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 Post subject: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:28 pm 
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....is not very good.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 1:39 pm 

Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:25 pm
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It's getting better.

Firefly aside, Whedon shows are usually slow out of the gate. My hope is that the writing will settle in now that they have a guaranteed full season order. Ward is still pretty generic, but everyone else is starting to get fleshed out. Even the science duo, whom people seemed to really not like after the first two episodes, are starting to grow on people now that they're starting to get developed.

The Marvel kid in me refuses to give up on it, but I'll freely admit that it's not an easy sell to the general public right now. But if it continues its upward trend I'm betting that will change by the midseason.


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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:59 pm 
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My problem is there aren't really established goals for any of the characters to accomplish. They move from plot point to plot point but I never get a sense of what makes these characters tick on the inside. They're caricatures instead of flesh and blood people at this point.

Coulson is especially the weakest. The show seems to rely too heavily on the 'mystery' surrounding his return rather than enveloping that mystery into an exploration of his character and the challenges he faces. This muddles the relationship between all the characters because there's nothing really intriguing as to why they're all working together.

I agree that I may too harsh at this point as it's still fresh out of the gate, but for a show this expensive you'd think it'd be a bit better than just 'okay.'

The endless winking to the Avengers movie is getting tiring.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:56 am 
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The second episode was by far the worst (I can swing with formulaic, especially when on broadcast TV, but at least make sure your tired tropes and plot lines don't creak and wheeze as badly as they did there), and I'm surprised there hasn't been a drinking game invented where you have to do a shot every time they clumsily reference The Avengers, but overall it's not entirely dismissible. There have been some clever moments. I do wish there was something more to it, but I can't yet decide what I want that more to be. Nowadays, the knee-jerk reaction would be a poorly thought out mythology (see X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe, the currently bug nuts enjoyable Sleepy Hollow, Lost, and every show that tried to ape Lost and was cancelled halfway through its first season), and that's something that I could do without.*

I guess what I'm saying is that I like show well enough, but it's yet to transcend "we're both tired, so let's watch this."


* Seriously, the world is NOT interconnected in such a way that the neighbor who moved in next door is not only your mother's brother but also the head of a secret society hell bent on overthrowing the world. Besides, you're just an asshole stoner who dicks around on the internet. You're not the chosen one and you can barely tie your shoes, let alone save the world.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:46 pm 
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I enjoy the adventures they go on ("Eye Spy" was pretty fun), I just wish the stakes were a little more clear for the characters outside of "Coulson said so," or "Oh, look at this weird shit."

I know it still early days, but even that Arrow show established clear and specific character dynamics with dramatic intrigue within those relationships fairly early on. They're just not that obvious because the acting is so terrible.

I'll keep watching, but only to soothe my fanboy curiosity and not because the show is all that compelling.

A buddy of mine has a theory that Coulson is going to turn out to be Vision.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:20 pm 

Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:25 pm
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That seems to be the favored theory. The other being an LMD. Gregg himself stated in an interview that he thinks its mystical though, so who knows. Maybe SHIELD called in Dr. Strange.

I'd like to see the show explore some of the C and D-list and street level characters that wouldn't necessarily get much attention in the movies. Folks like Iron Fist and Moon Knight. Marvel got the rights back to Daredevil too. Matt Murdock seems like the perfect type of character to have show up on occasion for a show like this. I don't think they're really going in that direction, but the origin story for Graviton in episode 3 has me hopeful.

I'd heard that they're intentionally going for a sort of retro feel with the show, to old 80's shows like A-Team. I've never seen any of those, so I don't know if they're successful in that endeavor or not, but I just don't see the show doing so well these days with that sort of agenda.


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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Thu Oct 24, 2013 8:29 am 
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So apparently Asian Human Torch was a D level villain in the comics. Which was a nice touch, but not quite as nice as Skye in her bra and panties.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 7:59 pm 

Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:25 pm
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My hopes of the street level characters showing up have been officially quashed, and I couldn't be happier about it. Separate Daredevil and Iron Fist (please be similar to Immortal Iron Fist) shows, and a Defenders miniseries? Why yes, I would be interested in all of that.

This week's episode was the strongest so far, I think. The Scorch episode wasn't bad, but the character was victim of some really lousy writing and acting. Fitz and Simmons really needed some fleshing out, which we got some of this week. That leaves Ward as the last man standing in the "desperately needs some compelling characterization" field.


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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:26 pm 
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I haven't seen this latest episode yet.

I have faith in Netflix for quality programming. Daredevil is in dire need of some redemption. Even if it's an Arrow-esque show, it will be an improvement from the playground battle scene in that crappy movie.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:09 pm 
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The gal that plays Fitz (or is she Simmons?) really has that Hermione Granger look down pat.

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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:14 am 
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Agents of S.H.I.T.

Just watched the episode where a team member gets infected by an alien virus. Are they recycling old Stargate plots?


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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 2:46 pm 

Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:26 am
Posts: 825
I think they really missed a good opportunity to focus on philosophical dilemmas, which would have been perfect for a show of this budget and context. As it stands right now, it's just a cash grab with sub par action, overly cliche plots, and terrible dialogue.

This show does nothing to enrich the Marvel universe.


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 Post subject: Re: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:14 pm 

Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:25 pm
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Jasper Sitwell!

Anyone that wants some good reading with him should check out Secret Warriors, specifically the Last Ride of the Howling Commandos arc. Absolutely fantastic espionage series, that really should be read starting with the first issue instead of picking up individual arcs, written from beginning to end by Johnathan Hickman with Bendis involved for the first arc.

Nothing in the teaser from the Thor 2 tie-in episode looked familiar to anything I saw in the movie, so I'm assuming the association is going to be very, very loose.


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