the falcon and the winter soldier
Season One Review (Spoilers)
Marvel Studios/Disney just gets it. They understand that superhero shows are at their best when treated like “regular” shows with superheroes in them. Whether sensitively addressing the PTSD of The Winter Soldier or Falcon’s determination to honor the legacy of Chris Evan’s Captain America without tarnishing it, they treat each character like a real human with real failings, wants and needs. This is how you create superpowered characters that feel grounded and relatable. The show introduces the Isaiah Bradley Captain America character without shying away from his potentially polarizing story. Bradley is a tragic figure and allegory for the history of racism and exploitation in the US and abroad – not exactly something one would expect to see in a superhero show. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is that much better for taking the risk. Bradley’s arc carries as much heft as that of Sam or Bucky and by the end of the show you’ll be standing up and applauding (and maybe holding back tears) as he receives his due. John Walker, the erstwhile Captain America 2.0 is also a revelation. His overall characterization settles into villainy by the end, but save for a few bad decisions borne from his desire to live up to the Cap mantle, he’s a true American Hero. With the notable exception of his loathsome decision to lie to Battlestar’s parents regarding the specifics of his passing, I could at the very least somewhat relate to Walker’s every act. He let his anger get the best of him after witnessing the death of his best friend. I’ve never been in combat and couldn’t begin to pass judgment on him. He possesses all the hallmarks of a well written antagonist. You really have to applaud Marvel for this show and their overall approach to the TV-MCU. They take iconic, larger-than-life characters and give us deeply personal, resonant stories that still feature the same bombastic excitement and fun we’ve come to expect from anything live-action with the Marvel logo on it. Thank you, Marvel Studios. This is the way.
Series Premiere Review (Spoiler Free)
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts directly on the heels of WandaVision with high expectations. It would be easy for the show to feel like a letdown following so closely after the near universally praised ballad of The Scarlet Witch. One of my first thoughts upon viewing the premiere? Disney just gets it. They understand superhero shows are regular shows with superheroes in them. Whether addressing the PTSD of The Winter Soldier or Falcon’s determination to honor the legacy of Chris Evan’s Captain America without tarnishing it, they treat each character as a real human with real failings, wants and needs. This is how you create superpowered characters that feel grounded and relatable. Juxtapose this with the recently released SnyderCut, a movie which feels like a shallow cartoon in comparison, and one can see why the MCU continues to gain steam while the DCEU sputters along. How does one get invested in a narrative where actions have no consequences? I’m not criticizing or picking on DC but rather pointing out a fundamental difference in how each company approaches their properties. At one point Bucky admits to his therapist that most of his life has been one fight after another and he just wants peace. This comment and its implications for Bucky moving forward are just as interesting as any physical conflict he might face. Marvel lets us have our cake and eat it too when it comes to the quiet moments and the indulgent action set pieces. As someone who appreciates both equally, I can’t be more excited for the future of the MCU. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was a fun watch. There is a place and market for mindless comic book adaptations. I happen to prefer Marvel’s more cerebral approach that pays due respect to all aspects of the source material, not just the battles. It’s possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a great example. Disney should be applauded for raising the narrative and spectacle bar (as HBO did for knights and dragons with Game of Thrones) for superheroes on the small screen.
Mid-Season Review (Spoiler Free)
The third episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (TFATWS) is weakest thus far in the six-episode Disney+ mini-series although in aggregate the show has done an excellent job catching us up with Bucky and Sam, re-introducing us to secondary characters in the MCU, and bringing in interesting new elements to the Captain America and super-soldier serum mythology. Episode three all but abandons the character driven style of the first two in favor of an exposition heavy team-up that lacks some of the clearly defined direction we’ve come to expect from the MCU on Disney+. The proceedings are suitably thrilling with effective action sequences but the shift in narrative style is a bit jarring and some of the revelations come across as extraneous to the over-arching story. Baron Zemo makes his first full appearance (not a spoiler, he’s on the poster) and while Daniel Bruhl is a fine actor and the visual character design language is both inspired and understated - no small feat - Zemo as presented feels more like a plot device than a fully realized character. The most pleasantly surprising element of the first half of TFATWS is newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe Captain America mythos (who we also saw on the poster leading up to release), John Walker Captain America as played by Wyatt Russell. Russell’s Captain America is intentionally polarizing. Russell plays it perfectly. Is he a villain in the making or just a more flawed, human Cap? We don’t know and that makes him perhaps the most compelling and interesting character on the show. Anyone taking over the shield from Steve Rogers faces an uphill battle gaining favor. The show leans brilliantly into the trepidation we all feel for this impostor Cap with the glittering resume but who also feels somehow "off." Credit Russell for playing the erstwhile US Agent in a manner that engenders admiration in some moments and ire in others. He’ll make an excellent foil for our heroes when the inevitable clash for the shield begins over the final three episodes. The show would benefit from a lot more John Walker (and his sidekick) and a little less of the one-note and comparatively dull Zemo.
