The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Review: Episode 5 - "Truth"

 The Falcon and the Winter Soldier




In this week’s emotionally charged penultimate installment of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, Sam Wilson (The Falcon) tackles topics bigger than any villain he’s ever faced as an Avenger. 


As the real-life world we know grapples with race relations and the use of excessive force by people in powerful positions, Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” addresses it in their unique way as well. 


The GamesRadar says this about episode five, “Truth”, “ By bringing those deeper questions of race and America’s re-written history back to the forefront…” They continue with  “ ‘Truth’… delivers perhaps the best Falcon and the Winter Soldier to date.” A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.


Sam and Bucky (The Winter Soldier) confront John Walker after the events of last week’s shocking episode in which he used the shield of Captain America to bludgeon a surrendering foe to death in front of an enormous crowd of on-lookers. The actions of John were captured by 100’s on their phones and shared across the internet like a wildfire, as so many incidents we’ve seen in real-life have been recently. The three battle with the consequences.


 Sam and Bucky later detach from one another and embark on separate operations during the middle of the episode. 


Bucky challenges Baron Zemo at the memorial to Sokovia. Is he still The Winter Soldier or has he fully eradicated that part of him? Can he ever truly fully eradicate that from his life? Does he need to in order to move forward? He faces these questions as the two chat.


Sam, on the other hand, moves forward with what is at the real heart of this episode, what it means to be a black man in a white America. In this undertaking, Sam visits Isaiah Bradley, the man who we found out back in episode two, took the Super Soldier Serum and became another hero of America. In their discussion, Isaiah reminisces about what his experiences were like while Sam reflects on what is important to him and how he can use the stories of the past to shape a better tomorrow.


The slow part of the episode and the only area where it felt lacking were the parts surrounding the Flag Smashers. We only get a few scenes involving them, 2 minutes and thirty seconds in total, and all of it felt unnecessary and forced. This is in part because of the gravity of this episode, tackling such big topics as police brutality and race relations, but also because the Flag Smashers seem so disconnected from our main characters. The Flag Smashers’ motives have been muddy since the first episode and the few minutes they’re wedged into this week’s episode doesn’t help their cause. It truly feels like a plot thread the showrunners are struggling to convey effectively.


IGN had this to say on the episode and how it went about managing all the moving parts this week had, “A lack of development in the plot at this late stage feels like poor pacing rather than a deliberate decision”.


As Sam and Bucky reunite on Sam’s family home, they finally discuss what it means to be Captain America and we get to see what family means to each of the characters before we move towards the conclusion of the episode and ultimately the series.


“Truth” delivers on its name. We get truths about the secret Marvel histories we’ve not been privy to before. We get truths about character’s histories and intentions. But most importantly we get the truth of American history that Marvel had never tackled before and what it means to Sam now and in the future


If you don’t have the sixty minutes in your schedule to sit down and watch this week’s episode, clear your schedule and make time.




Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan,

Summary: Falcon and the Winter Soldier are a mismatched duo who team up for a global adventure that will test their survival skills -- as well as their patience.

Rated: PG-13 for violent action

Distributor: Disney

Available on: Disney+ with new episodes airing every Friday

Rating: 5-Stars

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