Director: Kari Skogland
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan
The post-Endgame world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is shaping up to be a more diverse, more personal one so far. After WandaVision showed a glimpse of the world of one person who was dealing with grief in an unorthodox manner, 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' expands the scope to many more.
At its heart, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier appears to be a more serious, gritty drama, not like 'WandaVision' which took on a more sitcom-like format. This is most evident in its presentation but is far more obvious in its use of a more muted colour palette.
The show deals with grief and PTSD in many different ways, primarily focussing on the titular characters, Sam Wilson and James "Bucky" Barnes. After the events of Endgame, Sam was given Captain America's shield, but he did then, as he does in the show, feel like the shield is not for him to wield; instead, he works in the Air Force and has to struggle trying to make things right with his family.
Meanwhile, Bucky has a whole different set of problems, which in the context of the series' first episode, hit just a little bit harder than Sam's struggles. As a 106-year-old veteran of war and criminal subterfuge/espionage/assassination with a serious case of PTSD, Bucky carries a different level of baggage, which is evident in his unwillingness to talk to Sam or make friends, other than an old Japanese man - he appears to be crossing off a list in search of...something.
There is a lot to be dissected about the post-Endgame world in the show, other than the general idea of grief and hardcore PTSD for the main characters. The show touches upon a world where people dramatically disappeared into dust for five years and returned just as dramatically. There is a small bit early on where a man thanks Sam for bringing his wife back, but there is also the ugly side of things, which feels more of a tease of things to come.
It is still too early to call judgement on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, given that it's just one episode in, but if the 40-odd minutes are any indication, the rest of the series is likely to be another solid home run for Marvel's new, smaller-scale storytelling format.