Wednesday, March 12, 2014

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' 1.15 "Yes Men" Review

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At first it might seem as though Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) appearing on 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' is a classic case of a show trying to entice viewers by bringing in special guest stars. If this were a cameo made by someone like Thor or even Heimdall then I would be inclined to agree. Including Sif in "Yes Men" however not only gave us a chance to explore other characters of Asgardian lore as she hunted down Lorelei, it also finally let us see more of Sif as her own person outside of being part of Thor's entourage.



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Fans of the MCU realize that, for the most part, it's been a spandex-clad sausage party with lady loves and sidekicks for the females. This has been true to varying degrees in the several individual films that led up to the Avengers--Natasha had been around in Iron Man 2 but it wasn't really until Joss Whedon got to write her that she started to shine as an individual. Now this forward momentum is bringing about more complex characters from the canon. It isn't something that pays to be bitter about if you realize the way in which these things unfold. Marvel is at a point now where they've more than proven that the elements of their various canons are screen-worthy. This extends to concept like a Black Widow solo film--talks of which have steadily picked up steam now that Phase 2 is well underway.

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The company views their comic projects as one great big ever-expanding universe and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is part of that plan whether you've come to like the show or not. So giving characters like Lady Sif and Lorelei this platform is more than just another chance for the agents to interact with Asgardian mystique. It's actually allowing for further cross-screen world building. When all is said and done, what happens on MAOS matters to the films as much as what happens in the films impacts this show. That means that unbeknownst to Sif, she was actually in Midgard following the orders of an enemy--Loki in disguise as Odin. Loki wanting Lorelei back in Asgard has potentially huge ramifications that could pop up in Thor 3 either in another appearance from the character or an introduction to her more famous sister, Enchantress. It's beyond time we get female baddies in the MCU especially since this show has had its fair share already.

While on Earth, Lorelei used her powers of influence to control several men including our own agents Fitz
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and Ward. Ward in particular suffered the brunt of her mental manipulation as he became Lorelei's favorite toy once she'd worked her way through a few lesser others. With only a couple men on the team in the first place, it was expected that at least one of not all of them would find their way under her thumb. But that's where the agents had the grand advantage. Not only do Lorelei's powers only work on men but there are more women on Coulson's team so the odds were more stacked against her than she could realize. This situation set up a chance for Ward and May to go toe to toe and that's basically something everyone would want to see considering the advanced skill level of both characters. It was worth the wait too as they both held nothing back during the struggle which May used her cunning to stay on top of.

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As this was going on, Simmons and a fresh from bed rest Skye were doing everything they could to assist in bringing down Lorelei and securing the Bus once more. With both Ward and Fitz compromised, all the ladies stepped up and including Sif saved the day together. After last night, I had an observation about the ways in which Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. subverts gender expectations in this genre. There are several lovely ladies on the team and never once have they been subjected to scenes of unnecessary nudity. But we have been treated to Agent Ward's beefcake quite a few times now. He's both a top caliber soldier and the show's favorite sex symbol. It isn't very often that a show in this genre has a male character naked far more than any of its females. Along the same line of thinking, while there are two less combat skilled scientist types on this series it's the boy who's always getting knocked out just as Simmons stated. I love how the show allows its male characters these moments of vulnerability and exposure without making them bitter at their cohorts for having seen them this way. It's what truly makes them feel like a real team as well, and that growing sense of trust and camaraderie shines on screen the further into the freshman season we get.

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That said, all teams have their share of struggles. Recent promotional material for the show has included the subtitle of 'Uprising' and after last night's reveal that concept is becoming a little clearer. In past reviews I've speculated that knowing the truth of what happened to him could make Coulson turn his back on being the good company boy he's always been. Now he and Skye are both 'in the dark together' about the otherworldly means (when he brought it up with Sif, she mentioned several aliens and Kree among them which is the most popular guess) used to save both their lives. But not only did Melinda May overhear everything about Coulson's desire to find the truth orders be damned, she's also seemingly been used as a plant all along to refer such dangerous intentions back to S.H.I.E.L.D. the whole time. At least that's who we assume she spoke to about Coulson knowing...a huge twist would be to reveal May's alliances lying with one of the several other agencies and organizations that populate Marvel canon. He may officially outrank her but right now she certainly has the power and now we just have to wait to see what happens because of it.

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