Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1

The first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had to do much heavy lifting. First, it had to establish the characters in the TV series, including explaining how Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) survived the events of The Avengers movie in which it was assumed Loki killed him. Then, it was partly a story-of-the-week procedural in which Coulson's team would track down some superpowered individual (or sometimes someone who was just evil) and apprehend them. And then, the show played filler between the MCU movies, with this season having direct ties to Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Hydra storyline from Winter Soldier would play a huge role at the end of the season. So, the show ends up being part procedural and part serial not only with story arcs that extend throughout the season on the show, but cross over with the MCU movies (basically playing clean-up crew after the heroics shown in the movies). The series stars the aforementioned Clark Gregg and also stars Ming Na (from ER) as Melinda May, a badass S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons expert, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward who is a SHIELD black ops agent, Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson an anti-government hacker who Coulson recruits to the team (pretty much against her will), Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, the duo known as Fitzsimmons, who are the science and engineering experts on the team. During the first season, Fitz and Simmons mostly stay in the lab, but their roles expand as the season and the series goes on. Some of the characters from the movies, including Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders), and Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander) make appearances and Samuel L. Jackson does appear once as Nick Fury. Bill Paxton and Saffron Burrows also had large recurring roles during the season, as did J. August Richards who is probably best known for his run on the series Angel. For those who get the Blu-Ray set, the show looks and sounds great. It is special effects heavy and the show did a good job making them look as seamless as they do in the movies. The extras include audio commentaries on three of the episodes, a 43-minute feature on how the MCU was built and came to fruition, a 13-minute feature on the show's first Comic-con appearance, and a 17-minute making-of feature about filming locations during the first season. There are a lot of spoilers in the extras, so you definitely want to watch the episodes first (assuming you have not already seen them). Overall, the season is good. The show has to balance a lot, and I do think it did a good job putting the focus on the characters at hand and did not lean too much on the movies and the larger MCU. Of course, if you follow the series you know that by the end it was pretty much its own animal, and was pretty much ignoring what was going on in the movies, but that was definitely not the case in the first season. The acting was great, even with a cast that included a lot of relatively unknown (at the time) actors and the writers do a good job with all the intersecting storylines. The season ends on a couple of cliffhangers that set up what is to come in season two. So, if you are a fan of the MCU movies, this is definitely worth checking out.

*Note, this review was written shortly after the half-way point of the first season* I was interested in this show as soon as I heard it was coming out. Coulson (Clark Gregg) is one of my favorite parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I was eager to see him in a starring role. While I've questioned some of the writing in the first half of the season and had to play devil's advocate a few times and force myself to be patient with the writers' choices, I've been well-rewarded for my patience. The show is getting better and better every week now that we're past the "introductory" episodes, and I can't wait to see what's coming next. If ABC doesn't pick this show up for a second season (especially given that the writers have said that they have at least 5 seasons worth of episodes planned out), I think they'll regret it immensely in the long run. Yes, it had somewhat of a slow start, and yes, I wish a few of the characters had a bit more development, but the recent strong episodes have convinced me that they do know what they're doing. Is this show full of the superheroes from the movies that have been such mega-blockbusters? No...but that was never the point of the show. The point was to show how everyday people (extraordinary agents) are adapting to a new world filled with superheroes and alien invasions (as seen in The Avengers). There are definite references to the movies, and I'm still hoping to see some superhero cameos in the later half of the season, but I have loved every episode. Clark Gregg is fantastic reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson (a character who has become so popular, he's been integrated into the mainstream Marvel comic universe). Anyone who is a fan of the Marvel movies should enjoy this show, but should keep in mind that you're not going to see Tony Stark (Iron Man) or Captain America every single week. EDIT: I'm editing this review after the hiatus of late-January/February. This show is actually fulfilling a lot of the wishes that I made when I made my above comments. While the premise hasn't changed, the stories are becoming more compelling, the characters are receiving more development, and the stakes are constantly being raised. The introduction of some new characters (Bill Paxton for one), and an upcoming episode featuring Jamie Alexander (reprising her movie role as Lady Sif of Asgard) show why ABC was willing to take a chance on this show. If there has been ANYTHING that has disappointed me, it has been the multiple hiatuses that the show has taken in the first half of the season. Hopefully that has all ended, and we'll get a weekly dose of SHIELD from here on out!

i have never been into superheroes, but i love everything by joss whedon. i LOVED the avengers, and i was so excited when i found out about this show. especially upon learning that jed whedon & maurissa tancharoen are the showrunners (they worked on dr. horrible and dollhouse)! i loved the pilot episode - it was exciting to see ron glass, cobie smulders, and j. august richards again. episode 2 was pretty weak and i feared for the show, but i thought episode 3 redeemed it. this show is classic whedon - it's a mix of genres which will satisfy just about any mood i'm in. and because the dialogue is so good, i can watch the episodes over and over without getting bored, even though i know the plot. that's something i can only do with whedon shows and movies. also, like other whedon shows, it isn't perfect starting out and there's much room for improvement, which only makes me more excited about it because i know it will improve. all of whedon's shows (except for firefly, which was awesome from the beginning) get much better as they go along and find their footing. i am very happy that ABC has picked this up for an entire season, and i really hope we get at least a second season, because joss plans to become much more involved as soon as he's done with the next avengers movie. with his increased involvement, we are sure to get something amazing, so long as the show stays on the air. i think it's too bad that some people give the show 1 star because of something that has nothing to do with the show, such as not being able to view it on amazon right away, or some other problem with delivery. i also think it's ridiculous to rate the show poorly because it doesn't have enough superheroes. "not all heroes are super"! other critiques i find more valid. we need some back story on fitzsimmons, because it's hard to relate to them in their insular geek world. i can see them becoming adored though. and the cast, overall, is very young and that strains believability. yes, and they're all unnaturally goegeous. but that's tv. i am willing to suspend disbelief regarding these young, gorgeous agents, because this is whedon! i am so happy that he's doing tv again (he had sworn off it) because anything he touches turns to gold. if i were to add up all my criticisms of this show, i still wouldn't have enough to remove a single star. this is good tv! and most tv is pathetic. i think that j.j. abrams cannot hold a candle to joss whedon, and people will see that as time goes on.

The first series of a show should establish the cast, history, rules and hopefully build episode-by-episode into something addictive before the mid-point. Feeling something like Torchwood mixed with Marvel characters/feel the episodes are clearly working with a decent budget based on the routine f/x. The cast is awesome and built around the popular Agent Coulson from the Marvel movies revived mysteriously after his death in The Avengers movie. The series needs to remain faithful, and in sync, with the past, current and future Marvel films while fleshing out a world of its own. They obviously can't afford to have all the big actors appear so, other than a cameo at the end of the 2nd episode by Samuel Jackson, no sign of Hulk, Iron Man, etc. except in the first episode on various S.H.I.E.L.D. monitors in the background. The ratings did dip after an initial high level and some complained it was too slow or the cast wasn't cohesive. But even many of those who criticized the show have of late seen how it's coming together. The storylines and backstories are fleshing out and all of the actors are giving better and better performances weekly. Outsider now team member Skye (Chloe Bennet) is awesome and initially is the "audience" vehicle into the S.H.I.E.L.D universe. But her backstory/mystery slowly has come to the front and now will be impacting everyone on the team. While its on a brief hiatus (thanks Olympics), now is the perfect time to buy the season and binge watch to catch up. More superheroes and/or villains would help. I've recently started watching "Arrow" season 1 (LOVE IT) and only 7 episodes in and they've had multiple DC Universe villains appear so it feels 100% grounded in the comic universe it's based on. That would probably help boost S.H.I.E.L.D. a bit if they included some of the lesser heroes/villains that wouldn't work within the movies? I still have to watch Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 and the upcoming Captain America 2 will apparently set the stage for Avengers 2 and impact the S.H.I.E.L.D. show so more cross referencing to come... Check this show out and give it a try. You'll come to care about them and enjoy the shows week-to-week and with each new cliffhanger or story arc reveal.

Season one of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D" sets up much of the dynamic for succeeding seasons pretty clearly and succinctly; Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) somehow survived being stabbed by Loki in "The Avengers" and has been put in charge of an elite team of agents sent in to difficult situations involving aliens and Hydra. All Coulson remembers only his recover in Tahiti but there's something weird about the entire experience. Luckily, show developers Joss Whedon and Jed Whedon resolve that part of the mystery by the end of the first season which opens up a whole lot of other story telling options. The Blu-ray beats the streaming version of the series hands down as it was shot in 1080p. There is better, sharper detail and depth evident in the transfer. The series looks really really good and the 5.1 DTS mix and 2.0 stereo mix both sound pretty good. There are optional English subtitles. If you decide to buy the UK version, it is region free just like the U.S. version. There are also a trio of actors from the MCU movies that show up as guest stars in a number of episodes here as well. There are some nice special features for the set including featurettes on the making of the series, the ABC special that aired on the show as well as deleted scenes and a blooper reel. The first season remains a strong debut and, while not perfect, it set the stage for succeeding seasons where the writing and direction became outstanding.

No spoilers here. The first half of the season was slow to get going, was very much looking like a procedural with hints at an overarching plotline. That started to change around the mid-way point in a very big way. To be fair, binge watching the first half of the season was far more enjoyable than watching on a weekly basis (although I did enjoy watching weekly). The episodes seemed far more connected to each other when viewed in that fashion. Once the mid-point of the season hit this show really started to come into it's own. Episode 10 was the breakout episode in my opinion, this is the point that you really see that the show is truly going to have an overarching plot and not just a procedural with 1 or 2 minor plot points to tie a season together. From that point on we start to get answers to questions and with each answer comes more questions. The characters start to become much more interesting and fleshed out. The slow build up of the first part of the series has proven itself to be vitally important, if it was not there then the drastic turn of events that are happening now would be much less impactful to the characters and viewers. This is a Marvel show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk and their team up blockbuster the Avengers. Agents of Shield has shown it is just as much a part of that universe as the blockbuster movies. Episode 16 and 17 were a direct tie-in to Captain America the Winter Soldier with most of 16 happening before the events of CA:TWS and episode 17 happening directly alongside CA:TWS. The rest of the season looks to deal directly with the earth shattering events of CA:TWS that completely turned the Marvel Cinematic Universe upside down. What is great about how they are handling the crossover of blockbuster movie and television is the fact that you are not required to see both. If you have not seen CA:TWS you will not be confused by the events of the show but if you have seen the movie then the television show becomes quite rewarding. Marvel has done something truly awesome by creating the Cinematic Universe and it looks like the television show is going to be a very big part of that going forward. Agents of Shield has gone from being a decent way to spend an hour on Tuesday night to a show that has me anticipating it as much as the next Marvel movie.

First of, I'm not a Marvel fan. For me it's Superman & DC all the way. Yes, I've seen the movies in Avengers universe and think they really are fantastic movies. Then there's Whedon involvement, the guy knows what he's doing to come up with all those past great shows and Avengers movie. So, I figured I'll give this show a chance. After the first episode, I was hooked; line & sinker too. ;) Other that Joss Whedon, the second reason to give this a chance was Mr. Clark Gregg. Agent Coulson was one of my favorite characters in the cinamatic universe & ***spoiler for Avengers*** when they killed him off, I was devastated. And to bring him back in this is a great move on Whedon'a part. There will be a fabulous explanation as to how they did that so the fans will not be disappointed. I also like they got Ming-Na as a regular cast member and I did grow to love all the other newer cast members too. I've read several reviews that described this show as a bust but I believe those people never even gave it a chance. For the most part Whedon shows take time to establish and when they do, they soar to the top. Also, these days people tend to want things here & now. They don't want to wait for anything. I blame it on tech & internet. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'll survive without either but, there are loads of TV shows that get cancelled because we decide we don't want to give them a chance. I urge you all to watch this show with an open mind. It is fantastic. Got action, drama, comedy, even some romance if you want it. And they didn't spare any expenses on special effects either. Even if you aren't into Marvel, you will enjoy this. As for people complaining about not having many superheroes in this, please read the title. It says Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not Marvel's Superheroes. It's about regular people like us who are dealing with all the craziness that superheroes cause. I liked the show enough to buy a season pass on Amazon. It's very entertaining. With all the stupid reality shows on TV, it's nice to see something different. Try it.

The show starts off slow at first, but it picks up toward the end of season 1 and really ties everything together from the beginning of the show, you will want to watch this again and again to pick up subtle details. All of the movies tie into this show as well, so add this to your marathon list. The show starting off slow is really to the benefit of people who aren't comic book fans, and fans of the movies. Of course if you loved Coulson in the movies, so much the better. But really the series tries to slowly immerse the viewer in the universe before plunging you in the deep end toward the end of the season. The SHIELD in this show is a bit different from the SHIELD in the comic books too, so going slow at first might help comic book fans as well. In the SHIELD comic books Director Fury (and later Directors of SHIELD) is at the helm of many missions, the Director of SHIELD is mostly not around in this show- so you have to get use to that idea. Later seasons have a Director, but this is about season 1- so stay focused, I'm not talking about later seasons here! :-) The casting is really good, especially Clark Gregg (who really carries the show the first few episodes). You really start to love the characters these actors portray, and the twists and turns will be gut wrenching after you get immersed in it. This show is a good break and fill in between the movies. But if you don't watch the movies the tv show isn't dependant upon the details from the movies, the same is true for the movies not being dependant upon the details from the tv show. Watching all of them together opens up a lot more into the Marvel Universe however, so I highly recommend watching them together during a marathon of Marvel U movies. Whether you're a fan of the show or not, I don't think anyone can deny that the details in the show really do give more depth to the movies. This is not a show to watch with small children, there is nothing terrible in it. But small children might not understand, and could be frightened by some of the story. This is great for older children, pre-teens and teenagers. This show really appeals to adults of all ages, I don't know why movie studios aren't paying attention- these movies, and tv shows are bringing in a wide age range of audiences. There is a little bit of something for everyone; action, adventure, high tech gadgets, a little bit of romance and jealousy, and just enough girl power! In the end this is a very uniting show.