To the delight of TV purists, Disney’s major streaming venture Disney+ has returned to the weekly episodic schedule, and was rewarded with massive, sustained weekly buzz for shows like The Mandalorian and WandaVision. Now that the weekly release model seems not only viable, but essential again, it must be protected at all costs. Which is why it pains me to admit that Marvel’s second Disney+ effort, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, should probably not be a weekly show. Just about everyone involved with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is fond of pointing out that it’s really a six hour movie (or four hours and some change, factoring in varying episode lengths and credits) rather than just “merely” a TV show. Of course, calling a television series a movie is taboo among TV critics and enthusiasts. This time, however, the folks at Marvel Studios really might have a point. The advantages at play are the obvious ones. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a Marvel movie…and Marvel movies are usually pretty damn good (give or take a Thor: the Dark World here or there). Episode 1 of the series opens with a massive action setpiece that seems truly eager to show its audience just how legit of a Marvel movie can be. The opener features Sam Wilson a.k.a. The Falcon tracking down a terrorist cell in desert environs. It’s not only the most satisfying bit of action we’ve seen Falcon involved in yet, it also immediately makes WandaVision’s finale magic fights look quaint in comparison. It harkens back to the setting and geopolitical circumstances of the first act of 2008’s Iron Man, granted without the “timely” references to MySpace. With its kinetic opening, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier finds the MCU paying homage to itself. This franchise has always been self-referential. Now it appears to be self-reverential. Many of the most appealing parts of this first hour come from Marvel acting as a Hydra-like Ouroboros with Marvel history. Symbols from the franchise are treated with the utmost sanctity, with Sam examining Captain America’s shield before delicately placing it inside a canvas bag like a priceless piece of art. Meanwhile, all the “normies” who come into contact with the Falcon are delighted to be in the presence of such a Marvel celebrity. One even asks a question I’ve often wondered myself: how do the Avengers make their money anyway? It’s still early on in the proceedings but The Falcon and The Winter Soldier appears to be the latest in a respectable line of recent MCU offerings that have solved the franchises long-touted “villain problem.” The shadowy entity known as The Flag Smashers enter into the MCU canon of “wait, do they have a point?” baddies alongside Erik Killmonger and maybe even dedicated environmentalist Thanos. Watching The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s first episode is an entirely pleasant experience, because watching most MCU films is a pleasant experience. It’s also an incomplete one. In hindsight, Marvel was probably lucky that filming delays forced Disney+ to open with WandaVision as its introduction to television storytelling. For, despite any of its faults, WandaVision was unquestionably an episodic experience. While the storytelling understandably veered toward standard MCU fare in the end, each episode prior stood on its own. The same cannot be said for The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Episode 1 is designed as the first act of a larger story. As such, it can feel frustratingly incomplete at times. Showrunner Malcolm Spellman and the writing team do land on an appropriately intriguing moment for the first act’s conclusion, but it’s not anywhere near the shocking needle drop endings on any of WandaVision’s first eight episodes. Ultimately, however, any complaints over the slow, expository nature of this first episode will likely seem petty in the weeks to come. Marvel has the track record to be trusted with these characters. And the questions the show appears to be raising are intriguing ones. When it’s all said and done, the entire Falcon and The Winter Soldier experience could be as satisfying as any major Marvel movie. We just don’t have the entire experience now. All we’ve got is one incomplete episode that must be judged on its own merits. Sorry, Marvel, them’s the TV rules.
