It ends with blood on The Shield........THERE. IS. NEVER. BLOOD ON THE SHIELD. I was weeping.

Loving the character moments and the superb acting all around, so even if the plot feels lackluster—apparently partly due to COVID causing rewrites and reshoots—I still greatly enjoy this show.

I really enjoyed the action scenes in this ep - Sam using his jet-pack engine to roast a Flag Smasher was clever on his part - but mostly I loved all the talking scenes. John and Lemar talking about Afghanistan, Sam and Zemo discussing the serum, even just Sam’s reminder that he had helped veterans in the past (a…

“Inferiority complex” - yes, that’s it! He thought that the title and shield would make him Captain America, but he knows that isn’t so. Steve was a super soldier; John was not. Steve focused on defusing and rescue; John has a hot temper. The only joy John finds in his role is in being recognized and signing…

Definitely a very good episode this week. But the things that made the episode great for me was all the “quiet moments.” The scene where Ayo started to recite the Winter Soldier activation phrases and seeing Bucky breakdown when it didn’t take...so moving and happy/sad at the same time!

God, I loved this episode.

it’s interesting that Bucky was given court-mandated therapy while Walker was allowed to roam free

Very nice review. I won’t repeat all of the comments here about overcoming and facing trauma - they are all spot on and I agree. In addition to all of that, the last scene was just jaw dropping. Looking at that crowd, many filming the killing with their cell phones - that struck a very contemporary nerve. Well done.

Sam was acting more like Captain America in this episode than the guy with the name and shield.

And his shield is made from Wakandan vibranium! Such disrespect.

I didn’t dislike the last episode at all, but this episode definitely puts it in the shade. It felt coherent and thematically-rich, and finally - finally! - we get some insight into the Flag Smashers’ ideals.

Lots of great character moments in this episode.

And that’s spot-on why Sam gave up the shield. Because he saw it as making him into a symbol, and he didn’t want that. As a Black man who was a soldier first and an Avenger second, he’d have been very aware of the ways in which who he was got turned into what he represented, and it’s not only reasonable for him to…

Agreed! I’ve always appreciated how AV Club reviews are more than simple recaps of episodes, but describe what the episode meant for the writer personally. This was a great example of that.

This was an excellent review. Between the psychology of veterans and relating back to your own health struggles, you took a very personal and effective perspective point to view everything from and it was pretty fascinating to read, actually. I can definitely relate. I know exactly what it’s like to live around the…

Zemo stomping on all the vials was great. There was that brief moment where it seemed like he was considering taking it himself but then nope. Smash.

I thought this episode was fantastic.

Yep, a definite step up, and step forward, from last week’s episode. I like how Zemo’s murder of the scientist guy wasn’t forgotten by Sam, because that was a big complaint of mine last week.

I really admire how smart the show is being with its politics. Everybody is right! Zemo fearing the rise of inevitably…

Gonna be shocked if Power Broker is anyone other than Sharon. She keeps knowing exactly what they’re thinking, and if Broker actually wants the serum, it ain’t Zemo.

Putting the events of the episode aside- I gotta tell you, this review is really beautifully written. Contrasting Steve, John and Bucky and adding that empathetic personal touch- top notch writing.