'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' web series episode 2 review: Tackling rising tensions

After a tight-paced opening episode highlighting what life looks like post-Endgame for some people, Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is finally taking a deeper dive into the nitty-gritty of the world.

Picking off from the bombshell of a new Captain America, Episode 2, titled "The Star-Spangled Man," features a much harsher look into the world of the series, tackling generally uncomfortable themes such as racism, and veering into the track of the brazenness of government surveillance, with a side of super-soldier combat.

One of the best things the episode does is tackle Bucky's past and his present relationship with Sam Wilson, the man who according to him, should have been the next Captain America. For his part, Sam seems to have moved on from the shield and the responsibility it presents, building up to a conflict between the two characters - which may come to pass later on.

On the other hand, the episode also does give some character to the new Captain America, John Walker. For his part, Walker appears to be an earnest guy, only trying to fill the shoes of a greater personality in Steve Rogers; however, he has a certain lack of tact for conversation, and tends to let his position get to his head - which is rather grating when the men he's talking down to happen to be two of the original Captain's best friends.

The episode also continues the drama surrounding the so-called Flag Smashers, who we saw smashing people up in the last episode. It appears they want the world to be 'united' once again and are stealing vaccines for...some reason. However, it may not all be well for the group, given how some third party is sending them threatening messages.

But the real slap is in the presentation of casual racism. There is a point in the episode where Bucky and Sam go to meet a man who beat Bucky up in the 50s, only to learn that he was imprisoned - and then get caught by the police, who only demand Sam show his ID, till one of the cops is able to identify him by his face - all because he's Black and Bucky is not.

In terms of action, the episode is a pretty decent bag of punches, kicks and high-speed manoeuvring. Sam and Bucky get beaten up quite a lot, but so does everyone else - and it looks like the stakes are only gonna get higher, as a familiar face, locked up in a cell, finally makes a long-awaited return.

There's a lot to look forward to in the future of this conspiracy-laden show, and one can only hope that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier can continue to deliver.