“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” episode one sets the stage brilliantly for the next five episodes of the series. We see how Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) have been handling life after the events of Avengers: Endgame. This article contains spoilers. If you have not seen the episode, then do not read any further.

Opening “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”

This episode opens with Sam putting on a black suit jacket. He glances down at Captain America’s shield, and we hear the conversation he had with Steve Rogers at the end of Avengers: Endgame in the background.

Steve Rogers: How does it feel?

Sam: Like it’s someone else’s.

Steve: It isn’t.

At that moment, it felt like it was going to move into Steve’s funeral. However, the episode jumps to Sam Wilson, aka “The Falcon,”  working with the United States Air Force on a mission. They are working together to take down a terrorist organization, and this is a rescue mission. The visuals in the outdoor scenes are stunning. It feels like we, as the viewers, are right there with Sam as he flies through canyons and mountains. He is using an AI device he calls “Red-Wing” that is very Stark-like technology. The rescue mission is ultimately successful. Once Sam is back on the ground, he is fixing up “Red-Wing” at an outdoor eatery with his Air Force friend. A passerby sees Sam, calls him an Avenger, and thanks him for his service. Later, Sam’s friend mentions a group forming called the “Flag Smashers.” The “Flag Smashers” want things to go back to the way they were during the Blip. They could potentially be very dangerous people. He also brings up an online conspiracy that Steve is on the moon, looking down over the world. Of course, the second conspiracy is nonsense. Moments later, Sam gets a message and tells his friend he has “moon stuff” to take care of. It felt like a perfect transition into the honor of Steve’s legacy.

The world is broken

Sam gives a speech at the Smithsonian in honor of Steve Rogers’ Captain America. He says that Steve represented the best in all of us. The shield was an important symbol for so many people. Rather than taking the title of “Captain America” and the shield, Sam has it kept safe with the rest of the Captain America exhibit. During his speech, he says the world needs new heroes for the times they are in. It did not feel like a funeral, but rather it felt like remembering Steve’s legacy. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is in attendance. He pulls Sam aside to find out why he chose not to take the title. Sam feels that he cannot replace Steve as Captain America.

Fast forward, we see high-powered people walking through a foreign embassy. A familiar silver arm punches through a wall and starts fighting people. Moments later, the Winter Soldier appears and takes them down. He utters the words, “Hail Hydra” and turns to kill an innocent bystander. It turns out, Bucky was having post-traumatic stress disorder-related nightmare. Now, Bucky is in therapy. The scenes with Bucky talking to a therapist felt so important. Our heroes go through so much trauma and war during their time as Avengers. Bucky’s therapist asks about nightmares, and Bucky lies. Thankfully, his therapist can see right through him. Bucky is going through a process where he is making amends but on very specific terms. He cannot do anything illegal, and no one can get hurt. Bucky talks about how he has been fighting for ninety years and never stopped. He has not had a moment to decompress and deal with things. He does not know what to do with himself now that he is a civilian. Apparently, he has been ignoring Sam’s texts and calls and only ever contacts his therapist. He needs friends.

Sam and Bucky have very different lives

After Bucky leaves therapy, we meet Yori. Yori is a kindly, older man that we find out has lunch with Bucky every Wednesday. They go to the same place every week, and according to the waitress, get the same meal every time. We see Bucky checking out the waitress, and Yori asks why he never asked her out. So, he does it for him. Yori sets the two of them up. Then, we see Yori get emotional. Yori’s son was killed for no reason, overseas, years ago. We see Bucky thinking, and he seems to be reluctantly recalling his previous life as the “Winter Soldier.”

Later that night, Bucky goes on the date. The two of them have drinks and play Battleship. They talk, and she asks how old Bucky is. With no hesitation, Bucky tells her he is 106 years old. Apparently, there is no reason to hide his age considering most people know how old Captain America truly was. On the date, she thanks him for being so kind to Yori. Yori has never been the same since he lost his son. Then, Bucky leaves to pay Yori for their lunch and sees a shrine in his home in honor of his son. His son was the innocent man we saw Bucky kill in his flashback nightmare. Could this be part of the amends Bucky longs to make? The guilt behind Bucky’s eyes is heartbreaking.

On Sam’s side, his Air Force friend is able to send him footage of the “Flag Smashers.” This group is performing a heist, and he ends up getting hurt by their leader. It looks like this leader is Zemo, but it may be too soon to tell. Everyone was wearing very similar masks. They were moving around the streets to throw off any law enforcement who may try to stop them.

Next, Sam is trying to help his sister, Sarah (Adepero Oduye). She has been raising her kids and trying to handle her business alone for the last five years while Sam has been “away.” Apparently, even as an Avenger, Sam cannot help save his sister’s business with a loan from the bank. No income means no loan. He doesn’t seem to want to give up, as brothers tend to do. As they leave the bank and head home, Sarah shows him something on T.V. The head of the United States military is making an announcement. Americans need someone to be their symbol of hope. People need a new hero. So, someone new is being appointed the next Captain America. The regret is evident on Sam’s face as someone we do not know has taken up the mantle of Captain America, and the episode ends. Could this be John Walker (played by Wyatt Russell), the sort of “dark” Captain America mentioned in the comic books?

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier do not interact

This first episode has set us up the rest of the series in a wonderful way. We got to know what has been going on in Sam and Bucky’s lives separately. Bucky is suffering from PTSD and trying to make amends for who he was. Sam is stuck trying to help out his family while struggling with his decision to give back the shield. Diving into their lives individually will help us better understand their dynamic in the next five episodes. Both of them are struggling. They are struggling with very different issues. It is a breath of fresh air to see a hero getting the therapy he deserves without fear of being triggered back into the Winter Soldier. Hopefully, we will see Bucky reach out to Sam in some way during the next episode.

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