The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: “New World Order” Episode 1 Recap/Reactions

Here we are, two weeks after the end of the hit show “WandaVision” and Marvel is kicking off its second show. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be a six-episode series, following Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. It is an extension of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All episodes are directed by Kari Skogland, acclaimed television director, and will be written by Malcolm Spellman, “Empire” writer.

Episode 1 opens on Sam Wilson staring at the shield, battling with the idea that it is now his responsibility to take on the moniker. Cut to an awesome chase/fight sequence that seems Wilson taking down enemies on a stolen aircraft. During this first scene we are also introduced to Lt. Torres who is played by Danny Ramirez. If the entire series is choreographed as well as this introduction, we are in for a treat.

After the the chase scene, we are brought to Sam and Lt. Torres at a cafe in Tunisia. Sam has been working with the Air Force for six months. A local man shares a conversation with Sam, both speaking in Arabic. We are reminded about the “blip” where half of the world disappeared for 5 years. We are introduced to the idea of the group, the Flag Smashers, whose symbol is a red handprint. They think that the world was better during the “blip.”

#TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier Episode 1 Reaction:

— The Binge Corner (@BingeCorner) March 19, 2021

The next scene is a service in the Smithsonian, where Sam is still unable to accept the shield. He instead gives it up to be set on display. We see James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at the service, later to be joined by Sam on a walk through the Captain America exhibit. Continuing the theme of Sam’s internal struggle. Rhodes is encouraging Wilson to become the new Captain America. Sam insists that the shield still feels like it belongs to Steve.

Hard cut to a hotel, young workers talking about going out. One young Asian man decides to call it a night. Then we see a bunch of men in suits walk through a door before they are cut down by the Winter Soldier. The young man is a witness, and thus also gets killed by the Winter Soldier. I’ll be real, for about 30 seconds I didn’t realize this was a flashback and got really confused. Then, Bucky Barnes wakes up in a sweat. It was a nightmare, a flashback to when he was controlled by Hydra. We are brought to a therapy session, where it is revealed that these nightmares are due to his past. He is working through a list of people, making amends, trying to find peace.

After therapy, we see Bucky Barnes having lunch with an elderly Asian man. It is clear that they do this often. The old man asks the waitress on a date on behalf of Bucky. The old man sees mochi and is reminded of his son. He tells Bucky that his son was murdered on a business trip, due to “being at the wrong place at the wrong time.” We get a sense that Bucky already knows this. The son is the man we saw killed in the flashback. Bucky is having a hard time figuring out how to apologize to the old man. It even eats him up during the date, causing him to leave early, later in the episode.

Cut to Delacroix, Louisiana. Sam Wilson’s hometown. As a Louisiana man, it will be hard for me to not be biased during these sections of the show. Love it whenever we get some representation in the media, even if it is always at a swamp. Wilson’s sister is trying to keep the family’s fishing boat, afloat. It is not going well, but they are going to try and get a loan. Skipping ahead a little bit, they meet with the bank. The LSU football joke hit home for me, as an LSU student.

Towards the end of the episode, we see Torres get a run-in with the Flag Smashers. He is working undercover. He is left beaten and bruised after the attack. Whoever the main dude was with the money has damn near super strength, apparently. We don’t get much else.

The last scene is a press conference, where we get introduced to a new Captain America. They don’t give us an identity, but we will surely find that out next week.

Main Takeaways

• Sam is battling with Cap’s wish at the end of Endgame.
• Bucky is battling with his many, MANY demons.
• The action seems awesome and well-choreographed.
• Who is in charge of the flag smashers?
• Who will Torres become? (Comic fans probably know)
• Racists are annoying.
• How will Sam’s family play into this?
• How will Bucky tell that poor man that he killed his son.