Marvel TV: 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' - The Thread

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I think Angel did alright, but yeah, Buffy really suffered for it.  Season 6 was a depressing slog,

I quit watching Buffy early in season 6 because of that, only finished up the series when it started streaming on Netflix.

Not sure how I'll watch this one, I am so spoiled by streaming now I find it hard to watch a show on TV with all the commercials.  If it shows up on Amazon I might buy the season pass, might be worth it to pay $3/ep. just to avoid the commercials...

[LucasM]

I think Angel did alright, but yeah, Buffy really suffered for it.  Season 6 was a depressing slog,

I quit watching Buffy early in season 6 because of that, only finished up the series when it started streaming on Netflix.

Not sure how I'll watch this one, I am so spoiled by streaming now I find it hard to watch a show on TV with all the commercials.  If it shows up on Amazon I might buy the season pass, might be worth it to pay $3/ep. just to avoid the commercials...

Funny... that "depressing slog" was a major thing that helped me process and come to terms with my losses from the third head injury (season 5's 'Joyce'/Buffy episode helped tremendously as well).

[Johnny Unusual]

Don't get me wrong: there were some great episodes and a great last few episodes, but overall it just didn't feel fun like it used to.  And there were some real weak episodes (the 2 parter where Willow first starts getting addicted to magic and the Doublemeat Palace one, though I think there are some good ideas in that one).  I'm not saying all genre fiction needs to be fun, and I know it tries to deal with moving on, but an entire season of Buffy being in a funk is kind of annoying (which, to be fair, is also Joss' fault , since the was the thrust of the season).

That said, I am glad it spoke to you so strongly. I wouldn't deny anyone enjoying something just because I didn't.  And yeah, the Body was one of the best (and bleakest) episodes on any TV series.  In fact, Joss was surprised that so many people got hope out of such a dark episode, but I think the fact that it contains no platitudes and it has a lot of stuff that would relate to people going through loss.  No comfort, but a lot of empathy.

[LucasM]

Nothing whatsoever to do with S.H.I.E.L.D., all about Buffy, but related to last couple posts, so spoilered so as not to derail thread.

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I was saying what I did more as an "isn't it interesting how different people's reactions to the same things are?" comment.  I wasn't offended or anything.

I do, actually agree with the Doublemeat Palace ep, though I'd put it, series wide, down there with the beer making people neanderthals episode as one of the absolute worst.  I think he just did that as a 'funny' break from the intensity of everything else.  But I agree with his reasons for the season being as bleak it was: he said that [spoiler for major plot point of the end of season 5 and early season 6]

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bringing her back from the dead following her being in 'Heaven'

had to be EARNED.  It shouldn't have been easy.  And she had to find enough to keep going.  And that can easily take a year to happen.

With you, I also think the magic/addiction parallel - since never even touched on in prior seasons as a possibility - came way the f out of left field.  But it needed to be in place for the final few episodes to work.  Since Joss'd been so intensely focused on the Buffy aspects, he ended up cramming too much (the idea of it as addiction) into too short a time.

And, actually, I disliked the three geeks... pretty much everything they did and episodes they were in.

So really the only things that I really did like in the season was the 'Buffy finding a reason to go on' stuff.  [And, personally, though I can't sit through any other musical, I found the musical episode to be possibly the second best episode of the series, following behind 'The Body'.  Joss just played the whole thing perfectly: such a flawless juncture of plot points and lyrics/actions in it.  (Plus, it was nice to know they got David Fury's mustard out. )]

[Johnny Unusual]

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he said that [spoiler for major plot point of the end of season 5 and early season 6]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

bringing her back from the dead following her being in 'Heaven'

had to be EARNED.  It shouldn't have been easy.  And she had to find enough to keep going.  And that can easily take a year to happen.

Hey, I'm glad it wasn't easy, but it made it very difficult to become invested in her.  It also hurt that the show seemed to have a VERY hard time knowing what to do with Dawn and while it makes sense that she would be a problem child, between her bad behaviour, Buffy's ennui and Willow's increasing badness (and another thing that doesn't make sense with her magic drunkenness: isn't her power supposed to represent her empowerment as a person and coming into her own?  Mixing metaphors is a bad idea, especially ones in very stark contrast), I found watching it feel like a chore.  There were some good episodes, but there was so much that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Anyhoo, have they announced if any of the other of Whedon's usual staple of writers are working on it?  I know the other 2 writers of Dr. Horrible are in it, but I'm hoping for Jane Espenson and Ben Edlund (creator of the Tick and current head writer of Supernatural, which I heard really came around largely because of him.

[Pak-Man]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/15/executive-producer-jeffrey-bell-talk-agents-of-shield-and-reveals-luke-cage-is-not-the-mystery-character

So that wasn't Luke Cage. MAYBE someone who begins with an M...

[goflyblind]

magneto?

[Sideswipe]

Cerebro?

[Johnny Unusual]

Mook Cage.  They really wanted Spike Lee for the role.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

So, did anyone watch it.  Any good?

[Pak-Man]

I enjoyed it. It had the kind of snappy banter I expect from a Whedon show, a good Marvel-y vibe, and a compelling cast of characters. It's got lots of potential.

[LucasM]

I second that: quite enjoyable.  While intense at times, it puts the fun back in action TV.

They did, however, give what I thought was a bit too much away with Agent Coulson (who it should be no surprise to anyone is back, given that he's been in virtually every ad or picture for the series, which are quite hard to avoid, even for a die-hard 'spoiler-avoider' such as myself).  As far as his return - by the way, LOVED the way it was handled for the episode! - [spoiler is for what was said, as well as my theory on what likely is behind what was said]...

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The 'trip to Tahiti' for his rehabilitation, wasn't rehab for someone who nearly died, given the seemingly cryptic (but I believe, too obvious) comment by the doctor [Shepherd Book! ] following Coulson leaving the room, "he really doesn't know, does he?" [and, of course, Maria Hills' reply, "he can never know," means: "he will, in the future, find out, when it will be most dramatic and devastating to reveal it to him" ...this is, after all, Joss we're talking about, running things ].

What seems too obvious to me, and likely to others who are familiar with Marvel history and particularly SHIELD/Nick Fury history: Coulson, while a living, breathing person before, actually died in the Avengers film, and this Coulson, the one helming this TV series, is most likely an LMD (Life Model Decoy, for those not familiar with Marvel, basically a virtually identical synthetic person, with all the memories of the original).

Despite that, I am anxious to see more.  Honestly, this is the first show in a LONG time where I could see myself rewatching episodes within 24 hours of their first airing.  [Last time I remember doing that was with Buffy, season 5.]

[ScottotD]

I haven't seen the ep but

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death is a character in the Marvel U, who's to say she doesn't owe SHIELD a favor or two?

[Bob]

It appears that networks were realizing that AMC, TNT, etc were getting all the shows that had the good writers and actors and are stepping up their games.  Some of America is not brain dead and we won't watch idiotic "reality" shows and crappy musical talent shows.

I was pleased.

[Darth Geek]

I haven't seen the ep but

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death is a character in the Marvel U, who's to say she doesn't owe SHIELD a favor or two?

I would absolutely LOVE that if that were the case.