A Solid Introduction, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 1 rundown

Off the back of WandaVision’s success there was much pressure on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. While not starting with the high stakes; episode 1 titled ‘New World Order’ did establish a solid ground work which will only grow as the series progresses. To our surprise Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) haven’t paired up yet, instead we got to see both men and how they have been 6 months since the blip. This understanding of both men will help create the dynamic which the trailers have teased for when they do eventually team up, a team up which looks set to focus on the Flag Smashers and in some way the new Captain America, John Walker (Wyatt Russell).

A grounded Falcon:

Opening the episode we got our first glimpse at Sam and the famous Vibranium shield. This helped bring us right back into the Marvel Universe as the last time we saw Sam was when he was gifted the shield by and old Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Having the show start in this manner was a perfect transition into the story which is being told about Sam and Bucky.

Then in typical Marvel fashion, we got our first action sequence as Sam dived into action as The Falcon. This will have pleased many old school MCU fans as the scene showcase the skills of Sam in full throttle scene. Tasked with stopping the returning George Batroc (Georges St-Pierre) from crossing into the Libyan border with a US army captain, Sam was able to evade locked on missiles and attacks from Batroc the Leaper to save the Captain and make his man on the ground Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) extremely happy.

While highlighting the skills of The Falcon and providing more depth to Batroc, the opening action scene also set the scene for things to come. We are provided context by Torres as he says that groups are trying to make money by taking advantage of the chaos since the blip. This then leads to our first introduction to the Flag Smashers which we will get onto later. One more take away from the opening scene is that Batroc is a hired mercenary which means there will have been more context to his mission than simply making money. The group LAF was mentioned which is completely new to the MCU. This is just something to keep in mind as the series progresses.

Moving back to Sam’s story during the first episode, we get to continue the narrative of Sam and how he doesn’t feel fit to take up the mantle of Captain America like Steve wanted at the end of Avengers: Endgame. Sam talks at a conference in Washington about how new heroes are needed which then leads to him handing over the shield. While Sam seems reluctant to do this; he genuinely feels like it is the right thing to do. After the conference he talks about the mantle with James Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle). Sam explains that he still doesn’t feel like the shield belongs to him, instead he says that it still belongs to Steve. What Sam is trying to say is that the legacy of the shield should stay with Steve as he believes that he cannot fulfil the role and do it justice like Steve had done for many years. Another reason for Sam not wanting the mantle is more personal and that is due to him wanting to focus on his family. There is no way that with the pressure of being Captain America that he could focus on his family business, Wilson Family Seafood.

After numerous appearances in the movies we finally get to dive into the personal life of Sam. Including his family was a beautiful touch as we meet Sam’s sister Sarah and her two sons. The dynamic between the two siblings was well portrayed and their disagreements felt like what a natural family have. Struggling to keep the business alive, Sarah wants to sell the Wilson boat which their family has so many memories in. Sam disagrees and wants to help Sarah, but after getting a loan disapproved the family are back to square one.

What was nice about learning of the Wilson family was that it made Sam more grounded as a character. Previously Sam was always just the sidekick to Captain America and we never had a strong reason to get behind him over than his relationship to Cap. Now that we have met his family we have a newfound appreciation for him as what he does will always be carried out with his family in mind. This is what the series needs to continue exploring as a motivation for Sam will help raise the stakes on his mission feel. If anything was to happen to Sam we would feel for the Wilson family because we understand the dynamic much more.

A list of amendments:

Although Sam Wilson is the main focus of the series, the history and narrative of the Winter Soldier which was explored in the episode looks set to be my favourite aspect of the show. Like Sam, Bucky is made to seem human rather than the cyborg terrorist which has been his past. Also, Bucky having nightmares of his past work as the Winter Soldier takes inspiration from his time as Captain America in the comics. Getting to see Bucky work as the Hydra master assassin was cool to see and the feeling Bucky gets from remembering this fascinating to watch as we continue to learn more about his time under Hydra mind control.

But, it was the focus on Bucky after receiving his pardon which is so interesting to explore. During a therapy session we learn what has happened to Bucky for the last 6 months. The government has given Bucky 3 rules he must abide by and in a rare comedic manner for Bucky, we learn how he has been operating since Endgame. Doing nothing illegal, not hurting anyone and making sure he acts as James Barnes instead of the Winter Soldier will be struggle Bucky goes through during the series as he must learn to work within the law.

What is also established is that Bucky has been working on clearing out a list of names he has from his time working for Hydra. This brings up the most intriguing part of the episode and that is the story behind Bucky’s neighbour Yori Nakashima (Ken Takemoto) and the death of his son. When we see his name on Bucky’s list of amendments we start to realise that it is highly likely that the Winter Soldier has something to do with his son’s death.

When we hear the story behind what happened it will be an emotional watch especially as we expect Yori to discover what Bucky did. Will he forgive him? This will be an emotional scene and in my opinion one of the best parts of the show because of what was established with Bucky in the opening episode. Bucky is made to seem more human as while he deals with his struggles of his past, he also deals with the struggles like online dating and finding his place in the world. Seeing this new side to Bucky for me was the best part of the episode and I cannot wait to explore the character of Bucky Barnes more as the series progresses.

Who are the Flag Smashers?

Mentioned earlier, the Flag Smashers were established as the series main threat thus far and it is Joaquin Torres who brings this to our attention. If you have read the comics you will know Torres takes up the mantle of Falcon when Sam Wilson becomes Captain America. I don’t think the MCU is ready to go into that direction yet, but the character of Torres seems important to understanding the Flag Smashers.

When Torres informs Sam of the group, he talks about what he has learnt from their message boards. He says that they believe the world should be unified without borders, which is just like the motivation from the single Flag Smasher in the comics. Learning of their motivation is key to establishing the group and with more context I believe their motivation will be very strong and make us question if they are truly villains.

Later in the episode Torres does some more digging about the Flag Smashers and the questions of his true motives come to attention. I do not expect Torres to turn evil, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at some stage in the series he questions whether what he is doing is right.

While digging on the Flag Smashers Torres joins the group in Switzerland when they rob a bank. The big question from this robbery was the fact that we saw some enhanced abilities from a member of a Flag Smasher which led to Torres being taken out easily. The later interaction between Torres and Sam created so much speculation and we can expect some big reveal of what the enhanced powers of the Flag Smashers are linked to later in the series. Sam stopping Torres jumping to a conclusion seems to indicate that the characters already have some idea of what has been happening and this question will be raging through our minds until it is revealed. Once again like WandaVision theories will begin to appear and we cannot wait to see what fans come up with.

A new Captain America:

With a solid opening episode, there was still not much that was revealed to keep the plot moving. However, the announcement of a new Captain America gave the episode a very strong ending. When Sam watches this on the news we see his head drop and he seems disappointed that the government just replaced Steve Rogers. Sam when he handed over the shield expected nobody to become Captain America because he was the natural choice. As well as disappointed we expect that Sam will be annoyed which could be the reason for him teaming up with Bucky.

We don’t get to see Bucky’s reaction to the new Cap, but it’s hard to assume he would be happy with someone replacing his friend. This dynamic which has been created is something we cannot wait to be explored and looks set to be the focus of the future episodes.

Verdict:

As a whole the opening episode of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier was strong and built a solid foundation for the series to build upon. Now that most of the pieces have been put in place the series can continue to move forward and the plot to develop. With the action scenes we have become accustomed to in the MCU as well as strong character moments, Falcon and the Winter Soldier looks set to be an incredible series and will build on the momentum that WandaVision started.