So it is episode three and I’m trying really hard to like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I loved the Avengers movie and the show has Joss Whedon’s name on it. For some reason I’m just having a really hard time getting into this particular show. Sure, it is entertaining to watch, but I’m a bit torn. I get lost during all the “science talk” then get drawn back in during the action. I don’t really care about any of the characters. In “The Asset” there is some weird and somewhat unnecessary technology and cool fight scenes, just like in the previous two episodes.
The show pretty much has a formula now (maybe they will break it): Action to start followed by the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. acting upon it and solving what ever problem there may be. No one is in any actual danger because why would a main character die, this isn’t Game of Thrones, and maybe that’s why I’m having such a hard time getting into the show. It is very predictable, which isn’t a bad thing per say, but as of right now, there just aren’t any stakes for the characters. In “The Asset,” there is never a moment when I think that any of the main characters are in danger (physically or emotionally.) Hopefully the writers will create some stakes and raise them in the episodes to come.
With all the great shows on television right now, this one needs to have a more interesting underlying storyline that can be carried from episode to episode. Sure there is this whole Skye double agent thing but that is never really alluded to in this episode. She does take out her earpiece but it's all very predictable. Her story is still in the process of development, and if the writers aren’t going to reveal it all in the first three episodes, they need to keep up the mystery. However, I find that one of the most interesting aspects of the show. There also is the Coulson resurrection. Hopefully the writers are still in the process of weaving something for us.
In “The Asset,” Skye tries to prove herself to her fellow agents, but mostly Agent Ward by volunteering to infiltrate a party in Malta. A S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist, Frank Hall, is kidnapped by Ean Quinn and it is up to the agents to save him. Unbeknownst to them, he doesn’t want to be saved; he wants to destroy the Gravatoniam, and then a whole bunch of science-y special effects happen. Ultimately, they save the day and Frank Hall gets sucked into this silver globby thing, setting him up to come back as a “super villain” or at least that’s what I take from it. Oh, and Skye bonds with Ward and I see some sort of unrequited love situation happening. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be drawn out.
As much as I have bashed the show, there is a lot of potential here. The characters are interesting, but they lack depth. They just aren’t very likable at this point. Skye and Ward show a little more debth this episode but I would like to see more. All the fight and actions scenes are great. The show is fun to watch, and it doesn’t require that much mental capacity to keep up as long as you zone out when they talk about science and technology. There is a moral gray area that is explored in this episode, which I do enjoy. All I’m really asking is for actions to have consequences and for the characters to be put in “real” danger. It would be nice to see them take a punch every once in a while. They don’t have super powers, after all.
WRAP UP:
Coolest technology: The huge machine with the silver globby mass in the middle. You know the one that seems to warp gravity. It is especially cool when the scientist Frank Hall gets thrown into it.
Best Fight/Action Scene: When Coulson and Hall are fighting and the gravity is warped. All of a sudden they are fighting on the ceiling.
-- The characters need to become more likable. I don’t hate them, I just need a reason to care if they live or die.
-- There is a lot of great setup but when will there be a pay off .
-- Where are all of these so-called supers? What happened to the guy from the first episode?
