Marvelous TV Club

Sharon seemed pretty pissed at Sam and Bucky, but she's also living in a mansion with stolen art...and a private driver she hid from our heroes. What's she really up to? Meanwhile, Zemo flashes a more sympathetic side, and a certain legacy continues to haunt Sam, Bucky, and even John.

Kristine Kippins joins Marc to puzzle analyze characters new and old from Falcon and the Winter Soldier, episode 3: Power Broker! Grab a snake ball cocktail and join us, yeah?

Zemo's reading material has a lot to say about the choices made by everyone from Bucky to Sharon to Karli. And if you picked up a Blade Runner vibe from this episode, well, that was probably intentional.

Amanda Marcotte and Maeve Adams join Marc to explore this episode's interrogation of when the ends might justify the means as well as the influence of the noir genre across the entire episode. 

Does the Flag-Smashers' ideology make a lick of sense? What would going to high school with John Walker have been like? What is the hidden message in Sebastian Stan's Instagram account? And how on earth is there a connection between Helmut Zemo and Princess Leia?

PonderVision's Jesse Taylor and Marc Faletti zoom out from the second episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier for the kind of mind-altering discussion you will only find on the Marvelous TV Club!

Our favorite dysfunctional duo really amped up the love/hate tension in their first episode together. Kristine Kippins joins Marc for our own counseling session to talk about whether Sam and Bucky are friends, foes, frenemies, or family. Then we get into what makes John Walker tick—and how that ticking means he might be a bomb about to explode. Finally, we discuss the most amazing new character of the series: Isaiah Bradley. There's even more (Lemar! Karli!) inside the ep, so hit play and let's do this thing.

America has always loved a good cowboy story. But the second episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier puts that messed-up mythos under a harsh light. It also asks powerful questions about who gets to define someone's identity and the cost of so-called "unity" for people who can't call the shots. 

Amanda Marcotte and Maeve Adams join Marc to uncover the deeper themes of another fantastic episode of this MCU mini-series. We miss you already, Redwing!

Jesse Taylor joins Marc as we ask each other the biggest, weirdest, and most uncomfortable questions raised by the premiere episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. For example: What would've happened if Sam had named himself Captain America? What was — and what should be — Bucky's dating profile? Are there PS5s for Sarah's kids in the MCU? Was this episode's commentary on systemic racism too subtle or just right? And how much of allllll of this is Steve Rogers' fault?

Come get smart and silly about all of this and more on PonderVision.

Just how big of a mistake was it for Sam to hand over the shield? How screwed will Bucky be when he finally tells his friend Yori what happened to his son? Any why is Leah so incredibly bad at first dates? Kristine Kippins joins Marc to analyze all of that and more on our Charactercast. We dive into a ton about Sam and Bucky while making room to welcome Sarah, Torres, and more to the party. Strap on your flying squirrel suit and join us for a wild ride!

Amanda and Maeve join Marc to explore the themes of the premiere episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Sam and Bucky may be apart in this episode, but a lot of baggage binds them together from afar. Let’s unpack it together on Storycast!

Jesse Taylor joins Marc for a deep dive into everything the Sokovia Accords are, aren't, and should be. What do we know about them? Are they still a thing? How would the best possible version of them work? We also talk about whether the MCU is making progress in diversity from top to bottom and whether secret identities are a good idea or not. 

Get weird, stay weird, live PonderVision.

Kristine Kippins joins Marc to talk about the strengths, weaknesses, and best scenes for the titular characters in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. We then assess whether Zemo's a quality villain and try to grasp what Sharon was thinking when she french-kissed her great aunt Peggy's man. Finally, Kristine shares her thoughts on what it would mean to have a Black Captain America in today's world. All of that and more awaits you on Charactercast!

*Elevator music in my Zemo aside courtesy of Bensound YouTube