We all love comics...otherwise why would we be here on COMIC vine? However, as you might know comic book universes sometimes crossover into other formats like movies or television. We recently added a new section to the site dedicated to television series. What you might not know is that the first TV series put on CV was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Recently, a group of users got together as part of CV's Roundtable User Discussions to talk about the first two episodes of AoS and what we thought. Below is a transcript of that discussion. Feel free to voice your own opinions below and also check out our other RT discussions and maybe even join in yourself!
Poet: Of course, I should say this isn't my show...allow me to introduce the actual host of this disscussion....you might know him as Geo or Geeky Goodness or even simply as "Awesome", but I call him @sora_thekey! ("Awesome"? seriously sora? who calls you that? haha This is the last time I copy YOUR introduction)
Sora: *doesn't reply Poet* With me are some of the best critics out there on our lovely site you all know as Comic Vine. Please introduce yourselves!
MannEffest: Alright, I guess I will start!
Hello fellow Comic Viners! @manneffest present, It's a pleasure to be here for the first time and hopefully not the last. And for a little information for you all; I like long walks on the beach, (non-alchoholic) pina colada, getting caught in the rain... No seriously, I do.
Sora: Welcome MannE... Can I call you MannE?
MannE: Sora, you may call me whatever you want, just don't call me late for dinner! *badam da ting* Lol okay I'm done.
Deranged: HEY EVERYON... Is this thing even on? *taps microphone* Hello? Oh for crying out lo- Oh... you guys can hear me? Heh, I'M DERANGED MIDGET GUIZ! Just, you know, ignore everything before that! :)
wildvine: Hey peeps! Wildvine here. Many of you know me as Wv. (One of you calls me Alice for some reason). I'm taking a pause from being the Fan Fic cheerleader to ramble about Agents of SHIELD.
Poet: 'ello, govnor! I'm The Poet! (I don't think I officially introduced myself before the fancy banner thing...)
Sora: Welcome everyone. So, we will be focusing on the pilot by covering: first impressions, ways we would improve the show, things we liked and then before we get to the verdict we are going to have a Spoiler Section. Alright, everyone got it?
First, I want to know what you guys thought about the show before you watched the pilot.
MannE: Well let's see, before I saw the show, I really didn't have an opinion, I wasn't planning on watching it. But I had high hopes for Marvel's Agents of Shield. I'm not a big TV guy, however when I rewatched the Avengers (because I freakin love that movie) , I remember saying, "Crap, I have to watch AoS now." Haha I wanted to know what happend!
Deranged: Honestly, I was already a pretty big fan of Whedon's work with television; Firefly to be specific and he's already more than proven himself at expertly handling an ensemble team so I was willing to give Agents a shot.
wildvine: I admit I was leery at first. I assumed this would be set pre-Avengers since we all saw Agent Coulson in the adverts. So I wasn't sure how it was going to work. I will also admit I am not overly familiar with Mr Wheadon's work. But Avengers was great fun, and I'm an optimist, so I gave it a go.
Poet: I have loved a lot of Joss Whedon's work, so I knew I wanted to check it out. The whole spy thing attracted my attention as well. When I saw Coulson's death I thought it seemed a little forced (and to be honest a little cheesey). Agent Coulson was really more of a flat character I wanted to see expanded, but I don't think he could have supported a movie by himself so a tv series is the next best thing. So I looked forward to seeing it.
Sora: In one short sentence what was your opinion after watching the first episode? Did it change?
MannE: I have three words, "A-MA-ZING". I had high expectations for this show and it met them. I laughed and despite some flaws, it was an incredibly entertaining. Looking forward to next week!
Deranged: After seeing the pilot, I was pleasantly amused and enjoyed what the show brought to the universe. It wasn't anything groundbreaking but I thought it showed promise.
wildvine: I liked the cleanness of the show. It was fun without the ever popular double entendre jokes. I was also pleasantly surprised that this takes place after Avengers.
Poet: I liked it; not the best show, but it had some charm and some potential (we'll see how it fulfills that potential).
Sora: Alright, without any spoilers (for those of you who for some reason haven't seen the pilot yet), can you talk about some of the things you didn't like?
Deranged: One thing I didn't like in particular was that the show was limited in shaping out the characters and the pace kept from actually providing any real reason to become interested in the characters, aside from Coulson.
Sora: I'm actually really interested that you mention this. On my part I was interested in the characters because Coulson was interested in them. There was nothing about them that made me think "Oh I like him/her" but I did think "Coulson wants them there so there must be something that should interest me".
MannE: Now the flaws were apparent, sub par acting is the big one that jumps out at me. Other than Coulson and to a degree Mike Peterson, I really did not enjoy the characters. Hopefully that will change as the show goes on.
wildvine: I did have one dislike, but I'll save it for the end.
Poet: I think the cinematography could be better in some places. They had some nice locations and they could have exploited some really cool camera angles. The other characters seem a little flat compared to Coulson; more like stereotypes. They just don't seem unique. I'm not sure why I should care about the other characters yet. But this is just the beginning and they will address at least the latter issue I had with the series soon.
Sora: I have another question for you guys, I'm sure we have tons of really good things to say about the pilot, but were any of you bothered by the fact that in a "super hero show" there was no actual villain? Remember, no spoilers (just to be respectful).
MannE: The lack of an apparent villain was another disappointing thing, I was hoping they could find a way too include Hydra or AIM. Oh well. However, I felt this worked to the shows advantage, as a comic book fan though I was saddened by the fact that there was no "real"" villain. Though I was impressed by what they did, showing villains are not always black and white. No armored wearing Dr. Dooms. Also remember this was the pilot, this could change.
Deranged: Not really no because the show clearly gives off the impression that it doesn't revolve around a singular, definitive opponent but one they are completely unaware of and don't really know how to prepare for.
Poet: Not especially. It was pretty cool. We do see hints of some group here which could be a potential inclusion of Hydra or AIM. As MannEffest said, it did feel a little disappointing to not have an apparent villain, but I don't think they could have had a big villain here. It just wouldn't have worked. You have to remember we are coming from the Avengers which had huge obvious villains which destroy cities (or at least part of a city). We can't have some huge villain here because we need to work up to that huge villain in the season finale. And if we had started with something huge where would we go as we got to the end of the season? We need to work small and have harder and harder villains.
Sora: Aside of the camera angles and character development, what would you have improved had you been in the director's chair instead of Wheadon?
MannE: I would not have added much, Joss Whedon did an excellent job aside from those two facts. He did a nice job connecting the cinematic universe with the tv show. And of course, he had his legendary Whedon-y humor, which I felt he balanced nicely, giving us a glimpse of what the tone of the show will be like.
Poet: I think I'd let Cobie Smulders play with her role as Agent Hill a little bit. Hopefully, she'll become a series regular (as it is rumored) in Season 2 after HIMYM ends. I think she could do more with the character (have a little fun).
MannE: Agreed Poet! Some more Cobie Smolders would be a treat! I feel like Whedon could add so much more to the character than what we just had in the Avengers
Deranged: Without a doubt the pacing. It seemed kind of inconsistent at times. Sometimes trying to be more personal and focusing on characterization, and at other times ditching that approach for cheeky humour and action.
Poet: I would definitely agree with you @deranged_midget. Hopefully it won't be as rushed in regular episode so they would have space to transition between a cheeky moment to moments of characterization.
Sora: You all seem to not enjoy the new characters that have popped up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is there a specific character you could do without?
MannE: Oh god yes, that conspiracy theorist chick was annoying. And no matter how clever her one funny line was, she was just unnecessary.
wildvine: I agree with MannEffest. The hacker/conspiracy thing hasn't been cool since X-Files.
Poet: Well, I should say that I enjoy the new characters's potential. The writers focused a lot on Coulson, but most likely it will better as we go along. I don't want to single out a character just yet because we only had less than 44 minutes of these characters and like I said they didn't really focus too much on them (other than enough backstories to know what each character is like).
@manneffest I don't know about Skye (that conspiracy theorist chick played by Chloe Bennet). She reminded me kind of Person of Interest's Root (played by Amy Acker). Both are hackers and are against the protagonist at one point or another, though Skye seems kinder. I think they needed an outsider to show the world of SHIELD whether that was a new agent or someone like Skye. She'll probably be a plot device to show us more about SHIELD, so I would like to respectfully disagree about her importance on this series.
MannE:I agree that in time Skye could be a major player in the series, so I'm not doubting that. But I don't know, she just rubbed me the wrong way in the pilot. Although there is potential for her to grow as a character.
Deranged: That's been introduced in the show already? It's not that I don't enjoy the characters but that I hope to see more characterization for each one. With the pilot, everything seemed so rush and rather plain in terms of the characters that they never really stuck out individually aside from standard stereotypes as previously mentioned.
Sora: Well, I actually thought you guys had more to complain about. Lets move on to what you did like. Now, I have to admit, I enjoyed this episode. I thought it was cool and witty all at the same time. What about you guys? What good things do you have to say about the show?
Deranged: I'd have to agree with you Sora. I had a great time with the episode as it effortlessly captured and replicated the humour that Whedon is well known for and while some parts I could've done without, it generally flowed quite well, especially between the two scientists.
Sora: I know you guys have complained about Skye a lot but in my opinion she was a the little oomph that kicked the humor into high gear. I guess I just wasn't taking her seriously from the start and as we all know humor is very important in a Whedon show.
MannE: As I have said before, I loved it. It hit all the right notes for a pilot! I actually enjoyed the pacing, not too slow or fast. Of course Clark Gregg has the role of Agent Phil Coulson down pat, not surprising considering he has played him on four separate occasions (including an animated TV show that shall not be named). The best thing about the episode was all the little hints Whedon dropped about possible stories the characters have, wither it be about a dark family past, a "rising tide", or where some people, who might not have been on Tahiti, actually were.
wildvine: Again, loved the humor of the show. The comedic timing was perfect.
Poet: I would agree it had a good amount of humor. It had action, but it was not overly serious unlike some shows. Even had a lighter tone than the Avengers I think.
Sora: I think this is a good thing so this is why I am mentioning it here: What did you think of the show showing all the futuristic aspects of SHIELD that we've only seen before in comic books? Remember, no spoilers.
Deranged: I think it works quite well actually because it adds some further depth to a universe where literal Gods and Monsters walk around and the worlds top secret agency would need something to at least moderately believe they could begin to combat such forces. It also solidifies the notion that they are basically the top dog in regards to world policing.
MannE: Well it depended on the gadget they used, some were just visually awesome, like the hologram for the crime scene, others were just okay, like the car at the end. Ha, I wonder if it's in the budget to do the Helicarrier?!
wildvine: I'm not big on tech. Its gotta be there, and it adds flavor, but overall it didn't wow me.
Poet: I think it was pretty good. One of the genres they are trying to capture is the spy genre and you have to have fancy gadgets if you have spies. It's a rule.
Sora: Before we get to the Spoilers Section, what was your absolute favorite thing from this episode?
Deranged: I don't know really... I didn't really like anything specifically that outweighed the others factors. I guess seeing Clark Gregg back in action would probably fit the bill considering he brings such a delightful charm and presence to the screen and every scene he's in. But honestly, I loved that the show feels like an extension of the Cinematic Universe that Marvel is trying to build and how this show functions as a behind the scenes look at how "ordinary" people handle the aftermath of such events when heroes like the Avengers are around.
wildvine: The Spider-Man reference made me laugh.
Poet: Agent Coulson was pretty entertaining. He was pretty much my favorite thing about the episode.
MannE: "Journey Into Mystery" All I'm going to say. Skye's (only) best scene. I squealed like a fan-boy when I heard that reference. Also her attempt at "With Great Power..." Other than that it was Clark Gregg.
Sora: Well, we'll get to the comic book references in a minute. For now I want to know, since Whedon only directed this first episode but will be a consultant for he rest of show, how do you think this will affect future episodes?
MannE: Really? Aw man I didn't know that. Whedon has a very distinct style, so It's probably going to feel weird not having him in the director's seat, but it's nice he's still a constant presence on the show, it's in good hands. I'm going to use a cheesy slogan now, "I believe in Joss Whedon".
Deranged: It's a little sad because I wish Whedon could dedicate himself to fleshing out this cast as they do show promise, but as for the show to succeed, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe by extension, they need to grow independent of Whedon's constant interaction with a large majority of the projects. I think the crew will do a fine job but I guess we won't really know until the rest of the season rolls out.
wildvine: Really to soon for me to say. Hopefully they can keep the standard set by the pilot.
Poet: Well, it has potential. Reminds me of Buffy, how he is allowing other people jump on board to tell other stories about characters he gave life to through his directing and so on. I think the show has potential. We'll have to see in later episodes how they handle this potential.
Sora: The people who will take over are Whedon's brother and sister-in-law, who share credits on Dollhouse, Drop Dead Diva, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, and Spartacus. With that resume and the consulting work of Joss, do you see a bright future (and many seasons) for this show?
MannE: I actually do think this show has a bright future, Jed Whedon was involved in Avengers, and I've heard good things about "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog", which he co-wrote and directed. And Marvel isn't just going to cancel this series after one season (God I hope its not another Firefly incident).
Poet: like I have said, I think this show has potential. It should last for a little bit thanks to the backing of the Avengers and the Cinematic Universe so I'm not afraid about it going on for a bit. If they are consistent and keep the writers focus on what they think makes the show tick then it could be a nice show.
SPOILER SECTION
Just as a heads up spoilers are now fair game, if you are reading this and you haven't watched the pilot episode I suggest you jump to the Verdict section.
Sora: Okay, since MannE already brought it up, what did you guys think about the comic book references. "With great power", "Journey into Mystery", "Project Pegasus", a Romanov reference, the potential idea of the introduction of the first LMD in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
MannE: Yes, yes, YES. This made me just plain happy. With the comic book references, I felt they were small hints that normal viewers would miss, but comic book fans would relish. Well it worked!
Deranged: I personally enjoyed the references a lot because I feel like it really connects the universe at large and perhaps opens future doors some high end cameos from some members of the Avengers such as Cap, Widow, Hawkeye or even Nick Fury! I do feel like Coulson may be an LMD and one that seems to be rather unaware of that fact, although we can't be sure. I feel like Hill's interaction with the SHIELD doctor kind of foreshadows it a bit.
wildvine: I only caught the "great power" ref. But it made me giggle.
Poet: They were fascinating. I have a different perspective than MannE because I'm not an overly Marvel person (I knew all of the references, but I am not overly into the Marvel Universe...I prefer DC though there are a few series like spider-man and others that I enjoy) so I was not as excited as other people might be. However, I think I would have missed spotting these little references because that's what we're used to seeing in the movies: the little references that only fans of the comics would spot and if we didn't have those it wouldn't feel like it was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I won't lie. I peered at my screen when people were running away as if to spot Stan Lee cameoing though I know I wouldn't see him.
Sora: A Stan Lee Cameo would've been awesome!
Oh, I have a weird trivia piece for all of you. All the IDs show on this episode expire on 2015. Avengers: Age of Ultron premieres on 2015. Coincidence?
MannE: Coincidence? I think not! But joking aside, wow, I didn't know that either! This could be something, could not. It's really left to the overactive imaginations of people like us to ponder. So I'm just going to say that Joss Whedon has something planned.
Deranged: I hope it doesn't spell bad news for the longevity of the show!
wildvine: Coincidence? Most likely not. I do hope they don't already have the series end planned though.
Poet: To quote Kurt Vonnegut in the book of Bokonon (Cat's Cradle), "Busy, busy, busy." The world has such wonderful patterns and connections. Since everything in a show is placed I highly doubt it's not a coincidence.
13. MannE mentioned AIM and HYDRA, but all we got in this episode was the mysterious Project Centipede. Do you guys think that there is a chance for future AIM and/or HYDRA intros? Maybe even the introduction of other organizations like The Hand, SWORD, STRIKE or even HATE? (Which by the way, I still think Nextwave: Agents of HATE should be made into a movie or TV series.)
MannE: I'm not to thrilled with the idea of Project Centipede. They could just of easily made the group AIM instead of creating a whole new group. I mean, Marvel has such a rich background to dig through, not using it would be a mistake. However, this PC could just be a branch of one of the organizations bent on world domination. S.W.O.R.D., that's one I want to see, with Abigail Brand leading them. It would be a nice counter to S.H.I.E.L.D. Also, Joss Whedon did create Brand and S.W.O.R.D. in Astonishing X-Men, I wouldn't be surprised if he brought his babies in for a two-parter.
Sora: Oh that's right, I had forgotten Abigail Brand was Whedon's creation. I wouldn't be surprised if she were to make an appearance since SHIELD is collecting tech from the alien invasion. Maybe SWORD will want to collect it too.
Deranged: I definitely feel like AIM and/or Hydra may be introduced eventually as the show continues on. The show does seem to take focus on secrecy and high-end espionage so what better way to combat that other than introducing a counter.
Poet: I'm sure they'll have at least one of the antagonistic spy organizations appear at one time or another.
wildvine: I have a Q. Would it really be so bad to have a new nefarious group? It would be great to have the old baddies appear, but something new that proves entertaining could be retrofitted to the comics. (Like Harley was) I say give Centipede a chance. Plus, there's no indication this group isn't really AIM or HYDRA.
Sora: I don't think it is bad to have a new group, but I think the Marvel Comics Universe has enough to pick from that you wouldn't need to make a new one. I mean c'mon: The Howling Comandos, Project Livewire, STRIKE, SWORD, Secret Warriors, ULTIMATUM, HAMMER, HATE, Zodiac, etc.
Lets now get into specifics and speculation. I want to know what you guys think about a few unanswered questions...
Coulson's Return: LMD? clone? 8-second death? What?
wildvine: Clone gets my vote. They way he dodged that van door? It looked like super human reflexes to me.
Sora: Thanks for bringing this up. I noticed that, but I directed it to the LMD theory rather than the clone. You guys think that maybe Coulson has super powers?
MannE: I'm going to be honest, I had no idea that was the main theory until you mentioned it. When Maria Hill said, "He can never know the truth.", I was all, "WTF?!" But now, it makes sense. While I would be heartbroken to know our Coulson is really dead, the theory of Phil Coulson being the Vision has really peaked my interest. Another theory is that Coulson never really existed, and is only a series of advanced androids used by S.H.I.E.L.D. As I would love both these plot twists, I really don't know at this point, the Whedon's could have something entirely different planned for us!
Deranged: I think there's a lot of speculation circling the introduction of LMD's in the MCU and I think Coulson might definitely be the first example of that, even if he is a prototype of some sort. I try to support that because clearly, if it is true, Coulson is largely unaware and assumes that his SHIELD training and Fury's quickness on the draw kept him alive. There's also a theory that he could end up being Vision but I think that may be a stretch.
wildvine: @DM, I really hope he doesn't become Vision. That just doesn't sit with me.
Deranged: I feel you there WV, I just tossed it in as a theory that he may be a prototype LMD and one that kind of may break from the standard programming or something. I'd prefer a different origin but anything can happen :P
Sora: With the 2015 introduction of the Scarlet Witch and Ultron it would e interesting for the Vision but I agree with wildvine, Phil should stay Phil.
Poet: A clone seems cliche. I mean it would be cool for them to walk into a room and there are tones of Coulsons glass cases, but I think that has been overused. Whatever they are hiding about his return I hope it is entertaining...
Sora: Agent Ward's Family: What is Grant's family history that this "almost-as-good-as-Black-Widow" agent hides?
MannE: This is a very provoking thought, the way it was implied was that his family has had "issues" with S.H.I.E.L.D. That would make for an interesting story line, say if his parents worked for an opposing force of SHIELD. At this moment though, hard to say.
Deranged: Hmm... I would assume that they perhaps used to be on the opposite end of SHIELD's good side, perhaps as agents for another well...agency or perhaps scientists. It's hard to speculate with so little to go on.
wildvine: Cash money says his family was into terrorism.
Poet: only time will tell I guess.
Sora: Skye's External Hard Drive: Skye went through a lot of trouble to hide an external hard drive from her van, what's in it?
MannE: Something very important probably! Whedon is notorious for dropping little hints of things to come. She was working with "the Rising Tide", until recruited by Coulson. So could she be a double agent down the road? Lot of pivotal plot points that will hopefully be answered as the show goes on.
Sora: The double agent thing makes me think of Jessica Drew...
Deranged: Honestly, I feel like it could be anything she wanted. It seems like for an expert hacker that SHIELD primarily focused on finding for the sole reason that she could do things they couldn't, she was caught far too easily. I feel like there's an end-game that she's not revealing yet, perhaps she could've dug into the SHIELD databases, siphoned off info about Fury or even the Avengers as eventually bargaining chips if she's playing the double agent.
wildvine: She did know about Centipede before SHIELD. Who can say what else she knows that they don't?
Poet: It could be the anatomy of the loch ness monster, a file on the factory containing the arc of the covonent, the location of my phone charger that went missing last year...the list could go on and on...
Sora: Project Centipede: What do you think this is?
MannE: First off, Centipede does not sound as threatening as you hope it would (sounds to fluffy), and secondly, they have yet to fully explain what this project is. Is it a mix of Super Solider and Gamma radiation? Or was it just the Extremis virus? It seemed a bit forced and confused. I would like to know what this project is. But I'm sticking with my instincts, this is only a branch of a larger organization. Don't forget, AIM, under Killian, developed Extremis.
Deranged: At first, I thought it was going to be AOS's subtle way of introducing the revamped super soldier serum that gave Luke Cage his powers and frankly, I thought Mike was Luke Cage for a while, especially after Skye erased his past and he planned to gain a new life and identity. I feel like Caterpillar may be a mix of various tech with whatever is left over from the Chitauri and perhaps another high-tech agency like AIM or HYDRA is behind it. Or if we were to really get cynical, perhaps something Fury sanctioned himself and kept everyone out of the loop to bring in some more super soldiers like Cap.
wildvine: This is a front group distracting from the real villains.
Poet: Being a fan of the author Roald Dahl, I think of The Centipede from James and the Giant Peach so maybe the group is just a bunch of insects which landed in New York after fighting pirates? haha
Sora: Now before we leave the Spoiler Section, what do you think of Lola?
MannE: Haha, Lola. I like the idea of a car that can hover! Who wouldn't? It was a bit cheesy at the end, and the effects weren't all that great, but I enjoyed it.
Deranged: Oh man, I loved the subtle nod to the work Tony's father did during First Avenger and it was a nice addition to see that Marvel isn't taking a general "grounded" feel to their universe and expanding upon it with some more flashy, advanced tech!
Sora: It gave me a Get Smart type of vibe.
wildvine: It was cute. Been done, and it was kinda expected. But cute.
Poet: even without the ending, I liked the car, but you got to admit that car is sweet. Now, is this vehicle going to be appearing regularly? I'm not sure (if it does I'm sure it'll explode a couple times throughout the show it's a garentee).
Verdict of the Pilot
Sora: So, would you recommend it?
MannE: I would absolutely recommend it. If your one of the thousands of people who saw The Avengers and liked it, you will love this. It's not a great jumping on point for people who have no idea what or who superheroes are, but incredibly entertaining for fans and casual Marvel Cinematic moviegoers.
Deranged: Oh absolutely. It won't exactly blow you away but if you enjoyed The Avengers or more specifically, any of Whedon's past work, then you'll definitely have a good time and share a couple of laughs with the pilot!
wildvine: Totally recommend it for Marvel fans, and fans of comic cinema in general. Its already better then some of the movies Marvel has produced.
Poet: I'm going to go against the norm and say no. Before any of your try to crucify me let me explain. As of yet, we have only seen the pilot which I love I should say, but it's an introductory episode and the problem about introductory episodes is that you can't tell what a regular episode feels like because the writers are too busy introducing us to the cast of characters. Other than "it's about the agents of SHIELD" I have no way to explain the series because I need reference. Creators always full out all the stops to draw people in (in this case they had CGI for a flying car), but what I am waiting for is the second or third episode (that's when you can tell what the show's going to be like...will they regularly use CGI in later episodes? Are they going to be checking out just superhuman related stuff or are they going to explore unexplained phenomia like X-files/Warehouse 13 kind of thing?). So I'm going to wait.
Sora: I for one, enjoyed it. It follows Avengers but doesn't awe you like a movie would. It still has it's kinks that need some work but this is potentially a good, long-running TV series. I would give it four out of five stars. Do you agree?
MannE: It was a great pilot, kept me entertained all the way through! The Whedons's have done it again, and hopefully continue to do it as this solid series continues down the line. I can tell, despite its bumps, it's going to be an amazing ride, with Clark Gregg leading the way. My overall score for the episode would be a generous 4.5/5. And if we can only do traditional Comic Vine whole stars, 4/5.
Deranged: That's the thing though, it feels like a piece of the universe and if you have seen the Avengers, then you'll gladly notice that it flows quite well off of the film and meshes in the characters quite well. The show still has yet to find a concrete pace and a centre-piece to base it's plots off of but it most definitely shows promise. I'd rank it at a very high 4/5!
wildvine: Its a fun show that everyone can watch, and one of the better shows I've seen premier in a while. Its going to get better from here, and everyone owes it to themselves to give it a shot. I give it 4/5 stars.
Poet: AoS seems like a nice enertaining show with lots of potential. is it the best show in the world? No, but I think it has potientiial to be something great that might be make me love it. I'm usually busy Tuesdays, but if I was home I honestly would be watching NCIS which comes at the same time (I love mysteries). However, I think it shows promise and with a little time I could grow to love it as much as NCIS. To give it room to grow, I'm going to say 3-3.5 / 5 stars. Nothing against the show, but I think it has potential to be much greater.
Mini Second Episode Discussion
Poet: So fast-forward a week: Sora was abducted by a secret government organization, so I'm finishing this RT up.
Poet (using host voice): Has your opinion of the pilot changed?
MannE: Not really, I still love it! Still a 4/5 for me.
Deranged: Not in any critical way no, still had a great time with it!
wildvine: Not really. Haven't thought about it to be honest.
Poet: Have you seen the second episode? If not, why? If you have, what did you like/dislike about it? Has the show improved the stuff you didn't like?
MannE: Yes definitely! I wasn't going to miss it for anything! (Okay well there would be a lot of things I would miss it for, but you get the point) However, I did feel a drop in production value in the second episode, which is to be expected. Overall it wasn't an improvement nor a disaster. The characters were still "meh", and the plot enjoyable but predictable. Although that ending!! It was all worth it. I would give it a 3/5, or a 3.5 if you take into account that amazing ending.
Deranged: Yes I have actually! I liked the second episode but it felt like it was there just for some extended character integration. It was kind of a side-step to any real progression but it was interesting to see how the characters were so hilariously different and that they eventually brought their separate skills to the table to become a stronger team.
wildvine: I missed it actually. I got home late Tuesday. Then I had some stuff going on that I won't bore the readers with. Have not had a chance to catch it online yet, sorry.
Poet: According to Entertainment Weekly, Agents of Shield has taken a "34 percent [drop a week after] last week’s record-setting premiere [which" ... delivered 8.4 million viewers". What would your message be for those thinking of not watching AoS?
MannE: Stay on it! There is so much that can be done, the Marvel Universe is incredibly rich and diverse! Ride out the tough episodes, and enjoy the great ones. I mean, we don't want this to become the next Firefly.
Deranged: It'd be a disservice to give up after only two episodes. Plenty of shows have had slower starts but eventually kicked into high gear once they established some things and found their groove.
wildvine: I say give it a little more time. Show's like this don't really take off till episode 4 or 5.
Poet: What do you hope to see in future episodes? (Storylines, Story Arcs, Characters, etc.)
MannE: Some of what I wanted was fulfilled by the second episode, so right now I would love Abigail Brand and S.W.O.R.D. that would make a nice foil to SHIELD. Maybe, introduce Carol Danvers or Jessica Drew as an agent? They would make some seriously awesome characters.
Deranged: Some more espionage based story-lines, something we won't get on the big screen!
wildvine: Future episodes? Other heroes of course! Spider-Woman springs to mind. Black Widow, Machine Man...
Poet: Well, that's all folks! Let's get this thing posted finally! Please exit to your right and don't touch Lola!
MannE: Peace out everybody, hopefully I'm back for more roundtables! And remember, buy your comic books and eat your veggies... Bazinga! You only need to eat your green ones ;)
Deranged: It's been good folks but ALAS! I must retreat back to the Midget cave but stay tuned... I'll be back *maniacal laugh*
wildvine: Okay peeps and peepers. This was an absolute blast. I look forward to doing it again. Now I'm off to train Pokemon, and kill zombies. Vote for Tedward y'all. Wildvine signing out.
Poet: Since we have been a spy related organization I thought it only fitting to quote a line from James Bond specifically The Spy that Loved Me (not my favorite Bond film, but anyway...) and The Prisoner (my favorite spy-related tv show that isn't Get smart), "Farewell, Mr. Bond. That word has, I must admit, a ring of permanency about it." but in case you escape as we know you will... "Be seeing you."
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