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I’m also a huge fan of comic book adaptations on TV and in the movies. I love seeing comic book heroes brought to life on screen, even if the result turns out to be pretty crappy (I’m looking at you Green Lantern). Though it soured in hindsight, I was a big fan of this summer’s Man of Steel. Nolan’s Batman trilogy is nearly flawless, with the only weakness coming from the “just okay” conclusion: The Dark Knight Rises. Sin City shows how cool comic book styles can look in the movies, as does the underappreciated Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The first two Spiderman and X-Men movies were amazing, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Spidey reboot and the First Class arc of X-Men prequels. Last but not least are the host of Marvel adaptations which are simply stellar. Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 3 are awesome, and Captain America and Thor were both entertaining if not spectacular (we will not speak of The Hulk or IM2). The Avengers in particular had over-the-top levels of awesome and basically everything I wanted in a comic book movie.
One would think that the combination of Joss and Marvel would once again work wonders. It would seem like such a collaboration was destined for another success, especially if it starred fan favorite Agent Coulson. You’d assume that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D would be great TV.
So why am I not impressed?
Spoilers lie ahead!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to match the familial chemistry of Joss’s posthumously-revered Firefly yet the group dynamic constantly misses the mark. Agent Coulson’s ragtag group of misfits just doesn’t fit together that well, despite their “inspiring” attempts at coming together as a team. They’re clearly supposed to be at odds at the beginning, but even their moderate antagonism doesn’t have the charm of other Joss rivalries, such as Spike and Buffy or Jayne and Simon. Even during their moments of growing camraderie, they just seem weird, like they’re all Coulson’s friends that he invited to a party but none of them know each other and now they have to hang out because he went to get pizza. Ward and Skye’s flirty relationship is cute and all because they’re beautiful BEAUTIFUL people but the buildup is so heavy-handed you just want to scream “HOLY SHIT WE GET IT JUST FUCK ALREADY.” Fitz and Simmons are adorkable (I guess?) but they feel out of place both with the group and with each other in spite of how close they’re supposed to be. Even Coulson tends to act a bit stiffer than he did in his movie appearances, like he’s less comfortable around the non-superheroes. Overall, the agents’ team dynamic is a lot more awkward than it should be, and it makes all their adventures a bit cringeworthy.
Similarly painful to watch is the ineptitude that plagues the squad of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the show. These people, with the possible exception of the tagalong Skye, are allegedly the best of the best in their respective fields. Whether they are hyperintelligent scientists or deadly field agents, they entered S.H.I.E.L.D. because no one else is can do the things they can. One would assume. Unfortunately, they all (with one exception) are a bit dumb. They definitely do cool things in every episode, but they are almost always matched by something equally stupid. To start, the adoption of Skye that kicked off the show was really dumb of Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D. in general. People (including the audience I assume) tell Coulson she’s a risk in every episode and, weirdly enough, she was, as revealed by her ulterior motives and hackivist connnections. They entrust her with a Mata Hari-esque spy mission to recover a genius scientist as well as various other important tasks before determining if she’s trustworthy. DUMB. However, they never would’ve discovered her treachery if she didn’t decide to waltz into her boyfriend’s swanky apartment for a gloat and a shag. DUMB. Then, to pick on FitzSimmons again, there’s the two scientists who are barely capable of anything that doesn’t involve shiny toys. It’s upsetting that they’re so one-dimensional because they are rage-inducing when outside of their elements. Those are just a few of the moments that made me want to yell at the screen out of frustration. I should not be able to figure out what is going to happen before the qualified special forces. The massive exception to the Incompetence Theorem is Melinda May, who always makes the right decisions and always kicks ass. Unfortunately, I can only watch her save the team’s stupid butt so many times before I go crazy.
The biggest letdown of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the writing’s overall medioocity. Perhaps my expectations were too high going into the show, but when I see Joss’s name on a project I expect Whedon-level greatness. Instead there are plot points like Skye and Ward’s romance which is so hamfisted that it’s painful.* There’s also Skye’s “orphan searching for her special parents” motivation which is as trope-y as protagonist plots go. Fitz and Simmons never act like anything more than socially awkward bookworms and I hate that because it just plays into nerd stereotypes rather than exploring badass scientists. They’re also essential interchangable, and that’s boring. Plus, the whole “FitzSimmons” joke isn’t funny and it isn’t endearing and I don’t know why it exists. Also, and maybe I’m looking too much into it as someone who knows the comics enough to pick up on the hints, but the foreshadowing about what happened to Coulson is not so much “shadowing” as “sledgehammering.” I don’t understand why the show makes this future plot point so overt. I mean, he literally says “I’m rusty” at least once an episode.** The whole “seductive evil female” trope is one-dimensional and overdone, but it’s still employed in both the second and fifth episodes and it bored me. Even the quippiness intrinsic to Joss’s shows feels somewhat off, though it still occasionally manages to hit the mark. I really hoped for greatness from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but so far, it’s just… another new show.
* It’s possible this is an acting problem
** Probably an exaggeration, but that’s what it feels like
Despite all of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s problems, it does have enough great moments to warrant further viewing. Episode 3, which starred the near-mass-murderer Dr. Hall, was very well done. It featured a great bait-and-switch about the true “evil,” complex motivations, and a cool backstory for an eventual supervillain. The crossovers with Avengers characters are always fun to see, which makes me very excited for the upcoming episode that is linked with Thor: The Dark World. In fact, the show’s Marvel universe setting, while not always evident, is the best part of the whole IP. I love that this team of normal people must tackle shadowy supervillains, dangeous extraterrestrial artifacts, and confused and disoriented “superheroes.” That final one is particularly compelling. I’ve talked at length in this blog about how I love stories involving the “real lives” of heroes and villains, and while I wasn’t overly enamored by the first or fifth episodes of Agents, those are the kinds of episodes that I really want to watch. Finally, Melinda May is a badass who rules the whole damn show and every time she is on screen something awesome happens. More of that thanks.
The first half of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a disappointment, both as a fan of Whedon’s material and as a fan of comics, but I also can’t rule out a late game comeback. My good will towards both Joss and Marvel is what heightened my expectations and eventual disappointment, but it also means that I have faith that the creative minds behind the show could put it back on the rails. I already know that they can make great things, it’s just a matter of improving and refining what Agents does best and transforming or removing the frustrating elements. In an ideal world, the incompetence and awkwardness that composes so much of the current show will vanish naturally as stakes increase and the team grows even closer. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. still has the potential to be an incredibly entertaining show, but it’ll first have to shed the mediocrity that weighs it down.
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