Your Weekly SHIELD Rant
This week’s SHIELD was astonishing for one crazy reason:
It was really, really good.
For the first time, I actually cared about Generic Male Action Figure, mainly because he was in danger and other people cared about him. I felt that Agent Coulsen was clever, and the plot twist in the middle as we learned the reason behind the Asgardian staff was actually really satisfying. The backstory was good, the tie-in to the Marvel universe felt correct, and goddammit I was invested.
It’s like they fixed all the problems at once, and this limping, broken car suddenly shot down the freeway at 75 mph.
I mention this only because so many people have given up on the show that I feel like I kinda have to give it props. Was it the greatest hour of television? No. Was it the first time since the inception of the show I was excited to tune in next week? Yes. And do I hope that the Secret Guest Star shows up as a regular at some point down the line? Oh God yes.
I don’t know whether this is a fix, or just an above-average episode, and next week we return to the mundane. But if all of the past Agents of Shield have been hovering around a C to C-, this was a solid B+. If this had been the premiere of the show, I think people would have been really satisfied. And I hope this is the signal of a break into a new and better version of SHIELD, and not an aberration.
In the meantime, I really really want that guy back. You’ll know who it is when you see the show. And you’ll know why.
Pretty much 100% in agreement. This was Ward’s story, and it was amazing. In one episode, he went from cipher to a guy I’d quite like to see more of.
Side note: the episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes. Yep, apparently Commander Riker has some chops when it comes to making quality TV.
After thinking about it a while, I think I’ve finally figured out what the problem with Agents of Shield is.
THERE ARE NO VILLAINS.
Sure, there are random Bad Guys that get fought, but there’s rarely anyone with any characterization, and the only enemy that has appeared in more than one episode suffered a severe case of Getting Set On Fire. What they’ve ended up with is functionally The X-Files set in the Marvel Universe, but they’re obviously not doing it in the horror/mystery style that The X-Files had. Where’s this series’s equivalent of all the cool Buffy the Vampire Slayer villains?