Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - TV Review

          I’m all caught up now on this show after seeing the winter cliffhanger where agent Coulsen, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D is taken away in a trade.  It was tough to get a handle on the characters after the first four episodes but I have to say that the show has gotten better and I hope it stays on the air. 

          The rap on the show is that it’s on Tuesday night and it’s competing with NCIS.  While NCIS has been tough to beat, my feeling is that there are people like me who don’t watch the shows in prime time and catch up in demand whether we’re watching Time Warner in Demand or Hulu.  

           I think what turned the show around for me was the episode where the team found someone who they thought had telekinetic powers.  That show had a lot of tension, especially where the mysterious force was a character that kept disappearing during the fight scenes and he seemed like he would win until Melinda May got involved.  

           As far as the characters go, I like Melinda May’s character.  She’s a strong woman and mysterious at the same time and I like how the relationship is playing off with Grant Ward.  She seems like the real backbone of the team and is the one relied on to save the day which I think is a good thing for this show.  Her character seemed to take over during the episode of The Well where she was the strongest member of the team to carry the sword.  

           It probably isn’t a good time for ABC to cancel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  It had a rating of 9.3 when NCIS took a week off.  To be honest, I haven’t been watching NCIS and I think the show is vulnerable now that Ziva is off the show.  I may catch up during the holidays but at this point, I prefer NCIS LA.  

           It’s hard to say where this show will go from here.  I think the audience would like a superhero in the show like Captain America or Thor but I don’t think that will happen.  The characters seem to be developing better than earlier in the show.  Branding Chloe Bennett as a traitor in the show didn’t do much for me.   The show might get better if we saw the other characters which include Coulson play more of a role in the show than they have in the past.  

           Moving the show from Tuesday night might be a good start although the only other night that the show could benefit in ratings would be on Friday.  I think if you compare the characters in this show to other science fiction shows such as Warehouse 13 or Almost Human, you would see shows with better plots and better characters which is the real reason Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D needs more work.  

            I still think the show is worth nearly 4 stars now and with time, it can be a better show and should be picked up next season.  


Ron Hummer