[title size=”1″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered September 24. Check out what Seeds can tell you about it, accompanied by the official trailer for the new Marvel Comics TV show.[/title]
[title size=”3″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]”The Asset” Episode Review:[/title]
What’s not to like about double agents? The taking of a character you’ve grown to know and love, only to see them betray your emotions. But what about double double agents? Now that’s a storyline that can get interesting, which is exactly what “The Asset” did to the new series this week. Did they do it perfectly? Not quite. But they did it well enough to at least give us another solid episode and move the overall plot forward.
Centering around an abducted scientist and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s subsequent rescue of him, Agent Coulson and the gang put in some solid work here, sending Skye in as a double agent to infiltrate the scientists captors, all the while dealing with the potential fallout of an anti gravity machine that may end up in the wrong hands. Sounds like a lot for one episode, right? That’s where “The Asset” excels with its measured pacing, trimming off any fat that could be left out, leaving us with an action packed episode.
One of the highlights of the episode was the ever growing complexity of Skye, as we’re left not entirely knowing whose side she’s on, and we can tell she is becoming conflicted. Ever since last week’s episode that revealed she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as a double agent, I’ve been expecting to see the overplayed trope of the double agent somehow ending up with the good guys, and it’s still entirely likely we will see that, but “The Asset” does a good job of casting possible doubt on that notion, as Skye seems like a bit of a wildcard now.
Still, the series does suffer from some cheesy dialogue sequences, and while I understand they are trying to maintain the lighthearted feel of the Avengers movie, it ends up being a bit much sometimes, and the show would benefit from replacing at least some of those sequences with more serious dialogue, but at this point in the series, that just seems like wishful thinking.
“The Asset” continues the show’s trend for great action sequences and is finally starting to inch the overall plot forward, however slowly it might be.
[title size=”3″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]”0-8-4″ Episode Review:[/title]
Picking up on the astounding ratings success of the series premiere, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues with another exciting episode as Agent Coulson takes the team to Peru to investigate a mysterious object. Running into an old friend, Coulson and his team put their trust in the wrong people and aend up prisoners over the strange device. Without giving away too much of the plot, a struggle ensues that certainly tops the action sequences of the previous episode while also offering greater insight into each character.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest obstacles of any show in the beginning is establishing characters. If audiences can’t feel a strong connection to a character within the first few episodes, then it’s safe to say that character is a lost cause. “0-8-4” does a great job at letting the audience in on each specific character’s goals, motivations and personalities, even improving on some of the more annoying characters from the premier, most notably Skye. The rebel hacker turned S.H.I.E.L.D. ally suffered the most from poor characterization in the first episode from cheesy dialogue and annoying actions, however she’s already showing signs of maturing and being much less goofy.
Perhaps my biggest complaint about the show so far is its lack of an overarching storyline, aside from a small hint at the end of the epsidoe, but if anything its taken a spot on the backburner in favor singular storylines for each episode. Now, maybe this is an irrational complaint since I’m still riding an emotional high from Breaking Bad (seriously, watch the finale), but Agents of Shield just can’t develop that kind of cult following with badguy-of-the-week type shows. However its still the very beginning of the show, so there is still plenty of time for things to change.
Overall, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. drops another solid episode despite some worrying trends that could hurt the overall show, but who can argue with an all out brawl on an airplane? Oh, and did I mention the cameo from Samuel L. Jackson at the end? Maybe I can forget about any of the complaints I had.
[title size=”3″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Pilot Episode Review and Official Trailer:[/title]
[youtube id=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T-evQZiQo” width=”600″ height=”350″]
Who wouldn’t want to watch a television show based on the expanded universe of one of the most successful movies of all time? At least that’s what television producers thought when approached with the idea of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a show that explores the behind the scenes work of the top secret government organization seen in the highly popular film The Avengers. And judging by the films record breaking ticket sales, it’s a safe bet that a spinoff TV series should be a hit.
First popularized in comic books and then the big screen, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a secret government organization that deals mostly with people endowed with superpowers, keeping tabs on them and even capturing them in some cases in order to ensure public safety. While notable characters such as Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America remain absent, this allows the series to explore new and original superheros.
The first episode in the series focuses on introducing us to the main characters, including six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, one amateur hacker bent on bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. down and a financially struggling man endowed with super strength through mysterious technological equipment.
While fans of the film may desire more focus those with actual superpowers, the show excels through its focus on S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, as each agent brings a different and unique skillset to the team. From advanced combat training to state of the art detective work, each agent truly stands out as a valuable asset to the team, and in some instances even seem like superheros themselves.
In addition, each character has a very different, original personality that gives the overall show a unique and fun personality. Boasting its own sense of comic relief, audiences will still be entertained even during less action packed segments.
It’s still pretty early to say much about the plot. The pilot episode only sets us up for what is to come later and only offers vague background information. However the first episode leaves enough ambiguity to keep the audience genuinely intrigued and desiring answers. Should the show receive high enough ratings, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. promises to elicit nerdgasms from both comic book fanatics and casual viewers alike.
What’s not to like about double agents? Taking a character you’ve grown to know and love, only to see them betray your emotions. Oh, but what about double double agents? The old bait and switch, eh? Now that’s a storyline that can get interesting, which is exactly what “The Asset” did this week. Did they do it perfectly? Not quite. But they did it well enough to at least give us another solid episode and move the overall plot forward.
Centering around an abducted scientist and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s subsequent rescue of him, Agent Coulson and the gang put in some solid work here, sending Skye in as a double agent to infiltrate the scientists captors, all the while dealing with the potential fallout of an anti gravity machine that may end up in the wrong hands. Sounds like a lot for one episode, right? Tha’ts where “The Asset” excels with its measured pacing, trimming off any fat that could be left out, leaving us with an action packed episode.
One of the highlights of the epsisode was the ever growing complexity of Skye, as we’re left not entirely knowing whose side she’s on, and we can tell she is becoming conflicted. Ever since last weeks episode that revealed she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as a double agent, I’ve been expecting to see the overplayed trope of the double agent somehow ending up with the good guys, and it’s still entirely likely we will see that, but “The Asset” does a good job of casting possible doubt on that notion, as Skye seems like a bit of a wildcard now.
Still, the series does suffer from some cheesy dialogue sequences, and while I understand they are trying to maintain the lighthearted feel of the Avengers movie, it ends up being a bit much sometimes, and the show would benefit from replacing at least some of those sequences with more serious dialogue, but at this point in the series that just seems like wishful thinking.
“The Asset” continues the shows trend for great action sequences and is finally starting to inch the overall plot forward, however slowly it might be.
