Just this one time I'm going to direct you to the recap on Back of the Head. (backofthehead.com) I will put the texts of future recaps directly here on the thread.
Verdict: It's good. And so Whedony.
Let's get an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. icon up soon, yes?
He is SO dead. It's barely even subtle. It's pretty obvious that he did, in fact, die during The Avengers and that Tahiti's a false memory. Now the question becomes, "What is he?" Is he a clone? An android? Raised from the dead? All of it's in play, but this is definitely not the genuine article and it's going to be a big deal later, because he's completely unaware of everything.
This has all the hallmarks of a Joss Whedon show and, in a lot of ways, it's no different than any of his other shows. The character types, offbeat humor, and otherworldly themes are still there, just wrapped in a Marvel blanket. The big difference is that there's going to be a much larger audience this time around, so let's hope he can keep the quality consistent. I liked this.
Also, Brett Dalton has "superstar" written all over him. This is going to make his career.
"Playing guitars. It's hard to sing while playing...guitars."
I liked the show, but I thought it was awfully uneven. Clark Gregg is, of course, super rad, and I liked most of the cast, but I thought the two attractive young leads (and man, does everybody on this show look like a fashion model or what?) were just awful. I thought Brett Dalton was stiff as hell and had no chemistry with the rest of the cast. Chloe Bennett was better, but she felt like she was acting for a sitcom while everybody else was in a dramatic piece. I can probably blame both of those on direction, and maybe they'll be better once everyone on the show gets their legs under them. I also thought the writing was a little weak, especially for a Whedon production. Still, it was fun overall, I liked the bickering scientists, and the promise of getting into all the comic book stuff that's too weird for the movies is really, really appealing.
As much as I wanted to love this show it played more NCIS then Marvel.I am not sure how this show will last with Zero Main Marvel players, I get most of the Avengers cast wont show up but I don't think Mark Ruffalo or Jeremy Renner are doing anything and with How I Met Your Mother now airing the Final Season Cobie Smulders could be in more episodes latter on.
It just seemed that for now the only thing that connects this to the rest of the Marvel Universe was a few lines Tony Stark and the events of both the Avengers movie and Iron Man 3.
Dont say its not worth it, when you can sleep with no fear, that kind of time is worth any thing.- FFX
Originally posted by yamcharulezI don't think Mark Ruffalo or Jeremy Renner are doing anything
You don't think they're doing anything? Mark Ruffalo (imdb.com), Jeremy Renner (imdb.com) and their agents would be surprised to hear they're not busy.
Originally posted by yamcharulezIt just seemed that for now the only thing that connects this to the rest of the Marvel Universe was a few lines Tony Stark and the events of both the Avengers movie and Iron Man 3.
Centipede tech contains alien metal, the Super Soldier Serum, gamma radiation as well as Extremis. Also, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself is the connection to the Marvel Universe. And it's a pilot, for Heaven's sake. It has to introduce five all new main characters and the rules of the series and universe to people both familiar with the movies and who are watching the show for the first time, and actually tell a complete story in 45 minutes. They have the rest of however long the series will last to build the Marvel Universe on television.
Originally posted by TenkenI thought Brett Dalton was stiff as hell and had no chemistry with the rest of the cast. Chloe Bennett was better, but she felt like she was acting for a sitcom while everybody else was in a dramatic piece.
Brett Dalton looks and sounds so much like Sam Witwer (imdb.com) from Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, and Being Human, I think I'd have preferred Sam Witwer if he still wasn't shooting Being Human. But yeah, none of the characters (besides Maria Hill - rrowrr - and she'll barely be around] particularly won me over. If I didn't already like Coulson just fine, he wouldn't have won me over either. I like Lola the best.
The point with Skye's behavior is that she isn't from S.H.I.E.L.D. and didn't go through the training, thus the bubbly unprofessionalism. (Though explain the same from Fitz-Simmons. I guess they're from the UK so that explains their goofiness.) Skye is meant to be the audience's Whedony window into S.H.I.E.L.D.
Overall, I thought the show was fine. Not amazing or anything but again, it's a pilot busy with juggling.
Originally posted by It's FalseOh, Coulson...
Coulson sees assets everywhere. Why, it's almost like he has a Vision for this sort of thing.
The theme of "everyone matters" won me over. But it's going to be difficult for any of the new faces to come close to being as interesting as Coulson with his backstory and his new mystery (which has an easy explanation of longtime SHIELD fans).
Skye is so distracting as Almost Olivia Munn.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Eh, my teenagers wanted to watch it, so we started watching. Halfway through we switched to Samberg on Brooklyn 99. Nobody wanted to stay with the Agents.
Looking forward to seeing more obscure names that I would remember from my old Marvel encyclopedias pop up on the show (the "Journey Into Mystery" line was a nice touch).
Also, dumb question ... Since "Agents of SHIELD" isn't technically part of the Marvel film division, does that mean that characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four can makes appearances on the TV show? Is that a loophole that Disney can use to thwart their licensing issues?
My new inappropriate catchphrase: Vinegar, please!
Originally posted by AlessandroMarvel film division, does that mean that characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four can makes appearances on the TV show? Is that a loophole that Disney can use to thwart their licensing issues?
It's all a part of the same pie. There are the characters Disney/Marvel has rights to and characters they do not, regardless of TV or movies. Nothing has changed just because this is a TV show.
Originally posted by John OrquiolaThere are the characters Disney/Marvel has rights to and characters they do not, regardless of TV or movies. Nothing has changed just because this is a TV show.
But what about the Spider-Man cartoon?
My new inappropriate catchphrase: Vinegar, please!
It was fun, but a little uneven. Coulson was, of course, the best thing about it, but even he was a little too jokey.
I also lost the plot a bit toward the middle. Was Skye Rising Tide by herself? Was she part of it? Was she not part of it? I'm sure it will be clearer after a rewatch. Anyone trying to watch this without having watched Avengers is going to be hopelessly lost. (Though, if they didn't, why would they be watching this in the first place?) I was surprised they included a plot point from Iron Man 3.
I'm in, though. Let's move quickly past the setup and get to the good stuff.
Originally posted by John Orquiola S.H.I.E.L.D. = R.A.T.I.N.G.S. (insidetv.ew.com) Highest rated drama debut in four years.
I guess that's a better spin than "SHIELD comes in 3rd".
I gave the show a shot, and because it was the pilot and they inherently have to throw as much at you as you can, I'll give it another week or two (like I did with Under the Dome). Based on what I saw, the show could become a fun primetime series, or it could be something I drop quickly (like I did with Under the Dome).
Clark Gregg is great, of course. I found Skye (who was constantly referred to as "A.J." in my place based on her mannerisms) completely annoying. She was like Fred from Angel weird, which until she toned it down was also annoying. There's potential with her, but they gotta reel her in.
The twins somehow found a way to be even more annoying than Skye. There was so much unnecessary technobabble that they almost killed every scene they were in. The guy especially is basically playing a Star Trek Geordie or Scotty, but the difference is that those characters were able to have normal conversations using everyday vernacular. Not EVERYTHING Geordie said was unintelligible gibberish to show that he's a nerd in case someone forgot for a moment.
That said, those problems are easily fixable, and based on reviews from people who saw the pilot early, Marvel had the feedback about the issues the show has early on. While this show suffers from Pilot-itis more than most (it's sci-fi nature makes that even more of a problem) hopefully it can find it's groove quickly.
My main concern is that this show could become a Monster of the Week type series for a while, maybe too long. I'm hoping they establish the characters and get into a long-term arc sooner than later.
It was a fight to keep the channel on ABC during this show after about the 30 min mark when it looked to be all over the place, but I won out because 1) I had the remote, and 2) Everyone was too lazy to change the tv manually. Fingers crossed that next week is more evenly paced and easier to watch and enjoy.
If you missed it because you were at a concert (like me) and you haven't bothered with getting a DVR yet (like me), apparently ABC is re-running it Thursday in the 8/7 timeslot.
Originally posted by Mr Heel IIIf you missed it because you were at a concert (like me) and you haven't bothered with getting a DVR yet (like me), apparently ABC is re-running it Thursday in the 8/7 timeslot.
Thank you for not making me get a DVR, ABC.
Speaking of this, I noticed ABC's promos now all say "Watch it LIVE, Tuesday at 8/7 Central!"
Originally posted by SchippeWreckWas Skye Rising Tide by herself? Was she part of it? Was she not part of it?
I think it was probably a mistake of a joke to have the introductory lines about Rising Tide being important before meeting her in the van.
Some little blurb I read last night said she basically runs a wikileaks-like website, which I think puts her place pre-joining the agents into better perspective.
Originally posted by SchippeWreckWas Skye Rising Tide by herself? Was she part of it? Was she not part of it?
I think it was probably a mistake of a joke to have the introductory lines about Rising Tide being important before meeting her in the van.
Some little blurb I read last night said she basically runs a wikileaks-like website, which I think puts her place pre-joining the agents into better perspective.
Rising Tide is an anonymous network of hacktivists dedicated to exposing the existence of superhumans and powered individuals. One of the Tide's premier operatives is Skye.
Y'know what was annoying was everyone was shown filming the explosion and the rescue with their phones but when Mike Peterson left the rescued lady no one rushed to see if she was OK except Skye. What the hell?
And no Acura's?? I got a free advance screening of Marvel's the Avengers in 3D from owning an Acura. :)