“The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” Episode 1 Review

Story posted March 23, 2021 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Colton Pleslusky

It has only been two weeks since the ending of “WandaVision” and Marvel Studios is already back on every viewers radar with the launch of “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier."

The first episode starts with that oh so intoxicating Marvel movie action, featuring Falcon soaring about in his new suit while blasting away at helicopters. The action sequence has some great shots of Falcon flying zipping about.
He is fighting against the clock, and his eventual victory makes the viewer rejoice just because of the intensity of the action.

For the rest of the episode, action takes a back seat to some fantastic, and much needed, character building that is best accomplished in a TV format compared to a full movie. The viewer really gets to know Sam Wilson in a personal way as he returns home and greets his sister and his nephews.

On the other side of things, Bucky Barnes is struggling to reintegrate himself into a “normal” life. There are scenes were the viewer witnesses Bucky sitting with a psychiatrist who is trying to help him recover from his past.
He isn’t very open with her and the tension in the scene due to Bucky’s uncomforted demeanor can be felt by the viewer.

Additionally, the first antagonist is revealed to be an extremist group called the “Flag Smashers”, who felt that Earth was better off with half of the people missing and want to crush all national borders. Their motivation is interesting, considering that a real-life scenario such as the fictional “snap” and “blip” events would probably generate a similar group of people.

The episode explores a lot of realistic themes actually. Wilson and his sister try to get a loan from the bank, but due to the aforementioned events the rules for giving out loans have tightened significantly.

Taking place six months after “Avengers: Endgame," it is interesting to see the show exploring more of the finer details of society trying to rebuild itself back to what it once was.

Of course, this makes this one of Marvel’s most realistic productions to date as they discuss the general hardships and spend less time showing off flashy fight scenes. There is a lot of world and character building done in one single episode, hopefully it is a sign of how great the rest of the season may be.

It would be a mistake not to mention the great performances done by Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, who play the Falcon and Winter Soldier respectively. The pair of actors have always excelled in bringing their characters to life in the “MCU”, but the show allows them a whole new level to work with.

Overall, this was a fantastic foot to start the new show off with. It sets the tone perfectly of how both characters are doing with their new lives, and leaves the viewer really looking forward to the moment both heroes unite to take down whatever threat is presented.

Colton Pleslusky is a junior majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email csp5289@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Colton Pleslusky

Fourth-Year / Telecommunications

Colton S. Pleslusky is a fourth-year from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania majoring in telecommunications at Penn State. He is a director and writer for the CommRadio Arts & Entertainment Department as well as the host on Nittany Stories and a co-host on Nittany Record Club alongside Emily McGlynn. He does behind the scenes tasks, including directing, producing, programming and more for the Centre County Report. To contact him, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).