Movies / Comics To Film News

Top 5 Things to Look Forward to for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

By Zak Edwards
October 1, 2013 - 16:48

Last Tuesday saw the debut of one of the most anticipated shows of this new TV season: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Now, the pilot was a roaring good time, bringing from The Avengers the classic Whedon wit, charm, action, and, most importantly, Agent Coulson.  For those of you who don’t know, however, co-creator and Avengers director Joss Whedon may have written the pilot, but he has films to write, produce, and direct, so most of the show will be run by his brother, Jed Whedon.

That being said, there is plenty to look forward to tonight, when the second episode airs at 8PM on ABC.  Here’s five things that the pilot got us excited about (full disclosure, spoilers of the pilot ahead!):

1. Cool S.H.I.E.L.D. Tech
The introduction of super-spy Grant Ward was brilliant the whole way through, from his quip about a broken fireplace to the brutal disposal of some goons in the inevitable fight, but that special cloth that picked up fingerprints from a glass was just plain cool.  The tech throughout the episode is treated almost nonchalantly with great results, and Ward smoothly used all the tech as needed, not pausing to show off how or why it works, but using it as easily as we use a smart phone.  And with Fitz-Simmons as the team’s resident tech geeks, I’m sure plenty more cool spy gadgets will show up and hopefully be treated with the same amount near indifference by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s resident badass.  Oh, and who can forget Lola, Coulson's super cool car that puts James Bond's jalopies to shame!

2. Classic Whedon Wit
The “Welcome to Level 7” moment was brilliant, totally in keeping with the badass tone of the show, but Agent Coulson’s follow up apology that he couldn’t resist because of the dark lighting was a classic Whedon moment.  The show is chocked full of witty moments and delightfully quick characters, and with Gregg Clark leading the cast, this can only get better if the writing keeps up (remember, Joss Whedon’s involvement is lessening as he focuses on the films).  The characters already have rivalries and delightful interplay, from the light-hearted jabs between Fitz and Simmons to Coulson continually putting Ward in his place, but the ways these characters interact will keep the show entertaining even if the action and plots drag.

3. Playing with Spy and Superhero Tropes
Rescuing people from a burning building is pretty much a mainstay of any superhero story and happens in tons of origin stories throughout comics and movies, but in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the building wasn’t a moment of defining superheroism so much as a lead to a larger conspiracy.  Of course, this got us excited because of Joss Whedon’s famous inversion of familiar moments.  The opening scene of Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series did the exact same thing, taking the damsel in distress and having her be a vampire all along (and then the whole show played on the little blonde girl for seven seasons).  Here, our mysterious superhero looks like he’s saving a helpless woman from her home, but it turns out she’s a cold, hard doctor who dosed him with his powers to begin with.  The scene in the hospital plays off the trope even further, and her reveal as an evil scientist keeps viewers on their toes.  With S.H.I.E.L.D., nothing is as it seems, and that is something to look forward to.

4. Mysterious Pasts, Uncertain Futures
The show has set up some great characters with plenty of background hinted at throughout the pilot.  Agent Ward seems to have some family issues, Fitz and Simmons have some history with each other (and are incredibly cute around each other), exactly why does Agent ________ not want to be on active field duty?, and how alive is Agent Coulson anyways (Tahiti? I don’t think so.)?  All these characters are set up to have plenty to explore over (hopefully) more than a couple of seasons.  And seeing where they lead and how they play out is certainly something to keep watching for.

5. A Whedon Show Possibly Uncanceled.
Joss Whedon’s last two television projects, Firefly and Dollhouse saw a combination of studio interference and low ratings that ended them long before they should.  For Firefly, the series was aired completely out of order and moved around schedule-wise, dooming the cult hit before it even had a chance.  Dollhouse, by contrast, simply restrained Whedon and his team creatively, trying to force the show into something it wasn’t, the first half of each season is some of the worst television ever, the second half some of the best.  But here, with 12.12 million viewers for the pilot (which will surely drop, just hopefully not significantly), Whedon fans may have a show that can play out even if his involvement is somewhat lessened.  Character arcs may not be compressed, the show may not end on cliffhangers, and we are almost guaranteed some movie presence by these characters (I can’t see a world where this cast doesn’t cameo in some of the Marvel films, I just can’t).  So this last one is something to look forward to: more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12