Spoilers ahead.
After viewing the first episode of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ I was not very impressed with what I had seen. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t very good. I decided to give the series another shot and tuned in for the second episode, mostly due to my love of all things MARVEL. After watching the second episode I have to say that the show runners have caught my attention.
My thoughts on the show are pretty simple. We’ll start with the shows star, Agent Coulson. Clark Gregg was at his best in this episode. All of the funny and quirky moments that we loved in his previous Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances are present. Some of his best moments were seeing him with an old romantic interest, who just so happens to double cross him later on in the show. Thankfully the door has been left open for her to return and for the show runners to explore this side of Coulson and to further develop this relationship.
Melinda May is the shows answer to the Black Widow and by far the best part of the series, after Coulson. This is the role that Scarlett Johansson would have if she were available to be on the show. Sure there are a few differences. Melinda hasn’t shown to be the covert under cover agent that the Black Widow is and Melinda seems to have her own back story as ’The Cavalry’, but overall you can see that the two are very similar.
The rest of the cast has yet to impress me. While the two tech geniuses, Fitz and Simmons, are somewhat enjoyable to watch, and Skye is not as annoying as I thought she would be, Agent Ward has yet to do anything to make me like his character.
The best part of the episode was probably missed by most of the general public. Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role as Nick Fury and gave Agent Coulson a stern lecturing about authority and damaging the specially built aircraft in just six days. It was funny and felt like very classic Nick Fury dialogue. In the comics, Fury was always barking orders at people and complaining about anything and everything…while secretly having a soft side for his agents. This was present when he asked Phil about his prized possession, the agents very stylish and flight capable motor vehicle, Lola. I feel that all of MARVEL’s movie writers should take note of Fury’s appearance in this episode and make sure that he’s written this way from now on. He was more enjoyable than ever and makes me wish that the show was centered around him.
The show was also filled with lots of references to the previous Marvel cinematic films. I counted three in the first five minutes of the show. A little later there was a reference to Captain America and the Hulk in back to back sentences. All in all there were probably at least ten references to the previous films. And the aircrafts call sign was even given the number of 616, the number that represents the ‘universe’ that the original marvel comic characters live in.
Overall I would like a darker show that more closely resembles the classic Jim Steranko era of the S.H.I.E.L.D. comic books. The ones that were filled with mystery, cool gadgets, rivaling secret agencies, and a no nonsense lead character. But if we examine the show we will see that all of those elements are there. I think the only thing missing is a more serious atmosphere and a show that feels like it has real consequences. I think the sooner we all realize that that is not what Marvel is going for the sooner people like myself will be able to enjoy the show.
The fact of the matter is that the show has improved in just one episode and it may very well just keep getting better. If you love the show then that’s great! If you’re on the fence about whether it’s worth watching every week I say stick around a bit long and give the show a couple more episodes to truly show us which direction it is going in. That’s what I intend to do.