The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I’ve been excited for this show for practically over a year. The series premiere has confirmed why I was so excited in the first place.

Sticking true to the theme that has made this series so intriguing (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) The Falcon and the Winter Soldier feels like a direct correlation to the movie, even providing blatant parallels to the structure of the story and the themes while also giving us something new thanks to the series delving into Sam and Bucky’s stories, two characters who have always been interesting but never given the full chance to shine.

Anthony Mackie is already taking full advantage of this opportunity to showcase his character under the spotlight. Already there is so much more depth to Sam Wilson in literally the opening scene of the show than his entire time in the MCU so far. It’s fascinating.

The show also doesn’t waste time getting into Bucky’s head and his past traumas which kind of shocked me. We get to see him trying to have a semi-normal life but you can see how difficult it is without Steve there to keep him anchored emotionally. I found myself getting quite emotional during most of Bucky’s scenes because he has had such a rough life and to see that culminate into this series…oh it’s going to be gooood.

Plus, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is featuring a fun supporting cast that I already love. I won’t name names yet but I’ve got to say, this show has got me loving these new characters already and we’re only one episode in.

Another thing I have to point out is how brutal this show is. It was said that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was close to having an MA rating for violence and now I see why. There’s definitely a grittiness and brutality to this series that we really haven’t seen before. Now, Captain America’s movies have always been the most violent but never quite to this extent and I am just loving the tone.

All in all, this was a very strong premiere. Is it better than WandaVision‘s premiere? Uh…yeah! WandaVision is a fantastic series, don’t get me wrong, and it had me riveted for weeks but I like coming away from this episode feeling satisfied rather than confused. WandaVision was a mystery that always ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger that had me shouting with frustration whenever the Please Stand By popped up. At least I know fully what’s going on with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and just personally, I’ve always liked The Falcon and Bucky more than Wanda and Vision.

I’m giving this episode a solid 100 out of 100 and 5 out of 5 stars. It was a perfect beginning.

I thank you for reading and I hope you have a great day.