For those of you who don't know, my fave Marvel film is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which introduced Falcon and... *coughs* The Winter Soldier. Everything about that film is just great, because it was more than just superhero shit. It was a good spy thriller type movie. I was also partial to YouTubing videos of the actors Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan doing press together, as they had a great off-screen chemistry that we never saw on screen. So when I heard The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was getting a show, I said 'YES BITCH'. This was the one Marvel show that I was most looking forward to, which is what made WandaVision being so damn good such a surprise to me, because I had ZERO expectation of it and didn't care for it when it was announced.HENNYWAY.
Whilst it has been some time since Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel stories we've gotten so far are all set pretty much right after the blip and deal in some way with the effects of it - although not always directly.In WandaVision, Wanda returned from the blip and found Vision's body had been taken by the S.H.I.E.L.D off-shoot organisation S.W.O.R.D, which set off a chain of events that led to her creating the Hex and trapping a New Jersey town in sitcoms. When Monica Rambeau returned from the blip, the first thing she found out was that her mother had died, which set off to a chain of events that led to her going out of her way to help Wanda and acquiring some powers along the way.
Here, it's a case of Sam and Bucky dealing with life without their friend Steve Rogers, whilst America deals with no longer having a hero in Captain America, and the world adjusts to all of the people who disappeared in the blip now returning; which has resulted in the right of a terrorist faction known as The Flag-Smashers, who believe the world was better during the blip.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier comes right outta the gate with an action sequence, to let y'all know that this ain't no WandaVision. And that this show has got that Disney mon£y to give you the type of spectacle you'd expect from a Marvel Studios film. The only distinction between Marvel Studios' shows and films is the narrative structure being episodic. The production values are still high. It's what makes Marvel's shows so unique, and why Kevin Feige threw his cap in the ring of TV shows. To let all of the other Marvel shows know what the fuck is what, and that none of it is MCU canon. None of it.This is a great action sequence which is set in the air and shows Falcon in his element. It made me realise that we'd never really gotten a big Falcon action sequence in any of the films before. He was always part of an action sequence, but never a focus. But all that changes here, as we see him on an air rescue mission to retrieve a US general from a hijacked plane before it enters air space that the US can't fly into. It's a fantastic moment which holds greater weight because it's been quite some time since we've gotten a big spectacular action sequence from Marvel. And here we are getting it on a Disney+ show from the comfort of our own homes.
The opening scene does a brilliant job of really throwing us back into The Winter Soldier style world, a film which also pretty much opened with an action sequence which saw Cap dive out of a plane to stop shenanigans on a hijacked vessel to retrieve somebody. And just to make The Winter Soldier parallels even clearer, we find out that the man responsible for the plane hijacking and kidnapping is Batroc the Leaper. The same man who hijacked and kidnapped in The Winter Soldier. It's such a cool moment which not only shows how great Marvel Studios and its writers are when it comes to call-backs and parallels with things they'd done which feels forever ago, but is narratively very fitting, given that this is essentially a story about the title of Captain America and if Sam will take it - which he doesn't. But here we see him being a hero, risking his life and doing right for his country, just as Cap would have.But for all of the bravado that Sam shows as Falcon, he's not that same guy on the ground. The guy that Steve saw fit to be his successor. The one that other people in his life do look up to.
After the mission we see Sam having some down time, where we get properly introduced to his on-the-ground mission wingman, JoaquÃn Torres. He's a young lieutenant who looks up to Sam and knew of him well as Falcon before he joined the Air Force post blip.Comic book fans will recognise the name, because JoaquÃn Torres at one point becomes Falcon. Now, of course there's no guarantee Torres will become the MCU's second Falcon, but the setup is here. Especially if Sam does become Captain America (which I don't think he will) or if he chooses to hang up his wings, no longer be Falcon and just retire as a superhero. Regardless, it's cool to see another character from the comics as part of the MCU introduced so soon.
After WandaVision, one thing we all need to do is suspend any notion that just because we see a thing that it means it's going to be another thing. We've seen numerous times in films and TV shows (not just those which are part of the MCU), that characters from the comics are introduced by name, but don't necessarily become the aliases they are in the comics - although they may have characteristics of that character. Something that we'll see first-hand in episode 2.
Torres' immediate purpose however is introducing the Flag-Smashers, who are a group of radicals who emerged during the blip, and preferred how life was during it. It's here we get the generational difference between Torres and Sam, and how they meet in the middle. Torres got all of the info about this group online, but Sam has the experience of dealing with world threats. Sam doesn't seem wholly invested in the Flag-Smashers at this point, but still tells Torres that if he finds out more and shit gets serious, that he should tell him, which Torres seems chuffed with. So we may be getting some type of origin story or the start of a new relationship. Torres also asks Sam where Captain America is, which also made me ask 'Oh fuck, where the hell is Steve now!?'. To the world, he just disappeared after the Blip. But Sam and Bucky are the only ones that know that he went back in time to live out a different life and returned to the present a different and older person.
The introduction of Torres is great, not for the potential of what could happen for him, but that Sam has somebody who admires him for being a hero and a good guy. Torres respects Sam, because Sam respects him and seems to see him in ways that others don't. It's gonna be some bullshit if Torres turns out to be a bad guy. I don't think he is. Marvel tend to keep the good / bad alliances from the comics pretty accurate to the comics. But they could still pull a stunt with him.
Now, given the trailers for this show, and also the damn name, it was clear Sam wasn't going to take on the mantle of Captain America in episode 1. But even so it was interesting and pretty jaw dropping seeing just how the shield went from Sam to somebody else, and wondering what chain of events would lead Sam to become Captain America, if he becomes him at all.Sam isn't able to just keep the shield as a keepsake handed to him from somebody he admires, who also happens to be a friend. And he isn't in a place where he feels that he can be Captain America, even if Steve felt that he should be. So he hands the shield over to the Smithsonian, and gives an amazing speech as he does so; which not only makes his stance clear on who should get the shield, but why he feels he isn't the one to take it on. Sam is honest, but not ALL the way honest. But I know Black folk who were listening to Sam's speech heard all the shit Sam didn't say. Being Falcon is one thing. Because he's just Falcon. But to be a Black superhero who represents an entire country and has to be out there wearing and fighting with stars and stripes!? Sam knows he ain't got the skin tone for that. As does the member of the government who shakes Sam's hand and tells him 'You did the right thing', knowing full well he's gonna spit in Sam's face not even 48 hours later.
White people.
The Smithsonian hand-off also gives us our first MCU cameo from Rhodey, who is in attendance of Sam's speech and the induction of the shield. You can see it written all over his face that he thinks Sam is making a mistake.When Rhodey and Sam take five together, we're reminded that Sam got blipped whilst Rhodey didn't, so he gets to fill Sam in on how much of a mess the world was, still is, and that everything is an even bigger grey zone than it ever was before - which is partly why he feels Sam may have made a mistake in handing over the shield. It's clear that Steve didn't give Sam the shield for him to just hand it over to an institution that was NEVER going to allow it to stay in a museum. There isn't anything big which is revealed in this moment, but for me as a Black guy, it was nice to just see two Black heroes having a conversation.
Rhodey being Black and having worked in the government his entire career knows what fuckery gets pulled by them, and that they don't always do the right thing by the right people. So on some level he knows that shield is going to end up in the wrong hands, and that Sam may come to regret his choice. But ultimately, he knows it was Sam's choice to make and that he can't do anything to change it. And we've seen in the likes of the Iron Man and Civil War that what Rhodey does and how Rhodey feels can be two different things. Rhodey has shown himself to be the type of person who will do what he thinks will make government officials and people in power happy. So with this in mind, I do wonder if Rhodey feels Sam made a mistake because he failed an obligation to himself and to Steve, or if he feels Sam made a mistake because he failed what he felt was an obligation to the government.
The great thing about how this plays out is that we as the audience know that Sam may have made a mistake in handing over the shield, but completely understand not only his intentions, but why he as a Black man wouldn't want to be Captain America. And we get a couple instances in this episode where Sam coulda just turned to the camera and say 'See bitch? THIS is why.'
And then there's Bucky, who we get introduced to via a flashback sequence where he's in full 'Winter Soldier for HYDRA' mode - killing people left and right on a mission. And once Bucky is done doing a clean-up of the lobby, he see's an innocent bystander who out of sheer fear and panic is desperately trying to unlock his hotel room door. He pleas and says he didn't see anything, but the Winter Soldier is like 'Nope' and pops out a gun. This moment is harrowing. So much so that it wakes Bucky up out of his sleep. We eventually discover that Bucky has regular nightmares about those who he killed. And that whilst he was under mind control the entire time, he still recalls the events. We got a realisation of this in Civil War after Tony discovers that Bucky killed his parents. Because when Tony asks Bucky if he even remembers them, Bucky tells him 'I remember all of them'. But it's so unfortunate for this flashback killing to occur at a moment time when a white gunman targeted Asian people in cold blood, because the dude in the flashback is Japanese.
Chile.
Now. Bucky has done some shit as The Winter Soldier, as we've clearly seen. But none-the-less he has been pardoned by the president. But as part of that pardon, he has to undergo weekly therapy sessions to ensure he works through his shit and that Bucky Shmurda isn't gonna return.
Bucky doesn't take therapy seriously, even though he knows full well he needs it, and that things in his life aren't aligning. As a soldier of war all Bucky has known is the fight. It's what he felt gave his life meaning. It kept him moving and didn't allow him too much time to really think about living any sort of life, because for so long he wasn't able to live it. But now he has to reckon with not only how to become a regular member of society, but all the people he had wronged as The Winter Soldier. Bucky even has a note book with a list of them that he's attempting to work through. One of whom is interestingly Zemo. Y'all who've watched Civil War will know the name. But we'll get to him another time, as he doesn't make an appearance in this episode, but we know he will show up at some point.
Bucky's therapy session is frosty. Not just because he refuses to be honest with somebody else about what he's feeling and experiencing, but because he has issues with letting people into his head. After all, HYDRA literally getting into it is what made him The Winter Soldier and why he's where he's at. It's not something that the show explicitly points out. But it's an easy line to draw for those who have followed Bucky's story through the Captain America films.
What appears to be a theme with these Marvel shows at this point, despite only being two deep, is that for all of the antics, the focus is on these characters coming to terms with traumas of some sort. With Wanda it was her grief. With Sam we see it's his relationship with America as a Black man. And with Bucky is his PTSD from his time as The Winter Soldier and as a soldier, period.
Bucky does appear to be living some form of life as a civilian though, and even befriends and old man who lives in his block. I thought Bucky was friends with him because of their age. Remember, Bucky is 106 years old. So to me it made sense he'd find more in common with an old guy than somebody closer to his apparent age. But we find out that this man is the father of the guy Bucky killed in the flashback, and that Bucky is spending time with him out of guilt; trying to find the right time to break the news to him of how he died, because the 'how' was never established and the old man can't let it go.
Bucky's therapist read his ass down and said that he needs to try and make friends, and he and this old guy really do seem to get along. After all, this isn't Bucky's first time hanging out with this guy. It's clearly a tradition they hold each other to. And this is what makes this situation so damn tragic, because Bucky revealing the truth will destroy this friendship in the exact same way it destroyed Steve and Tony's in Captain America: Civil War. It's one of those shitty instances in life where doing the right thing can cost you.
It's not all doom and gloom though, because Bucky has a date. All thanks to his old wingman asking the waitress out on his behalf. Now what the fuck is Bucky gon' do without this old man?
Damn.
Bucky's date goes as awkwardly as you'd expect it to. There was nothing in his interactions with the waitress prior that seemed to hint that he was into her. It seemed one-sided on her part. But Bucky goes along with it, and is really taking his therapists advice on board in terms of trying to make friends and put himself out there. Bucky even admits at the start of the date that he's on the apps, and none of it makes sense.
Tea.
The date isn't the train wreck we probably expected it to be. Bucky is accidentally charming, and despite his constant scowling, he has a sense of humour. But what becomes very apparent early on is that he can't be honest with this girl. At least not about everything. Bucky makes references which causes the waitress to say 'God, you remind me of my Dad' and then asks Bucky's age, to which Bucky gives an honest answer knowing full well the waitress would think its a joke (which she does). The waitress also asks why Bucky always wears gloves. We know it's to hide that he has a vibranium arm, but he says that he has poor circulation. I don't think having a metal arm would be such a crazy thing to disclose to somebody in a world where there are men in flying suits, a Spider-Man and many an amputee with prosthetics and robotics. But Bucky clearly feels some type of way about his arm. Or maybe he finds it easier to hide it, as not to have to explain how he lost it. Or maybe he hides it from himself, because his metal arm is a reminder of so many different things. It's not the same metal arm he had as The Winter Soldier. So you'd think he'd be somewhat proud of his vibranium arm, as it was the start of him trying to start a new phase of his life, following his rehabilitation in Wakanda. But whatever the case is, Bucky hides it.
When the topic of discussion turns to family, Bucky does disclose that he has a sister. We don't know whether she's still alive, and if she is, does she even know Bucky is still alive?!
The date is going okay, until the waitress brings up ol' dude that Bucky luncheons with, and how Bucky being a friend has been a lifeline for him following the murder of his son. And she says something that's very true, but also so dark and depressing. 'You know how we call a guys whose wife died a widower. Or of your parents die, you're an orphan. There's no word for someone whose kids die...'cos it's like the worst thing that could happen'. It's too much for Bucky to take, and he just leaves. So I guess he's gonna have to find a new lunch spot now.
The guilt eats at Bucky so hard, that he actually goes to ol' dude's house with the intent of dropping the bombshell. But when ol' dude opens the door, Bucky can see his son's shrine, and it's just too much for him, so he makes up an excuse that he owed money for dinner and just leaves.
The fragility and the fear that Bucky has is so cool to see, because I didn't think this show was gonna expose this aspect of his character. So I'm really keen to see more of it, and how it manifests and affects the choices that he makes, because chances are he's going to come face to face with many things from his past over the course of this series. Or at least I hope he does. It'd be a shame to dig so deep into Bucky for one episode and then leave it be.
Seeing Bucky be so awkward on a date is a far cry from the womaniser we saw Bucky as in The First Avenger, and is yet another example of how the events in his life as The Winter Soldier have completely changed him inside out. And that the only person who seemed to bring out the person he used to be was Steve. Steve was Bucky's anchor, and now that he's gone, and there's no fight, he's just adrift.
It's actually refreshing to see Marvel actually deal with fallout, as it's not something we've seen many superhero stories do in movies or shows. So often we get characters who fuck shit up, and just move on. But here Bucky isn't able to do that. And it's going to be interesting to see if he is ever able to fully absolve or redeem himself, which makes me wonder if he'll still be alive by the end of this thing. Because maybe in death he finds redemption, although I feel this would be a slight cop out. But we'll see. I'm fully bracing myself for it.
With Sam having done is lil' air mission and handed over the shield to dem white people, he heads home to New Orleans to see his family; and we find out for the first time that he has a sister and 2 nephews. I honestly don't recall if Sam's family were ever mentioned in previous movies, but I don't think they were. Everything about Sam's home and his family is blickitty-black and it's great. And as with WandaVision, we see not only another Black woman in the MCU, but also being the heart of a moment. We come to realise that Sam and his sister and her 2 sons did not get blipped, and that life was a struggle for her as a single parent. And also that Sam and Sarah's parents have passed. We don't get a timeframe as to when, but I'm gathering that it was prior to the blip. Because chile, having another character blip back and find out their parents had died after Monica lost her mother during it would be too much.
The Wilson family business is seafood, and one that's been in the family for generations. Sarah's been managing it single-handedly, but things have been tough, and she's had to take out loans, which have put the family boat and the house at risk. Sam swoops in with a plan on how to help and he and Sarah but heads. Sam is optimistic and feels that after all the shit he's seen and been doing helping save the world, that this life admin shit will be a piece of cake, where-as Sarah is already over Sam glossing over her struggle like what she's been doing hasn't been good enough and that he can just fix everything. But she goes along with Sam's plan to meet with the bank, knowing her back is against the wall, but also knowing full well what the outcome will be. But sometimes you've just gotta humour people. And when Sam and Sarah meet with the bank to discuss a business plan for a load, we get a big ol' bombshell and a reveal that I don't think ANY of us saw coming.
Avengers don't get paid.
Tony Stark was providing the team with the latest shit, and a nice little compound to live in rent free. But they were not paid salaries, by either Stark industries or the government. So not only was Sam always broke, but after being blipped, he is broke broke. And I guess Pepper peaced out after Tony died and didn't think about any form of payment packages for the Avengers. Although she did just lose her husband, and the Avengers did pretty much just drift their separate ways. But STILL. I guess this is why Cap couldn't afford an apartment in Brooklyn.
The entire bank scene is interesting because it is so layered. Sam and his sister being refused for a loan could be seen as racial bias. But the loan advisor also recognises Sam as The Falcon, knows all that he's done for the world, and is a fan - yet it doesn't factor into his approval for a loan. But it also shows that the world did not manage to find its feet in the 5 years that it lost half of its population, and it certainly isn't adjusting to gaining it back. So Sam is having to deal with not only being a Black man and all that entails, but him being The Falcon amounting to nothing that can help life as a civilian or his family, and that he is just one of many for whom there is no real help. It opens a real dialogue that we rarely see explored in superhero movies, much less a Marvel production. And the timing of it is so poignant given that we're all living in the midst of a global pandemic which is comparable to the blip. People displaced. Millions gone. Governments unable to cope and deal with it. Infrastructures toppling. The world changing so quickly at scale.
Speaking of infrastructures toppling. Y'all remember those radicals Torres was talking 'bout? They be robbing banks.
The Flag-Smashers use AR and online forums to spread word of what they do and they have a dedicated following who believe in their cause. And one thing they apparently do is flash mob bank robberies. Torres decides to turn up to one of their terrorist meet-ups. Once the robbery takes place it's clear from the start that whoever these Flag-Smashers are, they are POWERFUL. Dude drops down from a two story building and lands on his feet with a thud. And then kicks a security guard who goes flying. Torres and his stupid ass tries to apprehend him, only to get thrown into the floor and take a foot to the face. I thought Torres was dead, but we find out later that he's not. And once he comes to, he FaceTimes Sam and tells him what's up. And when Sam see's how powerful the robber is, he is suddenly incredibly interested and thinks what I was thinking. Somebody somewhere got a serum. And just when Sam thinks he's gotten all the tea he's gotten for the day, his sister runs into the room like 'Nigga, switch on the TV'. Y'all remember that white man who told Sam he made the right choice in handing in the shield? Well now he's on a podium announcing a new Captain America. And it's some random ass white man with a handsome Squidward jaw who winks into the camera as the episode ends.
And THAT folks is why Sam was like 'I ain't being Captain America', because the damn country would never allow it, because THEY DON'T WANT A BLACK CAP.
There weren't a great deal of twists and turns in the first episode. But it is...only the first episode. The biggest reveals for me were ones which weren't wholly plot related. One being that Avengers don't get paid, and the biggest being that we don't even see Sam and Bucky together. It never crossed my mind that the show would start with them apart, but of course it makes sense that it would. It also better set up their individual motivations and what will ultimately bring them together, which is protecting Captain America's legacy; past and future. But of course, for them its more than the mantle of Captain America, but the personal connection they have to the man responsible for it.
Episode 1 isn't likely to be an episode that gets a lot of re-watches due to how its really all set up. There's very little in terms of layers or crazy spring boarding. This isn't a bad thing. Episode 1 does a stand-up job of really setting the tone of the world this story is set in, where there is so much instability and uncertainty. It's a stark contrast to the likes of WandaVision which opened with a story set in a sitcom where everything was hunky dory - completing hiding all reality.
Whilst WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are completely different, it's interesting seeing the approaches taken to tell stories which do overlap in terms of how do you reconcile your past to live in a future that you don't want, but know that you ultimately have to accept. With Wanda it was the refusal to live without Vision. With Sam it's his refusal to be a patriotic hero. And for Bucky it's his refusal to just simply live.
And despite Sam and Bucky being a part of several films in the MCU, we get more lines, back story and gravitas given to them in one 40 minute episode than we've gotten across all of the films to date. So it's going to be great seeing these characters grow as they not only find themselves, but where they fit in this post blip, post Avengers world. And if they manage to fit in it at all.
The great thing about how this plays out is that we as the audience know that Sam may have made a mistake in handing over the shield, but completely understand not only his intentions, but why he as a Black man wouldn't want to be Captain America. And we get a couple instances in this episode where Sam coulda just turned to the camera and say 'See bitch? THIS is why.'
And then there's Bucky, who we get introduced to via a flashback sequence where he's in full 'Winter Soldier for HYDRA' mode - killing people left and right on a mission. And once Bucky is done doing a clean-up of the lobby, he see's an innocent bystander who out of sheer fear and panic is desperately trying to unlock his hotel room door. He pleas and says he didn't see anything, but the Winter Soldier is like 'Nope' and pops out a gun. This moment is harrowing. So much so that it wakes Bucky up out of his sleep. We eventually discover that Bucky has regular nightmares about those who he killed. And that whilst he was under mind control the entire time, he still recalls the events. We got a realisation of this in Civil War after Tony discovers that Bucky killed his parents. Because when Tony asks Bucky if he even remembers them, Bucky tells him 'I remember all of them'. But it's so unfortunate for this flashback killing to occur at a moment time when a white gunman targeted Asian people in cold blood, because the dude in the flashback is Japanese.Chile.
Now. Bucky has done some shit as The Winter Soldier, as we've clearly seen. But none-the-less he has been pardoned by the president. But as part of that pardon, he has to undergo weekly therapy sessions to ensure he works through his shit and that Bucky Shmurda isn't gonna return.Bucky doesn't take therapy seriously, even though he knows full well he needs it, and that things in his life aren't aligning. As a soldier of war all Bucky has known is the fight. It's what he felt gave his life meaning. It kept him moving and didn't allow him too much time to really think about living any sort of life, because for so long he wasn't able to live it. But now he has to reckon with not only how to become a regular member of society, but all the people he had wronged as The Winter Soldier. Bucky even has a note book with a list of them that he's attempting to work through. One of whom is interestingly Zemo. Y'all who've watched Civil War will know the name. But we'll get to him another time, as he doesn't make an appearance in this episode, but we know he will show up at some point.
Bucky's therapy session is frosty. Not just because he refuses to be honest with somebody else about what he's feeling and experiencing, but because he has issues with letting people into his head. After all, HYDRA literally getting into it is what made him The Winter Soldier and why he's where he's at. It's not something that the show explicitly points out. But it's an easy line to draw for those who have followed Bucky's story through the Captain America films.What appears to be a theme with these Marvel shows at this point, despite only being two deep, is that for all of the antics, the focus is on these characters coming to terms with traumas of some sort. With Wanda it was her grief. With Sam we see it's his relationship with America as a Black man. And with Bucky is his PTSD from his time as The Winter Soldier and as a soldier, period.
Bucky does appear to be living some form of life as a civilian though, and even befriends and old man who lives in his block. I thought Bucky was friends with him because of their age. Remember, Bucky is 106 years old. So to me it made sense he'd find more in common with an old guy than somebody closer to his apparent age. But we find out that this man is the father of the guy Bucky killed in the flashback, and that Bucky is spending time with him out of guilt; trying to find the right time to break the news to him of how he died, because the 'how' was never established and the old man can't let it go.Bucky's therapist read his ass down and said that he needs to try and make friends, and he and this old guy really do seem to get along. After all, this isn't Bucky's first time hanging out with this guy. It's clearly a tradition they hold each other to. And this is what makes this situation so damn tragic, because Bucky revealing the truth will destroy this friendship in the exact same way it destroyed Steve and Tony's in Captain America: Civil War. It's one of those shitty instances in life where doing the right thing can cost you.
It's not all doom and gloom though, because Bucky has a date. All thanks to his old wingman asking the waitress out on his behalf. Now what the fuck is Bucky gon' do without this old man?
Damn.
Bucky's date goes as awkwardly as you'd expect it to. There was nothing in his interactions with the waitress prior that seemed to hint that he was into her. It seemed one-sided on her part. But Bucky goes along with it, and is really taking his therapists advice on board in terms of trying to make friends and put himself out there. Bucky even admits at the start of the date that he's on the apps, and none of it makes sense.Tea.
The date isn't the train wreck we probably expected it to be. Bucky is accidentally charming, and despite his constant scowling, he has a sense of humour. But what becomes very apparent early on is that he can't be honest with this girl. At least not about everything. Bucky makes references which causes the waitress to say 'God, you remind me of my Dad' and then asks Bucky's age, to which Bucky gives an honest answer knowing full well the waitress would think its a joke (which she does). The waitress also asks why Bucky always wears gloves. We know it's to hide that he has a vibranium arm, but he says that he has poor circulation. I don't think having a metal arm would be such a crazy thing to disclose to somebody in a world where there are men in flying suits, a Spider-Man and many an amputee with prosthetics and robotics. But Bucky clearly feels some type of way about his arm. Or maybe he finds it easier to hide it, as not to have to explain how he lost it. Or maybe he hides it from himself, because his metal arm is a reminder of so many different things. It's not the same metal arm he had as The Winter Soldier. So you'd think he'd be somewhat proud of his vibranium arm, as it was the start of him trying to start a new phase of his life, following his rehabilitation in Wakanda. But whatever the case is, Bucky hides it.
When the topic of discussion turns to family, Bucky does disclose that he has a sister. We don't know whether she's still alive, and if she is, does she even know Bucky is still alive?!
The date is going okay, until the waitress brings up ol' dude that Bucky luncheons with, and how Bucky being a friend has been a lifeline for him following the murder of his son. And she says something that's very true, but also so dark and depressing. 'You know how we call a guys whose wife died a widower. Or of your parents die, you're an orphan. There's no word for someone whose kids die...'cos it's like the worst thing that could happen'. It's too much for Bucky to take, and he just leaves. So I guess he's gonna have to find a new lunch spot now.The guilt eats at Bucky so hard, that he actually goes to ol' dude's house with the intent of dropping the bombshell. But when ol' dude opens the door, Bucky can see his son's shrine, and it's just too much for him, so he makes up an excuse that he owed money for dinner and just leaves.
The fragility and the fear that Bucky has is so cool to see, because I didn't think this show was gonna expose this aspect of his character. So I'm really keen to see more of it, and how it manifests and affects the choices that he makes, because chances are he's going to come face to face with many things from his past over the course of this series. Or at least I hope he does. It'd be a shame to dig so deep into Bucky for one episode and then leave it be.
Seeing Bucky be so awkward on a date is a far cry from the womaniser we saw Bucky as in The First Avenger, and is yet another example of how the events in his life as The Winter Soldier have completely changed him inside out. And that the only person who seemed to bring out the person he used to be was Steve. Steve was Bucky's anchor, and now that he's gone, and there's no fight, he's just adrift.It's actually refreshing to see Marvel actually deal with fallout, as it's not something we've seen many superhero stories do in movies or shows. So often we get characters who fuck shit up, and just move on. But here Bucky isn't able to do that. And it's going to be interesting to see if he is ever able to fully absolve or redeem himself, which makes me wonder if he'll still be alive by the end of this thing. Because maybe in death he finds redemption, although I feel this would be a slight cop out. But we'll see. I'm fully bracing myself for it.
With Sam having done is lil' air mission and handed over the shield to dem white people, he heads home to New Orleans to see his family; and we find out for the first time that he has a sister and 2 nephews. I honestly don't recall if Sam's family were ever mentioned in previous movies, but I don't think they were. Everything about Sam's home and his family is blickitty-black and it's great. And as with WandaVision, we see not only another Black woman in the MCU, but also being the heart of a moment. We come to realise that Sam and his sister and her 2 sons did not get blipped, and that life was a struggle for her as a single parent. And also that Sam and Sarah's parents have passed. We don't get a timeframe as to when, but I'm gathering that it was prior to the blip. Because chile, having another character blip back and find out their parents had died after Monica lost her mother during it would be too much.The Wilson family business is seafood, and one that's been in the family for generations. Sarah's been managing it single-handedly, but things have been tough, and she's had to take out loans, which have put the family boat and the house at risk. Sam swoops in with a plan on how to help and he and Sarah but heads. Sam is optimistic and feels that after all the shit he's seen and been doing helping save the world, that this life admin shit will be a piece of cake, where-as Sarah is already over Sam glossing over her struggle like what she's been doing hasn't been good enough and that he can just fix everything. But she goes along with Sam's plan to meet with the bank, knowing her back is against the wall, but also knowing full well what the outcome will be. But sometimes you've just gotta humour people. And when Sam and Sarah meet with the bank to discuss a business plan for a load, we get a big ol' bombshell and a reveal that I don't think ANY of us saw coming.Avengers don't get paid.
Tony Stark was providing the team with the latest shit, and a nice little compound to live in rent free. But they were not paid salaries, by either Stark industries or the government. So not only was Sam always broke, but after being blipped, he is broke broke. And I guess Pepper peaced out after Tony died and didn't think about any form of payment packages for the Avengers. Although she did just lose her husband, and the Avengers did pretty much just drift their separate ways. But STILL. I guess this is why Cap couldn't afford an apartment in Brooklyn.
The entire bank scene is interesting because it is so layered. Sam and his sister being refused for a loan could be seen as racial bias. But the loan advisor also recognises Sam as The Falcon, knows all that he's done for the world, and is a fan - yet it doesn't factor into his approval for a loan. But it also shows that the world did not manage to find its feet in the 5 years that it lost half of its population, and it certainly isn't adjusting to gaining it back. So Sam is having to deal with not only being a Black man and all that entails, but him being The Falcon amounting to nothing that can help life as a civilian or his family, and that he is just one of many for whom there is no real help. It opens a real dialogue that we rarely see explored in superhero movies, much less a Marvel production. And the timing of it is so poignant given that we're all living in the midst of a global pandemic which is comparable to the blip. People displaced. Millions gone. Governments unable to cope and deal with it. Infrastructures toppling. The world changing so quickly at scale.Speaking of infrastructures toppling. Y'all remember those radicals Torres was talking 'bout? They be robbing banks.
The Flag-Smashers use AR and online forums to spread word of what they do and they have a dedicated following who believe in their cause. And one thing they apparently do is flash mob bank robberies. Torres decides to turn up to one of their terrorist meet-ups. Once the robbery takes place it's clear from the start that whoever these Flag-Smashers are, they are POWERFUL. Dude drops down from a two story building and lands on his feet with a thud. And then kicks a security guard who goes flying. Torres and his stupid ass tries to apprehend him, only to get thrown into the floor and take a foot to the face. I thought Torres was dead, but we find out later that he's not. And once he comes to, he FaceTimes Sam and tells him what's up. And when Sam see's how powerful the robber is, he is suddenly incredibly interested and thinks what I was thinking. Somebody somewhere got a serum. And just when Sam thinks he's gotten all the tea he's gotten for the day, his sister runs into the room like 'Nigga, switch on the TV'. Y'all remember that white man who told Sam he made the right choice in handing in the shield? Well now he's on a podium announcing a new Captain America. And it's some random ass white man with a handsome Squidward jaw who winks into the camera as the episode ends.And THAT folks is why Sam was like 'I ain't being Captain America', because the damn country would never allow it, because THEY DON'T WANT A BLACK CAP.
There weren't a great deal of twists and turns in the first episode. But it is...only the first episode. The biggest reveals for me were ones which weren't wholly plot related. One being that Avengers don't get paid, and the biggest being that we don't even see Sam and Bucky together. It never crossed my mind that the show would start with them apart, but of course it makes sense that it would. It also better set up their individual motivations and what will ultimately bring them together, which is protecting Captain America's legacy; past and future. But of course, for them its more than the mantle of Captain America, but the personal connection they have to the man responsible for it.Episode 1 isn't likely to be an episode that gets a lot of re-watches due to how its really all set up. There's very little in terms of layers or crazy spring boarding. This isn't a bad thing. Episode 1 does a stand-up job of really setting the tone of the world this story is set in, where there is so much instability and uncertainty. It's a stark contrast to the likes of WandaVision which opened with a story set in a sitcom where everything was hunky dory - completing hiding all reality.
Whilst WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are completely different, it's interesting seeing the approaches taken to tell stories which do overlap in terms of how do you reconcile your past to live in a future that you don't want, but know that you ultimately have to accept. With Wanda it was the refusal to live without Vision. With Sam it's his refusal to be a patriotic hero. And for Bucky it's his refusal to just simply live.And despite Sam and Bucky being a part of several films in the MCU, we get more lines, back story and gravitas given to them in one 40 minute episode than we've gotten across all of the films to date. So it's going to be great seeing these characters grow as they not only find themselves, but where they fit in this post blip, post Avengers world. And if they manage to fit in it at all.