but I think Fu Manchu is off limits for Marvel.

I would expect so! Pretty racist Yellow Peril stuff.

Anyway, the trailer looks cool with lots of San Francisco locations and the 1 California bus being driven by Awkwafina.

There's a CinemaSins "Everything Wrong with Episode 2 of the Winter Soldier" (because of course there is) and my favorite part is him yelling at the screen about Bucky needing some competent goddamn therapy. I started out rather liking the therapist - they avoided the stereotypes, made her down-to-earth and straightforward - but wow is that not helpful.

Just found it - my favorite complainer about too-long logos and "you have to see this" cliches suggested "have that VERY CLEARLY DISTRAUGHT EX-ASSASSIN SIT HIS ASS DOWN AND DO SOME OF THE HARD WORK OF THERAPY!" It made me kind of proud of nerd culture.

I was entertained by the trailer but so much more aware than I used to be of all the tropes and stereotypes and how even "positive" stereotypes can be harmful and... a bit nervous. Hopeful! But nervous.

Having a Chinese "true" Mandarin doesn't distance them *that* much from Yellow Peril stories, though I guess he's the most progressive villain on the Fu Manchu/The Yellow Claw/Shiwan Khan/Charlie Chan/Ancient One/Ming the Merciless/Shang-Chi/Jimmy Woo spectrum.

I'm mostly here for Tony Leung, who's still dreamy AF all these years later. I'ma gonna be a pathetic villain apologist when this comes out, I just know it.

YES TONY LEUNG

Huh. I was unaware that Hulu is going to have a stop-motion MODOK series: [link] (trailer in the article at that link).

Well, I felt that the finale was moderately clunky yet inspiring. "I'm Captain America." YES YOU ARE.

Everything with Bucky is amazing. Sebastian Stan did such great work in all of his character development scenes, many of which required some nuanced, quiet stuff.

The one thing that completely didn't work for me was the Power Broker stuff. People had obviously figured out that it was Sharon, but there's no connection between the character we've previously been shown and this character. A huge part of CAatWS was the value of doing what was right, even if people disagreed with you, and even if the costs you paid were high. And her eulogy in Civil War: "Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'No, you move'."

So I'm expecting that she's a Skrull or whatever. *handwave*

Dana, full agree.

One thing that bugged me was how quickly the show wanted us to come around on John Walker. What's it been, a week? I know I said I found him sympathetic last time but that was kind of based on the idea that he'd feel guilty or something. Russell still did a good job though. Also, I had to do a movie-logic handwave about the Smithsonian visit - how did he get that there? Did he get the govt to ADMIT to that? Seems surprising. Also, Isaiah specifically said to let him stay erased and might have had a really bad reaction to you completely ignoring that. But, deep breath, "emotional moment trumps logic," and I'm good.

So during the first ep's Battleship date I remember thinking that Bucky really looked too old for her (and then realizing I didn't have a guess as to her age) and then this time when he looks through the restaurant window, he looks perceptibly younger. I don't know if anyone else had that reaction, but it made a nice contrast for me. Even though I have some issues with Sam's advice. Ah well.

So it was weird, but I liked it.

ETA one last ETA. Is there some shortage of razors post-blip? That was a LOT of scruff onscreen.

Well, some really good moments, but I don’t love the whole as I expected to.

One thing that bugged me was

Yeah, I thought the moment when he visibly made the choice between going after Karli and trying to save the people was well done. Don't know what the hell his actual status is supposed to be now, considering, you know, he killed a guy.