Marvel's Agents of SHIELD recently returned with a second season premiere that was met with almost universal critical acclaim. While ratings weren't bad, a lot of viewers who tuned in to last season's premiere sat this one out (though positive buzz for the episode is leading many to view it on DVR or by other means). It's not surprising that some people have failed to return thus far. After a quality pilot episode, season 1 struggled to find its way for the next 5 episodes or so, prompting criticism from certain quarters. While some of this criticism was valid, much of it was exaggerated by a vocal minority that was seemingly chomping at the bit to see something related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe turn into a flop. At this point, every arguable little flaw in the show has been loudly broadcast hither and yon all the livelong day. That's why I decided to shine some overdue light on 3 reasons to love Agents of SHIELD's first season, and explain why those reasons bode very well for season 2.
1. Agents of SHIELD is groundbreaking
Shows like Star Trek and X-Files had leapt from television to the silver screen before. Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville had proven audiences like their heroes just as well in their living rooms as they do at the theater (and would eat up new shows about certain icons, no matter how often they'd been the subject of other projects before). But prior to SHIELD, we'd never seen a television show that was both a spin-off from, as well as a tie-in to, an entire Cinematic Universe which is still unfolding.
The majority of shows wobble a little in their first seasons, as they wrestle with important structural questions about tone, plot and what, exactly, they want to be. I make it a habit to cut all freshman shows some slack for that reason. SHIELD is worthy of slightly more leeway than most shows, in my opinion, since it's facing additional challenges on top of those faced by the average new offering. Certain things have to be played close to the vest so as not to spoil big reveals, such as the game changing Hydra bombshell from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Additionally, SHIELD faced the challenge of being the rare comic book based show which isn't named after any big name character and doesn't feature any superheroes in the main cast (or so we're led to believe).
You can see the show struggling under the weight of all this for a string of surprisingly slow and seemingly aimless episodes after the pilot. However, some of the events in these episodes prove more important than we thought later on, and SHIELD rights itself quicker than most give it credit for. The Hydra plot injected a sustained burst of adrenaline into the show at a crucial time in determining its fate, but it had actually improved dramatically well before all that came to a head. It's just that many people had stopped paying attention until the Cap tie-in brought them back for another try. Don't believe me? Try episodes 10 - 14, especially T.R.A.C.K.S., which is one of the most inventive hours of television I've seen in quite a while.
The ongoing balancing act of having its story connected to the MCU presents both unique hurdles and intriguing possibilities for SHIELD. The thrilling finale of season 1 and the dark, emotionally powerful beginning to season 2 indicates that those hurdles are being leapt and those possibilities are being reached for. By the time Avengers: Age of Ultron rolls around, linking up cohesively to a mega blockbuster will be old hat for this show. I bet they knock it out of the park in epic fashion.
2. Agents of SHIELD is unpredictable
Anyone who claims SHIELD hasn't surprised them so far is either lying or hasn't been paying attention. Skye being an O-8-4 turned out to be one of the least surprising revelations. Bill Paxton's Agent Garrett being exposed as the Clairvoyant was a big deal, but it was even more shocking when Agent Ward was revealed as his traitorous lapdog. I thought for sure we'd find out that Coulson was a Life Model Decoy with the implanted memories of the "real" man, but tying his resurrection to an alien race that is very likely the Kree brings up possibilities for future stories that are even more intriguing. Mike Peterson's evolution into Deathlok showed that SHIELD isn't adverse to departing from comic book continuity for the sake of unpredictability. The biggest shocker of all, of course, was the Hydra crossover with Winter Soldier that resulted in the destruction of the agency the show is named after before the end of the first season.
Only an episode in, season 2 has already proven that it's ability to surprise is undiminished. If anything, the revelations seem even more finely calibrated for emotional resonance than before. The death of Lucy Lawless' Agent Hartley in her debut episode, right after her teammate had sawed her arm off to save her life, is fairly tragic and unexpected. Yet even that is overshadowed moments later when we find out that Agent Fitz is more damaged than we thought, and has merely been hallucinating the supportive presence of his beloved Agent Simmons. That bit really got me where I live and, in my opinion, the intelligent way it was executed is one of the show's biggest triumphs so far. The strength of the premiere gives me a lot of faith that season 2 will not only be more unpredictable than ever, but that the surprises will lead to darker and more poignant developments than what has come before.
3. Agents of SHIELD has a phenomenal cast.
Those who dismissed this show as destined for cancelation never seemed to have an explanation for why such a losing proposition attracted the top-shelf talent that has been drawn to SHIELD. Clark Gregg is a major asset, not only because he helps connect the show with the MCU, but because his amiable but tough performances as Phil Coulson have garnered him a lot of fans. Gregg's profile is rising exponentially thanks to Marvel, but he's far from the only big name cast in SHIELD thus far.
Ming-Na wen makes Agent May so much more than an archetypal warrior of few words. Brett Dalton's performance as Agent Ward is so strong that the character still has legions of fans rooting for him to find redemption even after he betrayed his team and committed murder. Bill Paxton did excellent scenery chewing as the unhinged John Garrett. Jamie Alexander got an opportunity to flesh her Thor character out a bit more when she guest-starred as Lady Sif. Adrian Pasdar and Amy Acker popped up in smaller roles in season one which promise bigger things to come for both later on (that's already come to fruition with Pasdar, who had an expanded role in the second season premiere). Patton Oswalt is clearly having a lot of fun with the role of lanyard-obsessed Agent Koenig. Ruth Negga is always compelling as the mysterious Raina. Colbie Smulders has been memorable in her recurring appearances as Maria Hill. Samuel L. Jackson's high profile cameos as Nick Fury prove that the man can still do badass in his sleep. Chloe Bennett is making a name for herself as hacktivist and new recruit Skye. BJ Britt is the embodiment of charisma as Agent Triplett. And while Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge are occasionally hard to understand in their interactions with each other, that makes sense for characters who go back a long way and whose specialities as scientists necessitate their own, insular vocabularies.
Season two has already given us Lucy Lawless as SHIELD veteran Izzy Hartley, Henry Simmons as Mack Mackenzie, Reed Diamond as Daniel Whitehall and Brian Patrick Wade as Crusher "Absorbing Man" Creel and . In addition, Nick Blood was added to the cast, who I'm not familiar with, but has already made a fan of me with his performance as mercenary Lance Hunter. We've even gotten a special appearance by Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter.
The presence of so many well-respected, veteran actors, as well as newer faces talented enough to hold their own with them, is a real feather in SHIELD's cap. You never know what big name might pop up next (ABC/Disney could certainly afford almost anyone they want) and the players we've already grown attached to have more than enough skill to keep us invested in their characters. Some actors will always sign on to any project that gets them a paycheck, but for the most part, the cast of SHIELD aren't the type to affiliate themselves with something they're not excited about. The enthusiasm of the diverse cast is contagious and makes it difficult not to be intrigued to find out what SHIELD has in store for the rest of season 2, and beyond.
There are other reasons to love Agents of SHIELD. A rich groundwork has been laid in season 1 that can be handily mined for future stories involving Graviton, Blizzard and others. The show has gotten better at living up to its Mutant Enemy pedigree by deftly balancing humor, humanity and dark, fantastical story elements. My passion for this show is sufficient that I could have written a list of a hundred reasons to love it. However, an editorial that long is nobody's friend and I already have a tendency to be wordy. I decided it was better to cover 3 good things about it in depth and leave you guys to talk amongst yourselves. Who else here loves Agents of SHIELD? What are your reasons for sticking with it despite the naysayers? And if you've only recently returned to the show, what brought you back?