Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (August 25, 2024)
At the conclusion of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, it appeared that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) closed the door to further adventures with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as Captain America. Not that this rules out stories set either in the past or in the multiverse, of course, but the film certainly left the impression that the MCU would move on from Steve as Cap.
2021 brought the first season of a related TV series: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This one explores the events after Endgame that involved two of Cap’s associates: Sam “The Falcon” Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
This two-disc 4K UHD set includes all six Season One episodes. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.
New World Order: “Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes realize that their futures are anything but normal.”
Well, that’s a vague way to describe the series’ pilot, isn’t it? Though of course “Order” doesn’t exist as a traditional “opening episode” since viewers already know the characters and background.
“Order” does need to introduce where the roles exist in the post-Endgame universe, however, and it also must set up the season’s plot. It does so in a fairly efficient manner, if not an especially engrossing one.
This leaves “Order” as a productive first episode but not one I think really shines. Still, given that it exists mainly as exposition, it does its job.
The Star-Spangled Man: “John Walker (Wyatt Russell) is named Captain America, and Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes team up against the rebel group the Flag Smashers.”
“Order” concluded with the revelation that the world would get a new Captain America, so obviously “Man” follows that concept. The Walker character debuts here and that means the episode needs to bring the audience up to date on his backstory.
We also get Sam and Bucky together, which didn’t occur in the first episode. They mesh well so when you throw the new Cap into the mix, “Man” delivers a solid episode.
Power Broker: “To find the source of the Super Soldier Serum, Sam and Bucky must scale a ladder of low-lifes starting in Madripoor with Zemo (Daniel Brühl).”
With “Man”, Bucky and Sam started to develop a “buddy cop duo” vibe in their relationship. With the improbable involvement of Zemo here, we get “buddy cop trio”.
And it works for the most part. Granted, given how evil Zemo seemed back in Captain America: Civil War, it feels a little contrived that Sam and Bucky semi-warm up to him as easily as they do.
Despite that stretch, “Broker” pushes along S1’s narrative well. It mixes action, intrigue and light comedy in a satisfying manner, and it even brings back an old friend not seen since Civil War.
The Whole World Is Watching: “John Walker loses patience with Sam and Bucky as they learn more about Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman).”
If forced to find a flaw in S1 so far, it would stem from the way that the series telegraphs the Walker and Morgenthau characters. From the start, Walker seemed like he’d end up as a loose cannon, and we could always tell Karli would become more noble than she might appear.
“World” develops those themes, though more in Walker’s case, as Morgenthau still comes across as dangerous. Still, the episode allows us a deeper understanding of her motives and beliefs.
These telegraphed moments make “World” a bit on the nose. Still, it pushes along characters and S1’s narrative well despite these issues.
Truth: “Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Baron Zemo, John Walker, and Karli Morgenthau must all deal with the fall out from their actions.”
As mentioned related to “World”, I always thought it felt like a matter of time before we saw Walker as a less than noble character. In a semi-surprising move, “Truth” provides the expected battle against him an episode earlier than anticipated.
That turns into an interesting twist that allows “Truth” to provide deeper layers than might’ve occurred if the fight waited for the final show. “Truth” amplifies both the character elements and the season’s themes in a positive manner.
One World, One People: “As the Flag Smashers escalate their efforts, Sam and Bucky take action.”
As I write this in August 2024, Captain America: Brave New World will hit screens in about six months. That flick will formally feature Sam as Cap, which made me intrigued to see if this series would “promote” him or it wouldn’t occur until the feature film.
Make no mistake: this series is all we get in terms of lead-in to Brave New World. Although this package comes titled “Season One”, Falcon and Winter Soldier didn’t spawn a second year, and given Sam’s change from Falcon to Captain America, I doubt one will ever arrive.
Anyway, I won’t spill the beans and say if Sam becomes Cap here or not. I will say that “People” concludes the series on a positive note.
The episode wraps the season-long narrative and comes with the expected action and twists. This means we get a solid conclusion to a quality superhero series.
