New "Laws" for MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Article first published as AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Review "Laws of Nature" on Seat42F.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. - "Laws of Nature" - "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (ABC/Kelsey McNeal) CHLOE BENNET, LUKE MITCHELL

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. does not do slow and quiet, as evidenced in the third season premiere last night, “Laws of Nature.” Months have passed, and Inhumans are starting to show up across the globe. S.H.I.E.L.D. seeks to catch and protect them, but they suddenly have competition in that market, and it’s not Hydra (or, at least not entirely Hydra). Not all the members of the team are focused on this, though, with personal issues driving the motivations of several.

Daisy (Chloe Bennet) is probably the most changed. Rejecting the name Skye, she now leads Coulson’s team to find the Inhumans. An intense opening scene in which she meets Joey Gutierrez (Juan Pablo Raba, Narcos) beautifully illustrates the challenges she faces, both physical and emotional. It’s not easy for someone to suddenly gain powers they can’t understand and control without warning, and while Daisy has gone through it herself, not everyone is receptive to her assistance.

Mack (Henry Simmons, now a full-time cast member) does his best to help Daisy, but he doesn’t have the same experience she has, so that’s why she approaches Lincoln (Luke Mitchell, also promoted to full-time). But Lincoln wants nothing to do with her, even after the monstrous Lash (former NFL player Matthew Willig), who looks like Raina’s overgrown big brother, destroys Lincoln’s new life. So Daisy is failing on multiple fronts.

Her failure does not mean that she should be written off. Daisy has shown remarkable strength and character over the past two seasons, growing into a very formidable member of the team, and earning authority despite her limited tenure. While she is drawn into MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. because of her past, she is well-poised to write her own future, and it’s a pleasure watching her go through this. And Lincoln will have to come around, eventually.

The best character on MARVEL’s AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., though, remains Coulson (Clark Gregg). Armed with a new hand (hehe), as we knew he would be, Coulson spends most of “Laws of Nature” tracking down Rosalind Price (Constance Zimmer, UnREAL, Entourage, House of Cards, etc.), his competition for the Inhumans. Their exchange in the subway is perfect, and in Rosalind, I feel like Coulson has met his match.

Though, they aren’t exactly on opposing sides. It turns out, someone is killing Inhumans, but it’s not Rosalind’s group. I think. (Maybe it’s Hyrdra?) So that means this could be a match made in heaven. Or T.A.H.I.T.I. Wherever. As long as Zimmer sticks around as long as possible (as allowable by her other work), I’m happy.

Speaking of chemistry, the electricity between Hunter (Nick Blood) and Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) has not cooled off. They are at odds and yet happy together at the same time. This pair has an odd balance, one born of both love and conflict, and yet it seems like they are as good together as they’ll ever be, and it’s nice. Someone on MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has to be happy, and my vote is for these two. Who may very soon have their own spin-off anyway.

Poor Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) isn’t so lucky. He’s spent months trying to find a way to get Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) out of the monolith. Even Coulson gives up, telling Fitz it’s hopeless and she’s probably dead. The fact that she isn’t, instead trapped in an alien wasteland, with the rock-thing serving not as a cage, but a portal, only makes Fitz’s seemingly hopeless mission feel warranted.

I can’t help but wonder, though, despite not wanting Simmons off the show, if it might not have been a more powerful story to see Fitz dealing with a truly lost cause. The hero pushing on is a predictable archetype, and usually MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is better than this. It also doesn’t feel entirely right that Coulson and others have given up on Simmons without confirming what happened. I’m still waiting for the twist to redeem this plot, such as Coulson perhaps still working on this in secret, and I expect there will be one coming. Hopefully.

Ward (Brett Dalton) and May (Ming-Na Wen) are both absent from “Laws of Nature,” but that’s OK. MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has expanded its cast enough that not every player must be in every hour, and there’s plenty going on without them. Of course, I look forward to their imminent returns in the near future. But even sans those two, the season premiere is a solid one, setting up a new, interesting arc as the Inhuman-triggering substance spreads globally, and providing plenty of character drama meat to boot. This is a satisfying first episode back for a reliable series.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Complete First Season’ DVD Review

Article first published as ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Complete First Season’ DVD Review on Blogcritics.

ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a spinoff of a movie series that has included Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, and other titles. Starting shortly after the latter movie, fan-favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who seemingly perished on the big screen, is revived and given a new team. The circumstances surrounding his continued existence are important, but slow to be revealed, and instead, we get to see how he handles a group of mostly young people who will be the leaders of the organization tomorrow. The first year is now out on Blu-ray and DVD.

Coulson’s team includes: Skye (Chloe Bennet, Nashville), a computer hacker-anarchist whose unknown parents are part of the show’s mythology; Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen, Mulan, ER), a legendary agent pulled out of retirement for her own good; Grant Ward (Brett Dalton, Killing Lincoln), clean-cut good boy who seems heir apparent to May; and Fitz (Ian De Caestecker, The Fades) Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge, Delicacy) (the lack of ‘and’ is intentional), the tech duo who come up with the gadgets for the team. Together, they fly around on a giant airplane, following up on alien-, god-, and hero-related incidents all over the globe.

There is a sizable recurring cast in the 22 episodes included on this five-disc set. Some are familiar faces from the movies, providing further connectors, and some are brand new ones that fill out the small screen world. At its best, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is worthy of hanging with the studio’s other efforts, and under the watch of producer Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly), it will only grow from here into a beloved favorite all on its own, even if it does not exist alone.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a decent amount of bonus features. There are only three audio commentaries, and not necessarily for the episodes you want them on, but there are a wealth of featurettes. “Journey Into S.D.C.C.” is a fun little documentary following the cast to San Diego Comic Con, giving you a look at their actual personalities. The Field Reports and VFX Progressions are short, but there are quite a few of them, breaking down some of the most memorable, action-packed scenes of the series. The blooper track is amusing, and roughly six minutes of deleted scenes are insightful, surely cut only for time, though nothing too tantalizing is revealed. The fourth disc also includes the episode-length TV special Assembling a Universe, which is about Marvel’s current properties in general, rather than just this show.

This makes sense because Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely part of the larger Marvel franchise. There is a small tie-in during the fall run to Thor: The Dark World, which was in theaters at the time, and a much, much bigger connection to Captain America: Winter Soldier in the spring, which is when the series finally finds its feet, hampered up until then by what they are and are not allowed to reveal.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s first season ends up being as awesome as one might hope for from the storied studio, despite a slow start. It has an intriguing pilot, then spends a couple of months spinning its wheels on seemingly stand-alone adventures. Around mid-season it begins to weave things together a little more cohesively, giving greater meaning to some of the small bits already shown, and then once Winter Soldier premieres, it can finally reveal the Hydra menace and become as intense as the films it shares DNA with. Now that the series is fully unleashed, allowed to be what it should have been all along, I really look forward to seeing where year two goes.

In all, I’m pretty satisfied with this release. I like most of the episodes, especially the later ones, am fully invested in the characters, and am entertained by the bonus features. What more could one ask for?

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The Complete First Season is available now.