Legacy of the Shield - The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Reviewed

(Spoiler-free or your money cheerfully refunded!)

Marvel's The Falcon and The Winter Soldier wrapped up its six-episode run last night, and it is another solid entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon.

While Kevin Feige and company could have taken an easy base hit and given us six hours of rock 'em, sock 'em action, they instead swung for the fences and supplemented the mandated fisticuffs and action setpieces with dynamic characters as well as poignant insights into race, globalization, and the treatment of veterans.

My favourite element though, is how tightly FAWS ties itself into the lore of the Marvel movies that have preceded it - this series probably has more connective tissue to the MCU than any other film that has gone before it, with the possible exception of Avengers: Endgame.

While a newcomer to this mythology could probably catch themselves pretty quickly, it helps to know that Bucky Barnes (The Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan) is still coming to grips with his actions as a brainwashed Hydra assassin, while Sam Wilson (The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie) is wrestling with what it means for a black man to carry Captain America's shield. By the end of the first episode, Sam has given the shield to the Smithsonian only to see it removed and given to anew Captain America, and he and Bucky find themselves at odds with a group of post-nationalists calling themselves the Flag-Smashers. This group and their leader Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman) want to keep borders dissolved like they were before half the world's population returned at the finale of Endgame.

I won't lie, I felt like Anthony Mackie brings a smidgen too much sass and swagger to play a convincing Falcon, let alone heir apparent to one of the most iconic symbols in the Marvel Universe. In truth, he brings a tremendous balance of humor, pathos and compassion, harkening back to when we first met him as a veteran's counsellor in the second Captain America movie. In addition to superhero existential issues though, we also see him struggle with saving his family legacy and business, and dealing with discriminatory lending practices. (And I really wish they had dug a little deeper into the infamous bank scene, which dares to ask the questions we all have about just who pays the rent for these superheroes?)

Sebastian Stan continues to bring his own blend of smart-assery and brooding to his troubled character. He makes tremendous uses of silence and pauses, but his banter is elevated through his chemistry with Mackie. One of his best scenes has him simply reacting to the sound of someone reading the Russian words that activated him as the Winter Soldier in that film, with almost no dialogue on his part.

The two major themes explored in FAWS are legacy and consequences. It would have been easy to say that after the undoing of Thanos' snap in Endgame that everything returned to normal pretty much immediately (or at least off-camera), this series establishes that a multinational entity called the Global Repatriation Commission is trying to return things to a status quo, but not in a way that meets everyone's liking. This makes empowered freedom fighter/terrorist Karli and her Flag Smashers far more sympathetic than any traditional comic baddies like Hydra or AIM.

Likewise, Sam's feelings about the shield become even more convoluted when he is introduced to Isaiah Bradley, a black man who received an experimental super-soldier serum before Steve Rogers. This nod to the groundbreaking comic series "The Truth: Red, White & Black" is a fantastic testimonial to the way that funny books can tackle serious topics.

But for those of us who love the source material for all its other reasons, there is a lot to like in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The return of Sharon Carter, references to Bucky's recovery in Wakanda, a great portrayal of John Walker (who has been both Captain America and USAgent in the comics) by Wyatt Rusell (Kurt's boy!), and best of all, the reintroduction of Daniel Bruhl as Baron Zemo in a brilliantly updated version of one of the silliest costumes in comics.

In comics though, writers and artists come and go, and there is a tendency to return to the status quo at the end of their run. FAWS leans heavily into change - maybe they have no choice, given the events in the MCU they are following on from... - but despite having wrapped up this story as comprehensively as they have, showrunners Kari Skogland and Malcolm Spellman have set the stage for a number of great follow-up tales in the MCU. I can't wait to see what's next!

From Hair to There

When Fenya was a little girl, if she told me that she would be going out for a haircut at some point, I would invariably say, "Go out for a haircut? Now, why would you want to do that? I can cut your hair here at home and for free too!"

"Really?" she asked (the first time, anyhow).

"Absolutely!" I would reply confidently. "I can't do any fancy stuff with it, but if you want a haircut like mine..." I would add while running my hand along my shaved head for emphasis.

Her responses would vary over the years from shock to laughter, to disgust, to eye rolls and similar dismissive gestures, but sometime around junior high she started saying, "Hmm...not this time, but thanks." Somewhere along the way, she had glommed onto the idea that hair was more a matter of expression than identity, which is also when she started colouring it (after talking about it for years). Did this mean someday she would actually want me to shave her head?

Last week, she brought up the idea again, largely because there would never be a better time to try it out. She was not working a full-time job, she was not attending in-person classes, and the vast majority of people she knew would think it was pretty cool, myself included. By this fall, even a close-cropped shave will have grown into something short but styleable. And besides, multiple colourings had damaged her hair enough that a healthy grow-out from scratch over the summer made a lot of sense.

So when she finished her most recent exam this week, she said, "Hey, let's shave my head this weekend."

As always, I was happy to help - and frankly, when it comes to the girls' hair, shaving it off is really the only thing I am remotely qualified to do.

So we brought the stool and clippers out to the back patio, draped one of my old t-shirts over her and tightened the neck opening with a clothespin, and got to work.

We started out with scissors, and we took turns cutting off some tendrils of her hair. 

We tried to leave a mohawk, but without product to make it stand up, this side project was doomed to fail. We did manage to leave her a proper '80s rat tail long enough to photograph it, which she appreciated.

It was soon time to switch to the clippers, my one area of 'expertise', having used them at least monthly for about a quarter-century now. We ended up trimming everything down to my second smallest comb (the #2 - for reference, I use no comb and come away with a proper 'pig-shave' as the kids used to say,  which was more severe than what Fenya was looking for. 

On more than one occasion she remarked on how soothing it felt, and I had to agree.

Before too long, her curly locks were all gone. She was happy and I thought she looked great.

This morning when I went to get her for breakfast, her hand came up reflexively to her head and after the briefest of pauses, she smiled broadly and said, "I don't have to do my hair!"

"Liberating, isn't it?" I said. And she agreed.

To top it all off (so to speak), tonight she asked me to give her scalp another go-over with the number 1 comb, for no other reason than to see what it felt and looked like.

I told her it was maybe a little more government-issue looking, but still tidy and cool. Now to see how long it takes to grow back in - an endeavour there is, sadly, little point in me joining her in.

Birthday View from the Top

For Glory's second COVID birthday (sigh) we took another trip to the mountains but decided we would stop in Jasper for some sightseeing so that Canéla wouldn't be trapped in the car all day. And what better place for sightseeing than a mountaintop accessible by tram?

The $5.70 it costs to have our new canine companion accompany us was a bargain, and although the ascent up to the chalet left her disquieted, Canéla behaved herself very well, and didn't even bother the other dog on our car overmuch.

Glory and I had been up here together a few years earlier, here being the top of Whistler's Mountain by way of the tram. At that time, our attempt to hike to the summit was not only a failure, but the ice and snow made our descent treacherous enough that I fell, arrested my tumbling plummet by grabbing onto a sturdy boulder with my shin and was in considerable pain for the remainder of our excursion.

This time around, I only went up as far as the second bench, and after getting a few pictures together, I wished the others well as they attempted to reach the false summit. (The actual summit had enough snow covering it that snowshoes were actually required to proceed.)

Glory got the furthest, but eventually, even she turned back.

Even though it was cold on the mountaintop, it was a bright, clear, beautiful day, and we still had daylight following our ride down the mountain, so we went exploring in the Flex for a bit. We ended up walking across a recently refurbished bridge to Pyramid Island, on Pyramid Lake (natch). 

It turns out the island can be rented for private gatherings (outside of COVID, one presumes) and there are a set of benches by the lakeside that would make a wonderful spot for a wedding or renewal of vows or some such. Even with "only" a birthday to celebrate, it was one more wonderful new spot to visit in Jasper for us, and a great place to finish out sightseeing before picking up a pizza from North Face (white garlic sauce, crabmeat, onions and spinach) and returning home.

Seven Reasons to Watch The Night Manager

 Audrey and I recently finished watching The Night Manager (2016) on Amazon Prime Video, and this espionage thriller may well be worth your time as well.

1) The Story 

The Night Manager is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by legendary spycraft author John Le Carré (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). Updated to the modern day with outstanding effectiveness, it follows Jonathan Pine, the night manager at a posh Cairo hotel, who, in trying to do the right thing, ends up being drawn into the world of multi-million dollar arms deals, and all the secrecy, murder and betrayal that entails.

2) The Cast

Tom Hiddleston (Loki from Thor) plays the titular manager, Jonathan Pine, while amiable and humorous Hugh Laurie (Dr. House from House) takes a darker turn as Pine's foil Richard Roeper, a philanthropist and arms dealer. Rounding out the cast are Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet) as Roeper's conflicted girlfriend and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The Crown) as the increasingly desperate British intelligence officer working to get the goods on Roeper. A great core cast, and no slouches among the other players either. And Hiddleston is a charmer and a half; I'm beginning to think I could watch him in most anything.

3) The Tension

Although this BBC series was released in 2016 and you could binge all six episodes in a night or two, both Audrey and I were too wound up by the end of each episode to continue, sometimes breathing an audible sigh of relief when the end credits rolled. Perhaps you are made of sterner stuff, but I would recommend pacing yourself.

4) Smart Characters

Looking back, of course there are characters who display poor judgement at times, including (perhaps especially) (perhaps inevitably) the main character, but not a single plot point is advanced because anyone is careless, lazy or stupid. There are surprises both pleasant and unpleasant, but overall, this a group of sharp and canny individuals who have solid reasons to pursue their goals as intently as they do.

5) Looks Like Bond...

A plethora of exotic locales ranging from posh hotel lobbies in Egypt and Switzerland, to a paramilitary camp in the desert, to Roeper's magnificent estate in Mallorca keep your eyes entertained while your brain spins its wheels trying to anticipate the next development. And a great variety of costuming from fancy to frumpish helps set the various stages this story plays out on. This is apparently the most that the BBC has ever spent on a single production, and it looks marvelous as a result.

 6) ...But Feels Like Hitchcock

No secret gadgets, no car chases, and no karate fights, the people who use violence in The Night Manager tend to be terrifying professionals who use intimidation as much as their fists. Moreover, the political side of things, as Colman's Angela Burr fights for resources to investigate Roeper while others in her own government are intent on maintaining the status quo, was just as intriguing as watching Pine's slowly unfolding infiltration.

7) Small Investment, Big Payoff

Originally optioned way back when as a major box-office release, having six hours to let the story unfold really allows it to take its time in getting underway, which may leave some viewers initially restless. Audrey and I were intrigued right off the hop, and knowing that this was a novel and not a franchise greatly increased the sense of peril throughout. When all is said and done, no every single thread is tied off, but you don't come away feeling like a sequel would be of any use either.

If you are looking for a spy yarn that is a tinge more realistic and less bombastic than Bond or Bourne but no less dramatic, I can firmly recommend The Night Manager.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/MqJGDsePuvk