They’d look at me like I’m saying "I’d like to give babies more cancer."
September 24, 2013 12:23 PM   Subscribe

Joss Whedon: The definitive EW interview. "We use stories to connect, to care about people, to care about a situation. To turn the mundane heroic, to make people really think about who they are... We create to fill a gap—not just to avoid the idea of dying, it’s to fill some particular gap in ourselves."
posted by kmz (269 comments total) 23 users marked this as a favorite
 
Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:39 PM on September 24, 2013 [6 favorites]


This is really a great interview. Tons of excellent stuff here.

Was Scarlet Witch already confirmed for Avengers 2? (Fuck yeah female characters!)

Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?

You hesh your mouth. (Actually, I'm not going to fight for it until I see it. It might suck, who knows? I am not a Coulson fangirl and I'm curious to see how they structure a show around him. But I am watching it tonight as it airs, and FUCK YES I got a Nielsen survey in the mail last week so my rating counts.)
posted by restless_nomad at 12:43 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?

Don't encourage the Whedonites.
posted by Artw at 12:43 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm greatly looking forward to the show, but I'm also kind of terrified of what results when you put Whedon, Whedon, Tancharoen, and Jeph friggin' Loeb into a blender and set it to "live-action series."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:46 PM on September 24, 2013


fearfulsymmetry: "Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?"

Well, it's 1:47 here... so...
posted by boo_radley at 12:47 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


I'm greatly looking forward to the show, but I'm also kind of terrified of what results when you put Whedon, Whedon, Tancharoen, and Jeph friggin' Loeb into a blender and set it to "live-action series."

The Loeb part is definitely worrisome but I trust Jed and Mo. Beyond the stuff they've worked on with Joss, they also wrote some pretty good scripts for Spartacus, which was secretly one of the best shows of the last few years.

Was Scarlet Witch already confirmed for Avengers 2? (Fuck yeah female characters!)

Joss has said he wants both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers 2, though of course he'll have to be very careful about not mentioning their dad.
posted by kmz at 12:56 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?

It's a spin-off of the third highest-grossing movie of all time and is part of the MCU which consists entirely of massive blockbusters so I'm gonna say it has a pretty good shot at lasting a really long time.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:00 PM on September 24, 2013


Joss has said he wants both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in Avengers 2, though of course he'll have to be very careful about not mentioning their dad.

The 616-versions or the incesty Ultimate ones?
posted by Rangeboy at 1:01 PM on September 24, 2013


I vote for River&Simon Tam-style Magnus Twins. Crazy space mutant incest 2.0!

So is this the Official SHIELD Commentary thread for tonight? Because I am picking up pizza and getting my squee on, on Metafilter if I may.
posted by nicebookrack at 1:04 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?

Honestly, I think this series has a better outlook than any of Joss's other stuff no matter what happens. Before, he was a guy that made TV shows that sometimes were cult hits and sometimes just got cancelled really fast, and wrote the Alien movie that made the least money. Now, he's a guy that made a movie that made a billion dollars. Sure, it's the same guy, but it's one of those situations where one big success puts all your past efforts in a completely different light. And I imagine it puts him on a different level as far as tv execs' willingness to jerk him around.

Basically what I'm saying is that I think that due to the success of The Avengers, he's moved up to at least a J.J. Abrams level of respect in the biz. And christ, if having J.J. Abrams name attached to it can keep Revolution going, well, the only way I see Agents of SHIELD get shitcanned right away is if a large percentage of the audience literally claws out their own eyes during the first episode.
posted by mstokes650 at 1:04 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Also, his track record prior to The Avengers really wasn't as bad as his rep might lead you to believe. Firefly was canceled after eleven episodes and did seem to get a raw deal from the network, but Buffy ran for seven seasons, Angel ran for five, and even Dollhouse got a second season despite the fact that, apparently, basically no one was watching it.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:09 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also unlike the last Whedon series it doesn't have an obvious non-starter premise.
posted by Artw at 1:11 PM on September 24, 2013


IIRC, Dollhouse was literally the least successful series to get a renewal order in the history of Nielsen ratings. TV By The Numbers said it "broke" their cancel/renew prediction model. Clearly somebody believed in him.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:13 PM on September 24, 2013 [5 favorites]


Is SHIELD on Hulu or anything tonight, or strictly broadcast?
posted by curious nu at 1:21 PM on September 24, 2013


It's getting streamed at abc.com and Hulu Plus, apparently. Not sure about the whole season but the premiere is definitely online.
posted by restless_nomad at 1:24 PM on September 24, 2013


I always thought that the reason Dollhouse was renewed for that second season was because some Fox rep got sick of hearing about what a horrible show-cancelling monster Fox was. At the time, there was no illusion that Joss would get screwed over by Fox, all the fans fully expected it. And then to have Dollhouse be as...less than stellar as it was, well, that just made it worse.

I will say that he did tidy the show up a good bit at the end and the conclusion provided in the comic made the show a ton more bearable. In fact, the comic made me actually go back and watch the show, but sadly, it was still less than awesome.

I really, really wanted Joss to do something with the DC universe, because I've always preferred DC to Marvel. But the way DC has been running things the last few years, I think it's really a good thing that he developed a relationship with Marvel instead. I don't think his heart (or mine) could take dealing with the sheer fuckery that is DC right now.

It’s very important that we start creating new content again. We can only build on nostalgia so much before we have nothing left to build on
From your mouth to studio execs ears. It is well past the time to start building some new stories. As much as I love nostalgia, I'm starving for something new. It's been a long damn time.
posted by teleri025 at 1:35 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


There's a lot more being mugged in that interview than I'd expect.
posted by Artw at 1:44 PM on September 24, 2013


Anyone got the spread for when Agents of SHIELD get's cancelled?

If I had to set the line (remembering that the goal of setting the line is to find a place where people will bet equally on either side of it), I'd say that the last episode to be broadcast on ABC in primetime will be the second-season finale.
posted by box at 1:47 PM on September 24, 2013


Fabbo. Even his unexpected Tolkien quotes make me want to laugh and cry at the same time: "I give hope to men; I keep none for myself".
posted by Coaticass at 2:14 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I don't know about you folks but lack of a single page view makes HULK MAD!
posted by Ber at 2:21 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


If I've got time between when I get home and when people start showing up, I'll post my final avengers-themed drinks list. (related)

I was really hard not to make Phil Coulson some variety of corpse reviver.
posted by dinty_moore at 2:24 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


There's a lot more being mugged in that interview than I'd expect.

You mean something here, why not just say that, hey?
posted by Sebmojo at 2:31 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


You mean something here, why not just say that, hey?

*blinks* There's just kind of a lot of being mugged, really. I mean, not speaking for ArtW, but I thought that was sort of remarkable myself.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:36 PM on September 24, 2013


I don't know about you folks but lack of a single page view makes HULK MAD!

Yeah, I looked up and down for a printer link but didn't see one. I guess sites have caught on to that now.

Forgot to mention the interview was actually in the print mag a while back, and the comments about Empire Strikes Back and Temple of Doom ruffled some feathers back then.

Fabbo. Even his unexpected Tolkien quotes make me want to laugh and cry at the same time: "I give hope to men; I keep none for myself".

The last couple of questions there have some of the more serious talk I've heard from Joss in a long time. Though as always cut a bit. ("They say it in Elvish, so it sounds super cool.")

There was a pretty good Nerdist podcast episode recently though the best bit is probably the asides when one of Joss's kids asks for more Futurama watching time. (They recorded at Whedon's house.)

And for some actual SHIELD related stuff, there's a clip of Bear McCreary talking about his work for the show.
posted by kmz at 2:44 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


*blinks* There's just kind of a lot of being mugged, really. I mean, not speaking for ArtW, but I thought that was sort of remarkable myself.

Oh OK, then sorry for assuming it was backhand snark. Could you just explain it like I'm stupid? I mean he got mugged as a 13 year old and... Do you mean he's mugging for the interviewer? Or what?
posted by Sebmojo at 2:45 PM on September 24, 2013


jcreigh: "
Q: [Y]ou once said... “I think the world is largely awful and getting worse, and eventually the human race will die out. And it’ll be our own fault.”

A: I think that’s absolutely the case...I can’t believe anybody thinks we’re actually going to make it before we destroy the planet. I honestly think it’s inevitable. I have no hope.
I snipped a lot of context because I didn't want to quote two whole paragraphs, but damn, whether he's right or wrong, I hope he finds some hope.
"

This has been my worldview since I was 13 or so...

But it's more of a resigned "well it's gonna happen somewhere down the line, not much I can do about it so I might as well just do my thang along the way."
posted by Strass at 2:50 PM on September 24, 2013


I was really hard not to make Phil Coulson some variety of corpse reviver

The Son of Coul quaffs only the mead of Asgard, not the lesser spirits of mortal men!

While we've got alcohol, everybody pour one out for the roughly (as of 4:44 CST) 8,127+ stories of Phil Coulson fanfic that are getting jossed (literally) tonight. End of a fandom era! Beginning of a new one!

I expect a Marvelesque TV series has been in the works for a long time anyway. But it still delights me that Agents of SHIELD would not exist in its current form if a lot of fans (plus the movie directors) hadn't take a look at Clark Gregg and gone, "Hello, mild-mannered little snarky MIB bureaucrat minor character! We love you!" #CoulsonLives
posted by nicebookrack at 2:52 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


Most other people have said a lot of the stuff I'd have said about this. I wanted to point out this bit that was unexpected and rang incredibly true to me:

I want to be with my friends, but it’s a weird way of being alone. It’s just about the movement. It’s a way of being at the party and also getting away from the party.

This matches my experiences quite a lot and it's something that seems to confuse people given that under many circumstances I'm basically a recluse... But I go out dancing a ton. It seems counterintuitive to a lot of people. But for me, even if I know lots of other people in the room, it's asocial in a way that I can easily deal with where many other circumstances breed a lot of social anxiety in me.

Anyway, good interview. Curious to see what I think of the pilot tonight/tomorrow. Sepinwall and the AV Club reviews were mostly positive.
posted by sparkletone at 2:53 PM on September 24, 2013


I mean he got mugged as a 13 year old and... Do you mean he's mugging for the interviewer? Or what?

No, it's just placed prominently and given a bunch of weight in the interview and it wasn't really followed up on in a way that connected it to anything. It was clearly a big deal to him, but the interviewer didn't really do the "so that's why you write about traditionally-weaker people winning fights against mugger-types?" thing, which would have made it a little less incongruous.
posted by restless_nomad at 2:53 PM on September 24, 2013


I mean he talks about getting mugged more than you'd expect, which is probably like zero times.

It's a pretty nice interview. I make poke fun at Whedon fans rather a lot, because it's fun and my god do they set themselves up for it, but I really like the guy himself.
posted by Artw at 2:55 PM on September 24, 2013


I make poke fun at Whedon fans rather a lot, because it's fun and my god do they set themselves up for it, but I really like the guy himself.

Well I guess I just made your point for you :) GGGN HOWDAREYOU SPLUTTERSPLUTTER

It is a nice interview. I was particularly interested by the idea of him doing Hamlet, obvious jokes about Ophelia doing spin kicks aside it would be fascinating to see his existential obsessions channelled through the OG Emo Dane.

Quietly I have my doubts about the TV show based on the trailer, but hopefully it'll pan out.
posted by Sebmojo at 3:00 PM on September 24, 2013


Well he certainly got mugged by the tv studios a couple of times... zing!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:07 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Boom-tish.
posted by Artw at 3:12 PM on September 24, 2013


Hardcore Warren Ellis fans may be worse, FWIW.
posted by Artw at 3:13 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


It’s very important that we start creating new content again. We can only build on nostalgia so much before we have nothing left to build on

Excellent point and one I've loved to see practiced more by Hollywood. Not everything has to be 200 million blockbuster. Start small and build.

Wheadon is treasure, really seems like he has his head on right. Loves to write, realizes its a business and there's certain tradeoffs, but he's drawn his own lines ("put money in the goddamn bank and know when to walk away").

He's wrong about Empire though.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:19 PM on September 24, 2013


Amazing writer, so talented and creative. Really, really good at creating a public image that certain people buy into and feel that they know him through his interviews, twitter, etc. Not that there are any consequences to it and it's nice to have heroes, but people shouldn't be surprised if one day the public image doesn't actually match the reality.
posted by cell divide at 3:23 PM on September 24, 2013


Q: [Y]ou once said... “I think the world is largely awful and getting worse, and eventually the human race will die out. And it’ll be our own fault.”

A: I think that’s absolutely the case...I can’t believe anybody thinks we’re actually going to make it before we destroy the planet. I honestly think it’s inevitable. I have no hope.

jcreigh: "I snipped a lot of context because I didn't want to quote two whole paragraphs, but damn, whether he's right or wrong, I hope he finds some hope."

Joss Whedon is a really complicated guy. I don't know if he believes that or if he was just having a rough day, but I wish I could say something back to him, because that's the kind of statement that really needs to be responded to.

More than anyone, Whedon probably knows that the world is always ending. A thousand years ago people thought they were in the last generation, and so has every subsequent generation right up to today. (Albeit, with an increasing amount of justification.) Things are never as good as they used to be. But the thing that saves us, always, is our ability to love and care for one another. And for someone who sounds so depressed in that interview, Whedon has been responsible for creating a lot of characters who do just that on screen. That's probably the main reason for his success: his characters feel vibrant and alive, and they care for each other the same way people do in real life. So while his words often sound pessimistic, I think his work reveals a (justified) optimism and belief in human potential.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:55 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I've been unable to find any of the blogposts/articles/columns that came out when it was very first announced that Joss Whedon would be directing The Avengers. I have to imagine it was something akin to a volcanic worldwide internet fangasm. When I first heard it I couldn't even treat it as true until I read it from a reliable source. Here is someone whose primary claim to fame is a number of failed (but cult) television series, writing what until Prometheus was the least popular Alien movie (though I never understood why, I really enjoyed Alien 3 when it came out.. but I was only 11) and they were handing him the keys to the single moment important event in both MCU history at that point, and in a more vague sense Hollywood blockbuster films as a whole in over a decade. It almost seemed foolish. Of course, all the fans knew that Whedon had it in him. But I can't imagine the sort of negotiations that had to be made with studio financeers to put such a wildcard into the linchpin position.

I am sure that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has a guaranteed 2 seasons of life. After that with the typical decline in ratings that all shows that were hyped before debuting experience and what I have to imagine is a fairly astronomical cost of production for an hourlong; at that point it will either flail desperately with stupid stuntcasting and ridiculous storylines or Whedon will just show up ala Stan Lee at the end of an episode, say "Goodnight, true believers! Excelsior!" and push a big red button labeled "CANCEL SERIES" crash cut to black, roll credits.

VO (Jeb Whedon): Did it go okay?
VO (Joss Whedon): I'm just glad I got to be the one press the button for a chance.
posted by mediocre at 4:38 PM on September 24, 2013


IT IS SOON I AM EXCITE - even if preview viewers said the pilot was really bland to try to get as many people on board for the SUPERHERO ADVENTURE

I'm still upset they're not filming in NYC so I can;t be an extra, maybe I can submit my fanfic about lower level SHIELD functionaries as a kind of proof of concept? Some people don't manage the superbros, some people just do paperwork and deal with facebook.
posted by The Whelk at 4:44 PM on September 24, 2013


SUPERHERO ADVENTURE or, you know, TV SUPERHERO ADVENTURE? I have to admit that the thing that gives me pause is the MYSTERY SUPERHERO who looks like CW MAN.
posted by Artw at 4:52 PM on September 24, 2013


WHO IS HERO IS IT THIS MAN? THIS MAN? THIS WOMAN AHAHA J/K
posted by The Whelk at 4:53 PM on September 24, 2013


I guess there is always Heroes Season 1... On the other hand there's every other season of Heroes.
posted by Artw at 4:54 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


(that being said I still totally want an Office-style show where everyone just happens to work at a SHIELD-style super organization and I think it's cause I miss Better Off Ted *that much*)
posted by The Whelk at 4:54 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


LADY CW MAN.
posted by Artw at 4:55 PM on September 24, 2013


Man this is right after Wheel Of Fortune that seems weird.
posted by The Whelk at 4:58 PM on September 24, 2013


So I assume in the MCU, SHIEILD owns all the marketing ties for Avengers merch?
posted by The Whelk at 5:02 PM on September 24, 2013


The Whelk: Jeopardy here. Much more appropriate?
posted by Strass at 5:02 PM on September 24, 2013


Oh hey, POC superhero. First five minutes. Yaaah.
posted by The Whelk at 5:03 PM on September 24, 2013


Quick, turn On the Edith Piaf it's NOT FRENCH ENOUGH
posted by The Whelk at 5:04 PM on September 24, 2013


Luke Cage?
posted by Strass at 5:04 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


The fight sequences is really...striking for TV so far.
posted by The Whelk at 5:05 PM on September 24, 2013


Sorry that corner was really dark.
posted by The Whelk at 5:07 PM on September 24, 2013


NOT A RETCON I SWEAR
posted by Strass at 5:08 PM on September 24, 2013


COULSON IS HERE EVERYTHING IS BETTER FOREVER
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:08 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


THE ASGARDIAN MOUSALINI
posted by The Whelk at 5:08 PM on September 24, 2013


Okay, so we're doing this here? I want to do this here.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:08 PM on September 24, 2013


What's Level 8?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:08 PM on September 24, 2013


You don't wanna know Brandon.
posted by Strass at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2013


Bowser's castle.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2013


a little poop
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


WE MENTIONED AGENT ROMANOFF


AAAAAAAH
posted by The Whelk at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2013


A little poop im dying
posted by Strass at 5:09 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Shepard!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:10 PM on September 24, 2013


someone just said sketchy on TV

am I old now?
posted by Strass at 5:10 PM on September 24, 2013


And there's the actual retcon. "Magical," you say?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:11 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Calling it now, Coulson is robot Vision

okay like 5000 fanfic writers called it first but ANYWAY
posted by nicebookrack at 5:12 PM on September 24, 2013


Mystery and suspense!

I do like how they're not trying to make Clark Gregg look tall or imposing, they're pretty much keeping Phil a short slip of a man.
posted by The Whelk at 5:12 PM on September 24, 2013


Fanfics are exploding all over the place lets just be honest.
posted by The Whelk at 5:13 PM on September 24, 2013


Or his therapist was named Wanda.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:13 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I can already see Agent Cheekbones trying to get his flirt on with Romanoff. And he wakes up a week later skewered to a tree
posted by nicebookrack at 5:15 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Skye hangs out on online forums trading superhero squee with Iron Man 3's helpful Gary.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:16 PM on September 24, 2013


Secret Identities are so 20th century Pete.
posted by The Whelk at 5:16 PM on September 24, 2013



Do they also wear blue gloves?
posted by Strass at 5:16 PM on September 24, 2013


And with Phil, who is operating through three layers of encryption and an Asgardian VPN.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:17 PM on September 24, 2013


Skye stepped out of Joss Central Casting.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:17 PM on September 24, 2013 [3 favorites]


With great power comes tones of weird crap.
posted by The Whelk at 5:17 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Free wifi!?
posted by Strass at 5:17 PM on September 24, 2013


It took weeks to convince myself that she isn't actually Eliza Dushku.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:18 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


HARRY POTTER REFERENCES!
posted by Strass at 5:19 PM on September 24, 2013


Coulson's smile is perfect. At any given moment it is the perfect blend of kind, mirthless, conspiratorial, fuck you, and sweet.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:19 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


UK scientists are adorably fanficcy
posted by The Whelk at 5:19 PM on September 24, 2013


Scottish engineer. Yeah!
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:20 PM on September 24, 2013


Journey Into Mystery!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:20 PM on September 24, 2013


F/S comes pre-equipped with its own ship name, how convenient!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:20 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Tee hee, journey into mystery.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:20 PM on September 24, 2013


"I'm not gonna tell it now." :(
posted by nicebookrack at 5:21 PM on September 24, 2013


Underground movements always undone by need to monologue
posted by nicebookrack at 5:22 PM on September 24, 2013


Gigantic multi platform superhero soap operas? And so close to my birthday! Why THANK YOU
posted by The Whelk at 5:23 PM on September 24, 2013


I'm not used to commercials. This is bullshit....
posted by Strass at 5:24 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Commercials are weird.
posted by The Whelk at 5:25 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I just want to lock Jane & Loki & Darcy & lots of Red Bull into a room and film the results, is that so wrong?
posted by nicebookrack at 5:25 PM on September 24, 2013


(Off Topic: Once Upon a Time NEEDS RUFIO, RU-FI-OOO)
posted by nicebookrack at 5:25 PM on September 24, 2013


What will we find there? Badly CGI'd concrete.
posted by Strass at 5:28 PM on September 24, 2013


Oh look, a conspiracy! #SHIELD
posted by Strass at 5:29 PM on September 24, 2013


Crawling, centipede, so...super serum. I assume this is super serum.
posted by The Whelk at 5:29 PM on September 24, 2013


Go go Bechdel Test pass!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:29 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


"So should we do something about the burnt corpse?"
"Nah, Gary, just leave it there. It'll keep."
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:30 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Fritz is totally Toybox #topten
posted by The Whelk at 5:30 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


COSPLAY SLAM
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:31 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Sweaty cosplay girls crowding around stark tower.
posted by The Whelk at 5:31 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


She called him firm aha. I would too.
posted by Strass at 5:31 PM on September 24, 2013


"You are SUCH an asset" new favorite
posted by nicebookrack at 5:31 PM on September 24, 2013


HE NAMES THE BOTS AFTER DWARVES OMG.
posted by nicebookrack at 5:32 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


QMB-Q16 is a hell of a drug.
posted by Strass at 5:32 PM on September 24, 2013


Coulson you are amazing
posted by nicebookrack at 5:33 PM on September 24, 2013


SOCIAL COMMNETARY
posted by The Whelk at 5:34 PM on September 24, 2013


DIE CAPITALISM
posted by nicebookrack at 5:34 PM on September 24, 2013


METAFICTIONARY COMMENTARY
posted by The Whelk at 5:34 PM on September 24, 2013


About a year ago a friend convinced me to finally watch Firefly. I could not get into the pilot at all - thought it really dragged, and kept thinking, why are people so fired up about this show? But I stuck with it, and an hour or two later it had become one of my favorites.

So far, I like this pilot better than the Firefly pilot. So that makes me pretty optimistic.
posted by jbickers at 5:35 PM on September 24, 2013


So far it's very snappy and audience pandering cause we wanted nothing but nonstop Avengers expanded universe building and look! Look at what we're getting!
posted by The Whelk at 5:36 PM on September 24, 2013


I am so happy Coulson is so Coulsony. Even though he is totally robot clone Coulson. I missed him so much!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:36 PM on September 24, 2013


Yeah this is pretty tolerable so far. There's a certain chemistry that isn't there yet but that's normal for a pilot.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:37 PM on September 24, 2013


i wanted bose earphones guy to get hit by that bus
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:37 PM on September 24, 2013


I was expecting it to be much worse cause pilot but, wooo, big budget, lots of character, tiny robots!
posted by The Whelk at 5:38 PM on September 24, 2013


So far the only problem is that it's basically breakneck narratiation but ...pilot.
posted by The Whelk at 5:38 PM on September 24, 2013


Centipede changed him!? What a plot twist!
posted by Strass at 5:40 PM on September 24, 2013


SPEAKING OF TWISTS
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:42 PM on September 24, 2013


Tiny lady is actually the evil scientist! TWIST.
posted by The Whelk at 5:42 PM on September 24, 2013


IT'S AN ORIGIN STORY not sure if that's terrible or wonderful.
posted by The Whelk at 5:43 PM on September 24, 2013


"It's an origin story" omg that's like people talking about zombie movies in a zombie movie!
posted by Strass at 5:43 PM on September 24, 2013


Gamma radiation reference.
posted by The Whelk at 5:43 PM on September 24, 2013


The GPS encryption thing was some farm-league bullshit writing, though.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:43 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Metafilter: It's actually dripping. Fun!
posted by jbickers at 5:43 PM on September 24, 2013


The Whelk: "Gamma radiation reference."



is it a reference if gamma radiation is a real thing?
posted by Strass at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2013


WE HAVE SUPER SERUM
posted by The Whelk at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2013


The TEAM seems fairly blah and unmemorable so far, but it is only the first episode. Can't wait to see Angel show up and get Gunn back in line.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


oh… it actually is super serum. Huh.
posted by Strass at 5:44 PM on September 24, 2013


They're Extremis bombs. That's kind of awesome.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:45 PM on September 24, 2013


EXTREMIS!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:45 PM on September 24, 2013


OK, I'm going to have to approach this show the same way I approach my beloved Doctor Who and not think AT ALL about the science.
posted by jbickers at 5:46 PM on September 24, 2013


I really hope Pepper kept the Extremis bits. She can explode things in her Mahnolos
posted by nicebookrack at 5:47 PM on September 24, 2013


SO says there are too many identical looking brunette women with shoulder length hair.
posted by The Whelk at 5:47 PM on September 24, 2013


The Whelk: "SO says there are too many identical looking brunette women with shoulder length hair."

I do kinda agree...
posted by Strass at 5:48 PM on September 24, 2013


SO says there are too many identical looking brunette women with shoulder length hair.

Yeah, they're kinda running together, looks wise.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:50 PM on September 24, 2013


Strass: "The Whelk: "SO says there are too many identical looking brunette women with shoulder length hair."

I do kinda agree...
"

But hey, they're talking... to each other. So I suppose this is acceptable.
posted by Strass at 5:50 PM on September 24, 2013


DAD IS YELLING
posted by nicebookrack at 5:50 PM on September 24, 2013


Yeah I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Good Scientist Lady and Evil Scientist Lady without the accent.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:52 PM on September 24, 2013


Simmons was lying she is Herminone
posted by The Whelk at 5:52 PM on September 24, 2013


all the female characters have the same hair and all the guys have the same face...
posted by Strass at 5:53 PM on September 24, 2013


Nonviolence is not an answer! Yay Coulson!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:56 PM on September 24, 2013


TIMELY SOCIAL COMMENTARY
posted by The Whelk at 5:57 PM on September 24, 2013


SOCIAL COMMENTARY, YO
posted by nicebookrack at 5:57 PM on September 24, 2013


"That privilege cost me, I'm a robot now"
posted by Strass at 5:57 PM on September 24, 2013


Always killing the black guy...
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:58 PM on September 24, 2013


WE ARE THE 99% (of Midgardians)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:58 PM on September 24, 2013


Group hug!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:58 PM on September 24, 2013


Metaphorically!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:59 PM on September 24, 2013


Aww he named his car Lola #SHIELD
posted by Strass at 5:59 PM on September 24, 2013


Wait, so what was in the magic bullet?
posted by jbickers at 5:59 PM on September 24, 2013


AND IT FLIES
posted by Strass at 6:00 PM on September 24, 2013


FLYING CAAAAAR
posted by nicebookrack at 6:00 PM on September 24, 2013


Magic was in the magic bullet.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:01 PM on September 24, 2013


Lets play a game, how many times can I rewatch this the pilot before episode 2?
posted by Strass at 6:01 PM on September 24, 2013


My wife's verdict: "They sold me with that little bit of poop line."
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:03 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


The magic bullet was the night night gun
posted by The Whelk at 6:05 PM on September 24, 2013


TBH SO found it very hard to follow, I only followed cause I have superb knowledge of tropes and like, wrote half those scens in fic before.
posted by The Whelk at 6:06 PM on September 24, 2013


Why does Maria Hill have long har now, seriously we need more ways of visually distinguishing people on this show.
posted by The Whelk at 6:07 PM on September 24, 2013


Also, no matter what, this is the most consistent and coherent the marvel universe has ever been.
posted by The Whelk at 6:09 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


Sold! Also taking votes for my femslash pairing. (Because someone needs to write femslash.)

Candidates:

Melinda May: Traumatized, hypercompetent.

Skye: Naive, cocky

Simmons: British, goofy.

I am vetoing Hill (for now) and all characters not actually recurring on the show. So no Black Widow fic. I am also not going to start anything until at least one more ep because I'm not actually sure this ep passed the Bechdel test, and I need more material otherwise it's just original fic really.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:10 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also, no matter what, this is the most consistent and coherent the marvel universe has ever been.

Easy to do with a yearly movie or two, gonna be harder with a weekly show.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:10 PM on September 24, 2013


As opposed to ten to fifteen comics every week.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:11 PM on September 24, 2013


When canon too tangled, punch the timestream!
posted by nicebookrack at 6:11 PM on September 24, 2013


Also, is this show American Torchwood?
posted by Strass at 6:13 PM on September 24, 2013


restless nomad: I vote Sky/May! There was definitely an Admiring Look after May swooped heroically in for the punchy rescue.
posted by nicebookrack at 6:13 PM on September 24, 2013


Yeah, I'm optimistic. I think this is going to be a really fun show to follow. Like I mentioned upstream, gotta take the Doctor Who approach to it and view it as pure escapism. Which frankly, I can use some more of. So I'm in.

(It also appears, at least from this episode, to be something really fun and visually interesting that I can watch with my 11- and 8-year-olds. That's worth a LOT in my house.)
posted by jbickers at 6:14 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Why aren't there gifs on tumblr yet?!
posted by Strass at 6:18 PM on September 24, 2013


I am a little worried that Agent Ward is going to be right up there with FBI Agent Whats-His-Name from Dollhouse that I care about so little that, despite not only having watched the show and read the comic but done an ep-by-ep analysis of the first season, I literally cannot remember his name.

But the rest of the cast looks interesting and I'm down with the premise. We'll see where it goes.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:19 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I am enjoying Agent Ward for the potential of doing terrible things to him. He can definitely be the one hit with all the "cursed into lizard form" unhappiness.
posted by nicebookrack at 6:22 PM on September 24, 2013


I figured the car was going to do that but only because the Lego SHIELD car does that.

I'm eager to see what this show turns into. I love the idea of expanding on the MCU and filling in the little corners of the universe. Thus far, other than Coulson, none of the characters have much in the way of actual character and I am having a hard time giving a shit about any of them. The Science Team seems designed specifically to make fanfic people do what they do, and Skye seems designed specifically to be the kind of Whedon Lady who is tough and sexy and edgy because the script insists on helpfully informing me that she is tough and sexy and edgy at every opportunity.

And seriously, that thing where she said the encryption was tied to her GPS. Come on. Come on.

But it's early going. Casts need time to gel. This has promise. I'll be there again next Tuesday.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 6:23 PM on September 24, 2013


And seriously, that thing where she said the encryption was tied to her GPS. Come on. Come on.

I was on the phone for that part. I vaguely caught the line but not the context. WTF?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:24 PM on September 24, 2013


Casts need time to gel. This has promise.

Yeah, with an ensemble this big I'm willing to deal with a couple of episodes to get the characters established. They gave every character a couple of hooks, and I trust they'll hang stuff on them soon.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:25 PM on September 24, 2013


Also, my condolences to anyone who didn't have quick enough reflexes to switch the TV off before The Goldbergs started.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:27 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


I was on the phone for that part. I vaguely caught the line but not the context. WTF?

The context was that the script needed Skye to be in a place where the guy with superpowers could get to her (having said to him earlier that she's always in her van), so they barfed up some Comic Science about how the encryption for her data is tied to the GPS somehow, meaning she has to be in her van to use it (???) and said it fast enough that they hoped you wouldn't notice.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 6:27 PM on September 24, 2013


As opposed to ten to fifteen comics every week.

Which has decades of past history. AoS doesn't, thought it's related to that history.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:27 PM on September 24, 2013


FAMOUS MONSTER: " I was on the phone for that part. I vaguely caught the line but not the context. WTF?

The context was that the script needed Skye to be in a place where the guy with superpowers could get to her (having said to him earlier that she's always in her van), so they barfed up some Comic Science about how the encryption for her data is tied to the GPS somehow, meaning she has to be in her van to use it (???) and said it fast enough that they hoped you wouldn't notice.
"

Oh I thought they were just tracing where she was hacking them from...
posted by Strass at 6:28 PM on September 24, 2013


they barfed up some Comic Science about how the encryption for her data is tied to the GPS somehow, meaning she has to be in her van to use it (???) and said it fast enough that they hoped you wouldn't notice

She said, in her van *in that specific spot in that alley.* I guess she needed the van because her tech was in it.
posted by nicebookrack at 6:29 PM on September 24, 2013


Also, my condolences to anyone who didn't have quick enough reflexes to switch the TV off before The Goldbergs started.

Oh God the remote had burrowed into the couch and I had to listen to almost the entire intro because my TV doesn't actually have an off switch. It was terrible. Seriously, who came up with that lineup?

(Is anyone else thinking of watching Trophy Wife? I strongly doubt it's for me but man do I love Sarah Haskins.)
posted by restless_nomad at 6:30 PM on September 24, 2013


So....I guess she had it set that way so she couldn't be forced to do it in some dark underground SHIELD-y torture chamber? That sorta makes enough sense to paper over.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:30 PM on September 24, 2013


(Trophy Wife looks cute in a Julia Roberts kinda way. The pilot's free on iTunes, I will try.)
posted by nicebookrack at 6:33 PM on September 24, 2013


Sold! Also taking votes for my femslash pairing. (Because someone needs to write femslash.)

Wait what's Fritz and Simmons' relationship? Co workers, siblings married? These are things the intrepid ficlet needs to know.

( I did enjoy that May gets the " we just need you to do one more job" surly action guy trope role)
posted by The Whelk at 7:36 PM on September 24, 2013


Man I so want them to be married. How often do we get to see people in an SF property in a nice stable relationship?
posted by restless_nomad at 7:38 PM on September 24, 2013


Poop, poop with knives in it. Welcome back, which ever Whedon did that.
posted by Ber at 7:38 PM on September 24, 2013


How often do we get to see people in an SF property in a nice stable relationship?

About as often as we see non romantic m/f relationships which is never

Oh Zoe and wash, too precious for this world.
posted by The Whelk at 7:43 PM on September 24, 2013


I do love how they were careful not to discuss Coulson's actual sexuality with the "physical therapist" line, and it doesn't actually invalidate all of the Clint/Phil shipping.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:46 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


So....I guess she had it set that way so she couldn't be forced to do it in some dark underground SHIELD-y torture chamber? That sorta makes enough sense to paper over.

I can usually gloss over any inconsistency but the GPS thing really makes no sense.

Sure, the encryption password could be salted with the GPS coordinates of the last location that she unlocked her computer, but there still is no reason that she would actually have to drive there. You would just look up the coordinates on Google Maps. It would take 30 seconds.
posted by zixyer at 7:46 PM on September 24, 2013


As far as I know Fitz and Simmons are just coworkers.

Liked the pilot overall, actually teared up during Mike's speech at the end (JAR knocked it out of the park), and pretty much squeed at the Mutant Enemy logo.
posted by kmz at 7:47 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


and it doesn't actually invalidate all of the Clint/Phil shipping.

also nothing I wrote is non-canon yet so I get a reprieve until Dark World.

Why do I think the flying car is going to be something done in the pilot, mentioned in a few episodes, and then NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN. Like, it feels like that kinda thing.
posted by The Whelk at 7:52 PM on September 24, 2013


Oh, and Ron Glass. Goddamn, we got Ron glass back.

and pretty much squeed at the Mutant Enemy logo

but where was the grrrr, arrrgh?
posted by Ber at 7:52 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]


The Whelk, I recommend Elementary for some great m/f platonic relationshippery. It's also quasi-SF if you want to think of Sherlock's powers that way.

As somebody who's not really into the superhero thing, I thought this was fun. A bit heavy on the exposition at times, and I couldn't quite work out the pre-existing professional relationship between Skye and Coulson (why did he leave her alone with Agent Cheekbones and the truth serum?), but I liked the characters and there was already some nice quippy banter.

I kept expecting Good Lady Scientist and Evil Lady Doctor to be secret twins or something. I'm not particularly skilled at recognising different characters at the best of times, but they looked markedly similar to me.

Is J. August Richards coming back? He was great.
posted by Georgina at 7:59 PM on September 24, 2013


The Whelk: "(that being said I still totally want an Office-style show where everyone just happens to work at a SHIELD-style super organization and I think it's cause I miss Better Off Ted *that much*)"

Damage Control: The Series

restless_nomad: "FBI Agent Whats-His-Name from Dollhouse"

Special Agent Helo
posted by the_artificer at 8:16 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


Karl C. Agathon aka The Only Decent Champion Of Humanity thank you very much.

He's also on Supernatural this season.
posted by The Whelk at 8:19 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


If Tahmoh Penikett isn't on Shield yet he definitely shouldn't be because I would never be able to tell any of the dudes apart (except Clark Gregg). Say what you will about all the white dudes on Supernatural, I can tell all of them apart. Mostly by size.

I really enjoyed the pilot. Not too many deep thoughts, kind of sad that they anvilled on Tahiti so quickly, and I want tons more Ron Glass. I'm kind of ambivalent about J. August Richard's character coming back - I love the actor, but the character felt super thin.

How long until Mark Sheppard shows up?
posted by dinty_moore at 8:36 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Who else really enjoyed the pacifist vibe spearheaded by Coulson? He won't hear of a plan that ends with J. August Richard's death; he invites Skye's trust by presenting her with the giftwrapped truth + Agent Cranky; his big action climax involves talking the walking bomb guy down with empathy. Politeness judo!

I suspect a seasonal conflict of diplomat Coulson vs cranky newbie Ward all "This is dumb, lemme punch stuff," until Coulson finally has enough and rips Ward apart. Which will be unfortunate because I will probably want to punch Ward in the head by then.
posted by nicebookrack at 8:44 PM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]


Also, is this show American Torchwood?

That's a terrible thing to say.
posted by Artw at 9:03 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]


Now imagining Coulson enigmatically smiling through Children of Earth and oh god no.

It's the American version of Primeval. Without dinosaurs (so far). Or Sanctuary, with a bigger budget and slightly less Canadian.

It's a slightly darker and bluer Middleman. Seriously, the lighting didn't help with the not being able to tell people apart thing.
posted by dinty_moore at 9:10 PM on September 24, 2013


The poop line...no, it's a porcupine, because he's....

FLYING CAR. Bet they don't have the budget for that every week.

J. August Richards needs to be brought back. The looks of relief on everyone's faces when he wasn't dead was pretty sweet. Also, points for the callback to IM3.

I'll admit the new team members haven't had much to stand out yet other than Skye (I was finding myself liking her--girl has spunk....yeah, I know), but I have faith since Joss is my god now and all of that. (Plus, a guy who's that cynical about how we're all gonna die is...my kind of dude.)

And now we get to wait around to find out what Coulson doesn't know about his 8-second-death-trip-to-Tahiti. The dude is delightful.

Also enjoyed Maria Hill, who I'm assuming could perhaps become a regular in season 2?

I'm so delighted that for once Joss and co. aren't on Fox and are on a big enough job that it probably won't be canceled right off.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:28 PM on September 24, 2013


Oh yeah, and the use of truth serum! Hah, wasn't expecting that!
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:29 PM on September 24, 2013


I had a little bit of a moment when the Mutant Enemy title card came on the screen. Didn't realize how much I'd missed that "grr, argh."
posted by nonasuch at 9:34 PM on September 24, 2013 [3 favorites]


It's a slightly darker and bluer Middleman.

Yup.

Suprisingly cheap seeming and not firing on all cylinders so far, hopefully the later will change.
posted by Artw at 10:44 PM on September 24, 2013


Didn't realize how much I'd missed that "grr, argh."

I'll say it. I cried.
posted by mikelieman at 8:18 AM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


Apparently the ratings were stellar. We'll have to see how well it holds up, but that is nice.
posted by restless_nomad at 10:28 AM on September 25, 2013


The fact that it's the highest-rated new drama since V, which went on to crater like it was trying to wipe out the dinosaurs, does put a damper on my enthusiasm, I admit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:31 AM on September 25, 2013


there are too many identical looking brunette women with shoulder length hair.

What’s the Matter With Hollywood: Hair Edition.
posted by Iridic at 10:31 AM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


FYI, since the other thread finds it amusing: Coulson's married to Baby from Dirty Dancing!
posted by nicebookrack at 11:23 AM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


"Did anyone feel punted into PCville by the Hooded Hero being black?"

Wait. What? Wait. No. WHAT THE FUCK?

I mean, I can see being a little eyerolly all "Does Whedon ever hire anyone new for bit parts?" but not "Oh my God they hired a black actor the PC Police have taken over the show." I hate to harsh the general buzz but I need some confirmation here that this is MOTHERFUCKING INSANE.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:39 AM on September 25, 2013 [6 favorites]


I really enjoyed the degree to which Coulson's introduction hit the same notes as The Whelk's version.

Coulson's smile is perfect. At any given moment it is the perfect blend of kind, mirthless, conspiratorial, fuck you, and sweet.

Clark Gregg is so damn good.

I figured the car was going to do that but only because the Lego SHIELD car does that.

I knew the car was going to do that, right down to the hovering and the wheels turning sideways, because it was so obviously Nick Fury's old car from his retconned-away swingin' sixties super-spy days! I try not to fall for pandering but LOVED IT.

I'm not actually sure this ep passed the Bechdel test

May and Simmons talk about evidence collection at the scene. Yeah, it was related to a case with a man at the center of it and their discussion quickly referred to him, but I'd call this one for PASSED.
posted by Zed at 11:44 AM on September 25, 2013


"Did anyone feel punted into PCville by the Hooded Hero being black?"

No, but it was interesting to view a black character through the iconic look of Trayvon Martin's hooded sweatshirt. The look on AoS wasn't positive or negative, just interesting to be reminded of how icons are made and reverberate through society.

And I honestly am not sure what Steranko means by the PCville statement, but it sounds like he has an particular view in his mind.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:47 AM on September 25, 2013


May and Simmons talk about evidence collection at the scene

Oh, good. I might watch it again just for kicks, but I was annoyed that there wasn't a single really obvious pass.

it was so obviously Nick Fury's old car from his retconned-away swingin' sixties super-spy days!

It was also a callback to this car from Captain America, which, yay continuity!
posted by restless_nomad at 11:47 AM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


I guess CAPTAIN CWs career was pretty short lived, and this will be more like Alphas.
posted by Artw at 1:57 PM on September 25, 2013


I really enjoyed the degree to which Coulson's introduction hit the same notes as The Whelk's version.

In some ways I've been training all my life for this show.
posted by The Whelk at 2:17 PM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


Steranko is not a fan.
posted by Artw at 2:24 PM on September 25, 2013


I saw it last night and probably won't be watching it regularly. Clark Gregg is great, but there's a very second-hand feel to the Whedonisms.

Still, It's got plenty of room to grow.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:40 PM on September 25, 2013


In some ways I've been training all my life for this show.

As a boy, John Leavitt watched his parents' joy in genre fiction cruelly gunned down outside of a Godard festival. He dedicated his life to trying to ensure that that never happened to anyone ever again.

As a young man, he travelled the world, from the Battery all the way to the Bronx, to find the teachers he needed -- in comics quarter boxes, on carts of used paperbacks, at matinee double-features, yes, even on his couch.

His first time out was a disaster -- an editor tore his story to bits. He knew he needed something more... something to make them take notice. And then his seafood arrived.

"That's it!" he said. "Editors, publishers, producers, by nature, are a cowardly and fad-driven lot! To instill joy into their hearts, I shall become... The Whelk."
posted by Zed at 2:57 PM on September 25, 2013 [5 favorites]


Well it's television (ie not pure magic like Breaking Bad et al) and very Wehdonesque... but I'll give it another couple of eps
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:21 PM on September 25, 2013


well it's not the pilot I've loved most this season - I liked Sleepy Hollow better. But its a serviceable pilot. It explained what was going on well enough, there were a couple of good lines, and I generally like the characters.

I'm not sure it's a good idea to judge a series based on just the pilot anyway. Fringe seemed pretty bland based on the pilot, as did lost. The pilot I remember loving the most ( the first episode of BSG post miniseries doesn't count)was awake and the rest of the series never lived up to the premiere.
posted by dinty_moore at 4:52 PM on September 25, 2013


TBH a day later I couldn't name you any of the characters outside of Coulson or even really tell you how many people were on the team, which is possibly a little problematic - it shouldn't be like counting the Stark kids.
posted by Artw at 4:56 PM on September 25, 2013


Did anyone feel punted into PCville by the Hooded Hero being black?

Oh no! A non-main character was black! One whole character who isn't in the main cast! I don't even know how I can survive it.
posted by jeather at 5:38 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


Isn't it sort of hinted at that they're bringing him back? They don't do a hell of a lot for his problems if they are not.

Mainly I just felt he was cliche and boring.
posted by Artw at 5:53 PM on September 25, 2013


Fun timing, I got to the middle of this thread during the commercials, kinda like listening to a group of wacky buds talking in the background.

So what's an "083"?
posted by sammyo at 6:50 PM on September 25, 2013


They spoiled what an 083 was in the preview for the next episode.
posted by zixyer at 6:53 PM on September 25, 2013


What preview? I know of no preview. I don't think they exist.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:00 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]


such a weird tone for the pilot's narrative structure to pick - it's like they feel they're any minute from cancellation so must. jam. in. everything. to. show. how. cool. everything. is. I say weird because cancellation is the least of their problems. a little more confidence wouldn't go amiss. right now it's just quips and sass and dialogue that looks good on paper.
posted by cendawanita at 7:27 PM on September 25, 2013


Just for shits and giggles I rewatched the Buffy pilot during dinner (the first half - what happened to two-hour pilots, anyway?) and man oh man did that show not come together right away. It's not completely awful, the concept is still great, but the acting is dreadful.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:30 PM on September 25, 2013


New trailer! What's next this season on Agents of SHIELD
posted by nicebookrack at 9:28 PM on September 25, 2013


SPOILERS FOR SHIELD AND IRON MAN 3

I liked this pilot. Coulson is very... nice, for a government agent. You could argue that he was taking a huge chance there, depending upon some kind of untested therapy to stop a dude from exploding and killing hundreds. Maybe his time in Tahiti changed him.

If this show is set after Avengers and before Iron Man 3 the mysterious people behind the centipede research were probably AIM. I wonder if AIM or Hydra will become recurring villains in the series.
posted by Kevin Street at 10:54 PM on September 25, 2013


Coulson has always been nice, though. That's his charm! Thor kicks the ass of many SHIELD agents and Coulson just mildly chides him for being "hurtful," then makes a point during Loki's attack to reassure Thor that Jane Foster is safe. Coulson stays cordial to Loki while in the process of dying at Loki's hand. Coulson even remains on friendly and mostly polite terms with Tony Stark after meeting him more than once, a still-significant feat despite that one time threatening to taze Tony.
posted by nicebookrack at 4:40 AM on September 26, 2013


Yeah, Coulson always seemed affable but vaguely creepy to me. Still seems that way to me in shield.
posted by dinty_moore at 5:14 AM on September 26, 2013


Mainly I just felt he was cliche and boring.

Well, yes, but other than Coulson, this is true of all the characters introduced in the pilot.
posted by jeather at 5:54 AM on September 26, 2013


Maybe his time in Tahiti changed him.

It's a magical place...

My personal theory that's not going to happen is that there's a LMD factory hidden in Walt Disney World's Polynesian resort...

Also, Wanda.
posted by mikelieman at 8:02 AM on September 26, 2013


That said, I had TOTALLY no issues with the Annie/Red Hulk storyline, so I guess I'm of the LMDs Need Love, Too!
posted by mikelieman at 8:03 AM on September 26, 2013


I really hope he isn't a LMD, because that would raise all kinds of complicated questions about the Marvel universe. How many SHIELD agents are androids? Is the President a Life Model Duplicate? If the technology exists, it should be less than full AI.

Hopefully "It's a magical place" is a clue that Tahiti was actually something much stranger - like maybe Doctor Strange pulled Coulson's tulpa out of limbo, or Mephisto made a deal with Nick Fury in exchange for an unspecified favor. Something really out there that shows cast members can't be easily replaced or brought back.
posted by Kevin Street at 12:08 PM on September 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Totally didn't recognise Fitz in the trailer for this trailer for low budget Brit horror film
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:26 PM on September 27, 2013


FAMOUS MONSTER: The GPS encryption thing was some farm-league bullshit writing, though.

Well, there is this patent for location-based encryption. It could be a bullshit patent for woo-encryption (for one, couldn't you just fake the location data and feed it to the algorithm anyway?), but it does make the writing less bullshit.
posted by kandinski at 6:18 AM on September 28, 2013


So... I just accidentally saw part of The New Adventures of Old Christine, featuring a younger Agent Coulson... That was weird.
posted by Artw at 10:54 PM on September 29, 2013


Episode two!

Same complaint so far. Love the setting, do not care about the characters. Ward in particular is a big slab of boring but "NEVER CALL ME THE CAVALRY" came off like a line out of someone's terrible fanfic.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 5:13 PM on October 1, 2013


Airborne man-cave!
posted by nicebookrack at 5:49 PM on October 1, 2013


Ok, that was better.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 6:01 PM on October 1, 2013


Squirrel Girl: The Fan Trailer ( Attention Marvel/Disney/Pixar )
posted by mikelieman at 6:38 PM on October 1, 2013


So my current theory is that "Rising Tide" is a front for Atlantis and Skye is a sleeper agent for Namor. Not sure where she's hiding her little ankle wings, though.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:03 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm just glad to see the life raft from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is still getting work.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:05 PM on October 2, 2013 [3 favorites]


But does the Rising Tide offer dental coverage? Bob the unemployed former agent of HYDRA would really like to know.
posted by nicebookrack at 1:18 PM on October 2, 2013 [1 favorite]


ACCORDING TO RUMOR, Skye has a big reveal soonish - that she's actually an established Marvel character.
posted by The Whelk at 1:26 PM on October 2, 2013


So my current theory is that "Rising Tide" is a front for Atlantis and Skye is a sleeper agent for Namor.

I wouldn't expect anything that costs money or would look out of place on CSI.
posted by Artw at 1:29 PM on October 2, 2013


HMMMMMMM.

A non-powered hacker who distrusts the gummint but supports independent superheroing? Presumably somebody who'd have been on Captain America's side during Civil War...

This is the best I've got, but probably wrong.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:39 PM on October 2, 2013


Also, one great thing about that episode: The premise works much more organically with the setting than "random scientists put all superpowers in a blender and give them to J. August Richards." Old Axis/Allied munitions do in fact turn up every so often, even in well-developed areas -- and that has an entirely different set of implications in a world where "Axis munitions" means "Asgardian death lasers."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:49 PM on October 2, 2013


Don't mean to threadsit, but there go the ratings.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:37 PM on October 2, 2013


Isn't that kind of a given, with a hugely-promoted premiere?
posted by restless_nomad at 2:47 PM on October 2, 2013


Some kind of drop is all but assured, but over a third of the first-night viewers is almost certainly more than they were prepared for.

(For reference, V only lost 26% of its audience from the premiere. I picked a few successful shows at random - Chuck, NCIS, Modern Family, Castle - and they all seemed to have no more than a 10-15% drop-off from the first episode to the second.)
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 3:11 PM on October 2, 2013


It's understandable for a show that was heavily hyped and, um, sorry guys, didn't deliver all that much on its hype.
posted by Artw at 4:24 PM on October 2, 2013


Ouch, that's one harsh headline...
posted by mikelieman at 4:14 AM on October 3, 2013


Well, I really liked it. And the ending was quite a surprise!
posted by Kevin Street at 10:50 PM on October 3, 2013


Weird to have virtually a bottle episode so early in the series
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:35 AM on October 4, 2013


They're establishing the "bus" as HQ for MAoSHIELD, by telling a story that uses pretty much all of it. Quite a nice standing set, too. Sort of like the Serenity set on that other show.

SPOILERS

I was kind of squicked out that they were fighting Peruvian soldiers to (presumably) take an artifact commissioned by the Peruvian government back to America. But it turned out they just wanted to destroy it, since stuff like that was too powerful for anyone to use. Once again a surprisingly non-cynical, but logical ending. SHIELD really does seem to be interested in making the world a better place, and isn't just an arm of the American military.
posted by Kevin Street at 1:52 AM on October 4, 2013


I feel like this is the Captain America influence, he really does have to sell being all Honest and Earnest and Stalwart otherwise we're getting into a whole scary area with the patriotic themed super weapon.
posted by The Whelk at 5:21 AM on October 4, 2013


The show continues to improve week-to-week, I think. As cliche as the ending was, I liked Franklin Hall's character and am interested to see him come back. I will be less interested if he is generically bent on revenge, but I can hope!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:16 PM on October 8, 2013


Yeah, I liked that fairly well. It still seems like they're suffering a little bit from having to have a weekly plot as well as try to intro a fairly big ensemble and have some sort of week-to-week plot, but I'm still basically in.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:17 PM on October 8, 2013


I agree that this show is getting better slowly, though maybe not steadily. There's still a lot going for it but even with the pilot being a B+, this is still some very 7/10 TV for me. It's not bad enough to get disavowed, but I wouldn't be watching this week to week if I had a full dance card of shows to keep up on that I was truly invested in. I want to give it time.

I dunno. As I said on twitter and a few other places tonight: Agents of SHIELD continues to be the show I want to love, but kinda don’t. Sleepy Hollow continues to be the show I REALLY, REALLY shouldn’t love, but I do.
posted by sparkletone at 7:35 PM on October 8, 2013


Yeah, I haven't seen tonight's episode yet, but at this point I'm only watching because of Whedon's track record. I know he can do better and it will probably improve. Much like Legend of Korra.
posted by zixyer at 7:49 PM on October 8, 2013


Yeah, I haven't seen tonight's episode yet, but at this point I'm only watching because of Whedon's track record.

To be clear: Whedon isn't involved in the day to day running of this show like he has been with past ones. His brother Jed Whedon and a couple other people are the show runners. They struggled with the pilot and Joss came in and helped out and I think you can tell. The pilot has way more of his flair than the couple of episodes since. Given how crazy intense making an Avengers movie is for him, I'd not expect much involvement. It'll be more like Lost (shh, let me finish the sentence), where JJ was intensely involved in the pilot, but after that it was Lindelof/Cuse's baby. Which is not to say the two shows will be comparable beyond that... All I'm saying is I don't think of this as a Joss Whedon Joint™ the way Buffy, Firely, Angel or Dollhouse were.

Anyway, the framework they've got to work in is solid, so hopefully once early season one jitters are shaken off they do eventually get to something really, really cool. But right now this merely... competent but kind of bland. Not bad enough to make me drop it (for want of things to take its place in my allotted TV time), but not something I'm much excited about just yet either.
posted by sparkletone at 8:08 PM on October 8, 2013


I was aware of Whedon's current level of involvement, but I'm assuming (perhaps naively) that he will still be steering the show from the background and will become much more involved when he finishes up with Avengers 2.

And I remember hearing that Jed Whedon/Tancharoen were pretty much running Dollhouse, which started off very weak but got much better after the first year.
posted by zixyer at 8:14 PM on October 8, 2013


I think I'm going to go ahead and declare this show just plain bad and no great pity if it does get cancelled.
posted by Artw at 10:51 AM on October 10, 2013


Dollhouse fucking blew until episode 6, so I'm giving it at least that long. And honestly, the first half of the first season of Buffy was pure cheeseball terribleness too. (I am citing Whedon shows because I don't actually watch television otherwise.)

Plus, they promised me more Agent May. I want me some more Agent May.
posted by restless_nomad at 10:57 AM on October 10, 2013


And hey, according to Facebook, it's been picked up for the full season.
posted by restless_nomad at 11:42 AM on October 10, 2013


I'm really struggling to make it through the latest ep... think that might be it for me too.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:03 PM on October 10, 2013


The "I don't want combat! I don't want combat! I don't want combat!" thing had already gotten old before this week. And yet the reversal was unearned.

I enjoyed Coulson's closet full of grey suits and that he stuck with it while storming the beach with Agent Blue Steel outfitted as a commando. But after three episodes, I'd hope for more actual characterization and less fallback on schtick.

Like others have said, Whedon shows have typically had slow starts. More often than not I ended up liking them a lot. But if it weren't for that... yeah, I think I'd be giving up. You're on notice, Agents. Show me something wonderful by mid-season.
posted by Zed at 2:00 PM on October 10, 2013


I think I'm going to go ahead and declare this show just plain bad and no great pity if it does get cancelled.

They announced today that ABC ordered a back nine for SHIELD, so ABC has at least some confidence in them. We'll see if the show finds its legs. It's so common for first seasons to be kinda rough that I'm not willing to damn them just yet, but some signs of improvement would be nice.
posted by sparkletone at 5:55 PM on October 10, 2013


SPOILERS for S01E03

This one wasn't quite as entertaining as the first two, but still had things going for it. There was the possible introduction of one, or maybe two villains. (Both of them more complex than guys who just wear spandex and rob banks.) And some of the actors seemed much more comfortable in their roles. Fitz and Simmons were more like individual characters, and Sky was much more "there" in this episode.

But on the minus side, the big emotional beats in this one were pretty predictable. I never thought that Sky would actually turn traitor. And when they mentioned an inside man in SHIELD but never introduced any suspects, it was obviously going to be the Doctor. He was the only named character who could have done the job!
posted by Kevin Street at 10:57 PM on October 10, 2013




This episode was pretty fun.
posted by Kevin Street at 11:08 PM on October 17, 2013


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