On My TV: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

For today’s On My TV post, I’m speaking out in defense of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

If you follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, or even through my blog, chances are you know by now that I’m a huge Marvel fan. I also adore pretty much everything that Joss Whedon does, so the fact that he’s involved with everything Marvel these days makes me a happy camper.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, onto what I want to talk about: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

When AoS was first announced, the fan base was excited. Which is understandable, I mean, this is Marvel we’re talking about and they are doing an awesome job with their titles on the big screen.

The hype kept building. People had convinced themselves that we’d be getting a mini Marvel movie on our televisions weekly, and that it would be filled with superheroes. (I actually still don’t understand why people expected this as Joss even said it was about the regular people.) And then the pilot aired.

People liked it, but they didn’t love it.

Understandable, right? It was a pilot. Pilots are never perfect.

Well, as the episodes went on, it seemed as though people were jumping ship instead of sticking it out to see where the story was headed. I actually considered giving up at one point, because it felt like the show runners didn’t know where they wanted to take the show. But then around the seventh episode, the show seemed to be finding its foot and things started to pick up. And then T.R.A.C.K.S happened, and then I realized I liked where they were taking the show.

And then Captain America: The Winter Soldier happened, and it completely turned the show on its head – and this was where the show finally became GREAT instead of just GOOD.

Had I known in the beginning what to expect after The Winter Soldier, I know that I wouldn’t have been so harsh on the early episodes. The thing is, they needed us to care about the team; they needed to spend time focusing on them, and they needed the smaller missions in order to get to the big picture.

The second half of the first season was honestly fantastic. It finally felt like a Marvel television show, and we finally started to get some more of Joss’ influence. Also, this was where when we really got to know – and love – these characters. Er, most of the characters.

(Just a heads up, there will be spoilers below. Continue reading at your own risk!!!)

You want kickass female characters? AoS has them.

I hated Skye in the beginning. She was annoying, and quite frankly, I wasn’t that impressed with the actress. But as the season went on, and we were able to learn more about her character, Skye became one of my favorite characters. I think my favorite thing about her character was, after the whole Ward thing, instead of trying to make up excuses for him, she doesn’t try to hide the fact that she detests him. She stands up for herself instead of giving into this guy that she once felt something for.

And then there’s May, who is quite possibly the coolest agent on the team. She's tough, she's loyal, and she's more than capable of taking care of herself. There's no reason not to love May. ( Seriously, do yourself a favor and check out the #Mayisms hashtag on Twitter.)

There’s also FitzSimmons, who are adorable, and Trip, who is all sorts of awesome.

Okay, enough rambling about the characters, because I pretty much love them all.

Onto reasons why you need to watch AoS:

1. The guest appearances: I do love the fact that AoS doesn’t always rely on guest appearances from the MCU casts, but when they do have guest appearances, they’re some of my favorite moments. Example: The most recent Maria Hill episode. Maria doesn’t get enough screen time in the movies, but her latest appearance on AoS made full use of her. (Also, the Sif episode was pretty fun - not necessary, but fun.)
2. The surprises: Let’s not forget that this is a Joss Whedon show, even if he doesn’t write/direct most of the episodes, you can still feel his influence within the series, especially with the plot twists. There are plenty of them, and I know that can become tiresome, but they actually work here.
3. The characters: Like I said, the team of agents is one of my favorite things about this show. I adore these characters. They all bring something different to the team, and even when you hate them, you still find yourself caring about them.
4. The humor: There are plenty of serious moments within the series, sure, but there is also a healthy dose of humor.

If you gave up on AoS, I would suggest starting it back up.

The payoff in the end is completely worth it, and judging by the season one finale, there’s a lot of exciting stuff headed our way in season two.

Also, on a related note, Marvel’s Agent Carter is rumored to premier in January. This means that we’ll be getting Peggy Carter on our televisions weekly for thirteen episodes. (Agent Carter will serve as a bridge show between breaks of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) If there’s one show that you really, really, really should add to your “check out” list, make it Agent Carter. If it’s anything like her one shot, we’re in for a treat, guys. Plus, Peggy kicks ass. How can you not love her?