‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ season 1 recap – episode 5: ‘Truth’

This post was updated April 18 at 5:56 p.m.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

“Truth” comes to light in many forms.

Released Friday, the penultimate episode of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” explores the public fallout of John Walker’s (Wyatt Russell) rage-induced, shield-stricken murder of a surrendered Flag Smasher. Meanwhile, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) return to the United States as the trail on Karli Morgenthau’s (Erin Kellyman) whereabouts goes cold. Containing excellently written character moments and plot movement, “Truth” tees up sincere excitement and anticipation for next week’s series finale.

Immediately following the previous episode’s harrowing final shot of Walker facing a crowd of shocked, video-recording citizens, the episode opens with Sam and Bucky chasing Walker down to an empty warehouse in an attempt to restrain him. Walker, overwhelmed with adrenaline and sporadic flashes of his now-deceased partner’s wisdom, chooses not to give up the shield so easily, and a three-way, tightly choreographed fistfight ensues.

[Related: ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ season 1 recap – episode 4: ‘The Whole World Is Watching’]

Echoes of the final fight scene between Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bucky in “Captain America: Civil War” reverberate throughout this sequence, and character exposition and motives are subtly highlighted – Sam and Bucky only fought to restrain, while a rage-fueled Walker attempts to kill both multiple times. The fight ends with Sam and Bucky reclaiming the shield that once belonged to their friend, leaving Walker subdued with a broken arm.

With the trio preoccupied, Karli and the rest of the Flag Smashers manage to slip away following the accidental killing of Lemar Hoskins (Clé Bennett), forcing Sam and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) to track down leads on her whereabouts. Bucky separately finds Zemo (Daniel Brühl) at the Sokovia memorial site and confronts him for fleeing Latvia before turning him over to Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and the Dora Milaje.

After the Latvia incident, a disgraced Walker faces a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. military in court. The government effectively strips him of his Captain America mantle as Russell’s acting runs through a gambit of difficult emotions, conveying an excellent blend of volatile anger, frustration and regret. The court scenes are capped off with a surprise first appearance by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine – a mysterious espionage agent played by Emmy-winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus – who offers Walker comfort while cryptically telling him she’ll be in touch.

Further along, in what may be the emotional crux of the entire series, Sam heads back to Baltimore for a second visit with Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) to search for answers about what it might mean to be a Black Captain America. Isaiah succinctly outlines his disdain for how the government treated him as a Black super soldier who broke out of confinement to save his super soldier comrades, mirroring what Steve Rogers went through in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Yet the difference in their shared experiences was stark: Steve was celebrated with applause and a promotion, while Isaiah was thrown in jail for three decades.

[Related: ‘The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’ season 1 recap – episode 3: ‘Power Broker’]

Musing over Isaiah’s pessimism that the U.S. won’t ever let a Black man be Captain America, Sam heads back home to Louisiana to follow up with his sister Sarah Wilson (Adepero Oduye) on the family boat situation, promising he’ll fix it up while calling in old family favors to make it happen. Soon after Sam begins working on the boat, Bucky arrives with a high-tech Wakandan briefcase – a favor he asked Ayo – to give to Sam and stays to help him out.

Despite the difficulties they’ve endured together throughout the John Walker and Flag Smashers situations, the expositional downtime from the action lets the duo bond further, allowing them to play out more serious character moments. Akin to a casual football toss between two friends, they sling around the shield in Sarah’s backyard while reflecting on recent events, inching Sam closer toward taking on the Captain America mantle that Steve entrusted him with, keeping in mind a clear understanding of Isaiah’s hesitance.

Concurrently, Sam’s veteran counseling expertise comes into play as he encourages Bucky – who had been mentally struggling with his Winter Soldier past – to break out of living in Steve’s shadow and offer support and closure to the victims of his actions during his time as the Winter Soldier.

Tired of the multiple losses they’ve endured, Karli and the Flag Smashers wind up in New York to disrupt a Global Repatriation Council vote with the help of Batroc the Leaper (Georges St-Pierre), who has a vendetta against Sam for interfering with his business in the opening scene of “New World Order.” Sam sees the incoming situation on television and reaches for the Wakandan briefcase, presumably possessing his new Captain America suit, but the credits roll before the audience sees what’s inside.

Although “Truth” was an exposition-heavy and character-driven penultimate episode, the stage is set for a memorable series finale where the rightful mantle of Captain America may finally be realized.