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shadowkatJust finished watching the first two episodes of Season 2 of Marvel Agents of Shield - and, it was surprisingly good. Fast paced. Unpredictable. Interesting characters - both supporting and lead. And diverse casting choices. Someone came in with a monkey wrench and managed to fix all of its problems. The two weak links in the main cast last season - Simmons and Ward have been completely retooled and as a result, have become multi-faceated and interesting characters. I want to know more about both of them, and why they've done what they did. When last season, I didn't care if they keeled over. I only made it through three episodes last season - the show kept putting me to sleep. But the first two episodes of this season...were compelling and riveting. WTF happened?
I admittedly tuned in just to see Lucy Lawless and Kyle McLachlan (whom I've had a bit of a crush on since he played Paul Atreidis in Dune. I've seen most of Kyle McLachlan's movies and tv shows. Some are excellent, some not so much.)
Now I need to find a site that summarizes what happened last season, specifically in regards to Ward and Simmons.
* So, Shield is no longer a government police force cleaning up alien activity, but a sort of covert agency or shadow ops, that is working without government approval. In fact, the Brigadier General, portrayed by Adrian Psdar (another actor I have a tendency to follow around), is attempting to take Shield down. He's an old buddy of Coulson, but on a powerful Senator's payroll.
* Mai and Sky are top field agents, supported by various new characters (or new to me at any rate).
*Fitz has suffered brain damage in his temporal lobe - making it difficult for him to express his thoughts, also he talks to Simmons, who we learn is not present. Simmons left Sheild a year ago, apparently. With little explanation. Abandoning Fitz and the team. Telling Coulson - Fitz would be better with her gone. Except in Fitz's mind she's still there. Or his ideal of her currently is.
* Meanwhile Ward - who had betrayed the team to Hydra, and was a covert Hyrdra agent? (OR at least that's my guess.) Is locked up in a cell - and will provide intel to Shield but only through Sky. Sky wants nothing to do with him. Ward is a little nuts.
Not quite sure what happened to him. He's almost unrecognizable. No longer the stalwart and true GI Joe from the beginning of last season. Now, he's tortured, and a bit nuts. He tells Sky, when she agrees to see him to get intel for Coulson - that he has information for her, information she needs to hear - but she cuts him off. When she leaves, he mutters - "I can tell you about your father."
* Raina, who appeared to be in charge of Hydra last season or running it, isn't with Hydra at all now. Instead she's working with Kyle McLachlan, who I'm guessing is Sky's father. Which may explain Shield's initial interest in Sky - and what was hidden in those files?
* New character - who I rather like, an Australian, and a mercernary. He's introduced with Lucy Lawless, who unfortunately was killed in the first episode - surprised by that. I liked her character - Idaho Hartley. Nick, the new character, however, is rather interesting and a good addition to the team. Not pretty. Actually outside of Mai and Sky, no one is pretty any more - a nice change from last season. I can actually tell people apart.
* The plot no longer focuses on the bad guy of the week or the superhero gone wrong, but is more serialized. Reed Diamond has been introduced as the new villian - Mr. White, and he dates back to the 1940s, when he was in charge of Hydra. Somehow he's stayed alive. I rather like Reed Diamond as a villain, the actor gives his villains some teeth.
Not quite sure where the story is going, but I'm intrigued by it. And it appears to be in keeping with previous Mutant Enemy series in that it gets better as it goes.
The first season sucks, but the second season is actually fairly good. So kudos to ABC for sticking it out. Of course this was a joint venture between Mutant Enemy and Marvel Studios, with Disney behind both - so more money and clout than Mutant Enemy's previous ventures.
Agent Carter is also introduced in this episode as a WWII Shield Agent. Making me wonder if the spin off series, Agent Carter, is taking place during WWII?
At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised by these two episodes and have decided to give Marvel Agents of Shield a second chance.
I admittedly tuned in just to see Lucy Lawless and Kyle McLachlan (whom I've had a bit of a crush on since he played Paul Atreidis in Dune. I've seen most of Kyle McLachlan's movies and tv shows. Some are excellent, some not so much.)
Now I need to find a site that summarizes what happened last season, specifically in regards to Ward and Simmons.
* So, Shield is no longer a government police force cleaning up alien activity, but a sort of covert agency or shadow ops, that is working without government approval. In fact, the Brigadier General, portrayed by Adrian Psdar (another actor I have a tendency to follow around), is attempting to take Shield down. He's an old buddy of Coulson, but on a powerful Senator's payroll.
* Mai and Sky are top field agents, supported by various new characters (or new to me at any rate).
*Fitz has suffered brain damage in his temporal lobe - making it difficult for him to express his thoughts, also he talks to Simmons, who we learn is not present. Simmons left Sheild a year ago, apparently. With little explanation. Abandoning Fitz and the team. Telling Coulson - Fitz would be better with her gone. Except in Fitz's mind she's still there. Or his ideal of her currently is.
* Meanwhile Ward - who had betrayed the team to Hydra, and was a covert Hyrdra agent? (OR at least that's my guess.) Is locked up in a cell - and will provide intel to Shield but only through Sky. Sky wants nothing to do with him. Ward is a little nuts.
Not quite sure what happened to him. He's almost unrecognizable. No longer the stalwart and true GI Joe from the beginning of last season. Now, he's tortured, and a bit nuts. He tells Sky, when she agrees to see him to get intel for Coulson - that he has information for her, information she needs to hear - but she cuts him off. When she leaves, he mutters - "I can tell you about your father."
* Raina, who appeared to be in charge of Hydra last season or running it, isn't with Hydra at all now. Instead she's working with Kyle McLachlan, who I'm guessing is Sky's father. Which may explain Shield's initial interest in Sky - and what was hidden in those files?
* New character - who I rather like, an Australian, and a mercernary. He's introduced with Lucy Lawless, who unfortunately was killed in the first episode - surprised by that. I liked her character - Idaho Hartley. Nick, the new character, however, is rather interesting and a good addition to the team. Not pretty. Actually outside of Mai and Sky, no one is pretty any more - a nice change from last season. I can actually tell people apart.
* The plot no longer focuses on the bad guy of the week or the superhero gone wrong, but is more serialized. Reed Diamond has been introduced as the new villian - Mr. White, and he dates back to the 1940s, when he was in charge of Hydra. Somehow he's stayed alive. I rather like Reed Diamond as a villain, the actor gives his villains some teeth.
Not quite sure where the story is going, but I'm intrigued by it. And it appears to be in keeping with previous Mutant Enemy series in that it gets better as it goes.
The first season sucks, but the second season is actually fairly good. So kudos to ABC for sticking it out. Of course this was a joint venture between Mutant Enemy and Marvel Studios, with Disney behind both - so more money and clout than Mutant Enemy's previous ventures.
Agent Carter is also introduced in this episode as a WWII Shield Agent. Making me wonder if the spin off series, Agent Carter, is taking place during WWII?
At any rate, I was pleasantly surprised by these two episodes and have decided to give Marvel Agents of Shield a second chance.