TV in American Culture Two: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Maya Bolden)

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ rises to the occasion after ‘The Avengers’ rescue New York

Superheroes have been dominating the movie and television market. From “Smallville” to “The Amazing Spiderman,” these iconic characters have flown, swung, and hammered their way into popular media and capture both comic book junkies and newcomers alike. So it was of no surprise to anyone when Marvel announced its new show “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” which brings the cameras into the confidential business of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its agents as they travel out and solve cases after the events of “The Avengers”. The first episode premiered on September 24, 2013 and has since rolled out four episodes. As proven by the episodes thus far, the operative team “bus” doesn't need assistance from a hammer-wielding god of Asgard or a sarcastic billionaire and corporation owner in order to stay afloat.

In a world where the existence of heroes and fearsome creatures has been revealed thanks to an incident occurring within the Big Apple, S.H.I.E.L.D. continues its covert missions in an attempt to protect citizens from the freaky discoveries made behind the scenes. Clark Gregg returns to the division once again as Agent Phil Coulson, post-Brush With Death. He shortly becomes a field operative once more and assembles a small team of agents, including Skye (Chloe Bennet), the snarky but warm computer hacker and the New Girl of the team, Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), the Black Ops Specialist with great talent but horrible people skills, Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), the Ex-Field Agent leaping back into the fray, Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), the witty Engineering Specialist with great proficiency in weapons technology, and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), the clever Life Sciences Expert with knowledge of both human and alien life. Together on an extravagant jet embedded with state-of-the-art technology, the team flies out and faces complicated issues like people with incredible powers gifted to them by frighteningly volatile substances, powerful substances capable of feats such as breaking all laws of gravity, and miracle eye surgeries gone horribly wrong. (If you ever become blind and have someone offer to give you eye surgery to bring back your sight, make sure that person isn’t going to turn you into the puppet of an evil organization later.)

Each hour-long episode hooks viewers in with a new mission and displays the operatives accomplishing their goals step-by-step. Despite the fast-paced intensity, “S.H.I.E.L.D.” still takes time to develop the characters’ relationships with one another in a satisfying manner. Hacker and new agent Skye ends up being taken under seasoned agent Ward’s wing as his student; Agent Coulson and Agent May frequently address one another regarding past experiences and even bicker on various issues that arise within the episode. Last but not least, Caestecker and Henstridge as Fitz and Simmons often share witty banter towards one another, all while they’re either scanning the burned down remains of an apartment building for clues or performing a squicky but life-saving eye operation on a rogue agent. To top it off, each episode thus far has ended with hints on the plot of the next mission and foreshadowing that there is more to Agent Coulson’s fake death than people are admitting.

With the way the Whedon brothers and Maurissa Tancharoen are handling a well-known fictional espionage and law enforcement agency while adding well-executed contemporary spins, it is no wonder why ABC chose to pick the show up for a full season of 22 episodes. This means that Marvel fans can expect more action-filled, suspense-driven missions that grow increasingly complex and dangerous with each episode. If the large amounts of foreshadowing and visions of an overarching plot aren't enough, then the sure-to-come cameos, such as Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury in one episode, should be enough to at least spurn interest in those that enjoyed “The Avengers”.

And in the midst of odd times, maybe Captain America will check in every now and then.

TV in American Culture Two

Friday, October 18, 2013

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Maya Bolden)

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