Tag Archives: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

agent-carter

Marvel expands universe with more Agents, Daredevil

Marvel brought a lot of surprises to New York Comic Con, and I’m not just talking about announcing the return of Secret Wars. Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe received a few treats as well.

The Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel took place Friday afternoon in a packed Main Hall. Marvel’s director of television, Jeph Loeb, greeted the audience and, after a few minutes of small talk, he reminded the crowd of one lesson we learned last season: trust no one. At that point, he revealed the Hydra T-shirt he was wearing under a fleece jacket.

A shocked and offended Clark Gregg appeared on stage, greeted by a standing ovation. Gregg told Loeb that the only way to make it up to him would be to show us all something we had never seen before — an all new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And so, this week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was screened in its entirety four days ahead of time for the fans at NYCC.

The fourth episode of season 2 features a return to more of the lighthearted, witty banter we grew accustomed to last year while not letting us forget things are much darker than they had appeared then. There are some great moments between Gregg’s Director Phil Coulson and team member Melinda May, played by Ming-Na Wen, as well as a really touching scene with Fitz, who is struggling to overcome head trauma. The episode features a neat tie-in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, though I doubt viewers see it coming. There are lots of twists and turns in this episode, and it’s probably the best of season 2 so far.

Following the screening of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Gregg begged Loeb, on behalf of the audience, to show us something from Marvel’s new series, Agent Carter, set to premiere in January. The series had begun filming the week before, but Loeb had a cut of one scene that had been shot just four days earlier. The clip featured Hayley Atwell as Carter, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, and James D’Arcy as Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. Stark is in embarking on an important mission and leaves Jarvis to help look after Carter. The clip wasn’t long enough to really judge what the series will be like, but it piqued my curiosity.

Saturday at NYCC, Marvel unveiled the first footage from its upcoming Netflix original series Daredevil. The series, which will debut next year, stars Charlie Cox as the blind-lawyer-by-day/hero-by-night Matt Murdock, also known as Daredevil. Vincent D’Onofrio plays Daredevil’s adversary, Wilson Fisk, aka “The Kingpin.” The series also stars Rosario Dawson, Elden Henson, Bob Gunton, Toby Moore, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Ayelet Zurer, and Deborah Ann Woll.

Loeb introduced Cox by telling a story of how Marvel Comics writer Joe Quesada, a big Daredevil fan, called him two years ago — before there was even a possibility of producing a Daredevil series — and told him he had found his Murdock. Quesada was confident the Daredevil rights would eventually return to Marvel, and he wanted Cox in that role. Even Loeb admitted to having a bit of a man-crush on the actor who was indeed hired to play Daredevil.

Executive producer Steven DeKnight, also a Daredevil fan, talked of his love for the character; while working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he and Loeb would discuss how “we’re gonna do that show one day.”

DeKnight cited both the Frank Miller and Brian Bendis runs of the comics as the main inspirations for the series. In fact, Daredevil’s costume in the clips shown at NYCC bring to mind the outfit drawn by John Romita Jr. in The Man Without Fear. Fans will see these influences reflected in the darker, grittier tone of the show as compared to other Marvel properties.

Cox later confirmed the influence of The Man Without Fear: “Tonally, it suits our show really well.”

“What I love about this show is the moral gray area inherent within,” DeKnight said. “There will be times when you’re not quite sure who to root for.”

As DeKnight phrased it, Murdock is “one bad day away from becoming Frank Castle,” the vigilante antihero also known as the Punisher. Sometimes, the audience will be rooting for Murdock; other times, they may sympathize with the Kingpin.

D’Onofrio seems to enjoy delving into the character of the Kingpin and Fisk, describing him as “a child and … a monster.”

He went on to say that everything Fisk does comes from his own foundation of morality within, and we’ll get to see what aspects of that morality Fisk’s relationship with his wife, Vanessa (played by Zurer), brings out. NYCC attendees got to see the scene of Fisk and Vanessa’s first meeting. It takes place in an art gallery and gives a truly revealing look into Fisk’s personality.

Cox contrasted the creative process of a streaming show like Daredevil to more traditional series, like his work on Boardwalk Empire. Cox identified one of the biggest benefits of being on Netflix to be that there won’t be a week between each episode, so the narrative doesn’t need to remind viewers of everything that has happened — they probably just saw it. Cliffhangers become pointless because viewers can just skip to the next episode. Directors and writers can spend more time on developing a real story without having to worry about recapping anything.

“It’s going to feel like a 13-hour movie,” Cox said of Daredevil.

Three more clips from Daredevil were shown during Saturday’s panel. We saw Karen Page (Woll), known as Dardevil’s long-running love interest in the comics, attacked in her darkened apartment and Daredevil, in a black suit, coming to her aid. The hero’s fight against the assailant escalates, and Daredevil ends up on the street in the rain. There, Murdock flashes back to a conversation with his father, who he tells his son to “get to work.” Daredevil rejoins the fight and takes down the attacker.

Another clip introduced Dawson as Claire Temple, whom Loeb described as a “nurse, who works at night,” strongly hinting at the character of Night Nurse. Temple has discovered a bruised and battered Murdock on the street and brings him to her apartment to help him. Murdock is concerned that she has removed his mask and has now seen his face.

In the third clip, Page thanks Murdock and his best friend and law partner, Foggy Nelson (Harden), for winning her case by supplying them with dinner. She then volunteers to help them around the office and clean for free — which prompts a moment of levity when Murdock asks if their office is messy.

Just from these clips, it is clear that Daredevil has a darker and more serious tone than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, that doesn’t mean it’s taking place separate from the rest of the MCU. When asked at NYCC about its relationship to the other Marvel properties, Loeb stoked the fires of fans everywhere with a smile and Marvel’s latest catchphrase:

“It’s all connected.”

once-frozen

Favorite shows return to lineup in new fall TV season

If you are a Binge Watcher and are lagging behind on Sleepy Hollow, The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, or Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you should probably skip this season preview until you’re all caught up.

It’s that time of year again. The weather is turning colder, days are getting shorter, and pumpkin spiced everything is available anywhere you go. This is my favorite season — the time of year for hoodies or warm sweaters, bonfires, and hot apple cider.

It is also when fan*s start counting down to the start of the fall television season. In the next two weeks, our favorites will return and an interesting new lineup will begin. I thought I would take some time this week to look at the returning shows I’m most looking forward to, then next week discuss some of the new shows I’m planning to check out.

As you know if you’ve been reading this column, I am a huge fan of television, and I watch quite a wide range of shows. There are some that I continue to watch simply out of habit or because other members of my household still enjoy them: NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, etc. I like the characters and continue to watch, though I’m not as invested in those shows as I am in some others. The majority of my favorite shows have some sort of science-fiction or fantasy aspect to them, but there are a few straight dramas I enjoy. (Not coincidentally, most of them star actors I first discovered on genre shows.) Bones and Castle are probably my favorite crime dramas currently on television.

There are quite a few more genre shows that I’m excited about, starting with Sleepy Hollow. When I added this show to my to-watch list last fall, I thought it looked interesting, but I really didn’t know how the premise was going to hold up. Based on prior experiences with genre TV on Fox, I also didn’t have a lot of hope for it to stick around. Then the show surprised everyone with the quality of the scripts and a brilliant cast. I was pretty sure I would like it, but I never expected it to receive the response it did. Fox rarely makes decisions I agree with when it comes to programming, but I think it made a good choice in keeping the first season short; one thing I’ve learned from British television is that shorter seasons can really add to the quality of a season since writers don’t have to spread out the storyline so far and fill in the gaps.

The first season finale reveal that sin-eater Henry Parrish was not only Ichabod’s son but also one of the Four Horsemen took me completely by surprise, which is something few shows manage to accomplish. With Katrina now in the present and Abbie stuck in limbo, I am anxious to see how they resolve the cliffhanger from season 1 and carry on the second season. I’m also extremely excited about John Noble being added as a regular this year. He is an incredible actor, and the fact that he was never nominated for an Emmy for Fringe is nothing short of criminal.

I’m also looking forward to the return of my CW shows — Arrow and Supernatural much more so than The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. The first season of The Originals was vastly more compelling than anything that’s happened on The Vampire Diaries in the last couple years, though I am very excited that Alaric is returning as a VD regular; I’ve really missed Matthew Davis on the show and have been hoping for his return ever since the CW cancelled Cult (which I just could not get into).

Arrow really stepped up its game last season, especially in the episodes leading up to the finale. I’m a little disappointed that the end of the Slade storyline means we likely won’t see more of Manu Bennett any time soon — and he’ll be unrecognizable in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. Still, I’m curious about the direction they’re headed this season, as it seems the flashbacks are moving off of the island. It will also be interesting to see Roy make the transition into a regular member of Team Arrow as he dons the Arsenal costume. I only wish the writers would do something about Laurel. I don’t know whether it’s the writing or Katie Cassidy herself, but I struggle with the fact that I couldn’t care less about her character, which is difficult when I love everything else about the show.

Supernatural will be starting its 10th season this fall, which seems like a miracle to those of us who were waiting on pins and needles back in 2006 to see if it would even get a second run. The show kind of lost its way in seasons 6 and 7 after creator Eric Kripke stepped back from running the show. However, another change in leadership after season 7 has set it back on track, with seasons 8 and 9 being a huge improvement on the previous two.

This season, Supernatural is adding a fourth season regular for the first time, as Mark Sheppard joins the cast. Sheppard’s Crowley is one of those villains everyone loves to hate, and Sheppard himself is well-loved in the genre community. When last we looked in on the Winchester brothers, Sam was mourning and Dean was resurrected as a demon. I have no idea what this coming season has in store for us — aside from the rumors of a “musical” 200th episode — but I’m hoping they let the demon Dean storyline play out. I’m really curious to see what Dean is like as a demon and feel like this is a storyline that would feel rushed if they try to wrap it up and make him human again within the first couple episodes of the season.

One of the returning shows I’m possibly most excited about is Once Upon a Time. When the season ended with a glimpse of Elsa from Frozen, I wasn’t sure what to think. At first, I was a little disappointed because Frozen, though a lovely movie, is everywhere you look, and this felt like the writers were just jumping on the bandwagon. However, I’ve since read numerous interviews in which the creators have stated that Disney had absolutely nothing to do with this decision; the show runners are fans of Frozen and thought the characters would fit well into the series. I’m now willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and see how the Frozen storyline turns out.

Aside from Frozen, I’m really looking forward to seeing all my favorite Once Upon a Time characters again. I am still a little sad they killed Neal last year, but Hook and Emma have such great chemistry, I can’t wait to see what’s next. Then there is the question of how Regina will react now that Robin Hood’s wife is alive and in Storybrooke. Regina is such an easy character to hate, but in so many ways, her character’s arc is the most interesting. I just hope she doesn’t fall back to season 1 Regina. Lastly, I’m really excited about Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s Michael Socha joining the cast as a series regular. Socha’s Knave of Hearts was by far the best character of the spin-off series, and the reveal that he’s also Will Scarlet means he has a lot of history with Robin Hood and should fit in well with the Storybrooke residents.

The other returning show I’m most excited about would, of course, be Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show had such a slow start, but it hit its stride around episode 6, then really went into high gear with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The end of the season left Coulson tasked with picking up the pieces of the shattered S.H.I.E.L.D. after Director Fury handed over the reigns. I cannot wait to see where the show goes from here. From the casting announcements I’ve been hearing, we’ll be seeing a lot more Marvel characters this season and getting some glimpses of Agent Carter in flashbacks — possibly as a sneak peak of what to expect from the Agent Carter series set to premiere mid-season.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s second year will also be picking up with a team that is already unified and already knows each other, so they can jump right into the mission. I’m curious to see what role Agent Grant Ward will be playing now that we know he’s a Hydra agent. Will his character have a redemption arc? Is he capable (or deserving) of redemption? I can’t wait to find out.

These are just some of the shows I’m looking forward to having return in a few weeks. I also can’t wait for the new seasons of The Walking Dead and Grimm, plus Haven‘s final, double-sized season begins tonight.

What returning shows are you looking forward to? Share them in the comments! And tune in next week when I share which new series I’m most interested in checking out.

arrow

Arrow dodged network ax, took time to get good

Spoiler warning: This column discusses recent plot details for Arrow. Proceed with caution.

With so many television shows on the air to choose from, a series has to be conscientious of its audience and draw viewers in quickly or risk cancelation. However, some shows take a little longer than others to prove they’re worth watching. Last week, I talked about how Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t really hit its stride until Captain America: The Winter Soldier completely changed the rules. Another superhero-based show, Arrow, has similarly improved with time.

When Arrow premiered, I never considered not watching it, although I had enjoyed Justin Hartley’s portrayal of Oliver Queen on Smallville and wasn’t looking forward to seeing someone new in the role so soon. When I heard The CW was going with a darker, grittier tone for the series — more like the Christopher Nolan Batman films — I began to get more interested in the show and feel a little more comfortable with a new actor in the role. I was not at all familiar with Stephen Amell when he was cast, so I was curious to see what this version of the Green Arrow story would be like.

Arrow began with Oliver’s rescue from the island where he had been stranded for five years. He was brought home to a mother, sister, and friends who all believed he had died when his father’s yacht sank. After his return to Starling City, Oliver took on the identity of “the Hood,” seeking out corrupted men whom his father had named in a secret journal. The show is also punctuated with flashbacks of Oliver’s time on the island — his transformation into the Oliver Queen of the present day.

While I enjoyed the show from the beginning, I didn’t love it. For one thing, I really hated the use of voiceovers in the early episodes. There’s an art to using a voiceover well, and Arrow just didn’t get that. (See Burn Notice for an example of good voiceover use.) Clearly, Oliver needed someone else on his side to speak to and share his plans with. Thankfully, the powers that be understood this as well, and it wasn’t long before Oliver was forced to take his bodyguard, John Diggle, into his confidence. Almost immediately, the voiceovers ceased, which improved the show greatly.

The flashbacks were another questionable style choice from my perspective. Like voiceovers, there’s an art to properly using flashbacks without making them seem overdone or pointless. While I didn’t love the flashbacks at first, they have grown on me as we’ve seen more of the island where Oliver was marooned. I liked the casting of Manu Bennett as Slade Wilson, one of Oliver’s few allies on the island, and I prefer Sara Lance on the island to her presence in Starling City. The parallels to the present day and the consequences of the choices made on the island are much clearer this season, making the flashbacks themselves much more relevant.

Another improvement came with the addition of Felicity Smoak to Team Arrow. Felicity recurred during the first half of the first season, then discovered Oliver’s true identity around the middle of the year. She quickly became a fan favorite as well as a favored love interest for Oliver. To be honest, there were many times during the first season in which Diggle and Felicity were the main incentive to keep watching the show. I loved those two characters, and while I began to like Oliver more and more, Diggle and Felicity were still my favorites. Even now, I think I like them just a little more than I do Oliver.

The last several episodes of season 1 really began to show how potentially great this series could be, all leading straight from one into the next as a multi-part finale. In the season-ender, the writers raised the stakes even higher by killing Oliver’s best friend, suddenly showing fans that characters on this show aren’t as safe as we think they are.

The momentum from the finale carried over into the second season and set up a complete change in Oliver. In order to honor his friend Tommy’s memory, Oliver changed his methods: he decided he will no longer hunt down the names in his father’s journal and he will not shoot to kill. As much as I hated seeing Colin Donnell leave the series, this was the turning point that pushed the series from, “eh, it’s not bad,” to, “wow, this is really good TV.”

This second season has been a huge improvement over the first. Oliver is now one year removed from the island and has settled into life back home; despite losing his best friend, he has found a renewed purpose in his mission. Ever since the midseason reveal that Slade, the man who taught Oliver to fight and survive on the island, was still alive and plotting against Oliver, the season has improved even more.

The last few episodes have left me on the edge of my seat, and I’m sure many fans are still reeling from Moira Queen’s death two weeks ago in an episode that marked the start of a four-part season finale arc. Honestly, if the writers of Arrow were behind other DC Comics properties, like the new Batman vs. Superman and Justice League films, I’d probably be a lot less worried about how they’re going to turn out.

Arrow still isn’t a perfect show, but it was definitely worth sitting through those voiceovers and other misfires in the stumbling episodes early in season 1. The characters have each evolved over the course of this season, Oliver’s sister Thea in particular. I used to find her merely annoying and spoiled, but she really has really matured a lot from the girl who partied too hard and crashed the brand new car she received for her birthday last year. I only hope this trend continues next season.

My biggest complaint with the show at the moment is that the writers don’t seem to understand that Laurel Lance just doesn’t fit in this show. While the other characters have grown and added depth in season 2, Laurel seems to have remained pretty much static over two seasons — occasionally she takes steps forward only to fall farther back. I’ve tried to like her, and I have nothing against Katie Cassidy, but every scene Laurel is in — except the scenes that feature only Laurel and her sister Sara — just feels awkward and forced. While the show itself continues to raise the stakes and improve on a weekly basis, Laurel is holding it back from becoming really great. I have a feeling Laurel won’t be going away anytime soon, especially if the show wants to follow comic mythology, but I hope writers recognize the failings in her character and start improving the way they write her.

As I mentioned above, the season finale has essentially been a four-part episode, with the third part airing last night. Judging from the suspense of these last three episodes, I can only imagine what the finale has in store. I predict Oliver is going to have to team up with his previous enemy, Malcolm Merlyn (because I won’t believe Thea shot him until I see a body to prove it) in order to get rid of Slade, and I can’t wait to see how that plays out. I’m excited to have John Barrowman back on the show, and I love seeing unlikely allies forced to work together; it always brings out interesting aspects of each character.

I’ve read that the show will shift somewhat in tone again going into season 3, and I can only hope it continues improving as it has this season.

Sure, there are some shows that just aren’t worth your time and you’re better off giving up on them. I probably should have quit on Heroes after season 2, but I just couldn’t let go. (Even worse, I’ll probably check out the new series when it premieres.) And then there are some shows that you will love right from the start, but the network just won’t get behind them. (I’m looking at you Fox: how dare you cancel Almost Human.)

Then there are the shows like Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that just need a little extra time to live up to their potential. And once they do, you won’t regret a minute you spend watching them.