With WandaVision over, now it's time for the MCU's next big show, Falcon And The Winter Soldier. I've done this song and dance before, I'll be reviewing every episode individually and giving my general consensus at the end of the season.
New World Order: Not gonna lie, this was a surprisingly depressing first episode. We're so used to seeing all the flashy fights that you kinda forget that the superheroes also have their own more personal problems to deal with. I'm always fascinated by how The Blip has affected the world, and this episode did a good job of showing the economic and political chaos that it all caused. I especially loved Bucky's subplot, though, his interaction with the therapist alone added so much depth, and the realization that he killed his neighbor's son in the past is just heart wrenching. There wasn't much action here, sadly, but the opening chase was pretty fun and hopefully, that big cliffhanger is what kicks off the plot.
Star-Spangled Man: Coming after the relatively slow-paced premiere, Star-Spangled Man wasted no time in bringing its two protagonists together. I actually think they reunited a bit too quickly given how slow Episode 1 was, but I'm just glad to finally start seeing Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in the same room. They have really good chemistry, and their banter is easily the most enjoyable aspect of the series. I also found myself really enjoying John Walker's character, it was fascinating to see him struggle to fit in where Captain America did as he slowly got more and more impatient with Sam and Bucky throughout the episode. Once again, the cliffhanger was great, I'm super excited to see Zemo again.
Power Broker: While the first two episodes were pretty haphazardly paced, I feel like Power Breaker was the first really great episode of the show. Winter Soldier and Civil War are two of my favorite MCU films, so this episode in particular had a ton of awesome nods, like the Winter Soldier theme reappearing, Sharon and Zemo returning, and the "will you move up your seat" joke being brought back. Zemo was great here, perfectly balancing between goofy villain and genuine threat, and I thought it was interesting that Sharon got so screwed over by the events of Civil War. Madripoor is such a unique location that gave me serious John Wick vibes, and the fight in the harbor was easily the best action set piece yet. And then there's the ending, which suddenly dropped Ayo from Wakanda into the show and completely caught me off-guard! Just like in WandaVision, it should be cool to learn more about a character who didn't get much focus in her films of origin. Also, fun fact: She actually debuted in a small scene in Civil War!
The Whole World Is Watching: I hate John Walker. I felt a bit of sympathy in Episode 2, he was obviously dealing with way more than he can handle, but wow, is he just awful in this episode! Not that he isn't a well-written character though, the writing and acting are absolutely amazing for this character. He's understandable but definitely hatable as well, and it definitely made the Dora Milaje beating him up low-key kinda satisfying. And that ending just solidifies it, he completely ruined Cap's reputation right there and then in one of the most horrifying and screwed-up moments in the whole MCU (why couldn't WandaVision be this dark?!). But enough about Walker. I like that Sam was trying to talk with Karli, it's always great when the good and bad guys talk it out and it pained me that Walker had to come in and ruin it multiple times. Ayo's appearances were great and gave us a bit more time with Bucky's time as White Wolf, but I was hoping she'd actually join the team, maybe next episode? Zemo was great as usual and his scheming in the background was fascinating (and of course he escaped). Power Broker was probably more fun, but this was definitely the most well-written episode yet.
Truth: This episode made me realize why this miniseries feels so haphazardly paced, because it's really just a movie split up into chunks. Truth is basically that segment between the second and third act where all seems lost, the characters reflect, and the pieces are moved for the final battle. As a result, Truth is pretty slow-paced outside of that amazing opening confrontation between Bucky, Sam, and John Walker (probably the best fight in the show by the way). Still, there were plenty of cool individual moments throughout the episode, such as Torres getting the wings, Bucky tricking Zemo into get captured by the Dora Milaje, Madame Hydra's sudden appearance, Isaiah's story (seriously though, all of his scenes are super intense and that's probably thanks to Carl Lumbly's performance), the training sequence, Sam and Bucky actually hanging out and getting along, Batroc returning, and that cliffhanger. This was very obviously a transition episode, and I still found the boat subplot a bit dull (like a third of this episode was just boat-fixing montages), but I'm glad it took the time to start tying some plot threads (*cough* Wandavision *cough*), and seems to be setting up what should hopefully be a great finale.
One World, One People: This finale was alright. Similarly to WandaVision's finale, it was predictable and pretty action-heavy, but unlike that choppy poorly-edited mess, this one was well-paced and at least tied up all of its loose ends. I also didn't think this finale needed to be anything surprising since this wasn't that kind of show. We got Sam as Captain America, and Walker as US Agent. The final battle was pretty solid, Sam flying and using the shield at the same time led to some pretty impressive moments, but I felt Walker got the short end of the stick, he didn't really have much to do! I was also somewhat disappointed with Sam and Bucky being separated for most of the episode given the show's title. Sharon being the Power Broker was predictable, but I didn't get too mad at it. The real highlight here was definitely Sam's speech to the GRC which I thought was great. Blunt? Sure. But after over a year of this pandemic and the US being a bit of a mess, that was absolutely something I needed to hear from a TV show. As a whole, this finale was fine. It was satisfying, had a solid final battle, and one really great moment. It didn't go above and beyond like I'd hoped, but unlike WandaVision, it actually felt coherent and emotionally satisfying. And "Captain America And The Winter Solider" was a pretty sweet ending card, even if it doesn't quite have the same ring as the show's actual name.
So what did I think of Falcon And The Winter Soldier? I enjoyed it quite a bit, actually. I don't think it was as creative as WandaVision, and the pacing was a bit off given the show was basically a movie chopped up into bits, but overall, I think I liked this one just a bit better. Sam and Bucky are great characters with well-defined arcs and some really strong banter, the action was fun (especially in Power Broker and Truth), and the side characters like Ayo and Zemo were a lot of fun too. The show's ending was predictable, but this was a far more air-tight and satisfying tale than WandaVision. But probably the most surprising aspect of this series was how it dealt with issues I didn't expect Marvel to even touch, and aside from some shoddy moments (particularly in Episode 2), I think it did so very well. So, I enjoyed this one and I admire it for trying to do more than just be a buddy action series like, say, Hobbs & Shaw. FatWS tried to say something while still being a fun MCU show, and it did a pretty decent job with both.
3/5 Stars
Favorite Episode: The Whole World Is Watching
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