Okay, that was a terrible play on words, I admit that! I’m a bit late to the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. party but thanks to Disney+, I’ve worked my way through season 1 and am just starting on season 2. S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Catchy.
Set in the aftermath of the Battle of New York and stars a very much alive Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) who died in The Avengers (2012), but was brought back to life under Nick Fury’s orders, but only exists in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. universe and not the MCU. Got it?
There are several things I really like about this show. For one, you don’t really need to know too much about the films or the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) to be able to enjoy it. There are a lot of films in the MCU and I forget a lot of details and who’s who, so this is very handy. There are references to the films and it would help to have seen at least a few of the films that occur before this show, but you can still appreciate it without them.
Another is that the characters are pretty likable. Fitz (Ian De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are an adorable pairing and give the show a Town Called Eureka-type vibe. Coulson always seems to have a small smile on his face and Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) really kicks ass. Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) brings the muscle while Skye (Chloe Bennet) brings the uber tech skills and also the humanity and normality. All the characters have their strengths and weaknesses and sometimes they win and sometimes they fail. They do of course have a lot of handy technology and gadgets to help them – James Bond would approve.
First impressions – enjoyable, and pretty easy to get into.
