The key weakness of the series still seems to be the characters who are at this point little more than stock. Agent Coulson remains the one exception, with Clark Gregg's entertaining performance being possibly the most compelling reason to watch the show. He handles the traditional Whedon-style patter with effortless skill. The other characters were depicted coming together as a team this week, but still don't have much going on as individuals.
But a big strength of the series in my eyes was showcased in last night's episode: they get a lot of bang for their production buck. The episode was filled with big action sequences -- gunfights with rebels, a jeep chase through the jungle, a brawl on a plane. And all were delivered with considerably more realism, scope, and intensity than you usually see in a television show. Mind you, I'm not a fan of action to the exclusion of character, but it's nice to know that when these moment come -- as they inevitably will on a show like this -- they'll be more believable and suspenseful than, say, the average just-a-bit-hokey fight on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (I say that with love.)
As for the cameo appearance by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? Well, it was fun, absolutely. ("Cancel the fish tank" was a particularly great line.) But I do wish they either had used him more fully in the episode, or not been coy beforehand in hinting at his appearance on social media. I was either looking for something more substantial, or looking to be completely surprised. (Even more, I'm looking for one of the new characters to stand out as much in an episode as Fury did in less than a minute.)
I'd still say we're in B, maybe B+ territory here. I continue to hope for improvement, but plan to still be here to watch it happen.
1 comment:
Wait? Samuel L. Jackson was in the episode? I totally missed that.
What annoys me most about the show is that it gives the audience no credit. I can deal with obvious plots and stories as long as they don't dwell on them, but Agents of SHIELD wants to spell everything out. Scenes go on forever as characters spout stock dialogue to explain what exactly is going on and what they are thinking. It's boring at best and insulting to my intelligence at worse.
I find myself rolling my eyes too much at this show. As you said, Coulson is the only good character, but Melinda May is the only other one I can stand because at least she's quiet.
It has great action scenes, but so far the show was been C+ level for me.
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