Would it surprise you, faithful reader, that paragon amongst men, he who your girlfriend covets, Dane Barbados Jr. Is a fan of your American comic books? It shouldn't. Comics are the only place your always humble narrator can find titanic figures who even come close to his own colossal stature and daring deeds. As such Dane Barbados Jr., crusher of kidneys, looked forward to Agents of SHIELD with mild anticipation. He was largely satisfied.
We begin the episode by being introduced classic spynanigans with Agent Grant Ward (played by an actor with an already implausibly secret agentish name of Bret Dalton) on an operation. Here we get a feel for the brash, arrogant, no-nonsense way that Agent Ward approaches his work. A complete cliche but a purposeful one we soon find as we find Agent Ward being debreifed by Agent Maria Hill (played by Cobie Smulders in a carryover from "The Avengers.")
Here Hill smashes Agent Ward's tiny little world quickly assessing that the clichéd methods of the past cease to be effective when faced with giant green monsters, rampaging aliens, thunder wielding literal Gods and possible resurrection as shown by returning Marvel movieverse mainstay Agent Phis Coulson crashing the debrief in an amusing scene that was too heavily spoiled in adverts.
From there follows a typical "assembling the team" formula as we meet the stereotypical-yet-still-entertaining pair of labrats with the incredulous combination of names Fitz and Simmons (Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge respectively) who, though stereotypical, possess an easy and endearing chemistry that reaches even one such as I whom is usually only endeared by new applications of the Divine Kidney Punch and once cold vodka. Ming-Na Wen, last seen in the unfortunately cancelled "Stargate Universe" portrays storied Agent Melinda May ostensibly the team's transportation expert but played with a palpably understated sense of menace and danger that belies a dark past, which is realized in scene later in the pilot with the delivery of ass-kickery straight from the school of Barbados. Lastly, of the main gang, we have the aforementioned Agent Coulson played with all the dry wit and easy likeability that Clark Greg brought to the Marvel films.
In the connected b-plot we have Whedon alum J. August Richards playing newly super-powered enhancile Mike and annoyingly twee hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet). Although it is amusing to see Skye's "we are the all-knowing, smarter than you, anonymous hacker generation" schtick being immediately and easily subverted by Coulson and crew it doesn't take much convincing to get her to abandon her, presumably long-held anti-men in dark suits agenda to join the gang and August's Mike is a cipher with a well-trodden down and out unemployed single father backstory. Little more than a plot divice used to introduce and plant seeds for some over-arching antagonist groups Centipede and the Rising Tide.
There were some flaws however. Outside of a pervasive safe, "networky," feeling to the enterprise Skye presents a thoroughly exasperating figure overflowing with faux manic-pixie-dream-girl energy worthy of being battened about the head and shoulders. and the patently ridiculousness construction of the chosen mode of transport.
Outside of that there were some delightful in-jokes and references for the unwashed fandom including a mention of the Avengers' Black Widow, Natasha Romanov, a name check of "Journey into Mystery," Iron Man 3's (and Iron Man comics') extremis virus plays a part as well. And then there were the hints to the nature of Coulson's return which might prove surprising for neophytes but will likely be woefully predictable to the comics fandom (hello Life Model Decoy). And who could forget a classic SHIELD flying car?
All in all Agents of SHIELD is not shit. It's biggest negative is being hampered by being on network television but this is not something that the illustrious Dane Barbados Jr. cannot hold against it.
Dane Barnados Jr. gives partial approval to Agents of SHIELD. It had a promising beginning and could be something truly great once it finds its footing.
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