The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - S1E1: New World Order
DISNEY+The Marvel Cinematic Universe undoubtedly hit a turning point in hiring the Russo Brothers. After their debut with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they reinvented the wheel and sold a very grounded superhero world to audiences. The Russos’ contributions to the MCU are some of the franchises’ best, and it’s promising to see director Kari Skogland channel those vibes throughout this first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Instantly, this show feels less risky than its predecessor, WandaVision, and that’s not a bad thing. WandaVision was a mixed bag of a show that failed to deliver on its promise of fleshing out some of the MCU’s secondary characters. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier looks to have no problem doing this. Within it’s first forty-five minute chunk, both Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) get ample time to shine due to what is probably the episode’s biggest surprise: Sam and Bucky don’t share any screen time.
The episode offers a rather subdued reflection on the events of Avengers: Endgame and other previous installments, with Bucky finally being able to digest his past. He is one of the series’ most tormented characters, having been brainwashed into assassination and his actions throughout this episode show him trying to make amends. Stan carries the character well and offers a glimpse of what he has to flaunt in a therapy scene that is reminiscent of the opening therapy sequence from The Sopranos. It even mirrors the tongue-in-cheek way that flashbacks offer an alternate take on what Bucky is telling his therapist. If Marvel are promising a deconstruction of masculinity through the means of one of it’s most popular male characters, then this is something that deserves to be explored throughout six episodes and not crammed into a two hour movie.
On the other side of the coin is Mackie and he finally gets to shine here, proving himself a solid lead. It’s been tough to get too attached to the character of Sam Wilson within the MCU films, despite Mackie’s charm. Constantly playing second fiddle to Captain America, Sam has never had the opportunity to play more than a loyal sidekick, until now. Sam also gets some much needed downtime and we are introduced to his sister, Sarah (Adepero Oduye) and nephews. However, it’s the opening action sequence that sells how overlooked the Falcon has been so far.
In glorious typical Marvel fashion, we open with a rather large ‘bang’. Any fears of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier looking cheap in comparison to the films is instantly quashed. The show’s first set piece sees Sam getting the best use of his Falcon gear on a solo mission in Middle Eastern airspace. It further nods to the tone of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the villain this time around is the returning Georges Batroc (Georges St-Pierre) and Sam even gets his own ‘jumping out of a plane without a parachute’ moment. It’s a stunning piece of action, consuming nearly a quarter of the episode’s runtime and cements both Sam and Mackie as dependable protagonists going forward.
Interestingly, the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is not as full-on as one may have anticipated. Instead, it takes its time to re-introduce us to these characters and develop them beyond the minor roles they have been relegated to so far. Because of this, the main narrative thread is barely touched upon, with no mention of primary antagonist, Zemo (Daniel Bruhl). Although the dialogue sequences are rather hit and miss, it genuinely is nice to just spend time with Sam and Bucky. A glimpse of their world when it’s not under attack is a welcome perspective, although that calming pace is sure to be thrown into asunder from the next episode, and the action glimpsed in the opening sequence will take centre stage.