Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 1 review
*** WARNING: this review contains spoilers for Falcon and The Winter Soldier ***
Just a couple of weeks since we said goodbye to Westview, Marvel is back with another series to follow up WandaVision’s success. Falcon and The Winter Soldier puts Captain America’s (Chris Evans) best buddies in the spotlight – Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Bucky Barnes fka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). The two have always been valuable supporting characters in the Avengers Universe, but can they sustain a storyline of their own?
Set a few months after the events of Endgame, the first of six episodes begins with Sam on a mission to stop the high jacking of a military plane by terrorists led by Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre, reprising his role from 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier). What follows is essentially a grand opening for the series, with an elaborate action sequence involving Sam fighting baddies on a plane before an aerial chase through the canyons. It establishes what kind of show this will be, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with a bit of action.
Sam swaps his wings for a sombre suit, as we cut to The Smithsonian where Sam is dedicating Captain America’s shield to an exhibit. Ominously, he says in his speech that the shield is the greatest symbol, but “it’s about the man that propped it up, and he’s gone”. Has Steve Rogers died? Or is Marvel being euphemistic about departing characters (again)?
After a brief chat with James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) where he more or less repeats his reasons for not taking up the shield, the next time we see Sam is in New Orleans where he is visiting his family business, run by his sister Sarah (Adepero Oduye). She’s thinking of selling the family boat, much to Sam’s horror, as the business is in financial trouble. Determined to help. He tries to organise a consolidating loan, but finds his status as an Avenger doesn’t hold much credit, particularly after being blipped for five years.
With these series, Marvel seems to be discovering the great roster of supporting actors they have. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany were award winners before coming to the world of capes, and stepped up brilliantly during WandaVision. Anyone who’s seen Mackie in independent films or shows like Black Mirror know of his versatility, and this storyline about coming out of Steve Rogers’ shadow will be interesting. However, there’s no denying that the story beats are slightly familiar, and if no one told you what you were watching you would probably guess this episode was the first act of a new Marvel action film, which will be good or bad news depending on your perspective.
Interspersed with Sam’s story is that of Bucky, now struggling to live a civilian life. He has a nightmare of his time as a brainwashed Hydra assassin, about a time he murdered a young student in a hotel who witnessed his kills. We cut to Bucky having a very passive aggressive session with a therapist (Amy Aquino), who is trying to get Bucky to open up about the difficulties of life without combat, despite Bucky insisting he’s fine. We learn he’s been making amends for his past, living by three rules: don’t do anything illegal, don’t hurt anyone, and tell the person why you’re making amends with them. A flashback shows he’s sticking to… most of those rules.
Much like his friend Steve, Bucky feels like a man out of time, having drinks with an elderly friend Yori (Ken Takemoto). While drinking, Yori sets Bucky up on a date with a bartender (Miki Ishikawa), and reveals he is still mourning the death of his son. Later on the date, the bartender reveals Yori’s son died under mysterious circumstances, before Bucky leaves abruptly and knocks on Yori’s door. Through the opened door, he sees the picture of Yori’s son, who is the man Bucky killed in his nightmare.
It’s fascinating to see this other side of the life of an Avenger, and what happens after the world is saved. However, Cap’s shadow looms large, not just in the storyline but in the way that it is told. These feel like things Chris Evans would be doing had he signed up for more movies, rather than a new adventure of its own.
We end with a cliff-hanger back in New Orleans. Sam is lamenting the situation with the bank, and his inability to rescue his family. Earlier in the episode, a contact of Sam’s named Joaquin (Danny Ramirez) talked about the rise of a new threat called The Flag-Smashers, who wish to destroy borders and preferred things during The Blip. Joaquin finds himself caught up and assaulted during a Flag-Smashers meeting, getting his assailant on film. Joaquin asks if it could be someone they know – the Flag-Smashers refer to Flag-Smasher, an established villain in the Captain America comics. Looks like we have our villain, everyone.
Later, Sam is watching television and sees the politician who told him he was “doing the right thing” giving up the shield. The politician gives a press conference where he introduces a new symbol for America: a new Captain America. It appears to be John Walker, known as both villain Super-Patriot and hero US Agent in the comics. Whether or not he is to be trusted in this series, who knows, but it’s unlikely this new Cap will simply slide into the equation.
This opening to Marvel’s new show is certainly interesting, looking at the consequences of being a hero, and what happens when the explosions stop. What is slightly worrying, however, is that it feels like the opening to ‘another Marvel movie’. WandaVision may not have fulfilled all its promises (we’re still not over Ralph Bohner), but it felt like something different that suited the series format. As talented as its stars are, if this series is just a Marvel movie chopped into six, fatigue will set in quickly.
New episodes of Falcon and The Winter Soldier are available every Friday on Disney+