Avengers: Endgame and etc. - March 15

Obligatory disclaimer: real life sucks. In this particular case, you can ask the folks down in the island nation of New Zealand – that was just wrong as to what went down, it was just wrong. Admittedly, I do not know as to why Andrew Scheer is under attack – his statement is as politically correct as it comes, but that is real life politics for you. What next?

No, we are not going to discuss the upcoming ‘Avengers: Endgame’ movie, because by now it has been established that people love or hate the MCU films (and associated franchises, aka Sony), but they will still go to watch them, which means that they spend money, which means that Disney makes money, and that, in the end, is what counts for Disney. Disney is not progressive or regressive, it just wants to make money, and it is really good at doing so, and it is almost just as good at detecting factors that hinder it from doing just that, aka controversy. This time, in ‘Captain Marvel’, the only twist was making Skrulls the good guys, but…

But if you’ve watched AoS, you would’ve seen that while, admittedly, in S1 the Kree had been mentioned as ‘blue angels’ and their blood helped S.H.I.E.L.D. to create the GH formula which was an important factor in S1, but from S2 onwards AoS cast Kree as villains, up to S5, where they were the Big Bad in the first half of that season, so here ‘Captain Marvel’ wasn’t exactly coming out of the left field either; we’ll need to see any follow-up to this movie, (and yes, it includes A:E, let’s be honest here), before making any final conclusion as to what goes where in Earth’s position of the Kree-Skrull warfare.

Anything else? The ‘Boom Buffy’ comic series have begun to come out already, (I think that this series is on its’ third installment already), and… so what? Yes, the obvious part is that the BtVS-verse was rebooted: Anya, (or rather – Anyanka) is running the Magic Box in Sunnydale already; Drusilla is much less insane than she was in the canon and is more of a straightforward, stereotypical villain; Buffy and Spike got chemistry already, (seriously?); and Willow and Xander seem to be more street-savvy and vampire-savvy to begin with. That is fine, but so what? The previous comic incarnation was working just as well; ‘Boom Buffy’ does not appear to be bringing anything better to the table. 

...Yes, all of those DC and Marvel reboots/re-incarnations that are the same old thing in a new package (and maybe new depictions) are annoying, but ‘Boom Buffy’? This was fixing what was not broken, and kind of reminds of the new ‘Charmed’ reboot – yes, it is going for its second season, but somehow it is not talked too much anymore, and people just are not as excited about it as the big wigs who brought it back to begin with thought that they would. Sometimes reboots work, other times people are just mystified: what was the reason behind this decision? Just ask the Disney/SW merger – that seemed to have backfired in a bad, sad way. ‘Boom Buffy’ is not as bad as that, but neither it seems to be flourishing – the old guard are not exactly happy with the reboot, (or at least – not unanimously happy), and the new aren’t so interested in the reboot to begin with. Whether ‘Boom Buffy’ will flourish or not – we will just have to wait and see.

Anything else…no, this is it, actually. With ‘Captain Marvel’ out, MCU is taking a deep breather before unleashing the next ‘Avengers’ movie, and C&D S2 are coming out only next month. Real life being what it is, there’s no guarantee of steady updates of it – or AoS S6 – yet, and with ‘Aquaman’ being out and ‘Shazam’ only coming forth, the same can be said for DCEU as well. Therefore, see you all next time!

BtVS - Sep 21

…To continue on the topic of fiction, (because real life is still…more than slightly unpleasant), there is the matter of a potential BtVS reboot that comes and goes through the rumor network.

Here is the thing. A while back, Whedon did appear to be open to it – but it’d been years in the past, and by now Whedon is working with DC, rather than Marvel & Disney, so it’s actually anyone’s guess as to where the potential negotiations are going, if they are still going at all. Yes, TV series and etc. are a lot about TV show reboots these days; they also got their own streaming platforms and are trying to overwhelm their viewers through sheer quantity, (and quality) of their shows, movies, etc., but that isn’t the point.

Then what is the point? Hard to tell. On one hand, we got the upcoming ‘Charmed’ reboot. As we talked earlier, people are praising the show, (or rather – its’ trailer), for being ‘woke’ (or whatever), for having a racially mixed cast. For the record, AoS also has a mixed-race cast, (though they do not always manage it well), but it did not work for them in the long run, as their number statistics still dropped. Of course, they are having a sixth season in 2019, but it feels more of a reboot even at a distance, and we’ll still need to see just how much the regular cast has changed between S5 and 6 by then.

Back to ‘Charmed’? Now one of the problems with AoS was its’ script and plot line: it was constantly broken and reset from the second half of S2 onwards, whereas in the ‘Charmed’ trailer… it looks to be largely followed the original series’ plotline, just depicted differently. Here, CW is trying to have it all, both old and new, and-

And it can be just as good a strategy as what Disney did with SW – and failed. If CW does not fail, and even succeeds, with this ambiguous strategy, more power to them! In addition, if they fail…well, Disney had failed there too – with the ‘Wrinkle in Time’ movie.

About that movie, (AWIT, for shortness). On one hand, Disney tried something new, more out of its’ comfort zone – like many of the real-life classics, AWIT the novel is not easily adapted to the modern cinematic values, but Disney still tried. On the other, they still have diverged quite a bit from the initial novel: some characters, like Auntie Beast, were removed completely, while some scenes got seriously changed.

For example, in the novel, Charles Wallace, his stepsister, and their friend get to ride a winged centaur at one point; it is even depicted on some of the covers of some of the editions, (novel, not movie). In the movie, the three children ride a creature that is not anything like a centaur, (winged or otherwise), but more like some Pokémon instead. It creates a very different atmosphere, a more goofy one, and not necessarily in a good way. The result? AWIT got mixed reviews at best, and for now that franchise seems to be shelved, as far as Disney is concerned. (The fact that apparently it is Disney’s second attempt to make AWIT into a movie probably does not help either).

So where does it leave BtVS? Here’s the thing. Before there was Buffy as in Sarah Michelle Geller, there had been a movie, a prequel of sorts, featuring completely different actors with a very different plot. There was also a pilot that was never aired on TVs, but you can find clips of it and such on YouTube and the rest of the Net. It too shows some different actors from the official cast; for example, there is no Alyson Hannigan but a different actress playing Willow – a very different Willow. If that pilot had worked, we would have had a very different BtVS too, because of the real life dynamics between the actors, the crew, and the rest of show running personnel.

Enter the potential reboot, which will have a very different cast, (because, for example, the aforementioned Alyson Hannigan is not interested in being an actress anymore, it seems). What next?

They will have to make it a choice; with BtVS S12 (comic-verse) being apparently over, the time for them (whoever they are) to make a move is now, because otherwise, without a regular comic support, the entire BtVS franchise will fade into obscurity completely and any investment into it will be much riskier than it currently is.

But what is this choice? Either try telling the old story with new characters and actors, or telling a new story with new characters and actors; say, about some new, younger Vampire Slayer that didn’t appear in BtVS up to date, at least not as a regular character; and?

And right now Disney, (who is usually rumored to be interested in buying the BtVS franchise from Whedon, the Dark Horse comics and etc.), has already plenty of issues to go through. On one hand, it has finally admitted that it had dropped the ball with its’ SW merger and is doing damage control – a lot of it. The SW9 movie is coming out next year, but after that? It is anyone’s guess as to what will happen next.

There is also the issue with the Disney/Marvel merger too. In summer 2018, James Gunn was fired because of a ‘me too’-related mess, and the entire GotG derailed as the actors rebelled. An agreement was failed to be reached, (there were not too many details available to the public), and so by now GotG vol. 3 is off the roster. Instead, it is anyone’s guess as to what will take its’ place, (the more likely candidate is a second ‘Dr. Strange’ movie). Anything else?

…Between juggling SW and Marvel (and anything else at this time), Disney is really uninterested in taking risks, and BtVS is a risk simply by default. Of course, so’s ‘Charmed’ and any other reboot, but CW has bulked its’ audience/viewer fanbase via ‘Arrow-verse’, so maybe it can take a hit. Disney…can also take a hit, but it already took one with SW, and now GotG may be another one, so it will pass on BtVS…maybe.

Or maybe all those rumors about BtVS being bought by anyone are only that – rumors, and Whedon and co. will churn more BtVS comic series for years to come. We will have to wait and see.

…This is it for this time, see you all soon!

Jessica Jones, S2 - March 12

…While AoS is going the same way that it always went, let us mention ‘Jessica Jones’ (JJ) for a change. This show released its’ second season last week. And?

And some things have become obvious about JJ, so let us talk about them. Firstly, as far as superheroes go, (especially Marvel™ ones), the titular heroine is… a Vampire Slayer, more precisely – Faith the Vampire Slayer, who appeared in the 3^rd season of BtVS onwards. (She appears on AtS too). Both Faith and Jessica tend to be crude, abrupt, have issues with booze and drugs, and are morally shady – Faith moreso than Jessica, because Jessica was forced into darkness by Killgrave, (who’s a different villain from Black Panther’s Killmonger, BTW), but both Faith and Jessica have to struggle with their inner darkness, while trying to be heroes (heroines), however reluctantly… why?

Because being villains (villainesses) is worse for them. Neither Faith nor Jessica asked to be heroine, but they became…someone special all the same; Faith because Kendra (the previous Vampire Slayer) died (at the BtVS S2 finale), Jessica because of an accident in her childhood, but get them they did, and the powers…are basically the same – super-human strength, speed, dexterity, etc. Jessica is a Vampire Slayer in a world without any vampires (or other supernatural monsters)-

Yes, fine, MCU does have vampires, starting with Count Dracula; back in February, when the discussion about Black Panther and his movie was at its’ peak, it was mentioned that some of the first Marvel movies were about Blade, a vampire hunter (and half-vampire himself), a movie series that concluded with Blade killing Dracula himself – and what is worth noting is both the titular character played by an Afro-American actor, Wesley Snipes and that the movies’ format was similar to the modern MCU movies, which included the feature of all the villains dying in every movie, so that new ones would appear in the next – and this brings us back to JJ. And MCU’s villains.

For a while, a lot of noise was made about Black Panther’s Killmonger, how he was different from the earlier MCU villains. That is debatable, but what matters to us now is that regardless of these differences, Killmonger still died at the end of the movie, just as the other MCU villains tend to, (except for Loki), so the movie formula is still the same, regardless of Killmonger’s own differences from the rest of MCU’s villains, (whatever they are) – and then we got JJ the series.

In JJ S1 Killgrave was a different sort of evildoer from Killmonger, or Wilson Fisk, or Madame Gao, etc., but just like the rest of them, he was defeated (and killed) all the same, following a formula that is not very different from MCU movies, or AoS, or even BtVS. In S2 JJ did something different – there was no concrete villain, what we had instead was something that some people call a dark mirror – an evil (well, eviller) counterpart to the titular heroine, and it was her mother.  

Folks on IGN and similar sites/YouTube channels have already discussed about how the ‘villains’ of JJ S2 weren’t really evil, more like morally shady, just as Jessica was. AoS too has played with this concept, especially in the first seasons, but they handled it very badly, and the show has never regained its’ initial highs. JJ did it better, both in regards to the villains themselves and how the titular character – the heroine of the show – dealt with them. Spoiler alert: when it came to her mother, JJ needed help from her girl Friday at the end, she just needed help period. What is next for her?

She is going to try to live a more normal life…and we know that it is not going to work simply because she is one-fourth of the Defenders™, without her, there is no team. (Plus on ‘Defenders’ S1 she had some chemistry with Daredevil, so yeah). Since Disney & Netflix showed no sign of changing the Defenders™ formula, JJ’s foray into a more normal life will not succeed, and she’ll be back to being a hero or a villain, (the dead Killgrave isn’t helping things any, and remember the First Evil from BtVS S7? This is so its’ M.O. that it is not funny), or she will succeed…and lose her super-powers instead, because this is how this sort of narrative works.

So, this is it for JJ for now; see you all soon!

InHumans - May 7

…And to round-up the roster of the future arrivals are the InHumans, the TV show.

Okay, here is the thing. The InHumans are already something of a presence on TV thanks to AoS, of course, but in S4, this has been downplayed – sort of. More precisely, they continue to play an important role in S4, that of an abused minority especially in the framework world, but compared to what they had in S2, especially the second half? Still downplayed. Why?

Well, one answer is that AoS tried to get in sync with the other parts of MCU, including the ‘Secret Empire’ plotline in the comics, where Steve Rogers transformed into a Hydra agent and took over the world. Or is in the process of taking it. Whatever. Marvel might be trying to make a clever critique of the current RL government of USA, as is ‘BtVS S11’ comics, where all the demons, vampires, witches and etc. get into internment camps, but-

Now, such camps are a part of the USA past, especially of WWII, when anyone, (especially people of Japanese origins), suspected of conspiring with the enemy governments, (especially that of ‘imperialist Japan’ rather than ‘Nazi Germany’, but still), were sent to such a place and usually stayed there until the end of WWII. Such camps are a part of US history, not something to be proud of, but not something to be ignored completely, either.

Back to the comics? BtVS is depicting such camps as fascist, (so far ‘Buffy’ seems to be shying away from any RL symbology, good or bad, cough), while Marvel is having Hydra take over the world in comics and AoS did something similar on TV too. That is especially ironic if you consider that AoS (and MCU?) seems to have gotten rid of Hydra by the end of S3, so-

So, once again MCU might have bitten more than it should have. One of S3’s problems was that it carried over too much S2 elements done incorrectly and/or pointlessly, and S4? On one hand, it seems to be rebooting the show, especially the Ghost Rider bits, (the man is returning at the end of S4, in the last two episodes), but on the other hand? It tries to remain synchronized with the rest of MCU, that is something else. More precisely, AoS was largely doing its ‘own thing’, independent of the Marvel movies, for example, since the last two episodes of S2.

Nothing wrong with that, just look at ‘The Defenders’, who appear to be doing exactly that ever since the first season of ‘Daredevil’ and beyond, but apparently the people at AoS feel differently. This brings us over to ‘InHumans’ the future TV show, I suppose.

It is simply unknown just how they feel fit into the wider MCU universe, so to speak. In RL terms, it is also anyone’s guess as to how they will co-exist with the AoS as well. Right now, RL has ‘Legion’, but it deals with mutants and more precisely – with the X-Men end of the MCU spectrum, so it does not have to meet AoS at all. (So far, there are no mutants and/or mutant references in AoS, BTW). There are the various ‘components’ (i.e. TV series) that form ‘The Defenders’, but the latter exist on Netflix rather than on TV and avoid competing with AoS directly. (Though you can also get AoS on Netflix, but Netflix is simply different from TV, period). ‘Cloak & Dagger’ as well as ‘The Runaways’ are coming to Freeform and Hulu respectively, but this again makes them more like ‘The Defenders’ rather than AoS, so again – no direct competition. But ‘InHumans’ will be a part of TV, maybe even of ABC television network that already hosts AoS, so this will be different, this will be like ‘Agent Carter’.

…Again, I have no idea why AC was cancelled and AoS did not, at worst AC was just as good as AoS was, and at best, it was better, but there you have it. Maybe because the main actress, Hayley Atwell, got herself a better deal? The same thing happened with Jaimie Alexander, (who played Sif in MCU) and Luke Mitchell, (Lincoln from AoS). Nothing personal, just business.

Or maybe – just a little bit personal. AoS S4 gave us closure, (most likely) with Grant (Dalton) and Tripplet (Britt). There was just another reference to Lincoln – nothing else, and Daisy has promptly let him go, not unlike as to what has happened between her and Grant, but with a good deal less grace, I suppose. Thus, Lincoln probably is not returning to AoS, (whatever happens to his counterpart Roman over at ‘Blindspot’, regardless). Fair enough. Frankly, noises that Daisy doesn’t need a boyfriend came from the official releases long before, so this isn’t surprising, and we will probably never know just what happened on the set of AoS before S3, (especially the finale) and so forth.

As for Reyes (Gabriel Luna)? Well, again, we will have to see how the S4 finale pans out? If, sadly, Mack perishes on the submarine/underwater base/whatever, then it’s one thing, Reyes can be a part of the main cast and feature on a regular basis in the episodes, or Mack survives, he remains a part of the main cast, and Reyes will appear on a regular basis, (in theory), but nothing else. In addition, yes, the main cast of AoS can expand, again, but after S3, I am not making any statements regarding that, yet.

In addition, into this mess come ‘InHumans’ the TV series? Yes, but it seems that they already are experiencing some problems of their own. The first promo picture makes them seem ordinary, boring and common, something that the fans were very vocal in criticizing, (they want to see Medusa with her animated hair or Gorgon with his hooves, it seems), and the first promo video is basically a logo of ‘InHumans’ with some dialogue that talks about a betrayal, a revolution or a coup – the difference between the three tends to depend as to how comes on top: the old regime, the new regime, or someone completely else. In ‘InHumans’ case it depends on whether or not the king is Black Bolt, (who usually is the InHuman king in the comics) or not. Guess we will just have to wait and see and hope that it will not disappoint.

Therefore, this is that for this week. So you next time, then!

S.H.I.E.L.D. Meet the New Guy - Sep 27

…In ‘Meet the New Guy’, AoS continues to develop the plotlines that began in the season’s premiere. Too abrupt?

Let us try again. In ‘The Ghost’, AoS has introduced the new lay of the land as well as the Ghost Rider, this season’s heavy hitter, and also – a ghost. In this episode, firstly, we meet the ghost for real: it is a new character, and she comes with her own team of other ghosts, and a possible scientific explanation for their origin, rather than a supernatural one.

To elaborate, back in S1, AoS did feature a ghost-like villain, who proved to be misunderstood, and in love, and was able to pass on once the team was able to figure it all out. His roots were scientific, not supernatural, and so the case might be with those evildoers, (who are able to turn incorporeal and drive people crazy by going through them), although this Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, is clearly connected to them…possibly through his uncle? (Basically, Robbie became the second Ghost Rider because his deceased evil uncle fused their souls with their car…or something like that…we will probably learn MCU’s version in the future episodes).

Either way, ‘Meet’ has given us the greater, further, general shape of where Ghost Rider’s plotline is going to take us; Robbie is very different from Daisy, which means…that this is what was probably supposed to happen with her and Ward, but it didn’t. The end.

Well, just the beginning for Daisy and Robbie, though for now Daisy is on the outs with the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D., or at least – with Fitz. Mack and Elena – it is trickier to tell, but still. For the next few episodes, (and AoS is going to skip a week now, in real life), Daisy will be working with Robbie, opposite to the rest of the team, giving the show the possibility of depicting various episodes from different P.O.V.’s. They tried something similar with Grant & Hive back in S3, but this will probably be more polished than S3, because now AoS got some of the kinks out it as a show, so while it won’t be a smooth sailing, neither will it be so bad as it was with S2 & S3, right?

…While Robbie and Daisy are beginning to tentatively work together at the end of this episode, on the other hand we have the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D., who have a new director – his name is Jeffrey – and he is an InHuman. The show isn’t dismissing InHumans at all, (nor the Watchdogs), they are still going to be an important part of AoS, as it was shown first in the person of Jeffrey, and secondly, in the next episode’s promo, where the Watchdogs are back. So?

Well, Jeffrey appears to be some sort of a strange cross between Andrew Garner (Lash) and the Mayor from BtVS (S3). He has this really annoying bodyguard, but he is genuinely trying to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., too. Of course he is ruthless as well, as part of his plan concerning May, (who was driven mad by the ghost woman), is taking her somewhere in a straightjacket.

To be more precise, ‘Meet’ is developing new plotlines, (unlike ‘Ghost Rider’), as well as the old ones. It seems that the Watchdogs are the new main villains in place of Hydra, at least for now, (so maybe we will see more of ex-agent Felix too). The world has changed, it has accepted InHumans and other super-powered people – it just may not like them, and outright hate them, but S.H.I.E.L.D. will have to handle this hatred, and it will, especially now that it is a part of the U.S. government.

So: the plot continues apace. Part of this pace, apparently, is skipping a week – other shows have tried it, hell, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself always had a midseason finale, but this is something else. Hopefully not because they will have a shorter season, with less than 22 episodes. Previously, all AoS seasons had 22 episodes, S2 and S3 had two major arcs with 11 episodes each. If this will not happen in S4, this would be bad, especially since the Rabbs’ tree frog has just gone extinct – oops, this happened in real life, never mind.

On the other hand, this episode especially was full of references to the greater MCU – the scriptwriters, the cast, etc., are really trying to integrate the AoS into it. Considering that even judging by the commercial, they are already doing (going to do?) with Luke Cage (the TV show, not just the character), this may be just in time to do so. Why, even the latest Dr. Strange movie commercial mentions the Avengers directly, so go them!

Ergo, in conclusion: AoS has entered a new era, alongside the rest of MCU. Let us hope that it will have a better showing now, than back in S3 (and even the second half of S2). See you later. 

S.H.I.E.L.D., 4722 - Oct 27

And so, yet another fine S.H.I.E.L.D. episode came to an end, featuring the show at its best - coherent. The previous 4 episodes had been done in ‘Angel & Faith’ format rather than the BtVS one; the action continuously alternated between the InHuman and Hydra plotline, with the main action being directed more towards the InHumans. It is hard to tell who was Angel and who was Faith, though the odds are towards Phil and May, but it is not the point. The fact that ‘4722’ hours have made Jemma into Winifred Burke is more like that, with her NASA companion being, perhaps, her Illyria...or not. Analogues tend to be weird, especially if taken too far, but Will, perhaps, is more than what he appears, especially if you look at the episode’s finale – perhaps he is some sort of a night bringer, hm?

 Back to AoS proper, ‘4722’ has made a break in the abovementioned ‘A&F’ format, plus it had introduced, perhaps, a whole new plotline for Fitz & Simmons, as they still cannot be a couple. Seriously, Ward turned out to be evil, and Lincoln is absent, so poor Skye, and Phil and Mel just cannot seem to be pull their shit together, thanks to Ms. Price (it’ll be fun to see if she isn’t evil – then maybe the plot line of ‘AoS’ can get even more interesting), so this just leaves Fitz & Simmons – and they are having problems of their own. Fitz seems to be competing with someone, perhaps Thanos, or even Galactus, for Jemma’s heart, and of course, being the stalwart knight that he is, he’ll let her go, or at least – let her help ‘Will’ get back to Earth from her misguided love to her – or perhaps not so misguided (it seems that everyone gets a second chance with S.H.I.E.L.D., even Ward did, sort of, and if Coulson hadn’t been such a moron, then who knows?)...

In the greater scheme of all things AoS, ‘4722’ is closer related to InHumans than to Hydra – and not just because of the obvious, but because Randolph, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s resident Asgardian (seriously, he really should have more than just one episode), seems to have some know-how back in 3x02, and it wasn’t particularly good one. He also had shared it with Coulson, but not with the audience, so we do not know what exactly that he knows, but given the fact that Jemma’s new friend just may be either an extra-powerful InHuman or a pureblooded alien of some sort (like Loki or Thor, just not an Asgardian) then yes, the new FitzSimmons plotline is closer to the InHuman plotline rather than to the Hydra one.

Incidentally, so far Ward’s Hydra is noticeably lackluster, if compared to Whitehall’s, for example. So far Ward’s leadership hasn’t been very impressive, so if everything goes smoothly, the next episode should spell the end of Hydra...but things don’t often go according to anyone’s plan in the world of AoS, and as long as the scriptwriters don’t go over the top with this (as they had at the end of S2, putting in an unnecessary hackfest/bloodbath there too), it’ll work. Plus...plus if this episode can be considered alien/InHuman ‘heavy’, then the next episode should probably be Hydra ‘heavy’, just to keep things balance. S.H.I.E.L.D. the show loves to keep things balanced, thus we will have to wait and see.

So: a major update on Simmons, a not so major, but still important, update on her relationship with Fitz...and that’s it, really. Today’s episode was very good and very important, but in a restricted, more narrow kind of way. Will this trend continue with S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes? We will just have to wait and see. 

S.H.I.E.L.D., Purpose - Oct 6

What makes a show worthwhile watching, maybe even inspiring?

The actors and the acting, for one thing. S.H.I.E.L.D. still got it covered. The touching reunion between Fitz and Simmons, the way the entire team pulled together to make that possible – it was superb, complete with some definitely Gothic settings (and professor Randolph, from Asgard, to break the tension on occasion) and an interesting prequel (of the 19^th century).

Other interactions between the characters were worthwhile too. Hunter finally got May out of her funk, while May seems to be on the out with her ex-husband – again. Maybe there is hope for Philinda still. (FitzSimmons are back together, and Daisy is with Lincoln now). Garner, however, is not very impressed with Coulson, so perhaps there are seeds for a potential conflict ahead, and maybe the team will go through some further reworking – necessary this time (cough conflict between Lincoln and Daisy cough).

The other conflict, of course, is between the ‘new and improved team’ and Ward. He has already recruited von Strucker’s own son for his cause, and is clearly on a roll, intent on rebuilding Hydra from the ashes. Hunter, who talked May into joining his cause, will stop him, of course, but-

But acting aside, the overall plot of S.H.I.E.L.D. has turned predictable. “Purpose in the Machine” is not as rushed or clichéd as “Laws of Nature” had been, but all the same... Ward, on some level, had given the show an element of unpredictability: will he deliver? Won’t he? Now that unpredictability is gone from his character, and it is obvious that he will rebuild Hydra before S.H.I.E.L.D. can stop him, because otherwise there will not be any Hydra and it is a staple of any Marvel™ universe, so yeah. This means a relatively straightforward plotline, with Ward keeping one-step ahead of Hunter and May until he is no longer needed by Hydra, and then-

And then it is anyone’s call, really. His character is based on Angelus, just a bit, so odds are that he will die, though it will be a team effort, because that is how S.H.I.E.L.D. works, or supposed to. (The scripts of S2, speaking of supposed, have gone through some remaking in the process, and it was painfully obvious, even in the beginning, but the scripts of S3 seem to have got it together after all.) The entire BtVS S2 situation, where Angel/us got sent to Hell has already been done by Jemma, and now the team has brought her back, and now Fitz gets to be the fixer out of the two – Jemma does have some karma to work out...but that is pointless. S.H.I.E.L.D. the show does not care about the karma: it is a straightforward live action adaptation of Marvel™ comics, possibly complicated by the interactions of actors and staff behind the scenes that we will never know about. The good are good, the bad are bad, and eventually they are dead. Ward probably has to die, if von Strucker the younger is to inherit Hydra; considering that the beginnings of S2 showed him to be suicidal already, this might be what the character intends to be. (The characters, because Marvel™ and co. do their best to differentiate characters from actors, yeah.)

Anything else? “Purpose in the Machine” was less heavy-handed in integrating the show with MCU, which is a good thing, again. This might change in the next episode, but that does not matter: S.H.I.E.L.D. S3 has found its stride, and it is a fast-paced one: already Randolph has introduced (to Coulson) the greater concept of the InHumans, so perhaps the Secret Warriors of the comics aren’t too far off – with a new twist. This is very exciting, so who knows what the future episodes will bring?

So: great teamwork from the characters, great acting from the actors, and a proper integration into the MCU (not heavy handed as in the previous episode). I.e. this is a very good episode to watch.

S.H.I.E.L.D., S.O.S. - May 12

An ancient English saying says: “Best is the enemy of good”. Last night’s S2 finale of “Agents” had certainly proven it right.

Where to begin? The two-part “S.O.S.” had been truly epic, containing several plot lines. 1) Jiaying, having proved to be some sort of a life-sucking monster (BtVS grins and says hi from its new-old home in the comic-world) as well as a bio-terrorist, who wants to destroy the world – or at least, S.H.I.E.L.D. by using crystals containing the Terrigen mist. 2) Cal is sent over to Coulson in order to destroy him personal. Silly Jiaying – you cannot kill Coulson, Coulson can win over anyone (well, almost anyone. Grant Ward does not count). 3) Grant and Kara Lynn kidnap Bobbi because Bobbi had handed Kara Lynn over to Hydra between S1 and S2, and now the dastardly duo want Bobbi to apologize to”} Kara Lynn – but things do not go according to plan.

 So far so good, and on screen “S.O.S.” proved to be truly epic, as actors and their characters delivered dynamic action sequences and tense dramatic dialogue. It was a very great pleasure to watch it, but it was so overwhelming, that it was too much. Breaks in the action – comedic or otherwise – would have made this double-parter of a finale even better. Instead the tension just rose and rose until people could not take it any more – and lost interest, or lost the thread of a narrative, or the show suffered in other ways...

Take, for example, the death toll. At the end of S1, only one person had died – Garrett, and yet “Agents” still gained enough popularity to be renewed for the second season, and to sprout “Agent Carter” on top of it. Here, conversely, we have Raina, Jiyaing, Gordon & Kara Lynn (spoiler alert?). Plus, Cal had been treated by T.A.H.I.T.I. and no longer remembers anything of his old life (just how did this procedure interact with his altered biochemistry, one wonders?) and Bobbi will apparently be leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. for good (reminiscent of some of the Avengers on ‘Ultron’?). Of course, considering that there are rumors of her and Hunter doing their own spinoff, I would not discard her just yet either. Or the ship HuntingBird itself.

...Yes, the relationships of all of the agents (or “Agents”) have largely fallen apart at the moment. Grant had lost Kara Lynn and has joined with Hydra (or rather decided to take it over, as Garrett did in S1), forgetting all about Skye for the moment; Hunter and Morse have their own issues to work out; Melinda has left Phil for her ex-husband; and an 0-8-4 ate Simmons, just when Fitz was about to ask her out (but left her alone with the alien thing for a moment). That, of course, is a monster of cliffhanger in regards to the future S3 of “Agents”, but still raises some questions even now, for example - does Simmons have alien DNA just as Skye does, and that is why the new 0-8-4 had reacted towards her so?.. But these questions can wait, for any answers will be short-circuited by the show’s scriptwriters and the show’s general unpredictability.

About that. Unlike “Carter”, “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s” strongest point was its unpredictability and ability to frustrate, shock or awe its audience and fandom. That is good. But the S2 finale stretched this ability to the limit; the audience has realized that no matter what happens, they will be wrong-footed, and they are feeling overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted by this; they need a break. Hence, of course, the break in the action between the finished S2 and the upcoming S3 (whenever that will happen), but still...

Most of the characters who died did not have to die! S.H.I.E.L.D. was supposed to be about justice, instead the evil Inhumans got lynched, and Kara Lynn...didn’t deserve to die; unlike Grant, she remained a wholly sympathetic character, whose death had been unnecessary and accidental; with her around, Grant might return to the side of goodness much sooner, if at all.

...Yes, this is “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, not “Skye and Grant show”, but still, Grant is beginning to become a ‘designed evil character’ or something along these lines. Cal got redemption (via memory working but still) – why not Grant? Skye fought with May – and got forgiven post haste – why not Grant? Let us not forget – at the beginning of S2 he actually cooperated with S.H.I.E.L.D., but got handed over to his brother for all that...a decision that backfired upon S.H.I.E.L.D. and got Bobbi tortured among other things. Seriously, if Grant is such a monster, then kill him already! Don’t let him go on for more seasons than it is necessary! Even Angel was Angelus for just one season of BtVS (more or less.)

The same can be said about the other deceased – or otherwise departed – characters. Now the Inhumans of Afterlife are leaderless; Skye and Lincoln can take charge of them and the other Inhumans. Hooray?! Probably not, and not quite necessary. Sure, as the alien angle continues to develop further in “Agents” the part-alien Inhumans will continue to grow in importance (unlike Hydra?), so Skye’s connection to them will grow in importance too, yet this mass destruction of ‘secondary’ characters is overkill. Until “S.O.S.”, “Agents” had killed off relatively few people, and never at once, so this? “S.O.S.” is a game changer for sure, and towards something more and more grandiose. Will this be a good thing for the show or not? We will learn this only in the future.

S.H.I.E.L.D., Who - March 10

And so, having dealt with Hydra in the previous episode, now S.H.I.E.L.D has turned their attention to the sky – and the alien menace. In the case of this episode, the aliens are represented by a pair – lady Sif of the Asgardians, who was already introduced in the last season’s episode ‘Yes Men’ and Thor-related Marvel™ movies – and her current foe, a Kree, an alien who looks like a human, but with blue skin. (Then again, Asgardians do not have even that – they are some of the most human looking of all aliens in Marvel™ world.) Armed with a truncheon, he was likely to be intended a sort of a parody of Thor, a watered-down version of him, so to speak, one that could be defeated by humans, as Morse and Hunter did exactly that – but first...

But first the two aliens gave the back-story to the new plot twist of the series: the Inhumans, like Raina and Skye, were designed to be bioweapons of Kree against their enemies (like the Skrulls, who have not appeared yet on the series). As such, they are very dangerous and must be put down. (A sentiment echoed by agents Mack, Morse and for the moment Simmons as well.) Coulson, being who he is, has refused to put Skye down – or to ship her to Asgard, where she would be contained. 

As a side note the team has also discovered that the Kree had left several Diviners back on Earth and all of them had been misplaced. One, of course, had been destroyed by Tripp, but that still leaves five or six others completely unaccounted for. S.H.I.E.L.D has sunk the temple used to activate the Diviners beneath the sea, but in Marvel™ such actions often have unforeseen after-effects as well...

In any case, lady Sif has returned home, taking the Kree with her, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with Skye. This is important, and not just for the obvious reasons: the team is in danger of splitting again. As it happens in the world of “Agents”, as long as the agents work together, they can achieve anything, and defeat anyone using trust and teamwork; when they stop doing that, they gain problems. At this moment in S2, they have problems.

The team is clearly split in their opinion on Skye and the other Inhumans: Mack, and Morse, and for the moment Simmons are clearly against them, while Fitz is firmly on team Skye. Jemma Simmons is clearly upset about this, and so the ship FitzSimmons is acquiring further complications of their own, as well as complicating the general split over Skye and Inhumans for everyone else.

On the other hand, FitzSimmons’ problems pale in comparison to HunterMorse ship and their problems. Hunter and Morse are clearly lovers at this point, but Mack, who is friends with Morse, does not want Hunter to be in on whatever they are doing and in fact has choked him into unconsciousness at the end of this episode. The secret – and plot – of Mack and Morse at this point is something or someone called Backup; their actions are reminiscent of Hydra back in S1...hopefully, this will not be like that in the upcoming episodes, and not just because of the obvious reasons. A big part of “Agents” attraction is that they are unpredictable and capable of unexpected twists in their plot, unlike “Carter”, which was not (except for the season finale, perhaps). A repetition of the second half in S1 in the second half of S2 would diminish this attraction quite a bit. 

That said, Mack had not killed Hunter, which is a plus, and it makes him different from Ward, who had killed agent Koenig #1 back in S1. This suggests that whatever Mack and Morse are in is not too Hydra-like, and it also gives an opening, or suggests one, for a future HunterSkye ship.

Seriously, both Skye and Hunter had been betrayed by their significant others. (Morse may not have been around, when Mack overwhelmed the other man, but she did take his side over Hunter and did not bring him into the loop). And “Agents” are run by Whedon, who has been known to set up complicated love relationships back in BtVS (Buffy/Angel/Spike and Willow and her numerous significant others come to mind) – why not here? And Ward is not around for the moment either as well.

Ward’s absence is interesting. While the rest of the team continues to grow and develop as a team and on their own, he is not. He is out of it, licking his wounds, and bonding with agent 33 in a best-case scenario. When earlier in S2 he had escaped from Talbot’s soldiers and S.H.I.E.L.D. people, he was shown to be more competent than either of these groups, at least on a certain level. Now...who knows?

Speaking of personal development, May has acquired some – in this episode, she appeared to be more talkative and humane, especially when compared to Sif. Perhaps all of the proximity to Coulson, and Skye, and even Fitz is paying off. 

And so, May has acquired some personal development, Ward has not. The plot of Morse and Mack is progressing; the relationship between Morse and Hunter is deteriorating, as the relationship of Fitz and Simmons. Lady Sif has arrived, fought with Vin-Tak the Kree and left. The agents have remained behind, and with Skye currently staying in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s holding cell in isolation, things are certainly looking bleak for them, even if one looks away from the rising infighting. We will just have to wait and see as to what will happen next.

S.H.I.E.L.D., Sep 23 - Shadows

And so, Marvel’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” show returned with its second season, and right away the titular heroes are in trouble! 

No, the matter is not specifically with Hydra – right now they got more immediate problems to worry about. Throughout all of S1 the show drummed how teamwork was important to good guys if they were to triumph, and starting with the very first episode of S2 this aspect of the agents is in trouble.

The problems that are affecting their teamwork are several. The elephant in the room, or at least the prisoner in the dungeon, is Grant Ward, who betrayed the team in S1, or rather was set to betray the team in S1 (which he did) by the late Garret. So far he has not changed much on the inside, save that he switched from following Garret (who is dead) to following Skye. That is not the right strategy – if Ward is to show that he is truly repentant, he has to work (at least on a limited basis) with the whole team, not just Skye. Otherwise, he is the same old Ward, albeit with a beard and a muscle shirt. He is also depressed and suicidal, but that is another problem altogether.

(BTW: the interactions between Ward and Skye in this episode? That ship has clearly sunk for the next while, and Ward’s new regretful attitude is so hammed up, that it is clearly annoying; the only question is who has done the hamming – Ward, or Brett Dalton, who plays him?)

The same problem plagues Leo Fitz. After barely surviving Ward’s attempt to kill off him and Jemma Simmons, Fitz had survived, but went insane – he forgets words, and has long conversations with his imaginary girlfriend – the same Simmons. That is right; Jemma did leave him – and the team. The latter was implied, sort of, back in S1 – Jemma was not very happy with Coulson or his team, but to ditch Leo like that is certainly OOC for her, especially by the late S1 standards. True, this episode mentioned S.H.I.E.L.D.’s new allies in London, England (London, Canada, is something of a stretch), so maybe Simmons is hanging around her old neighborhood, but still – the Fitzsimmons ship is also having problems; Fitz’s new, imaginary Simmons is just one syndrome of it.

BTW: this is clearly influenced by BtVS S10, where Xander is also having conversations with his own ex-girlfriend, Anya/Anyanka. Still, Xander’s girlfriend is dead, while Simmons is alive (at least officially), but that does not help either man.

And it also shows another leak in the agents’ team – one of their members went to the dark side, the second – to the crazy house (May and Coulson are starting to consider Fitz to be more of a liability than an asset), and the third – just left. Not good.

Conversely, there are new members coming in – in theory. In reality, the only new face(s) that appeared in this episode among the good guys is agent Isabelle and her team, but they have their own problems: they have not integrated with the core team of the agents, and Isabelle seems to have some sort of an alpha female struggle going on with May.

Or rather – seemed. Typical of the “Agents”, agent Isabelle died by the end of this episode; at least she does not appear in the next week’s episode either. Xena’s fans are probably rather disappointed...

What X:WP have to do with it? Agent Isabelle was played by Lucy Lawless, whose trademark role was X:WP. Quite a few Xena fans were excited about her starring in “Agents” too. Instead, agent Isabelle had only few lines, little to any action (though she did have a killer bowie knife in the episode), and died by the end of “Shadows”. Very disappointing, and it also unintentionally showed how Lucy Lawless has...diminished, or gone to seed, since her Xena days...

On the other hand, agent Isabelle died because of Hydra’s latest field agent – the Absorbing Man, the villain who can absorb any sort of material and use it to augment his strength. Not the smartest guy around, he usually faces-off with the Hulk, but Banner appears to be lying low until the second Avengers movie arrives, so the Absorbing Man has to do with Coulson and his team instead – and considering that so far he had stolen the last 084 artifact (whose most obvious ability is to petrify people who grab it with bare hands) and killed agent Isabelle and other members of her team. Score another one for the bad guys.

Then again, it balances out the way S.H.I.E.L.D. has fooled General Talbot and his people. Talbot, now, is no dummy, but against Coulson? He is the Sheriff who has to deal with Robin Hood – he is just against an opponent who is better than he is. Try as he might, he just cannot win, and Coulson has let him go with mud in his eye, so to speak, and his people had stolen Talbot’s plane with the cloaking device too. This makes Talbot a fairly average member of the modern American administration, but one got to give Whedon and others their due – unlike the crew behind “The Last Ship” series they managed to keep contemporary politics, American and otherwise, out of the show so far. Even the bosses of the Absorbing Man are more reminiscent of the WWII Nazis than anyone more modern-

Speaking of these bosses, does it mean that the late Garret was pulling everyone’s leg when he suggested that he was both the Clairvoyant and the head of Hydra? Given what we’ve learned about him, it’s a very good bet.

Getting back to Talbot – he is the only bright spot on Coulson’s side so far. His team has missing members, has to deal with superior enemies, and just does not have enough new members to compensate for that. (In part that is because “Agents” the show tends to have people appear in cameos, usually as agents, say a few lines, and disappear for good. Maybe it has something to do with the budget of the show, who knows?..)

Otherwise, let us be fair. The second season of “Agents” has started on a pessimistic note, so it is only reasonable that things are going to get better for them from now on – somehow.