Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Pilot Episode Review

Marvel has had success after success since starting the Avengers film series in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk so much so that the Avengers film itself (Avengers Assemble, 2012) grossed 1.5 billion at the box office, not to mention many high-praising reviews from critics and fans alike, and it is because of this success that now DC Comics is trying to build up a cinematic Universe with 2013’s Man of Steel. You could even say that the success of Marvel films began in the early 2000s with X-Men (2000) and Spider-Man (2002), even though Marvel studios did not actually produce the films as such (they were made by Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Pictures). This success has even given Joss Whedon an even bigger boost than ever, after he heralded the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Avengers Assemble. So when fans became upset after the tragic death of Agent Phil Coulson in Avengers Assemble, the team decided to make a new Television series following Coulson and his team from SHIELD, with Joss Whedon directing, producing, and co-writing the pilot episode. So, how does it hold up? Pretty darn well.

What’s great about this is that it doesn’t have a cop-out solution as to how Coulson didn’t die, but builds it up as a mystery for the series. And we all know how good Joss Whedon is with strange series mysteries. Pity Mr Moffat isn’t as good. It also makes it clear that something is up with him. Not just from the way Agent Hill and the doctor (of whom Ron Glass of Firefly makes a cameo as) addressing it, but by the way Coulson talks about. He says exactly the same thing, over and over, and even his team begin to look a bit suspicious about him. So, if Coulson wasn’t living in the ‘magical place’ that is a hut in Tahiti, what did happen to him? Clark Gregg is brilliant is Phil as per usual as he has a charm and a unique presence on screen. The acting is all good in this episode, particularly from the actor playing Michael Peterson, and it uses traditional elements and almost clichés but in such a way that it does not come across as camp or OTT, as the characters themselves would usually see what happens as something that only occurs in Comic Strips or cartoons, which is one reason why the Avengers series as a whole works, as it is essentially the real world, but with secrets revealed, and the use of people recording what happens on their phones and uploading it to the Internet is something that would genuinely happen in real life.

Michael Peterson as a character is an interesting and complex one, and he comes across as genuine throughout. His life has gone horribly wrong and he is resulting to drugs to try and make it better. He isn’t a bad person, but is having a bad time and went to the wrong people for help. This is all written so that no one has to literally state this to the audience, and respects that the audience is most likely human.

Agent Ward is a bit of an archetypal spy, but the banter between him and Agent Coulson is what makes him a watchable character, and everyone, including the characters knows he is an archetype, and is trying to give him some character building to go through as the series progresses. Skye is also an interesting character and does not fit into any stereotype or archetype, and manages to be smart and clever but not completely loyal to the other Agents, but the way that Coulson knows how to manipulate her is entertaining to watch. Agent May has little to her but there will most likely be a later episode expanding on her character and he history with Coulson. Only Fitz and Simmons don’t work so well. Fitz never finds a balance between intelligent, annoying and likeable throughout the episode, but this isn’t helped by Agent Simmons, who is a clear stereotype, to the point that her character is almost identical (albeit in a different situation and franchise) to Carol Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), right down to the accent, which is so upper-class that it sounds almost fake, mainly because I personally don’t know anyone to have an upper-class accent as strong as that, and her character has nothing to her.

The jokes are quite strong, not laugh-out-loud funny but intelligent and worth a smile at least. It’s a pity that some of the best were ruined in the trailer, particularly the one where Coulson and Ward find Skye in her van.

The episode has a good stand-alone story and sets up a series nicely, as well as future Avengers films and the continuity from the previous films is actually part of the plot. It’s almost like this was written alongside Iron Man 3 (2013) in terms of the plot thread of Extremis and what it does, and I’m interested to see how this leads into 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I also hope that Nick Fury, Hawkeye and Black Widow turn up at some point, and possibly an actual Avenger would be nice too. Also, I want to get a car like Lola. 9.5/10