With Marvel and ABC now wrapping up the first half of Agents Of SHIELD's first season, I'm left wondering where the network and Marvel Studios will take things. I think it's generally well known that the show has missed the mark in a few areas, and while I agree, I definitely think that the show is not an immediate write-off. So I humbly present to you my suggestions for how the show can improve.
Oh, and obviously SPOILERS for the first half of the season.
USE THE ROSTER
My biggest complaint against Agents Of SHIELD is that the show often forgets that it belongs in the Marvel universe. While you get to see Agent Coulson every week, and we had episodes like the Asgardian episode or the one with Graviton; there's a lot of stuff involving people and objects made for the show.
While a show like Arrow is not my favourite show (sorry!) it does at least utilize characters from the DC universe and the comics. While it may not be perfect in it's execution, there's something to be said for the excitement regarding seeing characters like Deathstroke or Solomon Grundy on-screen. I don't quite get that same level of excitement from SHIELD. In fact, it almost seems like the show manages to miss more opportunities to include characters then it does to hit the mark. This is also not to say that every week a pre-established Marvel character should show up; but there are too few to make it 'must-see' TV.
The show needs to find better ways of incorporating some characters into the 'Case of the Week' that they seem to rely on. Can't there be a two-part episode with Taskmaster? Why not have Blade and the Agents team up to take down some vampire lord? This is the ultimate failing of SHIELD is that it takes a character that should appear in the show, and replaces them with a nobody.
MAKE THE CHARACTERS INTERESTING
Very few times in the first half of the season, the show has failed to create three dimensional characters. Most of these characters can be described in very basic terms, they aren't complex, or show motivations and drive for anything except the mission. The episode where Agent Ward and Fitz went into the field, only because we finally got some characterization for Fitz, a character who was for a while was essentially the Q of the team.
Even as the last episode ended, we got that clear deceleration that the show was finally going to address the death and resurrection of Coulson. Which I thought was pretty funny in how the show is at the point of teasing us with characterization.
The show needs to do better then the biggest stories for May and Ward being that they slept together and perhaps enjoyed it. Although it's Agent Ward, something tells me he underperformed.
NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS A BOW
While the show has ongoing stories and unresolved things that need answers; the show does seem eager to resolve immediate stories right away. When I think on the first half, I actually enjoyed the last episode mainly because we once again saw Mike Peterson brought back in an interesting fashion. I want the show to do this more; it shouldn't be afraid to have more endings like 'The Asset' where characters are left to be brought back later.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
While many people are quick to write off the show, I think Agents Of SHIELD isn't so much a bad show as it is a show that is missing marks that it can easily hit. Moreso then any other show before it, it has unprecedented access to a wealth of Marvel characters and can really make an enriching and rewarding experience for Marvel fans and fans of great action-adventure shows. Instead, we're just getting 'meh' characters and 'meh' action.
The last episode gave me hope that the show can and will improve, but it's not easy. The show has to prove that it can exist in a universe where we have seen The Avengers; something that for many years (err, decades) seemed like an impossible pipe dream. Something possible but out of grasp. you can't just show the impossible and then limit things; you have to keep letting the imagination soar and try new things, daring things. It's still not too late, so I refuse to write the show off.