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“They are among us.”
So begins the pilot episode of the highly anticipated series created by Joss Whedon and a few other people I don’t care about. Joss Whedon is the entire reason I was curious about Shield, because HELLO Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The man is inarguably brilliant in my not-so-humble opinion. Obviously anything with his name attached to it has the potential to be mind blowing. Best to move on before I get off topic (HA).
Based on blather I’ve picked up from the internet, viewers were divided on the exact nature of Shield. Are there superheros? Are there no superheros? I think it’s pretty clear after watching the pilot that NO, the show is not about superheros. It’s about secret agents, yes, and of course science, and maybe some of the extraordinary. Coulson and the gang acknowledge the existence of superheros (several Avengers references are made), but Shield will be about government agents trying to do some good in a fucked up world.
Mike Peterson is a guy down on his luck, injured, struggling to support himself and his little boy. He’s running out of options when the evil as-yet-unknown scientists nab him and juice him up with super powers. He heals miraculously, has the Spiderman-like ability to climb buildings, and unfortunately is also likely to explode.
Coulson and the gang to the rescue! Ward is an uptight perfectionist type, Skye is a loner/hacker/genius who of course is also beautiful, there are two charming nerds, and Melinda May.
Basically, Skye stalks Peterson after realizing he’s a “superhero” when he saves a woman (later unveiled as the evil scientist mastermind - naturally, a ginger) from a building explosion. She tries to convince him that a) he should be capitalizing on this shit and b) people in dark suits will come after him.
Skye gets kidnapped by Coulson and Ward and reluctantly joins the team. Peterson starts to get aggressive and crazy, attacking his former boss. There’s a big showdown in a public place, where Coulson smoothly talks Peterson down before Ward hits him with some kind of really effective tranquilizer. Lots of mysterious talk about “Centipede.”
If my recap sounds like I don’t really care, it’s because I don’t. I’m SORRY, Joss Whedon. I still love you, but Shield didn’t excite me the way I had hoped. I realize that some shows have lackluster pilots and later become amazing. I’m hoping that’s the case here.
The best part of the episode was when Coulson gave Ward the truth serum instead of Skye, and Ward starting babbling about wanting to appear masculine. NOT A GOOD SIGN. The witty banter wasn’t incredibly witty. Even the bits that were designed to be tantalizing seemed kind of EH.
I’m wondering how the ratings will be next week. We’ll see! Expect another, hopefully kinder, recap.