owlmoose | The Sam and Bucky Show: Ep. 3

Interesting that they seem to be alternating between giving Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan top billing in the closing credits.

I should have known better than to fall for Sharon's cover story about why she's off the grid in Madripoor. Possibly Sam and Bucky should also have known better, but I forgive them for it. I'm very eager to learn what she's really up to. Still with the CIA, maybe? Or someone else? I wonder what the status of SHIELD is in the main MCU, now that Agents of SHIELD seems to have gone off on its own timeline splinter. Sharon, Bucky, and Sam make for interesting contrasts in what it means to be a hero, especially if you also bring Fake!Cap into the mix.

I figured from the trailers that Zemo would be involved in the story as more than a source of information. Still, fascinating that Bucky was willing to break him out of prison, and confident enough in his deprogramming to play the Winter Soldier at need. They seem to be pulling him closer to other canonical versions of the character. I mostly know him as a member of team HYDRA from some of the animated Avengers shows; here, he's more a rival of HYDRA than part of the group. When he was talking to Sam and Bucky about heroism (there's that theme again), I noted that he referred to Bucky's World War II service, but the threat he mentioned by name was Red Skull, not Hitler, even though Bucky initially enlisted (or was drafted -- it's never made clear) to fight Nazi Germany, not HYDRA.

Probably the biggest surprise was the appearance of Ayo at the end. It should not have been a surprise, but it was. Of course the Wakandans are keeping track of Zemo and would hunt him down if he escaped. I wonder how much of a presence she will be in the rest of the show.