The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
"The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" was initially planned as the first of the four Disney+ Marvel series to premiere. Due to the pandemic, filming was delayed so "WandaVision" became the first to premiere. I'm not sure if that did this show any favors. "WandaVision" was a big leap for the MCU and "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" feels much more in line with what we've come to expect. That's not a bad thing, necessarily and as the series progresses it does tackle some heavier subjects. I'm excited to see if I get more out of the show the second time around then I did the first time.
"New World Order"
Sam Wilson: "Steve represented the best in all of us. Courageous, righteous, hopeful. And he mastered posing stoically. The world has been forever changed. A few months ago, billions of people reappeared after five years away, sending the world into turmoil. We need new heroes. Ones suited for the times we're in. Symbols... are nothing without the women and men that give them meaning, and this thing... I don't know if there's ever been a greater symbol, but it's more about the man who propped it up, and he's gone. So, today we honor Steve's legacy, but also, we look to the future. So, thank you, Captain America, but this belongs to you."
A few months after the Blip, Sam Wilson is still tryin got get his feet back under him. He knows he wants to help his sister Sarah keep their families fishing boat, but one thing he doesn't want is to be Captain America, despite Steve's wishes. Sam prefers to continue being the Falcon, helping the US government with clandestine missions stopping Steve's old nemesis(?) Batroc the Leaper and helping Joaquin Torres investigate a group called the Flag Smashers. James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is doing his best to integrate back into society after getting a full pardon. His therapist, Dr. Raynor, has given him rules to follow as he makes amends and he's following the spirt of them even if he's not following them to the letter. These two former partners of Captain America will soon be brought back together when the US government decides it doesn't want the shield gathering dust in the Smithsonian.
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| This guy. |
"New World Order" has a lot to do. First off, it is picking up a pretty long dangling thread from "Avengers: Endgame," Steve Rogers passing on his shield to Sam Wilson. That is a big deal and I think it deserves the space that Marvel has given it to tell this story. The MCU needs a Captain America and you know by the end of this series either Sam or Bucky will be wielding it.
I have to start off by giving it up for how freaking cinematic this show is. They definitely are spending the same amount of money as they would if it was a movie and that shows. The quality is top notch. The opening action scene with Falcon going after Batroc and his band is top notch. It's thrilling and you want to watch it on the biggest screen you possibly can. It was great to see Batroc again and the action choreography is really dope. The other major action set piece of the episode is Bucky back in his Winter Soldier days doing some assassinating. Again, it meets the high standard that the MCU has set for its action.
After that opening action sequence, the episode slows down and the remainder is a lot of table setting for what we can expect from the season. The major conflict is of course where Captain America's shield will settle. You'd think that it would be a no-brainer for Sam to accept Cap's wishes, but it's a lot deeper than that. The episode does a good job of illustrating this internal struggle that Sam is going through and you understand why he decides to give the shield to the Smithsonian to, in theory, join the Captain America exhibit there. We meet Sam's family in this episode, his sister, Sarah and his nephews. The MCU excels because it give us relatable conflict in this fantastical world. Is there anything more relatable than being rejected for a loan? Add in the racial aspects of things and it is hugely compelling.
Full disclosure, I've never been a huge Bucky fan but this episode made a lot of strides in changing that. A lot of that has to do with Bucky's therapist, Dr. Raynor. She is feisty and is not here for any of James' bullshit. Bucky reciting the three rules to making amends: Don't do anything illegal, nobody gets hurt and Bucky's speech about making amends, intermixed with Bucky bending but not necessarily breaking them are great.
Bucky is sort of the twisted mirror version of Steve. Where Steve had a notebook he filled with recommendations from people about various pop culture things he should check out from the seventy plus years he was on ice, Bucky has a notebook filled with names of people he needs to make amends with from his actions as the Winter Soldier. Of course, Bucky is going about this in the way that is going to cause him the most emotional pain. His relationship with elderly Yori is adorable, but the fact that he is the father of the man Bucky had to kill guarantees that this can only end in tears. It even brings to a premature close the cute date he has with the restaurant owner. They do a great job of softening Bucky here. He's stoic, but funny. I am rooting for James in a way I haven't in the past.
The episode ends with Torres getting his shit rocked when he tries to stop a Flag Smashers gathering and the public reveal of the new Captain America. Not only that, but this show seems to be the first to really take a look at the socio economic fallout of the Blip. It's going to get worse before it gets better for our heroes.
Grade: B+
"The Star-Spangled Man"
Sam Wilson: "You don't have to trust Redwing. But I'm gonna go see if he's right. Cause I have a feeling they might be part of the Big Three.
Bucky Barnes: "What Big Three?"
Sam Wilson: "The Big Three."
Bucky Barnes: "What Big Three?"
Sam Wilson: "Aliens, androids and wizards."
Bucky Barnes: "That's not a thing."
Sam Wilson: "That's -- that's definitely a thing."
Bucky Barnes: "No, it's not."
Sam Wilson: "Every time we fight, it's one of the three."
Bucky Barnes: "So, who are you fighting now? Gandalf?"
Sam Wilson: "Ev-- How do you know about Gandalf?"
Bucky Barnes: "I read The Hobbit. In 1937. When it first came out."
John Walker is introduced as the new Captain America and Bucky is not happy about it. He ambushes Sam as he's getting ready to leave on a mission to confront the Flag Smashers, who are rumored to be attacking a caravan full of medical supplies. They head to their mission and are surprised to learn that the Flag Smashers seem to be super soldiers. Even with Walker and his partner, Lemar Hoskins aka Battlestar's help, the Flag Smashers get away. The Flag Smashers believe that the world was better prior to the Blip and it seems like a lot of people agree with them and are willing to help and shelter them and their leader, Karli Morgenthau. Sam and Bucky have a visit with Isaiah Bradley, an impromptu couples therapy session and end up realizing that they may have to meet an old enemy.
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| Pressing the flesh. |
This is the episode where you're either all in on "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" or you're not. The series kind of lays its cards out all on the table and you're either into it or you don't want anything to do with it.
I feel like I'm going to start each of these recaps with gushing about the action in the particular episode. And the action sequence in this episode is particularly exhilarating. We get a brawl on top of two semis. People bouncing back and forth between the roofs. Bucky being dragged down the autobahn by his Vibranium arm. He's almost getting his head crushed by one of the semis tires. Walker and Hoskins join the fight and Walker acquits himself well. He may not necessarily have been anyone's first choice for the new Captain America, but he can handle the shield. The Flag Smashers fight like civilians who became super soldiers. They are scrappy and are not afraid of fighting dirty. It lends an unpredictable element to the fight that ratchets things up.
We learn much more about John Walker in this episode. First off, he seems to really enjoy this publicity tour and the notoriety that he gets from being Captain America. Can you imagine Steve Rogers sitting down for an interview with "Good Morning, America?" On paper, Walker seems like the perfect guy to take up the mantle, but it doesn't take much for his insecurities to rear their ugly heads. Walker believes that people should respect him immediately because he is Captain America. He doesn't understand that people respected Steve because of him not because he was Captain America. Look at how he interacts with Bucky and Sam. He immediately believes that they will want to team up with him simply because he has the shield. He doesn't know how to read a room, at all. It's almost this weird sense of entitlement and trying to force these deep seated relationships. When that doesn't work, he tries to go the magnanimous route, getting Bucky out of jail and temporarily out of his court mandated therapy. When Bucky and Sam still don't agree, he goes the route of the truly desperate: threatening.
The dynamic between Sam and Bucky is so good. It's snarky brothers and then can turn very serious, very quickly, like when Bucky takes Sam to meet Isaiah Bradley. First, let's give a slow clap to Carl Lumbly who made me feel all the feels. The revelation that there was a black Super Soldier who ended up imprisoned and experimented on for a number of years by the US government is a gut punch and hits even harder for Sam. It's not a shock that Bucky kept this from Steve. It surprises me that even after this Bucky can't understand why Sam isn't necessarily clamoring to take up the mantle and what it means for someone like him. The fact that the cops come up to harass Sam because they think he's making trouble for Bucky is just the unneeded punctuation on the end of that sentence. And yes, this isn't necessarily the most subtle thing in the world, but guess what? In real life, it isn't super subtle, either.
Finally, the series seems to be taking a look at the real ramifications of the Blip and what it means for billions of people to return and what that means for the people who weren't blipped. It seems like lots of folks were displaced when people blipped back and it's not all black and white. I really love the sociopolitical ramifications of crazy sci-fi bullshit so I want so much more of this in Phase Four. It's so compelling and it makes the Flag Smashers more than just this cookie cutter terrorist group. The support that they seem to have from the public isn't a huge shock either.
Oh and Baron Zemo is coming back.
Next up, we head to Madripoor and things get worse for John Walker.
How do you all feel about "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." I will say it's probably my second favorite of the Marvel series so far and I'm appreciating it even more so far with this re-watch, particularly after seeing more of Phase 4. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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