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Agents of SHIELD: Season 3 - Discussion (SPOILERS LIKELY)

You know, to be honest I'm at the point now where I kinda wish the Netflix shows weren't tied to the MCU and were just off in their own continuity. They almost are, anyway, with only minor references to the goings-on of the movies. The only big one (that I can think of) is the Battle of New York being the primary reason behind Hell's Kitchen's descent back into its crime-ridden, pre-gentrification days.
 
Honestly, I kind of have to agree. At this point there is so little connection to the rest of the MCU, and the tone and style are so different from the rest of it, that I do kind of wonder why they even bothered making them a part of it.
 
Being part of the MCU is part of what makes them so fascinating. We get a different view of that universe. And there's room for different styles and tones. Action, comedy, drama, etc. Too much sameness would make the whole thing repetitive and dull. Honestly, I wish DC were doing this too, although it almost is with the multiverse concept running through a few of the shows.
 
Which is fine, but I don't have much interest in the MCU. I've only seen two of the movies and my interest in SHIELD and Agent Carter have little or nothing to do with their MCU connection. The Netflix shows are just not the sort of thing that interest me. :shrug:
I won't deny that they're on the "dark and gritty" side (which generally isn't my thing either), but in the case of these shows, it's "dark and gritty" with substance to back up its style...these are smartly written and compelling shows.
 
Honestly, I kind of have to agree. At this point there is so little connection to the rest of the MCU, and the tone and style are so different from the rest of it, that I do kind of wonder why they even bothered making them a part of it.

Well, that's part of the character of the Marvel Universe in the comics -- the fact that it encompasses so many disparate styles of story in the same continuity. So in a sense, it's just being true to the source.

Also, it's just good business. The interconnectedness of the MCU has made it a hit, and every other studio is trying to mimic it. So tying the shows into the MCU gives them a cachet that helps them draw viewers, even if the connections are subtle.
 
For what it's worth, the Netflix shows have little to no direct connection to the wider MCU. They're very much their own thing.
Indeed what few references there are to the events from the film (specifically, 'Avengers' since these are based in New York) are pretty oblique.

You could honestly watch these shows having ZERO knowledge of the marvel movies or comics and not miss a single beat.

It's really just a matter of whether or not the content itself interests you. Daredevil is sort of a mob crime drama where the protagonists are a tiny independent law firm in a rough neighbourhood. It's not pretty or feel good, but it's very compelling. The star of the show though is Fisk, by a mile. His presence dominates before you see him or even hear his name.

Jessica Jones is more of a psychological drama and (very broadly speaking) is about how a person deals with surviving abuse. Though decidedly modern, it's has a lot of Noir in it's DNA; centring around a hard drinking, emotionally damaged private investigator looking to escape a past and other such associated tropes. The villain is arguably even scarier than Fisk but in an almost entirely different way. I say "almost" because there's one point of convergence that he shares with Fisk and for that matter Jessica & Matt too.
Yeah, I read both Miller's Daredevil and Bendis's Alias back in the day(s), so I know what to expect. And I loved both of them when they were new. But between my general ambivalence toward comic book adaptations and my weariness with the dark-and-gritty approach, plus my huge pile of to-be-read books, I can't see myself finding the time.

I won't deny that they're on the "dark and gritty" side (which generally isn't my thing either), but in the case of these shows, it's "dark and gritty" with substance to back up its style...these are smartly written and compelling shows.
I don't doubt that they're very good. They draw from excellent source material-- Miller before he went batshit crazy and Bendis before he got totally overextended-- and everything I've heard about them sounds like high quality. I'm thinking maybe I'll get Alias on DVD when it comes out.
 
Yeah, up for renewal already. But then it has been off on a pretty long break so they need to start thinking about this now.
 
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