lenardhexal

This episode does not break the fourth wall, it pummels it to death in a cheeky manner that surprisingly befits its two leads.

The dialogue is somewhat sharper here than it has been for a while on this show. The episode feels quick on its feet and some of the quips land in that exact spot between satire and DEEP satire that I imagine they're shooting for.

The dance sequence is not animated fluidly, but with the overall tongue-in-cheek tone of the episode, you almost--almost--believe they intended as much. The visual quality is otherwise what you'd expect from the series by now. Cosmic Agatha's emergence is rendered beautifully.

The voice acting is great across the board. They made a bold choice committing to that mid-Atlantic '40s accent because it runs the risk of making the characters less identifiable, yet both Hahn and Nanjiani deliver energetic enough performances that I don't mind it.

My gripe with this one is the resolution, which does not feel altogether true to Agatha's character. Overall, it's good, light-hearted fun that could have used a more creative twist to finish stronger.

All the components are there to make something fun and fresh, but the show fails to push the ideas past the cliches. Every time I leaned forward waiting for the show to surprise me, it stumbled into the most obvious, done-to-death resolution. The dialogue itself is also quite spotty and I must've chuckled twice across four episodes.

The women are the show's most and least engaging characters, somehow. It is not often you see them establish an interesting female figure with internal conflict and depth (The Bride) and introduce a flat, unrealistic and oversexualized princess archetype (Ilana) in the same breath. Flag is as uninteresting as they come, and we don't know enough about the guy on fire to really care.

The voice acting is wonderful across the board, with Varma being a standout. The character designs are great and I do enjoy the overall visuals. The music and the way the scenes are cut and edited works well towards the most unique aspect of an otherwise diluted, shaky brand.

Predictable, clunky and uninspired, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier benefits from none of the MCU buzz it rides on. The series manages to stumble into most superhero cliches on its way to a standard-issue finale that maybe--maybe--works for a 2-hour film, but cannot justify the time investment of a 6-parter. Adequate performances from Mackie and Stan do little to elevate the thankless material. The visuals are great and there's a hummable score dropped here and there. I appreciate Wyatt Russel and Emily Van Camp's performances as the two add some texture to the story. All that is sadly not enough to make The Falcon and the Winter Soldier a decent watch.