THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER
Hot off the heels of WandaVision comes the second (originally planned as the first) Marvel Studios Disney + series. Between the two Marvel series it feels as if we're receiving two very different ends of the spectrum. While WandaVision played with format and presented a long-form mystery series, Falcon and Winter Soldier presents a far more straight-forward and streamlined narrative which, in some ways, felt like more of a standard television drama. I kept thinking of Jack Ryan while watching it.
Personally I wasn't that big of a fan of WandaVision, particular how the show unfolded. But it did set the bar for expectations going forward for these Disney + Marvel shows. A Marvel Studios Disney + television show is no more special or better than a regular television show. There are moments that drag and moments that really take off. There are big moments that fall flat and little moments that really shine and vice versa, just like any show. Now with tempered expectations (set by Marvel Studios themselves), I hoped I'd enjoy Falcon and Winter Soldier more than WandaVision. But FAWS kinda started on the wrong foot.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
Whereas WandaVision created a new narrative out of whole-clothe for its characters (mostly), FAWS spins directly out of the events in Avengers: Endgame, particularly one of the worst written scenes in the film where "old man Cap" Steve Rogers appears to hand off the shield. The handing off of the shield itself is fine, but how Cap is there at all is contrary to every rule of time-travel established earlier in the film. A powerful scene for sure, undermined by the movie itself. And it only gets worse the more you think about it.
Then there's the "5 Years Later" world of the MCU. On one hand the idea is interesting, the Avengers and the universe having to deal with the consequences of Thanos' actions in Infinity War, and there's a very good defense for it. But when you really think about it, especially how the problem is ultimately solved, is creates endless problems and questions. It's another example of elements in Avengers: Endgame that were not well thought out. The way Spider-Man: Far From Home handled it was nice and tasteful. It lightly touched on it and quickly got things back to "normal." WandaVision did the same by lightly touching upon it and quickly moving away.
FAWS really dwells on the ramifications of this plot point leaving a mixed bag of results. On one hand I like that Marvel is trying to make something out of this rather than gloss over it. But at the same time, this limits the MCU from doing more compelling stories. There are so many aspects of the MCU in need of further exploration and I feel the reappearance of half the population is arguably the least interesting of these. And FAWS really pushes this concept hard. What's weird is that there are subtle hints that the "reverse snap" may have made things worse. But the problem is that most of the people effected by this are the "normal" people of the MCU, simple FICTIONAL backdrops. If this were the real world with real people effected as such, then yes, this would be very impactful and important.
But this is the MCU. They've slowly phased out the "human" supporting cast by and large with every sequel as more super-powered characters emerge. For the last seven years the MCU has been shifting focus further and further away from most of the human characters in favor of the supers, and rightly so. I can get all of the "normal people" viewing I want from daily life. As an audience member seeking escapist entertainment in super hero films, I want to see the super powered characters. For the record, I consider Falcon a super hero, even though he has no powers. I want to see Falcon, Bucky, Sharon, Batroc, John Walker, Battlestar, Baron Zemo, the Dora Milage, and so on. Those characters are great.
The premise of this show revolves entirely around the group The Flag Smashers, a militant group of freedom fighters championing the people displaced by the "Blip," A.K.A. all of those people that the MCU has told us to care nothing for. In a fictional world, a broad view of this works, for stakes. We're shown a cast of core characters who work to save the masses from evil. We never meet these masses nor do we care to, but it sets general stakes. I'm speaking for myself, of course, but I don't need to meet the masses to know they're there in my books, video games, or movies. They're window dressing for a gripping narrative. Here though they become the focus and main antagonists (or in this show's case, tragic heroes, so they'd have us believe).
The MCU has always had trouble with villains. Most of these villains are one movie and done cases. We've had 23 films and now two television shows and barely any villains among all 25 projects that have resonated with people. There are obvious exceptions in Loki, Vulture, and Thanos, but by and large, the MCU doesn't do well by its villains. I'd argue The Flag Smashers are perhaps the least compelling antagonists the MCU has done so far, even worse than any of the villains in the movies by a mile. I kept thinking, "these are just the starter villains while the big bad slowly emerges throughout the show." But no. The Flag Smashers are as good as it gets here. Zemo and Sharon Carter don't count as they're actually protagonists in this case.
Had the Flag Smashers comprised characters we'd previously known or were known characters from the comics it would've helped me engage with them. The MCU already mistreats their villains and casually dispenses with storied antagonists with 50 years or more longevity to them. What's to make me think these no-name characters are any less expendable? In fact they come across as more expendable and utterly boring as a result. In a fictional drama the stakes are what drives the story and engages the audience. Our hero is only as good as their villain. There is an argument to be made for the Flag Smashers and their cause. But when they're comprised of no-name characters that never existed in the comics, whose cause is championing what ultimately amounts to mere window dressing, whatever emotional investment I may have had was thrown out the window.
Not to beat a dead horse any further, but after everything that's happened to the Earth after Endgame, aren't there even bigger issues the world of the MCU needs to worry about? In the grand scheme of things, displaced people is the least of their worries. And then there's the constant push to make the Flag Smashers sympathetic. They bombed buildings full of innocent people, killed Battlestar and ran, set vans full of people on fire, and pushed hard to kill even more people. Yet Falcon's end speech tries to paint them as misunderstood heroes. Falcon's speech felt very "Captain America" there but, c'mon... That's as dumb as Monica's line in WandaVision, "They'll never know what you sacrificed for them." Yep, because saying goodbye to your imaginary family is way worse than enslaving an entire town and forcing them to do your bidding. Sorry, Sam, but the Flag Smashers are terrorists. But he was right in asking the question, "why were they acting the way they were?" It still doesn't make them better characters though.
Baron Zemo, on the other hand, was amazing in everything he did. Daniel Bruhl owns it in every scene he's in, even the stupid dancing was somehow charming. He's criminally underused in this show and he embodies the potential of Marvel's villains if they're given a chance. After WandaVision I have considerably less investment in these MCU Disney + shows. I stopped theorizing and engaged less with FAWS as a result, to keep from getting disappointed again. Because of this, all I wanted out of this show was for Baron Zemo to be "in the wind" by the end, no one knowing where to find him. But in this simple request the show failed and the MCU short-changed Baron Zemo yet again.
The show really belongs to Sam Wilson though. Falcon is the heart and soul of this show. His journey of self-discovery was fleshed out and given real conflict. His view of America conflicting with Isaiah Bradley's and that of the America Steve Rogers represented all came to an interesting and meaningful conclusion. Anthony Mackie did a great job with what he was given. I could've used less of his sister railing against him and less fixing of the boat though as most of that felt like "Netflix bloat." That time could've been better spent I feel. But, where was Sam and Bucky dealing with being "dusted" and then brought back to life? I would think having died and resurrected would be something interesting for these characters to explore, but instead that aspect is never brought up. Oh yeah, Captain America's suit is Wakandan, not American. Decked in Wakandan tech and clothing yet calling yourself Captain America? Say what?!
Bucky on the other hand felt a little useless most of the time and his character felt a little unexplored. I liked Sebastian Stan as a whole and thought he did another outstanding performance as Bucky. But I wish they would've done more with him. I liked seeing the Dora Milage. They were awesome in their brief appearances. Seeing Rhodey, War Machine, was great. And I liked John Walker quite a bit. He actually had a lot of character and personal plot to work through. I'd say his journey was more interesting than either of the title characters. It was good to see Sharon Carter again and the reveal of Madripor was amazing! Episode three where Zemo takes FAWS to Madripor is my favorite episode of the series. Each subsequent episode fell shorter than the last though.
As for the action scenes? The Captain America films always had the best action of the MCU (with a few exceptions). The action scenes here mostly didn't impress me. The Canyon dogfight in episode one I found to be a boring CGI fest. The semi-truck fight was okay but that was still rather bland. Episode three was the high point for me with the Madripor fight scenes. The Dora Milage was a close second for best fight scene. The opening fight scene of episode five against John Walker was really good but was then brought down by a long boring remainder of the episode. And nothing in episode six really stuck with me except John Walker "redeeming" himself. Otherwise we got another boring air battle, Bucky always trailing behind, and some anticlimactic showdown with Karli. There was an article posted online prior to the show's debut with critics praising the fight scenes. I guess these critics never watched INTO THE BADLANDS.
THE VERDICT
The actors were great all around, but overall I thought the show was riddled with poor pacing and uninteresting story choices to explore. As a viewer I felt bored and unsatisfied with most episodes save for one, maybe two (episode four was pretty good but not as good as three). If there is one word I could describe this series as it would be "boring." If this kind of subject matter is what Marvel Studios wants to bypass in their movies and get out of the way in their television shows, I agree with them. This would make for a disappointing movie. But it also made for a disappointing show by and large. Or rather, a by the numbers show.
I never thought I'd say this but I miss Netflix Marvel television. Not all of it, but at least those shows had a different flavor from the MCU. Even when they were bad they were still unique from what we were getting in the MCU. Here, it's like the MCU but only the protein, none of the sugary goodness. We're just eating this because we have to, not because we enjoy it.
I don't know about you all, but my excitement for the future MCU projects is waning and my love for the MCU is turning to apathy. After Avengers: Endgame and the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, I don't think I care anymore. Maybe I'm just unhappy in my life and that's my problem, not that Falcon and Winter Soldier or WandaVision were lackluster, because clearly that's not the truth... 'sigh' It wasn't always like this. Once upon a time... the MCU was good, I swear.
Zemo. We need more Baron Zemo.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
Next up is LOKI. I wanna be excited for this one, but I say that every time and it's true. We'll see if the third time's the charm.
