The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s finale has arrived, bringing the first season to an end. But how do the show’s six episodes compare to each other?
Marvel Studios’ second Disney Plus series had a lot to live up to. WandaVision was such a resounding success that the bar was left very high for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Thankfully, the show delivered on almost all fronts and proved to be another compelling addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Over the past six weeks, we have enjoyed six very unique adventures. Oh there were definitely similarities, ensuring that it was more of a single narrative film (as opposed to WandaVision‘s more episodic format), but each episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier offered up different elements that ensured they were all enjoyable and thrilling in their own ways.
Not all of them worked quite as well as the others and the show did occasionally struggle in the pacing department, with some installments dragging the narrative out a little too much while others randomly decided to hit the fast-forward button. But all in all, the show was a resounding success.
On that note, with the finale now in the books, let’s look back at all six of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier‘s episodes and see if we can figure out which ones shined brightest.
6. “New World Order”
The opening episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier did a great job of reintroducing us to Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Our first chance to catch up with them since Avengers: Endgame, it gave audiences a glimpse of some of the emotional trials they had been through and were still currently facing.
It also opened with an epic fight scene (or should that be “flight” scene) that saw Falcon remind us all what he can do by taking the fight to Batroc in the skies.
“New World Order” was a real thought-provoker; a character study on the pair that fans loved so much and yet knew so little about outside of their costumes. The only real drawback was the fact that its inherently slow pacing didn’t really gel with the 40-minute network TV episode length, making it feel like the premiere got cut short just as the story was getting going. And it didn’t help matters that Sam and Bucky never interacted at all.
5. “The Star-Spangled Man”
Just as the premiere was undercut a little by the fact that Sam and Bucky never crossed paths, “The Star-Spangled Man” suffered because of how nonchalant and sudden their reunion in the first act was – and how quickly it accelerates into that fight.
That right there, however, presented the sophomore offering with arguably its best scene as that showdown atop the trucks between Sam, Bucky, John Walker, Lemar Hoskins and the Flag-Smashers was an absolutely thrilling watch.
Speaking of Walker, the episode does a great job of setting up the new Captain America as a character with something to prove and fight for and it also does a great deal in getting into Bucky’s psyche and why he’s so angry with Sam for surrendering the shield. And we can’t talk about the interactions of the episode without praising the chemistry between Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie.
4. “Truth”
The penultimate episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had the tough job of following on from a fourth episode that left the whole world talking about it. For the most part, it lived up to those expectations and a lot of that had to do with the remarkable fight scene that it opened with, as fans finally got the chance to see Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson square off against John Walker.
The end of Walker’s time holding the shield, “Truth” was essentially the explosive end of one storm and the calm before another. This allowed for some genuinely beautiful moments that saw Bucky connect with other people through Sam’s family (and, by extension, strengthen his friendship with Sam). And this – and an incredibly thought-provoking conversation between Sam and Isaiah – elevated it past its occasional pacing issues.
3. “Power Broker”
The moment where it truly felt like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was starting to hit its stride, there is a solid case to be made for “Power Broker” being the series’ best hour – and it would be a justified statement to make.
A vivid adventure in almost every way that the first episodes were not, the third installment of the series was full of life in many ways. Madripoor was worth the wait that Marvel fans endured for its MCU debut as it offered up one of the most aesthetically-pleasing sights you’ll see on TV this year and the thrill of Sam, Bucky and Zemo’s undercover mission imbued the miniseries with an edge of seat feeling it hadn’t had up until that point.
The arrival of Sharon Carter was another high point that added another layer of intrigue to the Power Broker mystery while the gang’s unique alliance with Zemo turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable risk – one that no doubt paid off as Daniel Bruhl stole the show as the Captain America: Civil War villain.
2. “The Whole World Is Watching”
Zemo’s arrival may have provided The Falcon and the Winter Soldier with an abundance of light-hearted moments but it also increased the urgency in a narrative that risked dragging its feet too much. That became clear when the fun of “Power Broker” was over because he was willing to stop at nothing to rid the world of Super Soldiers, meaning that Karli Morgenthau and the Flag-Smashers had a wild card to worry about.
However, that also brought him into direct conflict with Sam and Bucky – who also found themselves in direct conflict with John Walker and Lemar Hoskins. And then you have the arrival of the Dora Milaje – who are on the hunt for Zemo – so it’s isn’t hard to see why this episode made such an impression on viewers.
This is the episode that really solidified John Walker as a three-dimensional character, counteracting the meme the internet had turned him into, as he struggled with the realization that his new title as Captain America wasn’t enough to succeed in a world that consistently made him feel powerless. And this all set the stage for the life-changing decision he made and that jaw-dropping conclusion that is still nothing short of goosebump-inducing.
1. “One World, One People”
The sight of Sam Wilson bursting through that window in his incredible Captain America suit was one that left a lot of viewers in awe. The completion of a character arc that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was all about and the start of a new one at the same time, it set the tone for the finale unbelievably high in the first few moments. Thankfully, everything that came afterwards also lived up to expectations.
A thrill-ride that didn’t stop, “One World, One People” addressed all of the major overarching stories while also stopping for a moment or two to discuss the more powerful underlying ones and it brought most of them – particularly the arcs of the two leading characters – to a satisfying conclusion.
The finale of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier divided audiences a little because of a few of the creative decisions that it made but, as it functioned like the third act of an MCU movie, that allowed less room for pacing issues – of which there really none here. And as that was the show’s biggest issue throughout its run, that makes the finale its most seamless episode – not to mention its most compelling.
Which episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!