Sam Rivman ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer Kenneth Choi, Hayley Atwell and Neal McDonough in the season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Photo Credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABC.
While the first episode of season two was not flawless, it was as thrilling and entertaining as ever. To say that the entire hour was a roller coaster headed straight off the tracks would be an understatement. If Marvel is known for anything, it’s for swinging full force at its audience without holding back, for better or worse. The writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D certainly enjoy pulling out all the stops, evident from the season finale of the first season, and yet again in tonight’s premiere. The episode was very well written and clearly well thought out, as the plot gets thicker and thicker as it progresses. However, the influx of new information and characters was a bit overwhelming.
After the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D concluded, it was established that S.H.I.E.L.D had fallen to shambles following the Hydra infestation. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), now formally regarded as Director Coulson, has managed to scrounge up a small number of loyal S.H.I.E.L.D agents at the start of season two. This new team is exactly that: new to the audience. While the team had good synergy, it felt as though they were bluntly thrown into the plot rather than casually introduced. Despite the rocky transition into new faces, they were still bad-ass agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, which made up for having to learn a few more names along the way. Even so, it proves difficult not to miss the original gang in all its glory. Ben Turner Dixon, Neal McDonough and Reed Diamond in the season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Photo Credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABC.
A far easier pill to swallow was the introduction of Carl Creel (Brian Patrick Wade) as a primary antagonist for the series. Carl Creel, also known as “The Absorbing Man” in Marvel comics, is Hydra’s latest super powered killing machine. Not a far stretch from his super villain title, Creel has the ability to absorb any material he touches and use it to alter his body’s physical composition. The S.H.I.E.L.D team tries to shoot him? He absorbs Moissanite, a crystal almost as hard as diamond. The government tries to lock him up? He just absorbs glass to make it appear as though he’d disappeared, and then takes down the unsuspecting guards. The truck full of S.H.I.E.L.D agents looks as though it’s about to escape? Creel absorbs the asphalt of the street and steps in front of the truck, sending it hurtling through the air. Not only is Creel powerful, deadly, and suave, he’s intelligent too. He was able to utilize his environment to his advantage in every fight, and because of his skill in doing so, he successfully defeated S.H.I.E.L.D and returned the obelisk he was after to Hydra. Now that the whole “Ward and Garrett versus the world” theme is all played out, it was refreshing to have a super powered baddie do some real damage and strike a bit of fear into the hearts of the remaining agents.
Fortunately for the show, Creel and his interactions within the plot weren’t the only things done right in tonight’s episode. The best thing about the episode may actually be harder to believe than a man who can absorb any material: Skye (Chloe Bennet) finally grew a pair. After months of training with Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), Skye can defend herself with more than the threat of a computer virus. Even Ward (Brett Dalton), the S.H.I.E.L.D agent gone hydra from last season, acknowledges that Skye is looking buff when she interrogates him. Not to mention, Skye isn’t a bad shot, and she even manages to kill a few soldiers who opposed S.H.I.E.L.D. That’s right, Skye actually managed to accurately pop some caps. Major props go to the writers for giving Skye a chance to develop and prove herself to the audience. Kenneth Choi in the season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Photo Credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABC.
It just wouldn’t be a Marvel production if there wasn’t a bit of heartbreak mixed in with the awesome. Tonight, that heartbreak came in the form of watching Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), the formerly brilliant scientist of Coulson’s team, struggle with simple tasks due to his brain damage. Towards the end of season one, Ward trapped Fitz and his partner, Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), under water. Fitz saves Simmons’ life, but stays under water long enough to damage his brain before he can be rescued. It was extremely wrenching to see Fitz in such a sorry state. Depressed sighs could be heard from every living room tuned into ABC when it is revealed that Fitz still talks to Simmons while he tries to work, despite her having left him some time ago. The love that Fitz feels for Simmons comes off as pure and genuine, which only makes the audience root harder for his recovery.
If the writers can reel in their wide range of ideas and story arcs and condense them into a cohesive plot for season two just as they had done for season one, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D will continue to be an excellent and riveting program. The little kinks present in the premiere of season two are overshadowed by the sheer volume of entertaining and well put together content. Overall, the episode has to be valued as a great success, even when nitpicking. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D airs Tuesdays at 9pm on ABC.
