So Far On “Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Being a fangirl I am, I was the target audience for Marvel’s new foray into primetime, but as with any new show, the window to grab my attention is small. The trick is getting me to come back week after week, and to make me feel that spending my time with these characters will be worth the heartbreak that will inevitably follow in a Joss Whedon show.

The first episode opens with a seemingly everyday guy leaping into a burning building to save a woman, and then we meet our team.

First, we meet Agent Grant Ward, and he is everything you want in a secret agent. He is a great fighter, lone shark, and has enough arrogance to turn off and turn on every woman watching. I almost expected to hear the “Mission Impossible” theme to play as he is carried off by helicopter.

Then we get a magnificent cameo of Maria Hill, and it makes the whole show awesome. Soon we understand how Coulson survived, and we all breathe a sigh of relief, but we also know there is something they aren’t telling us.

I might not have known Melinda May before, but after watching the first six episodes I am sure she is going to be a favorite. In the beginning she is unwilling to fight and only there to drive, but when her team is threatened she springs into action. She is tough, sarcastic, and not willing to wait for someone to help her open a door when she can just kick it down.

Then we meet FitzSimmons, which are the two science nerds that make up the team. Fitz is an engineer, who makes weapons, and Simmons is his partner specializing in life sciences. While their relationship status is unclear I am already enamored with their nerd speak and quirks.

There is one more member missing: Skye. She is a former member of the Rising Tide, which is an organization dedicated to exposing all of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dirty little secrets. She has a few secrets of her own, and while I can’t wait to find out more she provides a lot of the humanity for us, ordinary humans, to relate to.

Now we have our team.

The first episode introduces a mysterious project Centipede, but don’t let any mythology keep you from this show. Even the action heavy Marvel movies focus on people and S.H.I.E.L.D. follows the course. There are a lot of critics who feel that “S.H.I.E.L.D.” isn’t living up to it’s hype, I disagree, but even if I didn’t the list of shows whose first seasons were unbelievably amazing are few and far between.

The “Thor: The Dark World” Tie-in Episode 

“The Well” starts off with the team cleaning up after the destruction left in the wake of the dark elves in “Thor: The Dark World.” Soon we find a young couple destroying a tree to get at an Asgardian artifact, which gives anyone who touches it supernatural strength. I believe that “The Well” refers to the well of anger in every person, considering how Agent Ward reacts after he touches part of the staff. Ward is forced to recall his worst memory, which drives his anger. We finally discover some of his secrets, and what drives his need to be the hero.

Joss Whedon’s stamp is on this show even though he is not the main writer for this show, and I predict we will experience heartbreak and shock and learn more about these people until we consider them friends. One of the best parts about this show is the pace. The story moves and we learn a little every week, unlike some new shows that only pose more and more questions without resolving any. “S.H.I.E.L.D.” doesn’t give everything away, but they give you small doses of truth to tide you over. The feel of every episode is grand, because the stories involve people saving the world.

I won’t tell you everything that has happened so far, but I will say that you should definitely give “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” a chance if you are a fan of heroes (super or otherwise), as well as action, mystery, heart, or Joss Whedon.

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How are you liking the show so far? Tweet us @litdarling.