- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
[WARNING: Spoilers ahead from Tuesday’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, “The Only Light in the Darkness”]
For more than a half year, I’ve ranted, rattled and ruminated over the techno-spy series’ milquetoast approach to action drama — warm, fuzzy, and so touchy-feely, it would make Oprah OD from a glucose spike!
Why in hell would anyone engage the SHIELD concept, abort the emphasis on fantastic weaponry and white-knuckle action, and morph the Agents of SHIELD characters into apathetic, soap-opera cutouts eternally spilling their tepid guts between commercial breaks? Hollywood conceit or just rampant miscalculation?
STORY: Jim Steranko on ‘Agents of SHIELD’: ‘Back to Its Old Tricks’
Even Ibsen would have blanched at the agonizingly-slow pace at which narrative and character elements unfold, week after week, month after month, eon after eon — clearly not SHIELD style. I may not know much, but I know the SHIELD premise, and it’s not endless chatter.
That’s why the switcheroo dictated by the show’s producers over the past few episodes has been welcomed by all concerned. I’ve done almost everything except pray to the Cathode God that the show’s prime movers pit the SHIELD crew against each other in white-knuckle clashes that sizzle with tension, to transform the goody-two-shoes mannerisms and ho-hum dialogue into eruptions of raw conflict and confrontation.
VIDEO: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’: ‘Not A Typical Super Hero Movie’
So, while the teeth-grinding quiescence of salting plot and character bits continues unabated, at least the protagonists are exhibiting some fire in their delivery, particularly agents Coulson, Ward and (best of them all) May.
And no, I’m not even remotely suggesting the THR reviews were instrumental in creating the turnaround, just that the observation was stated here first and often. Even against the ponderous, actionless format (the first act of this week’s foray, for example, actually dragged past the half-hour point, which may be about 20 minutes too long!), the heat of the characters’ aggression brought some welcome life into play — in addition to providing the actors with an opportunity to exercise some of their thespian skills.
The Bottom Line: All chatter (no matter how cute and clever) and no action make AOS a disappointing hour — because, let’s face it, AOS ain’t no Ibsen!
Related Stories
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day