The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Premiere Review

 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s premiere is quite different from that of its immediate predecessor. It is far less ambitious, content to simply be exactly what you likely imagined when you first heard the phrase ‘MCU TV show’: an obnoxious number of quick cuts, largely mediocre action scenes, and charming actors. It also lacks the puzzle box setup of WandaVision, meaning it can tell a more MCU-standard tale. While the seeming lack of ambition is disappointing, it led to a solid debut that has me interested in the themes and ideas it appears to be tackling.

Full Spoilers for 'New World Order’ follow.

Whether or not those themes are explored in depth or just given surface-level consideration like most MCU projects is yet to be seen. With a focus on the legacy of Captain America, the series must take a look at the legacy of America. The bar set for that is Watchmen, an impeccable television series that had a near-single-minded focus on examining that legacy. Anyone expecting this series to reach those heights is not being realistic, though it would be thrilling if it did.

The choice to have Don Cheadle’s Rhodey in this episode was perhaps the most interesting creative decision in the entire episode despite his limited screen time. His conversation with Sam highlighted the fact the pair are essentially the same character: The wisecracking Black soldier best friend who has experienced little-to-no character development over the last decade. While it is unlikely the comparison was intended, it remains an interesting one, especially as this series seeks to have Sam step out of Steve’s shadow and create his own legacy. The upcoming Cheadle-starring Armor Wars appears to have a similar concept at its core.

Bucky spends much of this installment grappling with guilt and mental health issues caused by his near-century service to Hydra. Confidence in this exploration being well-handled is low after the previous Marvel Disney+ series dropped the ball so hard there is a permanent dent in the floorboards. Though this is a new creative team, so it has a chance.

Amusingly, this chapter feature both Falcon and Winter Soldier, but not Falcon and Winter Soldier, despite Sam’s best efforts. Bucky is isolating himself as he attempts to make amends for damage he caused as Winter Soldier and attends therapy sessions he hates. Presumably, the next episode will see the pair join forces to investigate the new Captain America. That could lead to a more standout episode as Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie have fantastic chemistry.

As for this episode, it was largely fine. It looks like mud—even more than usual coming on the heels of Zack Snyder’s Justice League--the opening third consists almost entirely of mediocre action scenes, and the plot has no forward momentum. On the other hand, it is playing with fascinating themes, potentially interesting characters played by phenomenal actors, and continues the MCU’s best subseries. That is a lot of promise. Let’s see what they do with it.