THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER: Episode 1 Review

In the much anticipated second MCU series, we get to see a more comprehensive account of Sam and Bucky's lives. Cap's friends are now taking center stage and becoming protagonists in their own right, but can they live up to the hype?

Let me just say there's a lot of material coming from the comics I am not too familiar with, so I welcome any delucidations!

I personally enjoyed Bucky's storyline a lot more. It's true, he's had more screen time across the films, whilst Sam/Falcon has always remained a bit of a mystery.

I just feel like Sam so far is almost too good to be true, and never wavers. Even Steve, aka Captain America, the moral compass of the Avengers, had his moments of doubt and introspection.

What Sam's backstory does is helping us consider, like with Monica Rambeau's in WandaVision, the short-term and long-term effects of the blip, and the impact the return of half of the universe's population has had on the economy, and how it strained relationships.

The bank teller is asking the big questions: How do the Avengers make a living? Well, it is a truth universally acknowledged famous people don't pay for things. Plus, they are bunking at the Upstate compound which provides food and accommodation out of thin air. And a tremendous amount of goodwill.

I remain open to see how Sam's family troubles develop, and to see him finally feeling worthy of wielding the shield, however, I remain more invested in the Winter Soldier's redemption.

We get introduced to a plethora of new characters, amongst which is Joaquin Torres. I am not sure what to think of him; He seems to have been set up to join the Avengers and become Falcon 2.0 (Sam did lose his partner, as he mentioned in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). On one hand, he's resourceful, selfless, and helpful - he ticks all the Avengers boxes, on the other, this whole persona could be a facade and he might turn out to be working for Zemo. I'm glad he survived the attack in Switzerland, but given the:

1. Camera panning on Torres lying on the ground,
2. One leg bent,
3. Arms wide open,
4. Face turned to the side,

he is sporting the typical Marvel sacrificial death pose TM.

That pose did all the talking, to us he was dead. He survived though, but how? The whole thing shady.. Was he spared? is Zemo going to try and recruit him?

I do hope he'll get more of a chance to work with Sam and that he'll prove himself to be an asset to the Avengers... I just have trust issues after WandaVision.

Speaking of *James Bucky Barnes*, I also don't trust his therapist. It seems to be a recurring theme in all MCU films, the institution is not to be trusted; official bodies are corrupt and in the best case they are run but total idiot-sandwich goons (hello Hayward). After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. was hijacked by Hydra, S.W.O.R.D. bar a few agents were trying to make sentient weapons for their own use, so why should we trust the US government?

And now for the twist at the end: Who is the new Captain America? I know in the comics he is called US Agent, but is the series going to follow the original storyline? the reveal implied it could be someone the protagonists or perhaps the comic book fans already know. I know he's Kurt Russel's son. So maybe he is Starlord's stepbrother? All jokes aside, is he a pawn in the government's scheme, or is he a mastermind who managed to infiltrate D.C. and convince them they in fact needed a new Captain America?

My final paragraph is dedicated to the big sweetheart that is Yori Nakajima. Protect him at all costs.

Things I look forward to seeing over the next episodes:

• Seeing what Sharon has been up to, and if she is going to start a romance with Sam. We already know the shield has a certain effect on Carter women. No, they are both badass women who don't need no man. It would be interesting to see if she resents the Avengers for having to live undercover all this time though.
• If Bucky is going to give another chance to the lady he went on a date with, Leah. I mean it would make Yori happy.
• Yori finding out Bucky killed his son and eventually forgiving him