'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 1.01 "Pilot" Review

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Some of the best books to read are the ones that require you to delve right into the world. Either the book uses terms that will mean something later on or even including intentionally difficult words which require a dictionary to be close by. There's a certain added joy in having to work for the complete picture and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. understands that from the get-go by throwing around concepts such as Extremis and Project Pegasus. In some cases, such a concept will resolve itself with exposition in the episode, or such a concept will be placed into the dialog in hopes that the apparent synergy in this television series will get viewers to seek out the appropriate Marvel comic to read for full comprehension. That may seem daunting to a casual viewer but that's part of what works so well during the pilot episode of this Joss Whedon led endeavor. Despite the fact that there's a lot of additional story alluded to in the episode, there's never an overbearing sense of information overload. 

The story is laid out in the usual way for a big team-up plot but this time we're dealing not with Iron Man and The Hulk--it's the humans on the ground that we get to see come together. Even though they do not possess powers, it's clear that each member of Agent Phil Coulson's special team brings something important to the table. What's that you say, Agent Coulson died in The Avengers? Well yes and no seems to be the better answer leaning toward I think yes. He thinks he faked it, but we're given what will no doubt be our first season-long mystery by Agent Maria Hill (fabulous returnee Cobie Smulders) when she says that Coulson can never know the truth about what happened that day with the 'Asgardian Mussolini' . Fellow Whedonverse fans should note that nearly perfect call and response of whenever Coulson has the word Tahiti brought up to him. His 'it's a magical place' highly echoes the various dolls from Fox's Dollhouse with their 'Did I fall asleep?' call and response subliminal trigger routine. People say that comic book characters never die, well sometimes they do but that doesn't mean they stay dead. Coulson may be a life model decoy, a clone, or brought back to life thanks to magic (paging Doctor Strange). 

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But for now Coulson Lives and he's rounding up the best and the brightest agents in order to stem the literal (it's a group) and figurative rising tide. Consequences of the battle in New York range from alien tech littered about the city to various action figures of the heroes that fought the alien invaders on sale in the front window of a local toy store. On paper, the team fits all the necessary skill sets, but a few of them have already been given a chance to show off that special Whedon spark that turns stock characters into beloved figures. We have our veteran agent reluctantly pulled back into the field from behind a desk (Agent May), our model agent that gets to play with the big boys in his brand-new clearance level (Agent Ward), a pair of science geniuses (Fitz/Simmons, how perfectly appropriate that they were christened first with a portmanteau before the fandom could do it on their own), and finally the wildcard the mysterious computer hacker (Skye, no last name given). So far the standouts involving team character moments include practically any scene Skye's involved in as there's a lot to love about her being a literal fangirl that's in on the action now. I was also a sucker for the repartee between Fitz and Simmons while at work. I'm quite curious to see more of Agent May in future episodes since tonight we were treated to only a glimpse of the level of badass she truly can be.

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The format of the show is close to procedural at the moment, but all the fun Marvel branded shout-outs elevate that status immediately into fun genre television. This isn't gritty why so serious Gotham City--this show makes jokes about girls cosplaying outside of Stark Tower. Self-awareness and a sense of humor make so much of a difference with this type of show and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got both going for it right away. 

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They certainly didn't write 'of the week' character Mike Peterson as though he were so quickly disposable, and I think their way of solving problems without just putting bullets in heads is going to be another thing that makes this show stand out from the pack. I loved J. August Richards giving a  speech about never being good enough despite trying to be a good person and live a good life since he was told those qualities would give him what he needed. Such a subject is very timely in this current economic and social climate. Choosing to take on such topics during what many might view only as a 'fun superhero show' could come off as preachy or cornball except for the fact that the world these characters live in will truly never be the same because humans know they are no longer the top of anything. 

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Gods and monsters are here and the standards of what makes a human being worthwhile are irrevocably altered. Keeping these themes alive will serve the series in future episodes by giving the story a larger scope for its characters to exist within. That kind of writing will arguably evoke the overall messages found within the Marvel Cinematic Universe more than seeing an action figure of Black Widow.  That being said, character has always been king with Joss and his team so continuing to get to know these new members of the Whedonverse in their front row center seat at the strangest show on Earth is reason enough to tune in next week for me. It's got humor, heart, action, and incredible toys that look better than half the effects in this past summer's multi-million dollar blockbusters. So buckle up and let's all fly off inside of Lola to a world of comic book adventure and intrigue.