Agents of SHIELD. Season 1 Discussion Thread

[Relayer1]

Just watched this weeks episode in the UK - Seeds.

I'm still watching, because it's the MCU, but I'm uninterested and bored by the plots and I'm actively starting to dislike the characters. Before long I'm going to have to admit it to myself that I just plain don't like it...

Does it improve or is it just more of the same ?

 

[Mr Light]

There was a recent interview with Aly Hannigan and when they asked what the one bad thing was about working on the show, or the one bad egg, something like that, she said SMG.

 

[Mr Light]

The show is definitely getting better with time. More serialization, more answers, more comic book characters... It's really unfortunate that they decided to open the series with so many standalone episodes like a vintage 90s series.

 

[Starbreaker]

I give up. I've really tried. I hate agents Ward and May. I think the scripts are boring and I think the directing is often as cheesy as possible on purpose. As popular as Marvel is right now, I don't understand why they just half-assed this show. I HATE agents May and Ward. I keep wishing they would get pushed off the plane and never be seen again. Coulson is too different from his movie counterpart to be entertaining, and Chloe is a pathetic damsel in distress.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Just watched this weeks episode in the UK - Seeds.

I'm still watching, because it's the MCU, but I'm uninterested and bored by the plots and I'm actively starting to dislike the characters. Before long I'm going to have to admit it to myself that I just plain don't like it...

Does it improve or is it just more of the same ?

I thought Seeds was a better episode. It dealt with SHIELD mythology, it introduced a comics character, and it had some good character moments between Fitz and Gill.

TRACKS is a better episode. TAHITI is probably on part with Seeds. Yes Men is a better episode. The show gets better, but I think you're in the arc of "getting better" so it might just not be your cup of tea. But I'd wait until Yes Men to be sure (I realize I'm saying "watch every episode that exists so far," which isn't my intention, but I can't think of a better way to do it).

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Personally I'm enjoying it. I liked that it started off stand alone and then upped the storyline as you get more involved in it. We don't seem to get enough of that nowadays.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It's a shame you'll be perpetually two weeks behind for the rest of the year, best I can tell. We're having one more break, but it looks like you'll be at TAHITI when we resume. It would have been nice to even out.

 

[Christopher]

It's really unfortunate that they decided to open the series with so many standalone episodes like a vintage 90s series.

But they weren't entirely standalone. They were establishing the characters, introducing ideas, laying the groundwork for things that would pay off later in the season. Let's take a look at just the first ten episodes:

"Pilot": Introduced Mike Peterson, Centipede, Dr. Streiten, "Tahiti" cover story.

"0-8-4": Introduced the idea of an 0-8-4 as an object of unknown origin, and revealed that Skye had ulterior motives for infiltrating the team.

"The Asset": Introduced Ian Quinn; raised questions about SHIELD's dark side; set up Franklin Hall/Graviton for future use.

"Eye Spy": Introduced eye-implant controllers and underlying conspiracy.

"Girl in the Flower Dress": Reintroduced Centipede; introduced Raina; paid off Skye's Rising Tide arc from eps. 1-2 and revealed her search for her origins; introduced Edison Po; first reference to the Clairvoyant.

"F.Z.Z.T.": Showed Coulson exploring doubts about his condition, questioning SHIELD orders; advanced character arcs for May, Ward, Fitz/Simmons.

"The Hub": Introduced Victoria Hand; advanced Skye's search for parents, Fitz's character arc.

"The Well": Asgardian staff had lasting impact on Ward; beginning of Ward/May relationship.

"Repairs": Fleshed out May's character.

"The Bridge": Return of Mike Peterson, Centipede characters; Peterson blown up, Coulson abducted.


So almost all those episodes, and certainly the first five, introduced elements that would be central to the arc later on. They only seemed standalone because we hadn't seen the payoffs yet. You have to plant the seeds before they can blossom.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Some of those are less-connected than others. Repairs, so far, has not really been connected. 0-8-4 is sort of the same way, although it was laying the groundwork for basic SHIELD procedure and terms, so I think that ones more forgivable. Also, there was an ongoing plot arc of Skye at the time, which was important for The Asset and Girl in the Flower Dress. I think that plot wasn't so great, but it was, even early on, an attempt at a mini-ongoing plot. However, if the criticism is "90s style episodic," I think even 90s shows had ongoing character arcs, so I'm not counting Repairs as favorably (The Well's establishment of May and Ward's relationship is a little bit stronger, though).

That being said, if the reference to Roxxon Corp in Repairs wasn't a throwaway reference (it appeared silently on a newspaper or something like that), I'm not convinced that episode was so standalone. After all, CyberTek and Deathlok are affiliated with Roxxon.

 

[Turtletrekker]

"Repairs" (Which, to my mind anyway, has been the show's only real clunker so far) added to May's backstory.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

A little bit. But it was still reluctant to reveal much. Like I said, even truly episodic shows reveal the history and motivations of characters in a way that builds on itself. A simple test is "if Law and Order does it, episodic shows do it." I'm not saying it's bad or good or anything else. I'm just saying, if the complaint is "90s style episodic," then Repairs fully fits that mold even if it builds on May's character. More accurately, it reminded me of Enterprise's early attempts at character building where it would be "now we have an episode to focus on Hoshi." Granted, LOST did character building through this method very well, but I think much of SHIELD's character building was done more subtly. Fitz and Simmons now seem like fully fleshed individuals and much of this was done through episodes besides the ones directly for them (FZZT, The Hub, Seeds) just through dialog and character interactions.

I'm not knocking it. The show is clearly no longer episodic and it's clear they were laying the foundation all along. Repairs's weakness isn't that it wasn't subtle in trying to explore May's backstory (while not actually revealing much), its weakness is just that it wasn't a good episode. I'm just disputing that every single episode so far has been serving to create the necessary foundation. Most were and I appreciate it (and I think they'll hold up better on repeat viewings), but some didn't work. That's all.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I've stuck around due to a combination of finding the show sufficiently entertaining (and yes, that's a backhanded complement) and MCU brand loyalty, but I can perfectly understand people giving up on the show. Maybe it's all been starting to tie together, but there wasn't much in those early episodes to suggest that it would...and it's hard to overcome a bad first impression.

My bottom line way of assessing how good the show really is...can I recommend it to people who aren't already watching it? So far, I really can't.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I can't say I disagree. I'm more, if asked, I'll say "yeah, might as well watch it." However, it's not must see TV. It's a good addition to the Marvel Universe and a good way to spend a Tuesday. That's not too bad and I hope it gets a second season, but I'm not going to go around raving about it.

BTW, a higher quality version of the Beginning of the End Teaser is online.

Just thinking about it. I realized the big deal about Melinda May's actions isn't that she's betraying SHILED, but that she's betraying Coulson. That will probably sting when it gets revealed.

ETA: And to finish off my schizophrenic post, a better screencap of the Clairvoyant (presumably) although with a stupid play button in the middle of the screen:

Spoiler: LARGE IMAGE!!!

To my eye, it looks like he's in some kind of casing, but it's hard to say for sure.

 

[Reverend]

The strange thing about May reporting behind Coulson's back is that he specifically went to her to get her on his team. To me that means someone knew him well enough to know he'd recruit May specifically OR they got to her after she signed on. In either case, I think all roads are pointing the Fury. Who else has the kind of pull that could compel her to wilfully deceive Coulson.

 

[bbjeg]

Thanks for sharing Alidar Jarok. My bet's on the clairvoyant being M.O.D.O.K.

So I'm guessing the Capt's shield at the end of the trailer for the next episode is their way of saying the episode will respond to the CA:WS movie coming out next Friday?

 

[The Old Mixer]

In either case, I think all roads are pointing the Fury.

That's my thought as well...it would make her seem not so bad that she'd get kicked off the team / have to leave the show, and they just conspicuously set up that Fury's mysteriously hard to contact. You'd think the director of such a large organization would have an office somewhere that at least ranking SHIELD agents would know about, but apparently super-secret SHIELD doesn't work that way.

 

[DEWLine]

Fury has several: on at least one of the Helicarriers. At the Hub. At the Triskelion.

But - as a good intelligence officer might be expected to arrange - he also maintains boltholes "off book".

 

[Alidar Jarok]

^ Yeah, I strongly think it's Fury.

Thanks for sharing Alidar Jarok. My bet's on the clairvoyant being M.O.D.O.K.

So I'm guessing the Capt's shield at the end of the trailer for the next episode is their way of saying the episode will respond to the CA:WS movie coming out next Friday?

Spoiler: Spoiler/Cryptic Hint

According to Chloe Bennett, there's a special guest star from the movie coming to the set.

 

[theenglish]

The strange thing about May reporting behind Coulson's back is that he specifically went to her to get her on his team. To me that means someone knew him well enough to know he'd recruit May specifically OR they got to her after she signed on. In either case, I think all roads are pointing the Fury. Who else has the kind of pull that could compel her to wilfully deceive Coulson.

Is May coming back next year?

I imagine that her phone call has something to do with her "origin" story.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The strange thing about May reporting behind Coulson's back is that he specifically went to her to get her on his team. To me that means someone knew him well enough to know he'd recruit May specifically OR they got to her after she signed on. In either case, I think all roads are pointing the Fury. Who else has the kind of pull that could compel her to wilfully deceive Coulson.

Anyone of a higher rank can order her to do that at any point.

Besides, even if these are secret reports, May and everyone else, including Skye has to fill out regular reports that go up the chain.