Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is all new tonight with the premiere episode of its second season, and we know what you are thinking. How did this show ever get a second season? Well folks, that might have something to do with the fact that Marvel is owned by Disney, who also owns ABC. That being the case, it would be an awfully big embarrassment for the network if the show failed, so it was given chances other shows wouldn't have, and then get rewarded for making the smallest of improvements. That is one thought, or you could buy Jeff Bell’s defense of the series.
The official plot synopsis for tonight’s all new episode, titled “Shadows,” reads:
“In the Season 2 premiere, Coulson settles into his new role as head of S.H.I.E.L.D.. as his team expands to take on new threats.”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was poorly received by many in the first half of Season 1. Recently, the show’s executive producer, Jeff Bell, spoke to TV Guide, about where he thinks the show went wrong last year:
“That was our challenge last year. We knew HYDRA was in S.H.I.E.L.D. and we knew HYDRA was the Big Bad for our season. But we couldn't say what we called 'the H word' until after the movie came out. I think we found other ways to tell compelling stories, though it felt more standalone in the beginning. As it started to connect and as the pieces started coming together, I think it gained momentum. Our other challenge was we had these five new characters who had never existed in the Marvel universe before and getting people to know and care about them the way they do now. Sometimes that just takes a while.”
He also went on to pretend that there were even more reason that show sucked last year:
“There were about five different things happening at the same time and so what I think was challenging for us was there was no consensus. They'd be like, 'Oh, it's not the movie!' And, 'Oh, you don't have Captain America in your show!' or, 'Oh, you're too standalone!' or, 'Oh, there's not enough Marvel people in it.' It wasn't like everyone said the same thing. And actually, if you look at our ratings they were quite good. I think there were about 12 people on the internet who have a very strong voice and I think as the show sort of played more into what they were expecting, they started to like it more.”
Yeah, that is it. No, Captain America. That is why the show was full of poor acting, plot holes, bad science, hacky writing, predictable plot “twist,” cliche lines and slow pacing. Because of Captain America.
Check out the new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. if you believe that they really changed, or if you are an entertainment writer who just loves picking it apart.
