on recreational violence as he watched that shit show presentation of the fake shield bearer.
I hate the imposter. He's not Cap, I'm not gonna refer to him as such, he's an asshole in a cowl. Sure, he's smart, brave, whatever, he's happy to participate in the fuckery and I'm willing to bet, he doesn't even see the fuckery for what it is. He's just 'a good guy' trying to do 'a good job', and not a willing participant in some blatantly racist nonsense. Call him whatever you want, but I maintain my premise.
Hacking Redwing, talk about. *spit on the ground* I was rooting for the villains when he got his ass beat and seeing him throw the shield was offensive.
If I hear him say Bucky's name one more goddamn time... whew. The level of familiarity and almost dismissiveness when he spoke, I was waiting for Bucky to correct him the Sgt Barnes and keep it moving. He ain't earned that privilege.
Oh, and Isaiah broke my damn heart. It was Tuskegee meets Hydra and fucking hell that was brutal. I'm curious about the fight where he tore Bucky's arm off, but really, the poor man. I'm glad his grandson is so vehemently protective. (far off squealing in Young Avengers)
The whole scene in the street in front of his house was... special. I mean, I hated those calls when I worked in dispatch. 'There's a black guy walking in front of my house.' 'And? Is he doing something?' 'No, but he's suspicious and you need to send someone.' And because of rules, we had to send cops even if it was nonsense because they asked for a cop. that part of the job sucked.
And as if Sam getting racially profiled wasn't enough of a slap in the face, Bucky got arrested for missing his court-appointed therapy session. And then, to add insult to injury, the imposter shield bearer shows up to bail him out like they should be happy he's there (hint: we're not). And then to see the imposter cozying up to his therapist? Yeah, I would be demanding a new therapist with a quickness. All my faith and trust in her discernment has shot right out the window.
The couples' therapy was borderline fanfic/fanservice. All that was missing was 'Now kiss" as she squished their faces together. I get the purpose of the scene narratively, showing Bucky's vulnerability and his worry that Sam 'giving away the shield' slammed down a bunch of abandonment issue buttons and worries about whether he was good enough or worthy enough of saving.
It's not all me snarling, though. Their banter is fucking spot on. The snark of Bucky showing up when Sam's going on a mission, joining him on the plane, jumping out of the plane and falling through the trees (really, this dude has a literally terrible track record for high falls), and then the sneaky shit in the warehouse. It was pitch-perfect and I am here for it.
The White Panther/White Wolf exchange, followed by Sam getting the drop on Bucky were perfect. If they keep these vibes between them, I'm going to be over the moon. I love them.
And that isn't even getting to the fight with the Flag Smashers on the trucks and the landing in the field. When folks say 'coded as a romance' they mean....
I also like that we got some background explanation/nuance on the Flag Smashers. They're still villains but at least we know why now. And who is the Powerbroker? Is this another 'acting under duress' situation?
And how badly is the fake shield bearer going to fuck up the situation? That whole 'stay out of my way' business had some straight up 'abusive ex' vibes.
Again, the ending rushed up on me. I loved the whole Helmut Zemo/Mozart mashup. That worked for me on a fundamental level. I can't wait to see where this goes.
And that is it for me, friends! I am seriously invested in this show and feeling it. I know we have 4 more episodes and I need them more than I need tacos. And you all know I don't joke about tacos. I'm off to celebrate my birthday with the family. So until next week, friends, be easy!