Since we’ve been talking about Agents of SHIELD so much on the podcast with us re-watching it… was interesting to go back and read this reaction post from the start of the previous season. To see how I’d reflected back on the ups and downs of the show, and on the hook they used to bring you into season 3. Hope you enjoy the reflection too!
We’ve had our eye on this show before it was on the air. We were always going to watch it; we were too much of fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of the Whedons. Of the son of Coul, first name Agent.
Season one took us pretty far down into “how much do you love all those things?” territory. Then they redeemed themselves gloriously after Captain America: Winter Soldier. Finally, it was the show it was always supposed to be, except that the title agency was somewhat kaput.
That didn’t stop them for a season two that was solid. Not stellar, but so much better than season one as a whole. They still felt a need to string us along with a mystery throughout the season, which if I recall boiled down to “Coulson is slipping information to the Avengers” and was explained away in mere moments. Not a big shocker. But it’s the things they took their time with, that they explored, that made the season. The Inhumans. Skye – now Daisy, a strong move towards redeeming a character who from the start had seemed superfluous or forced. Hydra, and a world coping with their existence. Ward, and his broken self.
Avengers: Age of Ultron did not do much to impact Agents of SHIELD, other than nailing the coffin in Hydra as we knew it. And there had been talk of a spinoff show – effectively cutting the cast in half – and that didn’t happen. Which is good, since one point so far this season is that they don’t have enough people to really have a full team… But that meant that they got to keep everyone together, and move forward with the story they have been building.
I wasn’t thrilled with the first episode – honestly, I had to go look it up to remind myself what happened. There’s a new agency out getting their hands on the new Inhumans. Doing bad things. They find a new guy, looks just like Ward, someone should really mention that. Anyway. It was nothing to write home about.
Then we watched the second episode of the season, Purpose in the Machine. And oh. My. Goodness. This is the sort of episode that is the very reason that you make this show. It had people working as a team. Science (Fiction). Comic book stuff. A returning character – from Asgard! Super powers. Heroism – and not from the people with super powers. Spy stuff. And a mystery that seemed like they might string it along for half a season (they would have, season one) that’s already been resolved, at least in part. It was harrowing.
We loved it.
I am now really excited for this season. I like where it’s going. I’m with them on let’s get Ward – they have effectively made him into a villain. I’m with them on Daisy – now looking like Quake – becoming more of a hero, more of a leader. And on her being torn – and wanting to merge – SHIELD and the Inhumans. I’m with them on the emotional and physical scars that a lot of the characters have – and that they’re working their way through them.
They’re putting the band back together.
And I’m with them on the piece that was thrown in for the comics readers, the folks who see what’s coming… Daisy and her “Secret Warriors.” This officially means I need to read my next Jonathan Hickman series, Secret Warriors. Oh, darn.
Note: I still haven’t read Secret Warriors… Oops!
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