The penultimate episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier answered a lot of questions heading into the final chapter of this six-part event series. We still have more, but it's not those we're talking about today.
Instead, there are some problematic aspects of the show that need to be addressed in that final hour, including the handling of key characters, apparent plot holes, and some teases which may be going nowhere.
This feature isn't setting out to attack the series in any way, but we're sure you'll agree that if these points aren't addressed or resolved in some way by the finale, it will really hurt Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes' (Sebastian Stan) first small screen team-up.
Unfortunately, we're not banking on Marvel Studios making things right in the space of 50 minutes next Friday...
5. Bucky In Madripoor
When Sam, Bucky, and Zemo paid a visit to Madripoor, Barnes was forced to assume the role of the Winter Soldier in order to fit in. He proceeded to beat a bunch of people up, many of whom recorded him on their cell phones.
We know Bucky was only pardoned on the condition that he agreed to abide by a strict set of rules, and hanging out with Zemo and basically being the Winter Soldier again...well, that's gonna be hard to explain. Marvel might be hoping we just forget this, but it would be strange if it wasn't addressed in some manner.
For us, it makes the most sense for Bucky to be arrested by someone like General Ross and forced to join a team - the Thunderbolts - he's been putting together for a while now.
That's likely wishful thinking, and this could be a dangling plot thread caused by Marvel Studios using a writers room for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (which has given the series an often disjointed feel).
4. John Walker's Pointless Wife
Sorry, why does John Walker have a wife again? She appeared in episode 2 to give the new Captain America a pep talk, smiled a lot when he was being interviewed by Good Morning America, and then vanished until today's penultimate chapter.
There to support John after he was stripped of his Captain America title, Olivia didn't really add much to the scene with Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine and Marvel Studios seemed to make a point of having that villain totally ignore her.
John's wife is a new addition to the character's world, so it's not like she was pulled from the comics!
With only one episode left, it doesn't look like Olivia will play any sort of role in where the former Captain America's story goes next, so why include her in the first place? John didn't need a wife, and it's not as if her tragically dying will set him on the path to becoming U.S. Agent, as that happened the second poor Lemar Hoskins was taken out.
3. Aimless Flag Smashers
Flag Smasher has not been an effective villain in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and neither has her crew. They've all taken Power Broker's super soldier serum, but aside from giving Sam, Bucky, and John someone to fight, they've not added anything significant to this series.
They don't appear to have a real endgame aside from stalling a vote to return those displaced by the Blip to their home nations. That's great and all, but this bland bunch of baddies have been a chore to spend time with.
The new Captain America, the old Captain America, and Bucky teaming up to take them down is likely inevitable, but we sure hope that doesn't take too much time.
Marvel Studios really dropped the ball with Karli Morgenthau and the Flag Smashers, so whatever happens, fingers crossed this is where their story ends because there's really no need to bring them back based on what we've seen here.
2. The Sharon Carter/Zemo Problem
Sharon Carter's return was fine but didn't quite live up to expectations. Zemo, on the other hand, was a delight to spend time with, but has his story really reached its conclusion?
The Dora Milaje has taken him to The Raft, and that's not an easy prison to escape from. It is, however, the perfect place for someone like General Ross or Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine to recruit him to a team of supervillains they're putting together.
As for Sharon, she's only appeared in two scenes over the past couple of episodes, with the latest strongly hinting that she might, in fact, be the Power Broker.
That feels too predictable, but it seems like she's definitely working for the bad guys. No one could blame Sharon for feeling bitter towards The Falcon and Bucky after Captain America: Civil War, so that might go some way towards explaining her turn to the dark side.
1. Where Is Steve Rogers?
Has Marvel Studios learned nothing from WandaVision? Perhaps, but as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was shot at roughly the same time, it's too late to do away with teases that lead nowhere.
On several occasions now, Sam and Bucky have made vague references to Steve Rogers, simply saying he's "gone." The world doesn't appear to know about his trip back in time, which was evident from all that silly chatter about him possibly watching over Earth from the moon.
A Chris Evans cameo in the finale would be welcomed, but the actor maintains that he's done with the MCU.
To put it bluntly, Marvel needs to sh*t or get off the pot and make it clear what the deal with the former Captain America is rather than leaving the door open to a future story they may or may not tell.