Today saw the premier of the new Marvel tv series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC which, as the title suggests, centers around a team of ‘not exactly team players’ who do the grunt work that isn’t heavy enough lifting for the Avengers to get involved.
My first thoughts were: Funny but too Self-Aware.
It was by no means a bad pilot, I did enjoy it, the dialogue was sharp, the look fantastic, and Lola… oh Lola. And I will continue to watch because it really did set up for some great adventures that this team can get into. The show isn’t afraid to directly address things seen in the movies (bonus) but there was also a bounty of comic book references to be found, meaning anything is up for grabs in the future (as long as it’s under license).
Also, Arrow needs to take notes about voice overs, cause seriously, as annoying as Sky kinda was, she nailed the voice over.
But as it got to the end, the whole thing just started to tilt on its axis with the cringe inducing moment of “It’s an Origin Story.” My friend thought that piece of dialogue was amazing and I just wanted to stab something, preferably not myself. Yes, being self-aware can be fun, which is why it’s played for laughs both straight and sardonic, but it almost never works when played for serious gravitas. I know there was the whole “the world is now full of superheroes” thing they got going on but do they really have to say it out loud like it’s the next “i’m always angry” line? No. It ain’t nowhere near that epic.
Maybe it was just me but that moment totally pulled me out of it, that and the cosplay comment, but Ward suffered for that one so all’s good.
Speaking of Ward and the rest the characters, we don’t learn a terribly lot about them as individuals for the most part, which is a good thing, you don’t want a pilot laden down with too much exposition and you want to leave stuff for later episodes, but for the moment, they all seem rather cookie-cutter, especially for a Whedon series. Like this is every spy/secret agent team ever put together on film and not in a cool juxtapose way like Firefly. But again, this is Whedon. I’m sure there is a lot more here we’re not seeing yet so I’m giving a very big benefit of the doubt on this one.
In the end, I liked it… did I love it? Not especially. I loved Coulson… but that was pre-existing. Nothing else really connected with me. Perhaps it’s the back of my mind saying “no matter what happens, there will never be mutants in this show” that is bumming me out? It’s possible, I always favored that side of Marvel. But in the end, the show just didn’t click with me. For whatever reason, these characters didn’t give me a spark or make me want to care about them on a personal level, and it’s not because they’re OCs cause I fall in love with OCs all the time, case in point, Coulson.
So, in closing, other than the two issues listed above, I don’t really have anything bad to say about the episode, structurally wise. It was a well made episode. I would recommend that everyone give it a try and see if maybe they have a different experience because I know my friend is nearly giddy over it. It’s also a bundle of opportunities and I will say I can’t wait to see what they come up with.
I wonder if it will help if I imagine Level 8 is where they keep all the files on mutants and they are never mentioned because none of the characters have clearance and mutants just kinda blend with other heroes? That… that could work…
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Well, that escalated quickly.
X-Men: The (fan fic) Series 