The following contains spoilers for episode 5 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The fifth episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has dropped, and it might be the best one yet. This episode took the time to finally tie up some of the threads (or at least begin to tie up threads) that were addressed near the beginning of the series, but were sort of pushed to the side. The episode included a few action scenes, but most of the episode was really focused on character moments, which is something some fans have felt the show was lacking.
This toned-down approach really worked for the story, and proved once again that superhero stories can be interesting even without massive fight scene set pieces. The greatest advantage of Marvel creating TV shows around their characters is that they can spend a lot more time with those characters, and dedicate a significant amount of screen time to those quieter character moments. This episode served as an example of the kinds of storytelling that the MCU should focus on in their Disney Plus shows, because it allows the audience to grow much closer to these characters and their personalities and struggles.
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Until this point, the show had seen moments of character growth, and often included quieter scenes, but there were always multiple action scenes to keep things moving. Episode 5, entitled "Truth," really took the time to stop the action entirely and finally give fans the more in-depth character moments that they've wanted since the show began. The MCU might be known for its epic action sequences, but the character beats and themes that were touched on in this episode prove that the MCU doesn't need to rely on action in order to tell a good story.
Starting the episode with action was a smart choice, as the intense nature of the scene really highlights the quiet character moments that come afterward. Sam and Bucky stop John Walker and take the shield away from him, and the rest of the episode shows the fallout of this fight as the three characters figure out what to do next. Beginning the episode with an emotionally loaded fight scene helps the rest of the episode to feel like a cool-down, in the best way possible, despite the fact that there were still plenty of incredibly emotionally intense character moments, such as Sam's conversation with Isaiah Bradley.
Sam visits Isaiah and talks to him about how Isaiah was experimented on and sent to jail for saving his fellow soldiers (which is an interesting parallel to how Steve Rogers did the same thing in Captain America: The First Avenger and was heralded as a hero for it). Isaiah expresses his fears to Sam and outright states a thematic idea that's been running through the whole series - a black man taking on the mantle of Captain America is so much more loaded than a white man doing it. Isaiah believes that the world will never let a black man be Captain America. This conversation is very intense, and gives the audience a lot of insight into the characters of Isaiah Bradley and Sam Wilson. It also brings Sam's decision to give up the shield at the beginning of the series into a much sharper focus.
On the flip side, it was fun to travel to Louisiana and see Sam interact with his family and community. In a heartwarming scene where Sam calls in favors from his neighbors, it becomes clear how impactful his family was to this community, and how beloved they are. It's also great to see Bucky welcomed in by Sam's family and community, and the scenes of him and Sam working together to fix the boat really gave the audience more bonding moments between the two than any other scene in the show did.
Bucky also begins his healing process, at first with his decision to spare Zemo and then again in his conversation with Sam where they toss the shield around as though they're having a friendly game of catch. His apology to Sam was very important, and it was great to see him acknowledge that he and Steve could never truly understand what the weight of that shield is for Sam. It was also nice to see Bucky get vulnerable with Sam in this conversation, telling him about his nightmares when that was something he wouldn't even bring up to his therapist. Sam's advice to Bucky is also a good character moment, and shows that he really does care about Bucky and his recovery, no matter how much the two of them like to pretend that they dislike each other.
The closest thing to an action scene in the latter portion of the show is Sam's training montage, where he at first struggles with the mechanics of throwing the shield around. It's a great montage and does some silent character building through Sam's growth in getting used to using the shield. It's also particularly heartwarming to see his nephew admiring the shield as Sam smiles down at him, which is a fantastic moment of representation for black youth who will get to see a Captain America who looks like them on their screens.
This whole episode is a great argument for Marvel engaging in more character moments, especially in the TV shows where they have the time. Action scenes are fun, and arguably necessary in superhero stories, but these moments where the audience gets to know a character better are just as important. Fans should come out of these MCU shows feeling like they know characters a lot more in-depth than they did from the films, and hopefully, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has that effect. If anything, they should have had more of these character moments from the start, and not waited so long to give us the really interesting beats and dialogue for Sam and Bucky's characters.