I thought that seemed familiar. Well... I'd call it stealing... but as it's Whedon we'll just call it "Out of ideas."
[TV] S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Thread starter evilmike
- Start date
To be fair, the opener had the highest ratings for a drama in like four years. Ratings falling off, even significantly, isn't too surprising.
We already did, with he explosive decompression thing... they wouldn't actually need the raft.
I think the problems are mostly too high expectations.
As to specific issues, I guess I would say this: I will be absolutely stunned if Joss and the good people at Marvel haven't already thought of all of these protests. It strikes me that the questions that are being brought up here - why the Hell would he be given permission to build this team of misfits specifically - seem like the sort of long-term, slow burn issues that become part of a series once you get past the "meet the new crew and watch them congeal into a team" shenanigans that are by necessity the beginning of a new series.
Maybe I'm wrong and this is as good as it gets, but it seems like the jump in quality from the pilot (which was rough but I didn't hate) to the latest episode was more than enough for a season commitment from me.
As to specific issues, I guess I would say this: I will be absolutely stunned if Joss and the good people at Marvel haven't already thought of all of these protests. It strikes me that the questions that are being brought up here - why the Hell would he be given permission to build this team of misfits specifically - seem like the sort of long-term, slow burn issues that become part of a series once you get past the "meet the new crew and watch them congeal into a team" shenanigans that are by necessity the beginning of a new series.
Maybe I'm wrong and this is as good as it gets, but it seems like the jump in quality from the pilot (which was rough but I didn't hate) to the latest episode was more than enough for a season commitment from me.
My high expectations is that they reveal SHIELD as the international agency it was back in the days it didn't have Homeland in its name, and reveal that internationally it's still Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division (they changed it to make it more palatable to the US public once they where forced to go public, obviously - in show explanation) .
Coulson. He really hasn't done anything except tell everyone else to get it done. He's the leader so it's going to be rare for us to see him do much of anything.How boring that would be. Make a set of characters with similar badass abilities and they don't seem really badass or special anymore.
She's been on one mission that didn't require hacking, give her a chance. And they're pointing towards giving her more training so that she's not dependent on hacking needing to be done to contribute.
So which of Coulson, Ward, and May are you not considering an agent?
Really? Seems like he's done quite a bit.
- Lead Skye's interrogation/recruitment
- Took the lead in the field dealing with Mike, was the one to talk him down
- Participated in the fight with the rebels in episode 2
I mean sure, he's contributed. When him and that lady were cappin' fools in the jungle it was ok. Otherwise he's just kinda..there, ya know? Really similar to the movies, I feel. I guess I'm still waiting for that moment when he does something truly badass to show why he's in charge other than the fact that they're giving the guy who got shanked by a god his own team.
Necronic
Staff member
The problem is that Coulson is a supporting character. They are all supporting characters. There is no one I care about. I was really excited when the first episode started think "OMG that's Luke Cage" which could have been an interesting character for the show to pivot on for a bit, and then had my hopes dashed. The fact that Marvel doesn't want to burn any of its IP on this show really illustrates how little they are invested in it. Which translates into me not being invested in it/.
Last edited:
Fuck superheroes. I want a super-villain!
Why? By its nature alone, SHIELD is international spy and espionage. Using all sorts of cool gadgets, stopping dangerous weapons, and thwarting madmen, sure, but it's not superheroic stuff with capes, cowls, and powers.
Last edited:
Exactly. That being said, they REALLY need to introduce a primary antagonist soon. The Rising Tide is too small scale to take that slot... we really need Hydra or AIM. However, I suspect that Hydra's going to make it's appearance as the show's main villains right around the time that Captain America: Winter Soldier comes out (May, I think.)
I'm fairly certain that the Rising Tide is going to be a small part of a larger organization.
I'm actually starting to warm up to the show as of the second half of the last episode.
That being said, it won't last past one season.
I dunno... Disney's putting some serious cash into this. If they are just keeping it around for marketing reasons (to foreshadow developments in upcoming movies for instance) then the show might be around for awhile. Disney's spent more money for less and at least SHIELD would keep Marvel in the public eye, which it currently doesn't unless you have a cable package with Disney XD or the Hub. Really, if the show is just supposed to be a promotion tool, it's going to be around until Avengers 2 and then they'll kill the cast in the movie.
If it's going to be cancelled, it's going to be cancelled for running against NCIS. It's the same type of show... but with a better, proven cast, support from the US Navy, already part of a long running franchise (NCIS succeeded JAG, so they have almost 20 years of backstory at this point) and a lower cost. I have no idea how SHIELD is supposed to compete against it, except that it already has the in-built Marvel movie and comic audience.
What S.H.I.E.L.D.-affiliated superheroes are feasible? Furthermore, which of those superheroes don't already have huge movie deals that might keep their actors or actresses from signing on as anything more than a cameo appearance? Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel are the only two who come to mind.
I wouldn't say they have to be affiliated or even appear in every episode. It would just be nice to see them involved in an episode or two. Though it would be nice if they got someone like Hawkeye as a regular, though I am sure Jeremey Renner would rather stick to movies.
Didn't they get back to rights for Daredevil? He would be an interesting cameo down the line. And I still hold out for them to turn Michael into Luke Cage and form the Heroes for Hire.
Didn't they get back to rights for Daredevil? He would be an interesting cameo down the line. And I still hold out for them to turn Michael into Luke Cage and form the Heroes for Hire.
Couldn't they introduce characters to secure film rights or something? Do an episode with someone you're not too sure about like, Iron Fist And see how the ratings go. If it goes well you cab do an IF movie. Have him appear in one episode, and then again with Luke Cage or whatever and kinda test the waters.
Basically take any superhero/villain that wouldn't be big enough to carry their own movie. There's plenty from which to choose. Off the top of my head: Black Panther, Iron Fist and/or Luke Cage, Namor, Cloak & Dagger, Moon Knight.
Hell, take almost any past or present member of the Avengers and insert them into the show. If they become a hit, give them a role in the movie. They have a myriad number of options here.
Hell, take almost any past or present member of the Avengers and insert them into the show. If they become a hit, give them a role in the movie. They have a myriad number of options here.
I find it kind of funny since Graviton was the first real big super villain threat the Avengers took down in the recent Avengers cartoon, and one of the reasons they decided to work together after he almost destroys New York. Going to be weird if they make him the enemy of a ragtag group of agents.
You might be on to something actually...
http://www.ksitetv.com/mockingbird/marvel-tv-who-is-mockingbird/7354
This was mentioned at Comic-Con in 2011 and was going to be on ABC, which is right now the home of Agents of SHIELD. It could be they took whatever they were working on for Mockingbird and decided to roll it into Agents of SHIELD. It would help explain why Skye is getting most of the development over the last three episodes.
Well, I think I might be done with the show. Latest episode wasn't bad, like the others. It just wasn't very interesting. None of the characters, sadly including Coulson, are interesting or engaging. I don't know whether to blame the writing or the actors on that, honestly. And the stories themselves aren't very interesting, either.
What really bugs me is that this is the first Whedon show that I've described as having bland characters and uninteresting stories.
What really bugs me is that this is the first Whedon show that I've described as having bland characters and uninteresting stories.
That's quite possible, too. This is a much larger production and not entirely in his hands.
There are little snippets and moments of "Whedonisms" in the show, but they're far and few between. Like, at the very start of this episode with the trucker. If it were 100% a Whedon show, the trucker would've been listening to something that wasn't a cliche. He'd be listening to some fluffy dance pop or something just to throw off the viewer.
The other thing I keep forgetting is that one of the other show runners for this is Jeph Loeb, who is a terrible terrible writer.
Oh god, what? Why?
No, but I was hoping for something more than a poorly written A-Team with none of the charisma.
Thats why it's hard to describe this as a "Whedon" show. It's a "By the EXECUTIVE TEAM that brought you... uh, nothing actually, but they were handed this by the EXECUTIVE TEAM that financed THE AVENGERS!"
Skye gets the screen time because she is the most normal character on the show. She is our eyes on the workings of SHIELD.