Six months after ccpopculture began, I hit my two hundredth post and commemorated the “event” by making a few changes to the site. I changed the name (from Carbon Copy to ccpopculture), and introduced both Extended Cut and Double Feature as alternative posts – up until that point, every single one of my posts had…
Early in “The Bridge” there’s a scene that tells you everything you need to know about where Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is at this point in the season. Discussing Mike (J. August Richards from the pilot), Ward complains that he’s psychotic or something equally disparaging before breaking out that old chestnut: “He’s right behind me,…
Lately, writing a review of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. feels very similar to writing my upcoming annual student reports, where the primary goal is to seek positive feedback wherever possible. It turns out that it’s easier to find praise for even the least interested Mathematics student than the bland mush being shovelled into a dwindling…
Last week’s middling episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was an even mix of good and bad. “The Well,” an insipid tie-in to Thor 2, had a lot of the bad but very little of the good. The links to Thor 2 are unimaginative – they’re literally cleaning up the wreckage – and hanging a lampshade…
Like most episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., “The Hub” does a few things right and a few things poorly. Some of those things… Good: The series beginning to treat S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organisation worthy of scepticism rather than filled with unquestioned goodies. The titular hub was a timely reminder that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a large, pseudo-military…
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. might not be a good show, but “F.Z.Z.T.” is a pretty good episode of television. It’s not that it improves upon any of the fundamental flaws of the show, it just manages to execute its formula with more skill than previous episodes. The cast remain underwhelming (though Fitz’s crush on Skye…
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been demonstrating a gentle incline over the last four episodes, progressing step-by-step from “okay” to “good.” Unfortunately, “Girl in the Flower Dress” warrants an underwhelming shrug of one’s shoulders. The early scenes are promising, with Renshu Tseng (later known as “Scorch”) and Raina (the girl in the flower dress) demonstrating more…
“Eye Spy” is the strongest episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. so far. It’s not without its problems, but it largely succeeds by avoiding the pitfalls that earlier episodes had recklessly tumbled into. The ensemble’s dynamic may not be all there yet, but that’s not necessarily a problem when the players are separated. The humour…
“The Asset” wasn’t a spectacular episode, but it’s the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has put together a consistently entertaining hour, and it’s enjoyable enough to keep me coming back. Much of the appeal of the episode came from focusing on three strong elements: Guest star David Conrad as a charming Maltese millionaire who anchored…
The main drawcards of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot were a charismatic lead performance from Clark Gregg and some appealing Joss Whedon banter. The sophomore episode pulls back considerably on both of these elements to its detriment, choosing instead to focus on a “the team pulls together” action-heavy storyline. The quality of the banter is…
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