Agents of SHIELD Review
Episode 2
The Bad Nerd Review
Things are not as bad as they seem. At least that’s what
most of the Marvel fandom is hoping against hope for after this latest episode.
Since last week we were introduced to the team, it’s fair that an origin story
(of sorts) would need to followed up with a “how will the team function”
episode. But for my money, this “tried-and-true” formula feels forced in Agents
of SHIELD. By the way, at what point do I get to call the show by a catchier,
quippier (yes that’s a word…now) title. SHIELD..IES? SHIELD..ERS?
It’s too calculated, or, maybe to be fairer, just
calculated. I’m looking for…well, I don’t know. And that’s half the problem.
The show isn’t as philosophically intriguing as LOST, or
as intrinsically conspiratorial as ALIAS, or as quirky as CHUCK. And yet, it
seems to be cultivating a little of each. I’m sure they’ll find their voice
soon. When they do, I hope it captures everything I couldn’t have imagined. 
There are things that this second episode did well, however.
First and foremost, the badassery continues to get more badass. Melinda May
certainly delivers great combat action sequences that Jason Statham and Jackie
Chan drool over in their dreams. The tech gets cooler with each episode. And
there are lots of cool nicknames for SHIELD operations and bases like Slingshot
to refer to a Launchpad for dangerous 0-8-4 objects. That’s a nice touch.
I’m already over Skye. The show seems to circling its wagons
around her. And she’s spinning her wheels in reverse. Every time you think
she’s part of the team, they leave a breadcrumb to signal that she’s not all
in. And that’s just annoying. She’s the worst example of a double agent since
Archer’s fiancé, Katya. I’m just not convinced. And, as such, it just comes
across childish. If this is your show’s main hero, then the Skye is the limit,
because I don’t find her compelling or sympathetic, and that is the key to a
successful TV show. For example, Sydney Bristow (ALIAS) was caught up in a game
of spies long before she realized what has happening. She was the victim of her
parentage. Something we can all relate to. And unraveling that conspiracy was
some of the most fun, thrilling, and heart-breaking TV in recent history.
It’s not as though they aren’t trying their level best to
make SHIELD something special for the fans. They are weaving the Marvel
cinematic universe into the show. The pilot featured Maria Hill and this week
we got a Nick Fury cameo to bust Coulson’s chops on the aftermath of the
mission. But that’s exactly what unnerves me. Can this show stand on its own
legs after they’ve exhausted their cameos? Or are these plugs symptoms of far
deadlier issues within the body of this show? Only time will tell. I’ll be
watching. Will you?
The Good Nerd Review
Episode 2 of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD aired last night and
despite some mixed reactions, I am still in love with this show. The episode
was a very standard follow up to the pilot, first we got the team together, now
we have to figure out how to live and work together. In that regard, I can
understand why some people weren’t blown away, but they are missing what we did
get.
First off, no one can deny that Melinda May, the Cavalry, is
supremely badass. This week’s episode began the process of slowly revealing her
past to us, more through her actions rather than lengthy exposition. She does
what needs to be done, no questions asked, and that is exactly what this team
needs. At one point in the episode in order to escape from her bindings she,
without hesitation, dislocates her wrist and takes down the guard. This was the
kind of holy crap moment you want from a character that is being revealed as a
“legendary” field agent.
Agent Coulson was a bit off for me this episode, and I blame
the past “relationship” thing that was shoehorned into the story. The whole
thing felt forced and it seemed as though Coulson was as uncomfortable with it
as the rest of us felt. Maybe that was the point? All it did was distract from
the story and make Coulson seem weaker as an Agent.
The rest of the team was fine this episode, but maybe that
was part of the problem, we didn’t get that same sense of awesome from them
that Ming Na delivered. I am
really hoping for more from Fitz/Simmons because they will be the heart of this
show, not Skye.
Now Skye on the other hand is a wild card. Without spoiling
the episode for those who haven’t seen it, we are starting to get a hint of where
her loyalties really lie. It is with her that the overall story arc for this
first season will play out. So a lot is riding on her shoulders.
Finally, in true Marvel fashion, we were treated to a “post
episode scene” that featured Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. This stole the show
for many people and was perfect and made sense. Of course Fury will be keeping
tabs on Coulson, especially if the secret surrounding him is such a big deal.
This scene however was light, funny, and a nice treat for fans of the MCU.
Next week things will get taken up a notch as it looks like
we will be getting our first villain! I don’t want to spoil anything but you
should really tune-in. You are in for a treat with this bad guy!
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