Once more, AoS continues to astonish – the show’s dynamic
seems to be as tight as before, the show’s script seems to be as tight as
before, the plot twists seem to be as tight as before, yet the show’s ratings
keep falling. Dramatically. “Spacetime”, last week’s episode, had the lowest
ratings yet, and this trend does not seem to be bucking.
Yes, all shows
tend to have their ratings decrease – just look at ‘Blindspot’ for example.
Actually, ‘Blindspot’ is particular: not only it had stolen Jamie Alexander
from Marvel™ (she played lady Sif in AoS and ‘Thor’ movies of MCU), but it had
stolen AoS’ ideas and depicts them right. A mystery, not unlike what the agents
had undergone in S1? Check. A mystery girl, not unlike Skye/Daisy (especially
in the first seasons)? Check. A very complicated relationship(s)? Check. A
FitzSimmons-like tragic relationship? Check, and ‘Blindspot’ has all done it
better, without resorting to too many plot twists, and no moral ambiguity, not
like what AoS had done to Kara Palamas in S2. Put otherwise, ‘Blindspot’ treats
its’ characters proper, while AoS does not. (Moreover, in one of the ‘Blindspot’
episodes, the show’s team investigates a death of some poor Latin-American
woman named Palamas. Clearly, ‘Blindspot’ is in some polemics with AoS and does
not even try to deny it too hard.)
Take a look at ‘Paradise Lost’, this week’s episode. (Who
lost the paradise? Maybe Daisy and Lincoln, I do not know.) Plot twists abound –
unnecessarily, too, as do unnecessary deaths. Hive is not Grant Ward, but
Gideon Malick’s brother, who just looks like Grant, whenever he is not looking
like his comic book self? Ok, possibly AoS could not afford to replace Brett
with another actor. So why did Stephanie Malick had to die. She did not look
much of a likable character, but she died because of empty drama… and to explain
further, perhaps, why Hive is going to kill Malick? Maybe, but ever since the
demise of S2, quite a few viewers have stopped watching AoS because of the
unnecessary deaths that began at its finale, “S.O.S”, something that had been
avoided in AoS S1, BTW.
Another sticky/sore point of AoS is the matter of team and
trust. ‘Blindspot’ handles it quite well, without any moral limbo, (just look
at Weller and Mayweather, for example); ‘Agent Carter’ did not have too many
issues with it either; AoS tends to drive it constantly all over episodes and
seasons – whom do you trust and why?
But then again, AoS tends NOT to come up with any original
material any longer – tonight’s episode about brothers was SO adapted/taken
forth from Grant’s conflict with Christian back in S2; Lincoln’s little
revelation was not unlike what Grant could and would tell Daisy if he had been
given the chance in the past – the hypocrisy and prejudice of the show’s script
writers can be overwhelming. That said, they did rather ‘redeem’ themselves
with Guyterra beat – single-handedly – the crap out of almost the entire AoS
crew, including Coulson, May and Mackenzie, and captured them all for Hydra.
Sieg Hail!
…And yes, Hydra is another problematic point. AoS crew
cannot decide if it is supposed to be a Nazi death cult or not. Sometimes the
emphasis is on the Nazi part, other time on the death part, etc. Again, quite a
few of fans are not impressed with this indecisiveness on this hotly debated
topic, and have stopped watching AoS for that reason too.
Now, this does not diminish the fact that the show does seem
to get its continuity together, at last, but it may be too late - this is the
second part of S3, not S1 or 2 – by now a core group of fans had been
established, the viewers know what they view – or don’t view, if they don’t
like AoS. Judging by the shrinking ratings of the show so far, it is becoming
obvious where the majority lies.
Until next week, then!
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