What I Watched Today – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I just need to say this title is way too long. Either just SHIELD or maybe the abbreviation could be AOS (I guess MOAS could work? but I dunno…what the fandom will decide on as a group? I was just glad for Twitter’s auto hashtag feature so I didn’t have to type it every time as I live-tweeted)
This show did really well (for me) to start off with J. August Richards (I watched him on my absolute favorite show Angel). Also points for diversity (which even minority nerds who love this stuff were wondering if this show would have much of that, or be like most other shows on TV right now). Though I see it only says “Guest Starring” for J. August so we’ll see what that means for his character appearing later. (Gunn on Angel started only as a guest role… so I have hope.)
Melinda May, an Asian American! Two points for diversity. Let’s hope it increases as the show continues. ABC seems to be the best at the diversity right now, but mostly that’s because the other most diverse shows on the network are run by Shonda Rhimes.)
(Ron Glass?! Hi Shepherd Book! What other Whedon alum will we see? It could be a fun game!)
COBIE SMULDERS!! Now that HIMYM is ending, I wonder if she’ll be back for season 2. Or if she’s somehow doing double duty. It must be nice for her knowing that should the show survive (and really, are we doubting at this point? Between the promotion it got and the sheer number of Avengers/Marvel Comics fans) , she’ll have a guaranteed gig after her other show is over.
I think I got a little lost in the plot towards the middle, but nothing a rewatch and a careful eye on clues (a Whedon thing) can’t either cure or peak my intrigue for later episodes. But the episode really had a lot to do, more than most pilots I think, so it’s understandable that a few things end up lost in the shuffle. It had to do the normal character/tone/dynamic introduction, but it also had to connect to both the Movie and Comic Book canons (there were many references to both) and there are just so many characters already. The premiere had so much to do, but I believe it will just get better, because it’s the Whedons.
“With great power comes… a ton of weird crap that you’re not prepared to deal with!” Great Joss style line as well as Marvel canon humor.
Even when I watch Angel, the pilot (as with most shows) is rough to watch and I just rewatch the early seasons to remember the character beginnings so when the great character development arcs hits, I can appreciate it again. I’m sure in a few weeks, there will be a great arc in play.
Really looking forward to this to watching this grow and unfold!