After six long weeks the second Marvel show, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finally wrapped up. It did a commendable job in making these sidekicks matter more to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. While it does have a lot of ups, it sadly has almost an equal amount of downs. This is a spoiler-filled review for the show, so be warned reading further.

What this show does best is its characterization of its characters, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Baron Zemo and John Walker. The TV format helped Wilson’s character a lot. Showing his family life and his struggles to take up the mantle of Captain America really made me feel more for the character that I previously did not care about at all.

Seeing the emotional impact that being The Winter Soldier had on Barnes was another good part of this show. If this was not a show and a movie instead this would probably not have been in it. The only thing that could have been better was if Barnes was in the show more. The show is called The Falcon and The Winter Soldier yet it feels like Barnes took the backseat to Wilson characterization-wise.

While the show does an excellent job in the character department, it really struggles with the plot. In my opinion, it is just so boring. The Flag-Smashers and Karlie Morgenthau are some of the most boring villains in the MCU. I found myself zoning out whenever they were on screen. A more appropriate villain would have been John Walker or U.S. Agent.

His time on screen was compelling and setting him up as a continuous villain would have been better. The show messed up on giving him a redemption arc in the last episode. This made his murder of the flag-smasher in episode four mean less than it should have.

While this show was good, it could have been so much better. Leaning on U.S. Agent and Sharon Carter as villains would have made this show a lot better. But in the end, it seems like getting Sam Wilson to take up the shield and become the new Captain America is all the show was really for.