I know it models the comics, but count me among those that don't love Sam as the new Cap. I like the way they did it, but I would have liked to see Bucky with the shield instead. Plus his costume is a little cornball. That said, I think this is exactly the right time to do a story where a black American finds a way to represent a government that has not been historically kind to people of color. It felt a little forced at times, but hopefully it sends a positive message to those that need to hear it.
I liked the series overall, but didn't love it. The chemistry with Sam and Bucky is great and Zemo was awesome. I could have used more setup with Sharon Carter - how did she get to where she's at now as the Power Broker? That's a big change from the PB's storyline in the comics. I also didn't really understand what the Flag Smashers were fighting for. They want things to go back to how they were before all the Blip people came back, but what did they want to do with all the blip people? I wish they had come up with a better motivation for these guys - or maybe I'm the only one that really didn't get what they were fighting for.
Curious to see what happens to Walker next. He kind of redeemed himself at the end (happy ending!), but I thought he was better as a mentally unstable rogue agent. I would have liked to see him lose everything versus just a court martial, then have some shady government agency scoop him up as a black-ops punisher-style super agent. As it stands, he looks like just another super strong hero to jump around in the background. JLD as Val was a nice surprise, as was seeing the raft. I think we're heading towards a Raft break-out eventually, which would be a fun storyline to watch.
Agreed with just about all of that, especially in regards to Sam's outfit. That was just weird. And yeah, the societal commentary seemed a bit forced at times and I wish it would have been more subtle and nuanced. I think it would have a bigger effect. And yes, some folks need to hear that. I was a bit confused about why Bucky's arm seemed to be "under powered" and incapable of doing some things, especially in that last battle. I know he was fighting some other folks with the super serum, but he seemed to be underwhelming compared to the way we've seen him in previous movies.
I'm not up on the comics, so I have no idea how everything ties together. I hope to see a ton more of Bucky and Sam in the next set of movies. I've always been a fan of those two.
All in all, I'll rank this series ahead of Wandavision as far as holding my interest. I'm looking forward to the next series of events.