Warning Spoilers Ahead

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen into a general pattern. The show starts off with a mystery worthy of Buffy or some other show we’d see on the CW. Then it goes into some action sequence and then some elaborate ending that doesn’t always make sense or there’s a macguffin to fix things. Then there’s the monster of the week issue. We’ve gotten hints to expect a long term narrative, but other than the main characters, that hasn’t played out a whole bunch at all. It’s rather repetitive. Watch, rinse, repeat.

This episode spins out of The Avengers, with a piece of alien technology taken by some firemen spreading a disease, which then leads the team to transfer and cure the disease. Of course they solve the puzzle, but drama and action ensues, it all wraps up neatly. Through it all Agent Coulson continues to ponder his death and resurrection, while Agent May toys with us viewers, this week playing along with Coulson and ensuring him he did indeed die and came back. It’s all rather tiresome already 6 episodes in.

There’s a lot that’s good here, and the show is so close to getting it right. There’s an Alias vibe, there’s a Buffy vibe, and mix in Marvel’s properties, this should be gold. But, it’s not. Something isn’t firing right, and the series as a whole hasn’t quite been a failure, but it’s not the juggernaut it should be and that other comic turned television show is. Overall, it seems Marvel needs to circle back and reassess.

The easiest fix is the stick with the current format, but tie in a longer narrative, and give us some truly bad guys, instead of this X-Files with comic book characters. A Skrull invasion (Secret Invasion anyone?) or Hydra is perfect for a nemesis. Add in more for the comic fans for them to get excited about. Overall, the show is playing too hard for the masses instead of the comic fans who will bring in the masses. It’s worked for others, it can work here. But, instead, the show feels safe, and for that, it misses its mark.

Director: Vincent Misiano Writer: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Brent Fletcher
Overall Score: 5.25