Thursday, October 10, 2013

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.03 Review: Finding Out Where Loyalties Lie


This is a warning. All those that have yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., titled ‘The Asset’, please vacate the premises. This is not, and won’t likely ever be, a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.
That was a much better television episode. While the series drifted a bit last week, with it’s second episode of the series, this week’s episode was a much better improvement. Undoubtedly this series will always have a superhero, over-the-top kind of feel to it, but it can still be somewhat grounded in the way it’s written.
There was definitely more depth to the characters this week. We got to see more of why Skye is who she is, as well as why Ward is who he is. Melinda May seems to have gotten over her fear of combat, or at least she’s struggling less with the fact she never wants to be in combat ever again, which is an improvement. Though that seems to have progressed a little more rapidly than I would have liked, I’m guessing we’ll still see her strive to deal with actual combat in future weeks. They still need to further improve Fitz and Simmons, as they still have a sidekick vibe to them, but there’s time for that. Also, Coulson did have some subtle development. I liked the whole belief that it should be muscle memory; another thought that leans towards my theory of cloning, or something of the like.
One thing I have to say about this episode is how amazing the cinematography was. I was incredibly astounded at how great it was just within the first few minutes of the episode. Whomever directed this episode should definitely direct more of this series, they are particularly good at it. And I’d definitely like to see the cinematographer work on future episodes as well.
I do love that this is a Joss Whedon series, despite how much he might not be completely involved, at least in the way he was at the beginning of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I can still see the balancing effects of comedy with drama, depth with an air of lightness. The way his crew always seems to masterfully be able to that is wonderful, though there is often an easier lean towards the comedy side of things, just with depth to it as well.
A comedic moment in this episode that I greatly enjoyed was when Fitz-Simmons and May are listening in on Skye, and Fitz is just questioning things while he eats a big bowl of popcorn. I definitely would like to see more of Fitz; he very well could be the Xander Harris of this series. Although, romantically that wouldn’t be something he’d like to move towards.
All in all, this was definitely an improvement on the last episode. I expect there will always be this air of grandeur revolving around this series, but I do ask for great things from a Mutant Enemies production. This series certainly needs to work a bit on the characters, rather than just unifying them. Each person does need to be an individual for them to make up a whole. Oh, and I expect to see Hall again, or at least that gravitonium (is that right?) he merged into.
My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:
“How can you run if you’re curled up in a ball?” – Skye asks Ward, debunking his metaphor.
“Well, technically it’s an e-vite.” – Skye corrects herself.
This interaction as the camera zooms out:
“And I know there’s a truth serum.” – Skye, not completely sure.
“Whatever you say, rookie.” – Ward replies.


Okay, time for Supernatural. Then Revolution or American Horror Story: Coven, I’m not sure which yet, depends on how much sleep I expect to get tonight… Might try to get both in.

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