Summary
The finale of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier gives us a shocking twist and a touching ending.
This recap of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season 1, episode 6, contains spoilers, particularly for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s ending. This recap of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finale also contains spoilers for all previous episodes in the season.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finale: The GRC Lockdown
Karli has the GRC on lockdown in lower Manhattan. They are about to vote on global resettlement. Sam and Bucky converge on the building where Sharon joins them. She says pardons aren’t all they are cracked up to be. Bucky quips, “Depends on the therapist.” Then, Karli gives the order. The super soldiers storm the board room to force the members to run, when who else but Sam, now dressed in full Captain America garb, takes out two bad guys. Sam then realizes their mistake: Karli is trying to force everyone outside.
It looks like Karli has her eyes not just on the GRC members; she keeps persuading Bucky that he is fighting for the side (something I and I’m sure several people are questioning while watching the show). Though, this all may be another smokescreen. The GRC board is rushed to a bullet-proof police Humvee, where a super-soldier locks them in. “Seriously Bucky, you had one job,” Sharon exclaims as the board members are now hostages.
While Sam is fighting off a super (probably duper) soldier in the boardroom and Sharon kills one with mercury vapor, Bucky speeds off to save the hostages. “Sorry Sam, I don’t fly, that’s on you,” Bucky says. Sam takes Steve’s shield, tells the super-duper soldier goodbye, and breaks the window so he can take a head-first dive into the big back sky; only then to see his wings spread like an eagle in full Captain America colors to chase the helicopter with the other GRC hostages.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season 1, episode 6 recap: The Return of John Walker
Karli intercepts the hostages in the police Humvee first. Though Bucky shows up and Karli needs to distract by giving him someone to save. So, she lights the Humvee on fire. While Bucky does his thing, saving those heartless GRC’s, John Walker shows up to avenge Battlestar. Karli kicks his ass, Bucky gets tossed off a bridge, but everyone lives to fight another day (or in this case, moment).
Meanwhile, Sam saves the other GRC members in a helicopter by bouncing his shield off its door, popping it off, and the shield bounces straight back to him so he can then fly through and take out the super-soldier behind the wheel. Who, though, is going to fly? Red Hawk found one of the members knows how to fly one, of course. Sam times it up perfectly, having her take over the plane the second after Sam completed the job.
Walker then finds his redemption. After getting another ass whooping, he swallows his pride and stops the police Humvee from falling off the top of the building. Of course, he can’t fight off three more bad guys, it starts to slip, and Sam comes out of nowhere to stop it from crashing a half dozen flights below. Several citizens take notice that the Falcon is now Captain America.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finale: The Power Broker
In a moment of genuine shock, I’ll just get it out of the way: Sharon is the Power Broker. This is unveiled when Karli is running from Sam and Shar-Bear picks her off. They exchange glances like they have met before, and Sharon asks Karli to come back and work for her. Yes, that’s right. Sharon was the head of the movement as the Power Broker the entire time. Karli was a product of hers. She broke off to create the Flag Smashers to fight the transplanted blimps.
Then, the super-duper soldier shows up, revealing that Sharon hired him to spy on Karli the entire time. But he has different plans as he then tells Sharon he needs four times what he paid him or he will tell the world who the Power Broker really is. Well, she is called the Power Broker for a reason and she doesn’t respond well to blackmail. She turns and shoots super-duper, but Karlie then shoots Sharon.
In a moment of perfect timing, Sam shows up before Karli was about to power down Sharon. Karli thought Sam was different, but Sam tells Karli she is misguided. For some reason Sam puts down his weapons, Karli raises hers, and Sharon, bleeding from her stomach wound, kills Karli with a shot to the chest. She dies in Sam’s arms. This causes Sam to appeal to the GRC and its members; the blips are not terrorists and his speech moves everyone to make the right call.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier season 1, episode 6 recap: The Clean Up
Sam and Bucky caught the rest of the Flag Smashers when they try to escape by using their app, which is hilarious. Sharon is still shot and leaves with Bucky without anyone knowing her true identity. Don’t worry, the Flag Smashers won’t escape either. It was indicated that they would be saved when transported by police caravan, but then it blows up. Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louise-Dreyfuss) rebrands John Walker with a new look (the blue on his outfit is now black). Also, he now has a new job: U.S. Agent.
Finally, Bucky tells his best bud, Yori Nakajima, that the Winter Soldier killed his son RJ. This prompts him to leave a copy of his book that lists the people he wronged as his alter ego at his psychiatrist’s office, Dr. Raynor (the great Amy Aquino) with a note, “Thanks for everything, Doc.”
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier ending explained: The Conclusion
Sam visits Isiah Bradley (played by Carl Lumbly) and takes him on a trip. They visit the memorial that Sam visited in the first episode. There is now a statue in his honor. He embraces Sam and tears are shed. Lastly, Sam tells him he is going to make sure he becomes the best Captain America he can be and represent the people he cares about the most.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier ending credits scene:
Sharon Carter gets her citizenship back. She will be repaid some of the debt paid to her and her family. She is given a full pardon and a role in her old department. Uh-oh. The Power Broker is about to have access to the entire U.S. Intelligence community’s gift basket. She will sell government secrets, prototypes, and weapons to the highest bidder.
