Know Your Show: Agents of SHIELD #AtoZChallenge

This post is part of my #A2ZChallenge for April 2016 where my theme is TV Sitcoms. For the letter A, I choose Agents of Shield.

Premise:

Set in the popular Marvel Cinematic World that includes Iron Man, Captain America et al, Marvel's Agents of Shield follows the covert spy agency first introduced in 2008's hit movie Iron Man as they stave off threats against the world from the evil organization HYDRA as well as their own government & other beings with superhuman abilities.

10 reasons you will love Agents of Shield:

1) The most entertaining spy show on TV in years.

2) Unique in that it is the only show on air that directly connects to a huge movie franchise.
The show can be watched independently without needing to watch the movies. It helps though, as the show fills in the plot holes from the movies!

3) When the Whedon family is involved (as creators here), expect good writing, strong characters and unexpected twists. The same applies to the team so your agents include a huge 6'7" guy who rarely ever fights and is just a mechanic. But heaven help you if you annoy a waif-like young woman named Daisy.

4) The initial uneven storytelling improved dramatically after the events of the movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier directly affected the characters in the TV show (SHIELD, remember?) & it has been maintaining a consistently high standard ever since.

5) A good blend of mysteries, comic book nods, Marvel brand of humour, betrayals and surprising pathos too.

6) What at first seems like a vanilla group of individuals has since grown to become a very strong well-etched team. The show is not afraid to kill off characters you love or forever alter your perspective of them which means you can never feel safe.

7) Some of the excellent mysteries/themes with satisfying resolutions have included:

• How did Agent Coulson survive getting stabbed to death by Loki during the Avengers movie? Even Coulson wanted answers to that one!
• How are there super-powered beings like the twins from the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie? Where did they come from?
• With SHIELD disbanded at the end of Captain America: Winter Soldier, what happens to these agents? Do they become Agents of Ex-Shield??
• Where did Agent Nick Fury get a Helicarrier at the end of the Age of Ultron movie?  
• Is 'being different' a crime (a wonderful take on modern-day racism, perhaps?)
• What has HYDRA's true goal been all along? Just world domination or something far more sinister?
• Are there aliens among us? What do they want?  

8) Is there a more women-centric show around on TV? I don't think so. After Agent Phil Coulson, the main focus of the story has always been on the mystery behind Daisy (Chloe Bennet in a star making role) as you see her evolve from an anti-government hacker into the flawed role model she is. And then comes Ming-Na, Elizabeth Henstridge & Adrianne Palicki as the battle-scarred Agent May, the vulnerable science whiz Gemma & the kickass Mockingbird.

9) Clark Gregg. You loved him as Agent Phil Coulson (Iron Man 1 & 2, Thor, Avengers). You hated that he was 'killed' by Loki in the Avengers movie. As the leader of this spy op team, he is absolutely charismatic and brilliant, taking on odds much greater than he ever considered himself capable of with that same disarming charm (Sorry, Phil. I couldn't resist).

10) Final words: When it began, I did not think I would enjoy it much. A Marvel show without superheroes? Today, I find myself more invested in this team than the Avengers who show up once in 3 years. The show has actually improved with each season.

If aliens were to judge us based solely upon this show:

They would retreat and regroup. They would know they have a fight on their hands. Loki & the Chitauri already failed to kill Agent Coulson, remember?

Trivia:

• Whether you are a feminist or not, you have probably called Clark Gregg's wife 'Baby' and wished you were the one doing a naughty dance with her. Mrs Gregg a.k.a. Jennifer Grey was the gorgeous Baby Houseman in that classic Dirty Dancing, after all. Would not try calling actress Ming-Na Wen 'Baby' though... she used to be martial arts expert Chun Li in the old Street Fighter movie!
• Dubsmash Wars. What started as a fun use of the social app Dubsmash by the lead actresses of the two shows Agents of Shield & Agents Carter soon turned into a hilarious online battle as the entire cast (and some famous cameos including Stan Lee!) got involved targeting each other with Dubsmash songs. Seeing the positive attention it was generating, the casts of the two shows used it to good effect, raising nearly $100,000 for two charities. You can see the entire Dubsmash war which took place over nearly half a year here.  See if you can catch two smart Dirty Dancing references in there!

To see all the shows I have talked about till date, please CLICK HERE.