After last summer’s mega hit, The Avengers, Joss Whedon is back on TV with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a spin off series following Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his miss-matched team on their covert missions for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L..D.).
I was apprehensive when I first heard ABC was coming out with a Marvel based show, but when I found out Joss Whedon created and wrote the pilot, I was slightly put at ease. It can’t possibly be all that bad with Whedon on the helm. He created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and wrote and directed the Avengers.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D picks up where the Avengers left off after the Battle of New York, but if you’re expecting jam packed appearances of the Avengers stars, let me stop you now. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t a show that focuses on the heroes, but on the faceless organization that acts as a line of defense from bizarre and villainous threats that are both from Earth and other worlds. It follows the missions of Agent Coulson’s team of young S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they go in search of these threats, and assets, that could be of use to the organization. Or something that needs to be destroyed.
Three episodes in, and I haven’t got any complaints so far.
Whedon creating a show around Clark Gregg’s character Agent Coulson was brilliant. Although his character dies in the Avengers, which is a story plot that will be further answered in the series, Agent Coulson is by far the best character to have got a spin off show. His fan boy tendencies and his very human, non-super powered- character stand up to those who do those who do have powers. This has made him appealing to the viewers in his appearances in the Marvel films. He’s quirky and has a laid back demeanor, yet that doesn’t take away from getting his job done and keeping his team in line.
Another character I can’t get enough of is Ming Na Wen’s character, Agent Melinda May. Although she doesn’t have a lot of airtime compared to the others, she’s such a badass you can’t help but like her.
So far it’s turning out to be a good series, with cameos by Cobie Smulders in the pilot episode and an uncredited appearance by Samuel L. Jackson in the second episode. S.H.I.E.L.D. is full of jokes and references to other Marvel films and characters, yet it doesn’t throw you off if you’re unfamiliar with the Marvel universe. Each episode feels like a mini movie where we get to enjoy a new one every week.