The trials and tribulations of Marvel’s latest attempt at a live-action television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., have been well documented. Many fans and critics alike on this site and many others have debated the merits of the show. Though I have, for the most part, been loyal to the show and followed it from week to week, I have to agree with those who find the show to be rather poor in quality. What follows are a brief overview of my critiques of the show and how I would revamp it.
Like most television shows of poor quality, it ultimately comes down to the characters that inhabit the show and the stories and plots that chronicle their journey. Problems in both of these categories are abundant in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but I will touch upon my main issues with them below, starting first with the storyline.
My biggest problems with the storyline supposedly established in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are the vague purpose of the group’s initial formation and the lack of cohesion from episode to episode. First things first, the organization of S.H.I.E.L.D. within the Marvel Cinematic Universe…is it a United States peacekeeping force or a United Nation police monitoring organization? In The Avengers, the fact that they operate under the World Security Council seems to indicate they are an international organization. While this is all well and good, certain pieces of dialogue—in live action or comic—seem to indicate it may be a strictly American organization:
Example #1:
Phil Coulson: “I can be in Afghanistan by sunrise, Director Fury.”
Nick Fury: “You can. But you won’t. We’re the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Note the word “Homeland”. We’re not currently authorized for foreign ops.”
Example #2:
Tony Stark: “What is all this?”
Phil Coulson: “S.H.I.E.L.D. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Your tax dollars at work. Hard work. We keep our fingers on America’s pulse, and believe me America has veins in every section of the world.”
I was wondering about this as I was trying to grasp the concept of Coulson’s group and why they do the things they do. While I much prefer to think Coulson’s group is not unique within the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, under the circumstances that they were put together, I can only assume that they’re one of a kind. Okay, fine. So were they put together to tackle the “Rising Tide”? After all, they had never heard of Project Centipede until they caught Skye and interrogated her. But then, if this is the case, they must’ve failed miserably. They recruited one member and let the other member (Miles Lydon) off without so much as a little spanking. Sure, maybe Centipede has simply taken precedent over them. My problem with the Centipede storyline is the erraticism in which the show runners deal with the issue. One episode will further the arc while the next will barely mention it. At this point, it just seems like the show runners are intentionally adding filler episodes to stretch the Centipede subplot to a full season. While filler episodes and baddies of the week are unavoidable and exist in every show, the blatant change in direction makes the show confusing and results only in unfinished subplots and one-off, under developed supporting characters.
If they didn’t like baddies of the week, I wouldn’t mind if they split the season into three or four mini-arcs. I hate to refer to Arrow and possibly fuel any flame wars out there but at least they continue their subplots from episodes to episode. Take one of the more recent episodes. The bad guy (Shrapnel) is a bomber unrelated to Brother Blood but writing his attempt to bomb Blood’s campaign at least brought the two together. I want to go on record right now and say that the whole Centipede thing…the fact that they’re trying to connect it to gamma radiation and Extremis is stupid. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is its own thing and shouldn’t feel like it has to harken back to the MCCU so often. With the way the show runners are using connections to the MCCU, including but not limited to name mentions, Jasper Sitwell and Agent Blake’s cameo, and the upcoming Sif appearance, all seem like publicity stunt. They’re there just because. There’s no real reason why it had to be that in the first place. Doesn’t further the subplot in anyway.
Those are the big points in regards to the storyline of the show. Of course, there are other more nit-picky details, particularly in regards to the aesthetics of the show. For example, why is the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo plastered on everything they own? You don’t see the C.I.A. marching through the streets parading their logo around. I’m not saying the S.H.I.E.L.D. has to be some ultra-obscure government agency—particularly in today’s digital age—especially since they have bases all over the place large enough to house the Helicarrier. Simply that a little discretion might go a long way for them in their missions. Another aesthetic disappointment of the show is that it attempts to continually tackle the weird and unexplained, much like Fringe and X-Files, but instead with a much more youth-friendly tonality; understandable since it is Disney. However, this, coupled with TV effect budgets, makes most things look pretty cheesy, done after a couple of bright and colorful lights. I think everything would look more realistic and believable if they de-saturated the color tone of the show.
Now starting to delve into how I would revamp the series, I much prefer S.H.I.E.L.D. to be a strictly American organization. I think this idea would play particularly well with the modern controversy of the NSA and the question of how much security is justifiable before it begins to infringe upon our rights; the rights that America was built on. This is a topic that looks to be tackled in Captain America: The Winter Soldiers, which is mainly why I’m looking forward to it. I see S.H.I.E.L.D as a paramilitary unit of sorts that operate, not necessarily with proper clearance, in other countries as well as America. Whereas elite fighting units such as the Navy Seals and Delta Forces are dedicated to actual battleground, I can see S.H.I.E.L.D. filling in during a civilian crisis. One thing I think the writers of S.H.I.E.L.D. should loosen up on is there dedication to all that is weird and unexplained. Yes, I understand that it’s part of the show appeal but let’s keep in mind that S.H.I.E.L.D. first appeared in the MCCU investigating Obadiah Stane and the Ten Ring terrorist organization. Up until that point, there was nothing out of the ordinary or supernatural with the Ten Rings. They were pretty much your run of the mill terrorist group (unlike HYDRA). I would like to see S.H.I.E.L.D. tackles some more of these “down to earth” baddies.
To that end, I also believe S.H.I.E.L.D. can also benefit by being more like Mission Impossible. Sometimes they tackle more down-to-earth baddies but that doesn’t mean these bad guys don’t have plans to initiate a nuclear holocaust or release a bio-weapon. I definitely think S.H.I.E.L.D. should have more gadgets like the IMF. I’m not going to lie, the gizmos used by Fitz-Simmons are not the type of gadgets I want to see them using. I prefer gadgets design more for operations and combat. I mean, how cool would it be to see S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on the show do actual stunts like rappelling down the building or…like Tom Cruise…climb up a side of the building all secretive and sh*t. I would also like to see S.H.I.E.L.D. work more in conjunction with real-life government agency (i.e. Secret Service, military, C.I.A., F.B.I.) because it alludes to a bigger world while bringing more realism to the show.
One thing I think a TV series benefits from as oppose to a film, is time. In a 22 to 24 episodes season, a lot can happen. One thing that I thought a film like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (referencing often because I recently re-watched it) lack was credibility. Credibility in that it almost appears like the writers of the film chose the different locations for the sake of globe-trotting and exoticism. All the “intel” Ethan Hunt gets are from…IMF associates? Even though Ghost Protocol has been initiated and he said they had no back-up? I know most people want to see the action, but I would like to see some actual Intel gathering happening. They shouldn’t be afraid to spend an episode or two to focus on the drama and character building, even if it amounts to them sitting around for a period of time. You know how in the Bourne series, we see the C.I.A. attempting to track down Jason Bourne? I want to see that in a show: lots of computer, lots of searching. The control room (or whatever you call the room they gather around prior to missions—War Room?) is cool but I want to see more work in there rather just little meetings. Or maybe, they’re on location and they set up shop in a hotel room.
One last thing before I move on to characters. I do not like what I see in S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. What are they a bunch of high schoolers? I know this is a comic book TV show and not real-life so I apologize if I stress realism a little too much here, but I am quite sure there are a lot of super brilliant minds working for the United States government right now and none of them were recruited prior to college-level education. As such, I see S.H.I.E.L.D Academy recruiting college graduates (not [fricking] middle schoolers). And the show should be careful as to not make their character’s genius IQ overshadow that of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner…just saying.
Ok…onto characters.
The biggest problem with the characters in the show (besides the actors themselves) is that they are unbelievable. They are supposed to be ultra-professionals in the field of espionage but they act like a bunch of bickering kids. The cast, made up of mostly fresh face unknowns, doesn’t help the cause. My biggest point—possibly in this whole article is right here: how are we supposed to take these guys seriously when we are constantly reminded that agents such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Falcon exist in the world tackling more serious issues? How are we supposed to care about these characters when no real danger is ever posed to them? The only time real danger is every posed to these characters is in the episode F.Z.Z.T. with the alien virus from the Chitauri infecting Simmons. And not coincidentally, that was my favorite episode thus far. Depth and intensity was seen in the characters unlike in any other episode. Even if we know they aren’t going to be killed off, at least we have to be teased with it often enough.
Since I am considering my ideas a revamp of the show (presumably to begin in Season 2), I have decided to dispose of most of the characters on the roster currently—keeping only Phil Coulson and Melinda May. I understand that each team member exist to serve certain roles and cliques so I’ve stuck with those roles. Below, you will find a total of seven members of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. Alpha team (which is what I’m going to call them from now on).
Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson: Let’s be real here. Phil Coulson is the heart and soul of both the team and the show. Despite my displeasure with his resurrection (believing it to lessen the importance of the character as a catalyst to bringing together the Avengers), he’s probably one of the best parts of the show currently and there’s no reason to dispose of him. With that being said, I personally prefer the show’s Phil Coulson to be a Life Model Decoy; actually one of many clones. Imagine the scene where Coulson comes face to face to thousands of fellow LMD clones, hanging lifelessly in a factory because they haven’t been activated. It would be absolutely sick and a monstrous shock factor. Also, what if Coulson’s team, which I’ve dubbed ‘Alpha’, never meets ‘Beta’ and ‘Omega’ etc. team because every other team is led by a Coulson LMD a la Tom Cruise’s Oblivion? Then he finds out and flips a shit. Besides that, I personally envision Coulson in more of a manager type role in the team. He’s someone who dishes order from base (the “Bus”), only going into the field when absolutely called for. With that being said, I would also like to see more teamwork from Coulson. He is, undisputedly, the leader of the team but he also shouldn’t be afraid to ask for opinions of his subordinates.
Ming Na-Wen as Melinda May: Besides Coulson, May has been my favorite character mainly because she is different than her co-workers who, in my opinion, all spew the same lame humor. The fight choreography by her character is also one of the most exciting parts of the show. The downside of her character is her stupid nickname (which I would dispose of) and the “transformative event” that landed her with a desk job (of which I would also change, twist, or expand on). I don’t quite remember much else about her background particularly when she was introduced, but I wouldn’t mind establishing her as the primary combat trainer for Natasha Romanoff. When the Black Widow is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. she already possessed an impressive array of combat skills but lacks a certain level of precision. By the time May was done with her, Romanoff’s skills have far exceeded May’s and is acknowledge as able to wipe the floor with her. She is the second-in-command of the team and its field leader.
The rest of the following are new cast members.
Ryan McPartlin as Clay Quartermain: Likely not a very original pick for the role but McPartlin had the perfect combination of age, looks, and humor to pull off the role I envision as Clay Quartermain. I see the character as a cocky hot-shot who, despite unwilling to confront reality and face the truth, is well past his glory days and on the decline. A veteran of S.H.I.E.L.D., he remains aloof the fact that many people view him as a burn out. He is peeved that he wasn’t made leader of his own team, and is instead relegated to third-string after Coulson and May. His obnoxious and condescending attitude towards his teammates meant Coulson did not want to recruit him for his team but was forced to put up with him by his higher ups. He starts off the show as also quite a player, brazen enough to flirt with all of his female teammates. His character development throughout the series will ultimately see him humbled and in time, morph into an extremely lethal asset and reliable teammate. Debating on this but he may even begin mentoring Bobbi Morse. The character is meant to supplant Grant Ward.
What I didn’t like about Ward’s character (besides the actor’s wooden acting) was that he is supposed to be a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. operative. So why does he fight like a brawler instead of showing some guile? And why is he a “loner” as the show claims he is. Isn’t like…teamwork a mandatory course in S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Maggie Grace as Bobbi Morse: I envision the character of Bobbi Morse, which all of us probably knows as Mockingbird, as the “main protagonist” of the series. This series is meant to very much be an origin story for her. As such, despite grappling with whether or not to cast an older actor in the role (to perhaps potentially match up with forty-three years old Jeremy Renner/Hawkeye), I decided to cast a younger actress. As protagonist of the series, I thought Maggie Grace was someone who had just the right amount of exposure (publicity sake?) and experience in both films and television to take on the role. The character of Bobbi Morse is that of a sophomore (or so) in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s organization who possesses all the makings of not just a great agent, but an exceptional one (of which she will demonstrate by series end as the hero Mockingbird). She, however, lacks experience and as such is recruited by Coulson for her first major mission. She is athletic, smart, and pretty with her only flaw being her relative naiveté.
In regards to Mockingbird’s well documented relationship with Hawkeye: I personally see Jeremy Renner as one of the last guy willing to (or have time to) make an appearance on television. My hope with Maggie Grace as Mockingbird is to have her appear in the Avengers even if just in a cameo to establish some link between the two characters. It doesn’t’ have to be romantic; a mentorship between the two would work just fine with me. She does not supplant any specific character in the current Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. roster.
Daniel Henney as Jimmy Woo: I chose to include Jimmy Woo in the roster because I thought he was one of the most well-known non-superheroic S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the comics and deserved his due. Okay…yeah, diversity never hurts anyone. I thought Daniel Henney was great as Agent Zero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and played the role of a ‘tough cop’ well. I thought he would be able to do justice to the role of Jimmy Woo. The character, I imagine, is another veteran of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a field operative, operating mainly as support for May and Quartermain. His main skill lies in interrogation, in which he proves to be one of the best. He is not meant to supplant any specific character in the current Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. roster.
Ezra Miller as Rigby Fallon: Remember in James Bond’s Skyfall, Q says “I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pajamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field”? This is what Rigby Fallon is. The name is of some obscure S.H.I.E.L.D. agent I found online who is supposedly a boy genius. In my iteration of the character for the sake of the show, he a shy, rookie S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who serves as the “tech” guy on the team. He provide backup on the computer and tech/gadgets for field operations. I envision the character a prototypical shy, outcast who spends more time shut in his room than socializing with the rest of the team. As such he is picked on most often by Quartermain. His story arc throughout the series will see him opening up to his teammates and breaking out of his shell. He earns the respect of his teammate and becomes an absolute integral part of the team. After seeing Perks of Being a Wallflower, I immediately thought Ezra Miller was perfect for the role. He has shown that he is an exceptional young actor who can pull off the trouble outcast role effortlessly. The character is meant to supplant Skye and Fitz in the current Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continuity.
My beef with the character of Skye largely rest on her crappy storyline. She was the “enemy”. In real life, for an espionage organization as important as S.H.I.E.L.D. is, there is no way you would just recruit him or her and expose to him/her all your secret. There is no way. Also, in the episode “The Magical Place”, Skye’s plot involving her impersonating May has officially convinced me her entire character is a joke. Her humor is pretty cringe worthy. I rather see a moody outcast instead.
Annie Ilonzeh as Kara Lynn Paramus: Kara Lynn Paramus is also another obscure S.H.I.E.L.D. agent I pulled from online(using established S.H.I.E.L.D. agents from comics is an attempt to remedying the audience caring for the characters). The character is the resident scientist of the team who is meant to supplant the role currently filled by Simmons in the current Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. roster. I personally never understood why the show runners decided to cast two young Brits in the show as scientist but then again, that might come with my confusion of whether or not S.H.I.E.L.D. is a global or national organization in the MCCU. Kara Lynn Paramus wasn’t meant to be African American but I thought it would be neat to add more diversity and switch it up. My only criteria for the role was that she was older (at least 30) and American (or at least play the role of an American). Annie Ilonzeh fits the bill. It also helps that I can definitely envision her in a lab coat shooing off Quartermain’s meddling and doing sciency stuff. Not terribly picky about this role.
I’ve also taken the liberty of casting some of, whom I think, is the most desirable and important supporting characters that can/should appear on the show (excluding characters that have already appeared on the show).
Ali Larter/Katee Sackhoff as Abigail Brand: For the role of Abigail Brand, I was looking for a mature, veteran actress with experience in ass-kicking. I ultimately narrowed down the choices to Ali Larter and Katee Sackhoff. I though Larter fit better because of her age and ability to truly bring a veteran quality to the role. Sackhoff, however, may fit better for her more expansive experience in action. I’m okay with either one so I left it up to you guys, the reader, to decide. I imagine the character of Abigail Brand as a veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. field operative with a deep, past history with Quartermain. Near the end of her run on the show, we will see her promoted to head of S.W.O.R.D. (or whatever is the MCCU equivalent within S.H.I.E.L.D.). I think after the events of Thor, the Avengers, and eventually Guardian of the Galaxy, some section of S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been set up to monitor outer space. If this is the case, I think it could feature wonderfully in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Yvonne Strahovski as Carol Danvers: For the pivotal role of Carol Danvers, I went with a fan favorite. Due to the importance of the character and the potential for her to feasibly appear in a film, I looked for an actress who had experience in both the television and film medium. Any action experience was obviously a plus because Danvers is a superheroine. Couple with Strahovski’s age, height, and looks, I thought she fitted the role perfectly. I envision the character in MCCU continuity as the United States Air Force’s liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D. in a way. She’s a tough character; someone who has endure certain abuse in the military on account of her gender and perhaps was assigned to her liaison position reluctantly (as it takes her out of active duty in battles).
Matt Bomer as Wendell Vaughn: I chose to include the character of Wendell Vaughn as a recurring character because in the comics, he is an S.H.I.E.L.D. graduate and his superheroic origins involved A.I.M. For the purpose of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy graduate who was not cleared for active duty despite being exceptionally talented and abruptly quits under controversy. I admit I casted Matt Bomer mainly because I wanted to see him put to use in a comic book role. However, one can certainly point to his credentials as an actor and his height/looks to prove he can definitely play a pre-superheroic superhero. Like the other characters, at the end of his run on the show, he would have gained his superhuman abilities.
Scott Adkins as Tony Masters: I personally think Scott Adkins’ acting leaves much to be desire. However, after watching one of his martial arts film, I’ve concluded that his skill set makes him a perfect match for the myriad of superb hand-to-hand combatant in the comic book world (Stupid-a** Deadpool doesn’t count). He certainly fits the bill for a ton of role but I took the opportunity to cast him as Tony Masters. In my envisioning of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the MCCU, Tony Masters is an extremely talented S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a photographic memory embedded as an undercover agent in a terrorist organization (of which, I have not decided). Beyond his photographic memory, he does not have any other super powers. However, unlike in the comics, he does not lose his memories. With that being said, perhaps he has simply been embedded in the undercover role for so long that he becomes more and more like the enemy (and their way of life). Scott Adkins has done television roles before though not often.
Sofia Black D’Elia as Daisy Johnson: I consider Daisy Johnson as one of the most important recurring character on this list—perhaps with the exception of Carol Danvers—because in the comics she is a Level 10 S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I think Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. should/could definitely explore her origins. Unlike the other recurring characters that I have described, she genetically inherited her powers or at least gain them at an early age. Whether or not she is connected to Mister Hyde is not really important for me. I envision the character as a wild child, living on the streets and doing whatever she can/needs to survive. She uses her power as an intimidation factor but lacks real control over them, having triggered more than one major accident. As part of her story arc, she is picked up by Coulson’s team and ultimately domesticated. I wouldn’t mind if the character eventually joined the main cast but I do hope, at the run of her character, she leaves to train under Nick Fury personally and becomes his protégé. She is similar to Skye in that she is an outcast (unrelated to S.H.I.E.L.D.) who is brought into the fold in a capacity.
For the role, I intentionally looked for an actress that was younger than the rest of the cast. I wanted someone who could portray Johnson as wild—almost punk—and very dark. Now, I’ll admit wholeheartedly that I don’t know jack sh*t about D’Elia’s acting. But given the nature of the show Skins, which she was a part of, I assume there was some wildness in her. Pictures seem to indicate so. You guys can call me out on it if I am totally wrong. I also chose her because of her young age.
Well, that’s it guys. Thanks for reading. Comment and post in the usual.