The Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Every Episode Ranked

Starting the show on a fairly slow, character-centric episode was a brave decision. But it paid off enormously, thanks to thoughtful handling of Sam and Bucky’s situations and strong performances from the two leads. In fact, the opening fight was the episode’s weakest moment – it was hard to believe that a D-lister like Georges Batroc represented much of a problem for Sam since he’d already held his own against Thanos’ forces.

It was nice to learn more about Sam’s past and family life, and the callous dismissal he received at the bank memorably introduced the themes of systemic racism and society failing its heroes. These themes resurfaced at New World Order’s shocking end, as Sam was revealed to have been deceived by his government, who had ignored both his and Steve’s wishes and created a new Captain America.

The episode was also a great showcase for Bucky, allowing Sebastian Stan to demonstrate considerable emotional range as he tried to move forwards with his life and make amends for his actions as the Winter Soldier. Watching him try to tell Yori the truth about his son’s death was truly heart-wrenching, as was his prior conversation with Leah about Yori’s situation. A strong, poignant start for the show.