Just the tip: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier dazzles serving up Marvel realness, here's why

So many shows, so little time. How do you know what's hot and what's not?

That's where our first impressions come in. We will watch the first episode of the latest series to hit your screens and tell you whether it's worth your time.

This week, we're looking at...

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The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (Disney+)

What is it: The next entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney+ lineup, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is an action-adventure series that sees Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure as they take on a mysterious organisation.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWBsDaFWyTE[/embed]

When we last saw the duo, they sent Captain America off (because Chris Evans was leaving the MCU) and Sam inherited Cap's shield. In The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, we get to dive deeper into these two popular characters that really didn't get much screen time amid all the superhero action in the last two Avengers films.

Sam struggles with what it means to take on the Captain America mantle as he feels he's not ready for it, while Bucky deals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and living like a man out of time. (Hey, just like Captain America!)

The series also sees the return of Agent Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and villain Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) after they last appeared in Captain America: Civil War.

What we like: Well, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier really shines when it's doing what it does best — serving us a ton of Marvel goodness.

Right off the bat, we get an explosive (in every sense of the word) scene of Sam on a rescue mission in the skies. A hostage has been taken by terrorists who have hijacked a military helicopter and it's his job to save the day.

Sam infiltrates the enemy craft and has a showdown with returning villain Batroc (from Captain America: Winter Soldier) who kind of kicks his ass a little bit before escaping in a wingsuit to another getaway helicopter.

(Batroc is played by former professional mixed martial artist Georges St-Pierre so not just anyone in the world can take him on.)

The brief encounter with Batroc is one of the best fighting scenes in a Marvel Studios project (thank you for bringing back Georges) and it really encapsulates what Anthony meant by "getting more intimate and physical" with the action choreography in the global press conference held earlier this week.

It is here that the show really turns it up to 11 in an intense chase sequence that takes place in the air. Sam navigates narrow canyons while explosions go off as the enemy fires missiles at him. He deftly avoids them with some barrel rolls while fluidly zipping in and out of a helicopter with open doors.

For the sake of brevity, he eventually rescues his target while kicking ass and taking names. And that's just the opening scene for the show. It is very impressive, save for some choppy editing.

And if this is a sample of what The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is going to offer in terms of action sequences and hand-to-hand combat, sign me up!

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After that action-packed scene, it's mostly exposition development as the show quietens down to give space for the characters to grow and tell their story. However, it is when they're deviating from the Marvel comics that the writing is at its weakest.

Don't get me wrong, the chance to explore the characters further is something I've always wanted to see since the big epic adventures in the Marvel films don't really afford many opportunities for the side characters to develop.

But, the problem is getting invested in a side story about Sam's sister and his nephews who have never been mentioned since he was introduced in Winter Soldier. The exploration of that plot also frustratingly raises a lot more questions because the franchise is now pulling back the curtains on things it has never addressed.

Like, if Sam Wilson was never paid for his services as an Avenger because they do it voluntarily, who has been funding all of them so far and how have they been surviving? Was there government funding or was it Tony all along? Was Sam fine with the fact that he was out there being a hotshot Avenger and didn't send his struggling sister money for the past 10 years or so?

And with Tony's death, does it mean the Avengers are no longer functioning since they have no money? Why wouldn't Tony have set aside some funds to keep the Avengers initiative running?

As for Bucky, he is suffering from PTSD as he isolates himself (even from Sam) while grappling with a post-Endgame world, getting 'blipped', his past identity, and who he is moving forward — especially when the one pillar (ahem, Cap) he has is gone.

In an attempt to connect more, he grudgingly accepts a date with a girl at the sushi restaurant he frequents and it goes well until they start talking about family and his trauma kicks in.

Though Bucky's problems are more internal, the introspective look at the character is much more engaging and I hope we get that same treatment for Sam moving forward. Oh, and more screen time for Bucky please.

All eyes are on: While Bucky's new look is really easy on the eyes (well, he always has been to be honest), the mysterious paramilitary organisation that orchestrated the attack in the third act of the first episode will inevitably be the centre of attention. After all, they will probably spark the chain of events that see Sam and Bucky reuniting.

Not much is known about them aside from the fact that it could be Ultimatum, a terrorist organisation from the comics, but what are their motives and how do they tie into the MCU? We'll all have to watch to find out.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLHKAxDDI-c[/embed]

Another interesting character to keep an eye out for will be former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter. The great-niece of Peggy Carter (Cap's old flame), Sharon hasn't been seen since the events of Civil War. It is also unclear whether she was caught in The Blip.

With S.H.I.E.L.D. gone and S.W.O.R.D. (the organisation led by pseudo-villain Director Hayward in WandaVision) rising in its ashes, and Nick Fury somewhere in space, it'll be interesting to learn what she has been up to and who she is currently working for.

To watch or not to watch: Well, this is pretty much a no-brainer. The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is a perfect blend of old and new. It is the Marvel product that we're all familiar with — plenty of action, heart, wit, and intrigue — but it also pushes other superheroes to the forefront while introducing new threats.

While it was meant to be the first entry for Phase 4 of the MCU, the Covid pandemic reshuffled the line-up and caused it to be delayed till after WandaVision. However, if the first episode is any indication, they have nothing to fear because what makes it a typical Marvel project is also what makes it great.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojGHE581lsM[/embed]

In fact, an argument can be made that after the cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs (in a good way) show that is WandaVision, the best parts of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are amplified as it welcomes viewers back into the MCU we've grown up with and it grounds us while also charting a new path forward.

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The Falcon and The Winter Soldier premieres today on Disney+.

bryanlim@asiaone.com