Review: Marvel's "The Falcon And The Winter Soldier" Episode 1

While WandaVision was something of an unknown quantity before its release, with audiences taken aback by the unique tone and setting, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the complete opposite. It was setup as a continuation of the Captain America mythos, which is one of the most important to Marvel, overall, and, one of their most popular. With Chris Evans retiring from the role, many were curious about how the franchise would continue, and this show was setup to provide the answer.

As such, Falcon became, probably, the most anticipated of the originally announced Disney+ shows. And while some of the hype died off after its COVID necessitated delay, there are still legions of fans eager for this particular chapter of the MCU. And the first episode really delivered, mixing superhero action with some thoughtful character backstory, as well as teasing some of the larger plot points of the series, like the Flag-Smashers terrorist group.

At the same time, though, the episode felt a little tedious. It seemed as if the characters were just going through the motions, and in many ways, they were. Bucky is regularly attending therapy (even if it is a condition of his pardon), while simultaneously trying to make amends for his past as a Russian assassin. Sam Wilson, meanwhile, is trying to pick up the pieces of his life after a five-year absence that was nothing if not tumultuous for his family who was left behind in the wake of his disappearance.

Getting a glimpse into the history of the Falcon was one of the best additions of the episode. Seeing him interact with his family, particularly his sister, and seeing the tension mixed with undeniable affection was rendered perfectly in the episode. In particular, the question of how superheroes make money was both humorous and timely, as the Wilson family was in the process of getting denied a loan.

And while all of this is all well and good, and even interesting, particularly because it provides some necessary backstory for the main characters, it is a little underwhelming. Nothing much happens throughout the episode, and there doesn’t feel like there are any stakes that make this episode important.

With that said, that is somewhat expected with this initial episode. It did a lot of the heavy lifting in regard to laying the ground work for the rest of the series, but much like Iron Man 2, there was a little bit too much emphasis on world-building, and not enough on crafting a cohesive episode that both tells a standalone and pushes forward the overall plot of the story.

Even so, there was a lot to like about this episode, particularly in regard to the Winter Soldier, who was always somewhat one-dimensional, largely because the character just moved from one fight to the next, and there was never any time for the story to develop anything other side to him. Interestingly enough, the show comments on this exact criticism, and it was a nice moment of Marvel being self-aware and letting the audience know that they know that we know, well, you know.

However, the biggest problem of the episode comes at the end, when the *NEW* Captain America is unveiled to the world. It could be the fact that this moment was already well-known, and, as such, didn’t come as much of a shock, but it just felt underwhelming, because of course the government would christen a new Captain America, and Sam’s confusion when this happens just shows off his naivete. But, it also illustrates that he is more like Cap than he realizes, as his belief that the symbol of Captain America should be enshrined and shared with everyone, is a very Cap thing to do.

Overall, the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is a tight hour that established many of the essential elements of the series, so that later episodes can just dive in. There is a healthy mix of action, especially at the start, and necessary backstory that pushes these two secondary heroes front and center. There are some fun cameos, from Don Cheadle’s War Machine, to the C-list villain Batroc the Leaper, who hasn’t been seen since he squared off with the original Cap in The Winter Soldier, that anchors the show within the MCU. But it is a little plodding, and the big reveal turned out to be a bit of a letdown, even if it did its job in setting up one of the main antagonists. This episode will likely prove to be somewhat forgettable when put against the rest of the series, but it was still a fun ride that allowed its featured heroes to shine bright.