Watched: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Season 1 (2013-2014).
This is my first time in a while watching a standard-run American network show (that is, more than 20 episodes, hewing to commercial breaks, staying just family friendly enough that kids walking in on the show won’t be traumatised for life), and as such the trappings of the format stood out like a sore thumb. No-one swears. Quips are always perfectly timed, putting me in mind of Buffy more than anything else (no surprise, given the show’s co-creator). Entertainment always comes first, with depth of plot and character a secondary consideration.
All that said, given that this is a Marvel property, it makes for a more interesting TV drama than most, and the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier really lift the show out of the mud and morph it into something interesting. Over the course of a couple of weeks - the event in between being Cap 2′s release - SHIELD goes from being a fairly comfortable government institution that goes around dealing with an endless succession of yawn-worthy monsters of the week to a scattered group of fugitives on the run from the organization they once trusted to keep them safe. It’s a brilliant move on Marvel’s part, and the quality of the latter third of the season soars above and beyond the rest.
That’s not to say that episodes one through sixteen were dull, exactly: while there are some definite archetypes on display, there’s some fun writing, especially between the two British scientists (nicknamed Fitzsimmons thanks to a portmanteau of their last names), who go from wacky side characters to some of the most rounded of the cast (in part because they don’t have as much to do as far as the series grand mythology goes - they’re really just along for the ride).
Overall, it’s a mixed bag, but it’s fun, and that’s what I was hoping for; something pulpy, with enough humor and something resembling a narrative arc to keep me interested. On those fronts, and on a few more, this show more than delivers.