14th April 2021
By Gavriel
“The whole world is watching”. At least, that’s what the guy with the 14th Century plague mask said to me at the end of his bedtime story. I was wearing my Mickey Mouse pyjamas under my Superman covers so this did not scare me. Yet this, in part, is true. I do have a fairly large proportion of the world’s population reading my blog and I have no doubt my fanbase will only increase with this post. Feel free to comment below an apt name for my loyal fans (e.g. the Swifties for Taylor Swift, Firebreathers for Imagine Dragons).
Alas, I digress, the true reason for my title is not my enormous ego – for once – but the title of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 4. I have watched this episode multiple times so far. Why, I hear you ask? Because I have no life. And because of this, my hours spent watching a singular TV episode means that my lovely readers can digest all I have learnt in a matter of minutes; I know y’all have lives so this will help you carry on with them.
I had many takeaways, most ended up in my stomach, but the voice in my head demanded that I talk about the marvellous acting in the fourth episode. I did a one-week acting camp coming away with a distinction in drama many years back so I am hence qualified.
(For anyone who has not noted my excruciating sarcasm so far, get used to it)
For starters, Sebastian Stan is amazing in every single way. That’s it. That’s the blog. Nay, I shall carry on and mention Seb’s (we are on nickname terms) acting during the flashback to Wakanda. When Ayo speaks the activation code accompanied by the Winter Soldier theme, Bucky’s face goes from fear to anger to bewilderment to relief. When Ayo first says, “you are free”, Bucky looks up at her, tears in his eyes, to check if she really did just say that. Stan’s face in the picture below really epitomises his superhuman ability to express all these emotions at once.
Our introduction to Wyatt Russell’s John Walker comes with two people filming him in the background. Walker began the series clean-shaven but by episode 4 he has a bit of scruff. Personally, I think my brew of bum fluff and straggly ginger hairs amidst a swarm of poorly placed darker spikes looks better, but each to their own. Walker is clearly tilting over the edge (I mean who grows their beard like that?!) and Russell exemplifies this through various subtle tics throughout the episode. I too have subtle twitches and a better beard than Walker… the shield should really be mine. Subtle touches of his forehead throughout the episode indicate that he has a migraine or something else messing with his head. Additionally, when the girl whom Zemo bribed with Swedish Delight (which seems to be a common theme in popular culture yet is quite frankly disgusting) leads them to Karli, right before the cut to a different shot Walker’s head jerks down to the right. Even in the background, Russell displays excellent acting skills. Tom Holland, please take note.
By contrast, in the funeral scene, there are loads of child actors. Cue this child looking creepily into the camera lens:
Walker’s face after his defeat at the hands of the Dora Milaje really shows his distress, setting up his actions later in the episode. “They weren’t even super soldiers” was a perfectly delivered line to end the scene.
During his fight with the Flagsmashers Walker constantly twitches. After throwing his shield into the wall he involuntarily shrugs his shoulders. Walker watches over a dead Hoskins with a bit of blood trickling from his ear suggesting a concussion, another injury to the brain. And lastly, to finish the episode off, Walker’s now-iconic pose with the bloody shield in his hand has all the world watching. What is more discrete to the eye, however, is Walker’s twitching right hand. His inner demons are now in control.
If there is one thing to take away from this it is that I deserve a change.com petition to make me the new Captain America. I am a master blogger, a semi-athletic person with just below average facial hair. I also have the costume within arms reach of my bed already, right next to my hulk gloves (one has to be safe). I also have a lot of homework to do, but if I can find time to write a blog I’m sure I can find the time to travel in luxury and do battle of course. My Battle of Hastings re-enactment on the first Sunday of every month takes precedence though of course. Have a moderately good week and don’t talk to any people walking around with below-par facial hair. They might kill you with a shield.