Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season One Overview: Where is Level Seven in Season Two?!

Hello and welcome back to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

With the season premiere just around the corner, I would like to take this opportunity to refresh the slow-started but action-packed season one of this awesome show!

As always, if you have not seen the season one finale, there are spoilers ahead!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a show that was both over and underestimated from the very first airing of the pilot.  It was expected to be like the films in scope and effects (and admittedly in storytelling), but after even the second episode, fans were already complaining that it was slow, with one-dimensional characters and boring stories.  The reason for this is exceedingly simple: People forgot it was a television series.

I mentioned this in an earlier review, but now I think it merits more solid discussion.  We have been spoiled on Marvel for years now, spoiled by high-budget special effects and fierce, powerful stories condensed down into two and a half hours of popcorn-chomping fun.  The name ‘Marvel’ makes us expect to have our breaths taken away, our worlds turned upside down, and our imaginations set ablaze with fast-paced exposition and no-holds-barred climaxes.  But see, that kind of storytelling does not really translate well to television…or at least, not over twenty-two weeks of episodes. (For anyone who disagrees, please let me know what show you think fits that bill – I would love to see it!).

Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen have slowly and beautifully introduced us, week by week, to the more ‘everyman’ perspective of the world of superheroes.  They have taken their time to address one of the greatest fan questions that arose since this project was announced, set up a successful ‘bad-guy-mad-scientist’ group (then supposedly took it down), performed a massive upheaval of the world they had already concocted, and still left us wanting more.  On top of that, they have focused on character-driven episodes and subplots that have taught us about each person we see on screen.  Whether we want to admit it or not, our viewings of the show have been influenced by what we have learned about each member of Coulson’s team. 

We know their motivations (or at least have an idea).  We know some of their favorite foods, darkest secrets, defining moments, and desperate crushes, and we use that knowledge to decide how we feel about each person, each mission, and each episode.  What the writers and director did for this show with their slow pace was introduce us to the world in bits and pieces instead of the slam-bang here-you-are method we are used to.  It is beautiful.  I admit, I love it.

When watched as a whole, much more of the magic and intricate layers of the storytelling in this show becomes obvious.  When there is a week (or more) between episodes, people tend to forget what has happened.  This gets compounded if the show isn’t living up to their personal expectations.  On its first run, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered from long hiatuses and (from what I saw at least) lack of re-runs. 

With ABC’s ‘watch online’ requiring people to verify their cable provider, a lot of people lost the ability to catch up on new episodes, and rarely, if ever, did the show do a re-airing of previous weeks (again, if you know different, feel free to let me know).  This kind of ‘watch it when it comes on or you miss it’ occurrence helped trip the show up in early weeks, but thankfully enough viewers hung in there to follow what was going on – and more than enough of them were willing to give Joss Whedon a chance at season two! 

On first viewing the show looks like it has bitten off more than it could chew.  Rules about the Marvel Universe immediately come into play, and with many of the fans having intimate knowledge of the comics, it looks like another no-holds-barred free-for-all.  In order to gain some control while keeping creative control, the show immediately began setting some boundaries on what was ‘real’ in that universe (such as the lack of psychics.).  Second to that, the show is careful to reference many of the big names but not really come out and make them the focus (because they would likely upset the superhero vs. everyman balance of storytelling.).  The show is even, to some degree, self-referential, which takes a little of the pressure off of itself.  Finally, the show is a debater’s and speculator’s dream with all the teasers it shows, (that blue alien? Totally a Kree.). 

But one of the show’s biggest strengths is the fact that the whole universe is tied into itself.  That was a brilliant move by Marvel Studios, connecting everything into one big name: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  For anyone who saw the hour-long behind-the-scenes, you know what is coming: Marvel has all of their films planned out up until 2028.  I think that in and of itself is proof that we should give a little more trust to the minds behind each film and show.  They know what they are doing, to make such a claim.  (And if they do not, then we will have front-row seats to the end of the universe…literally!)!

Speaking of the end of the universe, how about we take a look now at the character arcs over season one and the destructive forces that shattered the world they live in.

Fan favorite Phil Coulson (a man so popular he was raised from the dead to headline a TV show) starts off with his classic brand of direct humor cloaked in awesomeness.  By the end of season one, he has been broken and reforged, having gone through his own origin story. 

Knowing what he knows now about what is in his veins, what was done to him, and the connection he has now to Skye, Phil is a character who is becoming more enigmatic and more unpredictable as the show goes on. Yet, somehow, he is still the totally adorable hero we fell in love with in Iron Man.  Hats off to you, Clark Gregg!

Phil has a seemingly endless supply of plot lines he could move forward. Foremost for the story universe would be rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.. Ex-Director Nick Fury (the ever-cool Samuel L. Jackson) handed him a tiny toolbox, informing him that he was really the best…and the only…man for the job.

However, despite Nick’s trust in him, it is clear that Phil’s priorities are shifting and foggy at best. His unswerving loyalty to Nick and S.H.I.E.L.D has been swerved by the discovery that he was responsible for his own amnesia, (as it were), and that he is now indirectly responsible for Skye’s mental well-being. Plus, there is the whole soul-shattering realization that he is a product of his own experiment…an experiment he ordered shut down. As nonchalant and easygoing as Phil is, the combined pressure of losing his trust in his job, himself, and those he worked for is setting him up for an agonizing second season, and I have 100% confidence in Clark Gregg’s ability to pull off anything thrown at him. His flexibility in acting combined with the flexibility that is going to be demanded of the character will make Phil a focal point for each storyline in the second season.

Melinda May has shown considerable and interesting growth over the course of the season as well. Initially shown as the kick-butt ex-Cavalry with the predictable dislike of the name, May has taken the traditional but no less exciting character arc of revealing herself to us as well as healing some of the dark wounds inside of her. Tough, businesslike, and still (deep down) the playful, warm woman, May was revealed to be a mole within the team at the worst possible moment. Her saving grace is that she was a mole, but not for the reasons…or the organization…expected.  With the secrets of T.A.H.I.T.I. tearing open and S.H.I.E.L.D. falling apart, May is pushed into the only course of action available to her: coming clean. The ice queen act melts away over the course of the season, and as she finally admits to her professional duty and personal feelings, the tears in her eyes show the most vulnerable she has been all season.

Ming-Na Wen‘s excellence at subtlety makes May a fascinating character to watch as she can convey several emotions with only a look in her eyes. May is going to have plenty to do in season two as she tries to heal her relationship with the team and with Phil.

Grant Ward was generally disliked (that I saw) in the beginning of the season, mostly for seeming to be the ‘stereotypical’ soldier. At least now we have a stronger reason for the dislike! Watching the series back to back (instead of over several weeks with little ability to refresh on what was happening), Ward’s nuances of being a HYDRA agent are actually much clearer. Unfortunately for us and for the team, the signs were there all along, which is just another indication of the intelligent writing being put forth for this series. That being said, it is my opinion that Ward has had some of the weakest character arcs and storytelling this season.

His reasons for joining HYDRA (that I see), is that he is carrying a lot of anger and needs a place to get it all out. At the same time, he needs to have stability and to be told what to do. His family history (namely the abuse), and the fact that his weakness is Skye all feels a bit too cookie-cutter for me. While I am fairly sure the writers will give Ward some angst and drama in coming back to the team, I hope that they flesh him out a little more and maybe throw a couple more creative twists his way, at least to break the mold and give the talented Brett Dalton a little more to do.

Skye. Skye, Skye, Skye. I personally started out disliking Skye for much the same reason as Ward: she felt too cookie-cutter and predictable. The writers of the show combined with Chloe Bennet‘s acting turned me around over the course of the season. While initially bothered by what I felt was a ‘weak’ reason for infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D (finding her parents), the revelation of Skye as an 0-8-4, the injection of GH-325 into her system (and consequent realization of where that came from), and now her connection to Coulson have all combined to make the common story arc a more interesting one.

Chloe does an excellent job of showing Skye’s conflicts both on her face and behind her eyes, and her delivery of passionate lines (such as: “I want this. Bad.”) make me believe that whatever Skye does, she is going to give it her all. When things go belly-up in S.H.I.E.L.D, Skye is a cool head, able to handle unbelievable amounts of pressure while at the same time using her street smarts to help the more emotionally distraught or panicked. Even her own panic is mitigated as she calls on the abilities she has developed under Ward’s tutelage. Skye has grown into a powerful character with a motivation, a drive, and a heart, and as a result she has moved up to become one of my three favorite characters of the series.

On the subject of ‘favorite characters’, how about that FitzSimmons, huh? We either loved them or hated them at the start of the series, finding their seemingly psychic connection to each other either charming or cloying. Regardless, Iain de Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge have done a wonderful job of fleshing each character out in their own way, even if the growth has been slow or minimal.

Fitz seems like a snob, but under that natty uniform is a monkey-loving passionate man. His attraction to Simmons was fairly obvious from the start, and he kept to the typical story arc in regards to that (too shy to say anything to her).

The real surprise for Fitz is the immense amount of strength he carries in his heart. Originally billed as an egghead, Fitz has proven himself multiple times over to be solid under pressure, fiercely loyal, a little vulnerable when it comes to any social interaction not involving Simmons, and even a bit cold-blooded. He is not above threatening someone and has powerful defenses that can (and have) tripped him up. There is much more to this scientist that meets the eye.

Fitz has had a lot of defining moments that have forced him to evaluate the life he has chosen and the man he really wants to be. He suffered near the beginning of the season as his feelings for Jemma were forced to the surface (even though he could not reveal them), and he spent much of the remaining season needing to prove himself both to himself and to the others that he was useful in more than one arena. He has succeeded. However the success has come at a great cost: the loss of his friend Grant Ward to HYDRA.

 

The betrayal has damaged Fitz deeply, and while he still pulls himself together long enough to save the woman he loves, it is clear that he has changed even more than we have already seen. His admission to Jemma, finally, before nearly killing himself, was likely of the ‘we’re going to die so I have to say this’ variety, and it will be interesting to see how the writers handle the relationship between these two tightly woven characters. Personally, I’m hoping Jemma does not just rush into his arms in the premiere. This is a huge admission and it is going to take time to come clear. 

Plus, there is the awesomely added bonus of the lovely Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt) to trip the budding romance up!

Jemma is probably the character who has had the least amount of change, despite all she has been through. Like Fitz, she has proven to have immense depths of strength, though strength for different reasons. Though poor at improvisation (and skilled at preparation), Jemma has pretty much tried to kill herself at least twice in season one in order to protect others. She has the ‘do anything necessary’ mentality down pat, a great quality in a leader – if she stays alive long enough to cultivate it!

Jemma has tried to stand apart from Fitz at times as though trying to find her own feet, but she is slowly realizing she is best with him at her side – a position that will likely be challenged now that Fitz has admitted he cares for her. The early season episode ‘FZZT’ put both Jemma and Fitz (whose first name is Leopold, how awesome is that?) into the spotlight and many have said it changed their opinion of the characters. How each of them deals with the coming challenges is anyone’s guess, but I can bet that they are not just going to be background characters much longer.

The last character I think needs some looking at is the neutral, seductive, beautiful Raina. Ruth Negga‘s breathy voice and feline movements have captivated us from the moment she appeared in her title episode “The Girl in the Flower Dress”. Though she started as a devotee to the elusive Clairvoyant, it is evident that the revelation that the Clairvoyant is a ‘fake’ has shifted Raina’s loyalties, desires, and focus. She is a very neutral character, not wanting to hurt Phil but not really on the side of killing to achieve the goals of HYDRA.

Where she stands on everything pretty much remains to be seen, but it is clear that she is on her own agenda. She has a connection to Skye (hopefully not familial, though we do know she knows one of Skye’s parents), and she definitely will go with anyone who can give her the answers she wants. This makes her a wild card and I bet we will be seeing much more of her in season two (something I am definitely looking forward to).

There are a huge number of storylines that can crop up in season two just outside of the main dramas happening among the team. Previews for the premiere next week already show the beautiful Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a couple of Howling Commandos in what may be a flashback (unless the show is already trying time travel…bit early for that, guys….), as well as the brilliant but icily dangerous Donnie (the wunderkind we were introduced to in ‘Seeds’ played by Dylan Minnette).

With Ian Quinn (David Conrad) back on the market hoarding his gravitonium, the chances of spotting Franklin Hall (Ian Hart) as Graviton are going up and up.

Mike Peterson (J. August Richards) has his own redemption storyline that no doubt will bring him into contact with our people again.

There are several new members coming in: Lucy Lawless as a new S.H.I.E.L.D agent Isabelle Hartley, Simon Kassianides as Bakshi, (a potentially dangerous character even if he is on our side), Brian Patrick Wade as ‘the Absorbing Man’ (which just sounds problematic if you do not know who he is from the comics), and Adrianne Palicki as ‘Mockingbird’. Perhaps most exciting is a comment from Chloe Bennet on Zap2it about the focus of this season: “They will definitely have a big presence. I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘HYDRA vs. SHIELD,’ but HYDRA will still have a big part of the story lines on the show. I don’t think it’s necessarily the main issue, but it’s there for sure.” This means that the show writers are likely not heavily relying on the ‘we have a huge bad guy, let us take it out’ plot to drive the second season.

As we head into season two of this highly-anticipated (and not failing to deliver) series, we just have to remember that the show will unfold as it unfolds.  With twenty-two episodes a season, that is ten times the information, exposition, and storytelling we can get from a single film in the same universe.  The pacing will feel slow to us because we are not used to it yet.  But Marvel is taking the time to help us along, and we are in for some serious excitement along the way!

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Nayari09 (Pam)