Blog Archives
Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot
This is the world we live in now, and I couldn’t be a happier geek. There is a weekly live action TV drama set in the Marvel Universe, starring (some) characters from the comics, with the potential to show off even more down the line. You just know Disney is going to move Heaven and Earth to get Robert Downey Jr. or Samuel L. Jackson to visit Agents of SHIELD for Sweeps Week. But for the first episode, they’ve got to rely on Joss Whedon, Agent Phil Coulson and a cast of never-before-seen super spies to keep their audience entertained – and I say they succeed.
Agents of SHIELD doesn’t achieve greatness in its pilot, but then which shows ever do? At least this Marvel Universe show is off to a good start, with the right mix of action, humor, cool characters and references to the larger world. What more could a geek like me ask for?
TV Rating: 7/10 – Good!
I was not disappointed with the premiere of Agents of SHIELD, but I also wasn’t overly thrilled. If this was just any other spy procedural, I doubt I’d come back for even the second episode. But this isn’t just any other spy show. This is Agents of SHIELD, starring actual characters from the Marvel Movieverse and flinging comic book references at us left and right. And it’s produced by Joss Whedon, the patron saint of amazing, geeky television. Whedon even wrote and directed the pilot, and his wit and cleverness are on full display. The Whedon shows I’ve seen – Firefly, Dollhouse and a few seasons of Angel – are some of the best TV I have ever watched, and I have nothing but faith in Agents of SHIELD find its feet and produce some amazing television in the long run.
Few shows get their pilot absolutely perfect, and we can probably expect at least a few seasons of Agents of SHIELD.
I liked the pilot episode. The characters all seem pretty cool so far, though it may take some time for them to grow on me. I think I’m a little curmudgeony these days when it comes to new TV shows. Clark Gregg’s return as Agent Phil Coulson is great, though I’m not sold on the idea of him playing anything beyond dryly sardonic. He has one scene where he has to raise his voice to scold/motivate an underling, and I just don’t think he pulled it off. The rest of the cast is good, and I especially liked the science duo of Fitz and Simmons. But everyone else – for now – falls into the category of being too TV beautiful to take seriously quite yet. Everyone other than Gregg is a stunningly handsome or beautiful person filling standard TV roles. So hopefully their personalities and character arcs will expand as the series moves forward.
Join me after the jump for the full review.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Debuts Tonight!
I think we can all agree that when writing the title of this show, we don’t have to also type the word ‘Marvel’s’. I know and love the company, but it’s rather silly to add that to the front of everything they do. I’ve never called it ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’, so I’m not about to start now. Also, there’s no way anybody is going to write all those punctuations in the word ‘SHIELD’. Just not gonna happen. Still, how exciting is it that we finally get to see the show?
I’ll get around to watching the first episode at some point this week, then I’ll be sure to have a review up before the end of the week. I’ve very excited to see what it’s like!
Speaking of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Check out this new, three-minute long preview for Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.
That just looks fantastic. It’s witty, Agent Coulson is awesome, and it sounds a lot like what my List of Six was about earlier today. It seems these agents are going to investigate superheroes, and my boy J. August Richards is playing one of them. Internet speculation puts Richards as playing Rage, from the New Warriors. If you look at the Marvel logo at the start of the clip, with all the comic book panels flashing by in the background, you can see Rage in the panels. Why would they put someone like Rage in that logo buzzer if he didn’t matter?
And having Rage show up in the show is exactly like what I based my list on: random Marvel characters getting a cameo or guest spot on the show! Perfect! It’s like I can see the future, or something.
So attention, Joss Whedon, if you read today’s List of Six, feel free to use any of my ideas free of charge (and then hire me to write for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
I could make this look good
6 Characters Who Would Make Great Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
What do you do when your little superhero movie goes on to gross more than $2 billion? You create a TV spin-off, of course! Last year’s The Avengers has given way to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is going to premiere this fall on ABC. And because Marvel Studios are clearly able to recognize genius, The Avengers‘ director Joss Whedon was put in charge of developing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For those who don’t know, Whedon is also the brains behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse and the much beloved Firefly, so the man knows a little something about producing great TV shows.
The new Scoobies
Unfortunately, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not going to feature any of the Avengers (probably) or Samuel L. Jackson as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll feature in cameo roles, but probably not until Sweeps Week. Instead, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will star Agent Phil Coulson from the movies, as well as a handful of new, original characters to make up the main cast. Most of the bad guys they fight will probably be original characters too.
That’s all well and good, but a comic book geek like me wants to see real Marvel characters from the comics! The great thing about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that it takes place in the Marvel Movieverse, in the same world as The Avengers and all those Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk movies. And since it’s produced by Marvel Studios, they have nearly full access to the entire library of Marvel comics for possible characters, cameos and Easter Eggs. So here are six Marvel Comics characters who I think would be perfect for uncomplicated, licensing-approved appearances on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
First Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Promo!
Joss Whedon is soon to be back on TV! Here’s our first look at the new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I think it looks pretty neat. As we all know, Joss Whedon is a master of the TV arts, and any show he makes is bound to be amazing. The fact that it’s based in the Marvel Movieverse and stars Agent Coulson is just icing on this delicious cake! I can only hope that the show will be filled with juicy Marvel Universe Easter Eggs and cameos!
Henchman-4-Hire 