Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.10 Review: Making the Choice

Anyone that has yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., entitled ‘The Bridge’, now would be your last chance to do so devoid of spoilers before proceeding ahead. For this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

Well, I have to say that this week’s episode was the strongest it’s had in a long time. No, it wasn’t the most spectacular piece of television I’ve ever seen, but it was a big improvement from past endeavours. It may have even been the best episode they’ve had since the pilot, and that’s not just because Gunn – I mean Mike Peterson – was back on my screen this week.

The characters, I think, really improved this week. We even got to see Melinda May crack a smile or two. Most notably, I found an improvement in Melinda May and Ward. I actually managed to see a bit of chemistry between the two bedfellows during workout session. Also, I was actually able to catch snippets of seemingly genuine emotions on May, as well as Ward. Skye, as always, was top notch, and Coulson also managed to do well. Fitz and Simmons were pushed a bit to the side this week, but I was even able to see some reality in their characters interactions over such brief moments. Basically, the characters, while nowhere near as good as they could be, were a lot more natural this week then they have been overall. They’re actually appearing to become characters that could be real people.

This all-encompassing arc that the villains are taking is something I’m hoping is typical Joss, with his season long big bads. Otherwise, I’m not sure this popping up now and again thing is working as well as it managed to do on Buffy. It kind of seems like it’s inconsistent storytelling, and not feeling very worthwhile, in my opinion. Maybe it’s that these people don’t really feel as evil as they could be, and that they’re still a little superficial in our dealings with them, despite them having kidnapped Coulson, and possibly killed Mike. Oh, man, I hope he’s not dead; I really missed having J. August Richards on my television screen every week. I mean, the man’s forty but so doesn’t look it, despite having a thinness in his face.

All in all, I feel like they’re finally moving towards a place where this series could manage to last. The characters are developing into more well-rounded people, and while there do seem to be so many strings of stories that it’s hard to remember them each week, especially when having to deal with which one will be involved this week, they are doing well. Also, the music managed to be a little better this week, and not completely superhero feel to it. This series still needs to become a tad more grounded – and that’s not to say they literally need to be on the ground – because the heart isn’t always there in each episode every week. Also, some shots are a little too close-up at points, and that could definitely be worked on.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“He’s standing right behind me, isn’t he?” – Ward asks, regarding Mike. And a classic line at that.

“When did you stop talking?” – Simmons questions. “About three embarrassing sentences ago.” – Fitz replies.

“Having powers is cheating. But the suits pretty cool.” – Ward remarks.

Okay, now I’m caught up with Tuesday. I have watched Nashville and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but those reviews won’t be up until tomorrow. Check back then.