Agents of Shield debuts tonight

[thunderbolt]

the more I watch the less interested I get. I was hoping it would be a bit more Man from U.N.C.L.E. set in the Marvel U like the 60's Nick Fury comic. The first episode had a little of that, and the flying car was a hint of it. Since then its been a mish mash of X Files and Burn Notice.

[Aricosaur]

I loved "F.Z.Z.T." (That's the title of the episode, I think. I got it off Wikipedia.). This series is reminding me more and more of Stargate SG-1, and I loved Stargate. I was a little young for X-Files when it was first on but this series fills that hole somewhat also.

Does anyone else think they guys running the centipede project are AIM?

[jwyblejr]

I think the last episode was better, they need to have a villain ( AIM or Hydra ) that is the main focus and they need superheroes ( and it's not like the Marvel Universe doesn't have plenty of good B & C level heroes they could use ). SHIELD was set up in the movies as the group that was tracking down and keeping an eye on people with "special" abilities or talents and that was the hype for the show, a spin-off from the movies but so far while the movies were about superheroes there haven't been any superheroes in the show. Maybe you don't want to go the "guest hero of the week" route but without bringing in some heroes I don't see the show going anywhere but down. Avengers established that SHIELD has non powered superhero operatives like Black Widow and Hawkeye so they must have others and I think there needs to be a superhero in the line-up, even if it's a non powered one. At this point I think "guest hero of the week" might be worth trying.

Heck,I'd be happy if they went up against The Serpent Society.

[Mego Magyar]

My comics knowledge essentially stops in 1985, but when that last episode opened with an Asian man manipulating fire, I thought, Wow, will this be Sunfire? But wasn't he an X-Man? And Japanese?

Hey, it was just a thought.

I was thinking/hoping the same thing. Yes Sunfire was Japanese and a sort of X-man but they still could have used him unless he is going to appear in an X-men movie.

[Sideshow Spock]

At this point I think "guest hero of the week" might be worth trying.

My comics knowledge essentially stops in 1985, but when that last episode opened with an Asian man manipulating fire, I thought, Wow, will this be Sunfire? But wasn't he an X-Man? And Japanese?

Hey, it was just a thought.

[Mego Magyar]

I think the last episode was better, they need to have a villain ( AIM or Hydra ) that is the main focus and they need superheroes ( and it's not like the Marvel Universe doesn't have plenty of good B & C level heroes they could use ). SHIELD was set up in the movies as the group that was tracking down and keeping an eye on people with "special" abilities or talents and that was the hype for the show, a spin-off from the movies but so far while the movies were about superheroes there haven't been any superheroes in the show. Maybe you don't want to go the "guest hero of the week" route but without bringing in some heroes I don't see the show going anywhere but down. Avengers established that SHIELD has non powered superhero operatives like Black Widow and Hawkeye so they must have others and I think there needs to be a superhero in the line-up, even if it's a non powered one. At this point I think "guest hero of the week" might be worth trying.

[hedrap]

I think this sums up the ratings enigma pretty well.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/10/23/agents-of-shield-need-a-superhero-ratings-slip-again/

IMO, the ABC pickup is about sweeps/movie tie-ins. Considering how big SHIELD is apart of Cap 2, we're probably going to see some huge connections next spring, which is about where they would be in show development right now.

[Sideshow Spock]

Ratings last nite declined for the fourth straight week.

[Joltrider]

Last nights show was great. Just got done watching it on the abc site.

[johnmiic]

I think a better comparison for Agents of SHIELD is HEROES. But since we've all seen how HEROES worked they have to kick it up a few notches and go one better. They have access to a vast array of MARVEL characters that HEROES had to re-invent. Agents... has to get cracking and start wowing audiences.

[ctc]

>BUT it had a few moments

A freind of mine pointed out that each episode has one absolutely brilliant scene, then the rest is blah.

>They were saying tonight they don't believe in ESP or being able to read minds.

In some ways the show has the DC tv problem of feeling self-conscious about being a superhero show. They really should embrace either the out and out weird of the Marvel universe, or use the show to fill in some of the blanks that don't get shown in the more actiony comics and movies. Right now they've based a show around the noname guys in any other Marvel story who would charge - en masse - at the bad guy and get mowed down en masse by said bad guy. And to spice it up they've decided to fall back on the old tv investigator tropes. (Have we decided who's gonna be the plant for the secret conspiracy within the secret organization yet?)

They're squandering a great opportunity to either super-pander to the fans with all the stuff they love but won't see anywhere else, ever; (like Squirrel Girl, or maybe the whole GLA/GLX) OR they could use the more grounded, low power level of the show to make the whole idea of the Marvel universe more accessible to the non-fans.... which is what it KIND OF seems like they're trying for, but they're still half-assin' it by relying on a formula folks are getting tired of (Has Coulson dramatically pulled off his shades yet?) and shying away from the supers thing.

Don C.

[jds1911a1]

I think last nights story was the weakest yet, for the first time I was unhappy with it but every show has it's clinkers. BUT it had a few moments - I did love the Safety/mag release gag. I am a little intriged to see them show how coulson was different "before" (as he has been this way since iron man so whatever changed him it was before then)

I think sprytel has hit a good point - having watched shows like Knight rider recently these are the 2 dimensional villians we saw in that show but I was a kid then (9-13) so I was far more accepting of a fomula villian.

[FETT1]

The show's not really doing it for me. Kind of like a sillier version of NCIS. It's not bad, but it's not that compelling either.

I hope it picks up steam. I might check back in on it later or when it comes out on DVD, but for now I've lost interest.

DITTO...borrrrring...was really hoping for a bam pow zap experience,but so far nuthin'!!!!

[madmarva]

The show's not really doing it for me. Kind of like a sillier version of NCIS. It's not bad, but it's not that compelling either.

I hope it picks up steam. I might check back in on it later or when it comes out on DVD, but for now I've lost interest.

[jwyblejr]

Are they not allowed to talk about Mutants on the show? They were saying tonight they don't believe in ESP or being able to read minds.