Reaction: Agents of SHIELD Premiere

Last week we got the premiere of Agents of SHIELD and got a glimpse at the direction the show is going in this next season. There was some trepidation considering how slowly the first season took to ramp up, but it seems that they have gotten over their initial slow pace and have found their story. There were quite a few elements that the premiere introduced us to. We got to see what happened with the various team members since we last saw them and what they will be working on. We also got an interesting glimpse at the villain for the season that seems like it might be somewhat tied to the Agent Carter show. There seems to be definite potential for this next season, starting a lot stronger than the first season. (Spoilers for Agents of SHIELD after the jump!)

From http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/05/09/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-releases-season-two-teaser-poster/

Action Packed

The premiere of Agents of SHIELD definitely brought the action. This season is definitely starting out strong. We begin with a clandestine meeting to try and gather information about SHIELD artifacts. Almost immediately it is interrupted by what is most likely the Absorbing Man who we quickly learn has the ability to turn his skin into any material he touches. This is used to great effect throughout the entire episode. We also get a great heist where the team tries to go after one of the original 084’s, which we are still not sure what it does, just that it is dangerous. Already an action packed start, with kidnapping, breaking into a facility, and trying to rob said facility.

Where Are They Now?

The other interesting thing that we find out in this episode is discovering where the team is now. Coulson is the new leader of SHIELD, jetting all over the world trying to find potential new / old members who are friendly to SHIELD. We learn that most people have not seen him in a while because he has been traveling so much. Skye has been training to become a better agent and May is the leader of the team when they are going on clandestine operations. Then there is Ward who we discover is being held in the headquarters so that he can provide information on HYDRA. The interesting piece being that he will only speak with Skye, which is torture for her. The saddest moment is when we see Fitz and Simmons for the first time. He suffered brain damage and is trying to get a grip on everything, but we discover it is not going as well as we think it is. The story around Fitz and Simmons is the most heartbreaking in my opinion.

New Villain

Now as mentioned earlier we got introduced to the Absorbing Man early on in the episode. We actually get introduced to the main villain early on as well. They start by showing us back right after Red Skull had fallen and Agent Carter and the Howling Commandos were doing clean up of HYDRA bases. We get introduced to a seeming leader who is looking for a specific artifact, which gets put into a box that we quickly discover that SHIELD is trying to buy information about in the present day. After all the chases and action we get a glimpse at that same Hydra leader who had been hunting the artifact before supposedly pulling the strings to acquire it now. He does not look like he has aged a day. Who is he and what is he trying to accomplish?

Conclusion

I had some hesitance with Agents of SHIELD after how the first season went. The beginning of the second season did not disappoint. It has given me a lot of intriguing stories to hold my interest and keep me engaged with the story. I was already continuing to watch it, but now I am happy that I chose to continue watching the show. It just took a long time to get there.