I’m back! After Brian wonderfully filled in for me, your #1 Whedon Fanboy (or whatever, I don’t know, I don’t like labels) here at MC is here to tackle the latest episode of the highly anticipated and rather largely panned amongst the comic fan community Agents of SHIELD. Is this episode another loser? Is it a winner? Does FZZT stand for anything? All the answers to those questions and more follow!
(Except the FZZT bit. It doesn’t stand for anything.)
1. SHIELD Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts
Which technically means they are afraid of ghosts, but whatever.
It’s a little late for a Halloween episode, but this week’s episode feels like what should’ve aired last week in honor of the “holiday.” A story about ghosts, characters being scared of mysterious energies from the g-g-g-ghosts, etc. — it’s all Halloween-y. There’s even a great deal of horror tropes within the episode (“It’s coming from inside the firehouse!”), which all sort of points to it as what was assumedly supposed to air for Halloween. Network television loves those holiday tie-ins!
Granted, it ultimately turns out to be more of a post-Avengers episode dealing with the fallout of the Chitauri invasion, which is actually a pretty legit move for SHIELD since a lot of this show has been faltering in how it ties towards the greater Marvel Cinematic U, but still. A-a-a-aliens!
2. So, SHIELD is Fringe, Then?
Maybe it’s just me, but last night’s episode of SHIELD felt kind of like Fox’s Fringe. The unexplainable science that comes with some pretty silly in-universe logic that mixes science and fiction with a singular character being assumed as the villainous perpetrator when everything is really just symptomatic of larger machinations while everything ultimately ties together towards a greater whole? If you think I was describing tonight’s episode of SHIELD, joke is on you because I was just talking about Fringe!
And, sure, that’s the formula of a LOT of shows, but man, this episode sure felt like Fringe. Have I mentioned Fringe yet?
Not that that’s a bad thing. I liked Fringe a lot, and it is probably a good show to follow. Fringe had a specific team with three leads, all of whom had good banter based on their character archetypes and they solved relatively interesting cases; it was hit or miss sometimes, but for the most part Fringe was a good follow-up to shows like the X-Files and that ilk, and was in its own way a comic book-y show. SHIELD stealing that formula and utilizing it seems like a good enough idea.
The ultimate point being: we don’t have to do a super villain show every week if they at least include some kind of problem that could ostensibly only exist within the Marvel Universe, like this episode did. I would buy that.
And…
3. If This is the New Show Formula, SHIELD is in an Upswing
SHIELD has been very up and down since it came on air, with the primary issue being that the show has no real sense of identity. It tries the “problem of the week” formula, but it does it different every week with no kind of stability or sense of direction.
But I think this week’s episode really represents what can work about the show. If they play towards the team dynamic with each character working at their strengths with the occasional mix of elements from the films, its a good way to show why these characters matter and why this show should exist.
So far, there has not been too much of that; it’s hard to care for too many of them. This episode, though? It highlights Simmons and Fitz and their relationship and backstory; it portrays Skye in a different light from sassy sexy anarchist; there’s banter and there’s levity (the Ward impressions) mixed with gravity and high stakes…
I guess what I’m saying is, if the show has ever felt like a Whedon show, it was this episode. Ward’s conversation with Skye about wishing there was a supervillain to punch pretty much solidified it. I found myself caring a little bit! I mean, that whole final act of the episode where all hope is lost for a good five/ten minutes? I’ll admit, I thought we’d legitimately lose Simmons and I was not happy to see her go so early. “We’d hate to lose you, Jemma.”
Continued belowSo, hey, only took six episodes, right?
4. The Mystery of Coulson’s Real Nature
One thing that the show deals with in a fashion that probably wants to be seen as sly but is getting pretty telegraphed is the question as to what happened with Coulson. At first it’s little things — the episode opens with Coulson’s health being analyzed, with Coulson responding to one of Simmon’s remarks with “That’s something you say to an old person,” to which she replies startled “… is it?” with the hint obviously being that Coulson is much older than a 50 year old SHIELD agent, implying multiple resurrections I guess.
It moves out of the subtext entirely when Coulson sits down with the infected fireman and tells him that he’s fully aware that he died and went “somewhere,” a place he describes as wonderful. He acknowledges the story he was given — that he only died for about eight seconds before being brought back — and he lets the audience know that he doesn’t buy it — even up to the end where he defines himself as “perfectly normal” and reveals that he himself is trying to find answers to his problems. We see his scar, but we know that there’s more to the story.
So the question becomes: how far are they going to go with this? We can all agree that why Coulson lives is a central question we watch the show to find out (along with any other reasons you may have), but I have to say: if it’s not something that they resolve by the end of the season, let alone earlier than that, then they’re really pushing it. We get it. Lets find out what happened.
5. And the Stinger
I’ve enjoyed the various Stingers that they’ve done on the show so far, but not so much this one. Not that it wasn’t fun in its own way — Titus Welliver from Item 47 makes a cameo in the flesh, and he touches Lola! THE FIEND! — but I’ll admit that, as I wrote in a previous installment of this recurring column, the Stingers are some of my favorite aspects of this show. They’re usually done really well.
This one was a little bit of a let down. I’m all for New Coulson though, whatever that entails; if we get away from the mopey “Who am I?” storyline and save that for a big reveal towards the ends of the season, I’ll forgive this.
…Though, I guess part of me was just assuming it would be a pre-Thor: the Dark World stinger what with that upcoming Thor tie-in episode and movie, right? It’s rather incredible that they think they can get away with that sort of thing, isn’t it? Ah well.
We’ll see you next week when we go to Level 8.
