Tag Archives: Joss Whedon

Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Seeds”

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Hello again, Level 7 Agents!  SHIELD is back after last week’s big episode, which explored the mysteries behind Coulson’s resurrection and the secret of the “Magical Place” from his memory.  Tonight’s episode continued the trend of revelations, this time giving us a partial explanation of Skye’s mysterious past which raises more questions than it answers while simultaneously driving the character forward (as all good mystery answers should).  It also brought back a character from earlier in the season, introduced us to a classic character from the comics as well as giving us a look at the oft-discussed SHIELD Academy.  In all, another solid episode from the show, as things keep building and growing.  So let’s go ahead and jump right into “Seeds”, written by Monica Owusu-Breen and showrunner Jed Whedon and directed by Ken Fink.

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My Top 10 (and Bottom 3) at the Movies in 2013

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Now that 2014 is well under way it’s a good time to look back at the movies of 2013.  I went to the movies 40 times in 2013, a pretty low number for me, seeing 32 new films (the other 8 were either movies I saw more than once or classics I got the chance to see on the big screen).  Through a variety of reasons, I’ve managed to miss most of the big awards contenders including 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Her, Philomena and The Wolf of Wall Street, unlike last year when I had seen most of them.  Instead of simply ranking my favorite films from the past year, however, I prefer to highlight my top 10 (and bottom 3) movie-related things from 2013.  Some of these will be particular movies or performances, some will be scenes or aspects of production, and some are bits of news or interpretations.  I hope you enjoy it, and remember to let me know your favorite (or least favorite) film-related things from 2013! Continue reading →

Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Magical Place”

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I hope everybody enjoyed their holidays, because it’s time to ring in 2014 with a new episode of Agents of SHIELD.  Things were looking pretty dim when we last left our heroes; Coulson had been captured, everyone’s favorite guest star Mike Peterson had been blown up and our team had been left to fend for themselves.  Tonight’s episode picked up right where “The Bridge” left off, with Coulson’s Crew searching for him, while we learned some shocking new information about the show’s biggest mystery: Coulson’s resurrection.  Coulson’s absence allowed us to see how the team’s relationships have grown over the course of the show, now that he is not there to smooth things over.  Plus we got some action and a good helping of humor, plus some new information about Centipede.  But enough about all that, let’s jump to “The Magical Place”, written by Paul Zbyszewski and Brent Fletcher and directed by Kevin Hooks. Continue reading →

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Bridge”

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After a week off Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back, with the final episode of 2013.  That’s right, SHIELD won’t be back until January 7th, so we’ll have to wait until then to see how tonight’s shocking ending is resolved.  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  Last time we got a fun standalone story that gave us an interesting explanation for ghosts and a good helping of insight into Melinda May.  Last night’s episode went the other direction, with less in the way of character development (at least for our regulars) but our biggest “mythology” episode yet.  That’s right, Centipede is back, and they keep getting more threatening with each appearance.  So without further ado, let’s jump right in to “The Bridge”, written by Shalisha Francis and directed by Holly Dale.

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Repairs”

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Sorry this is a bit late, loyal readers, but being off this week for Thanksgiving is messing with my routine.  Last week’s SHIELD episode gave us the much anticipated tie in to Thor: The Dark World that ended up only being tangentially related to the film.  It was still a fun and interesting episode, even if the connection between show and movie was fairly inconsequential.  Last night’s episode gave us a new unexplained phenomenon for our crew to investigate, while also finally exploring Melinda May’s background and character to an extent beyond what we’d seen thus far on the show.  And we even got a little bit of theological discussion thrown into the mix.  So let’s jump right in to “Repairs”, written by showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen and directed by Billy Gierhart.

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Well”

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After the last two superb episodes, SHIELD has finally arrived at the point that many have been waiting for: a direct crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Last week gave us a fun, exciting and hilarious James Bond adventure which simultaneously expanded the scope and mythology of the show.  This week, however, found our heroes dealing with the direct aftermath of the events of Thor: The Dark World, currently the top film at the worldwide box office.  It’s a tough act for the show to pull off, trying to find a way to work the film and the episode together in a way that honors the film but feels true to the show, and I think SHIELD pulled it off with subtlety and a light touch which kept things surprising.  So without further ado, let’s fall down “The Well”, which was written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Will Riker).

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Hub”

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Hello Level 7 Agents, SHIELD is back but you may need your clearance upped for tonight’s episode.  Last week’s episode was the best one since the pilot, with the show taking a huge leap forward in terms of character development and emotion.  Tonight’s episode continued that trend, and I think it’s safe to say that after these last two episodes SHIELD has definitely found its feet.  “The Hub”, written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc and directed by Bobby Roth, gave us a look into SHIELD’s daily operation and the scope of the organization, a peek into the mystery of Skye’s parents, some development on Coulson’s resurrection, not to mention some solid action and some of the funniest lines of the season.  Without further ado, let’s take it from the top. Continue reading →

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “F.Z.Z.T.”

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After a week off (a bye week, as my best friend called it) SHIELD is back!  Last time we got our most mythologically interesting episode to date, which gave us glimpses into Skye’s backstory as well as more information about the mysterious Centipede group.  Tonight’s episode set aside the mythology to give us a mysterious investigation and a generous helping of emotion, we learned a lot more about Fitz and Simmons and got some excellent acting from Clark Gregg and company.  So without further ado, let’s dive into the amusingly named “F.Z.Z.T.”, written by Paul Zbyszewski and directed by Vincent Misiano.

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t need fixing, just patience

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Entertainment Weekly ran an article today about “How to fix ‘Agents of SHIELD’”, which brought up many of the common complaints about Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. along with a variety of suggestions for how the show to improve.  I’ve spent some time perusing forums and comment sections and have seen most of these complaints before, and I thought I’d take some time to answer some of them.  I should preface this by saying that I’m hardly an unbiased observer.  I’m already attached to SHIELD, and I’m obviously enjoying it.  I want to see it succeed, but even more than that I want the writers and creators to tell the story they want to tell without trying to bow to internet grumblings.  (This would obviously be different if the show had a problem of a social variety, such as racism, misogyny or a negative attitude towards LGBT issues.  I would say that the show is pretty darn white, though of the 6 leads one actor is Chinese and another is half Chinese, so that’s something at least.  As for LGBT characters, I have faith in Joss and company if not in ABC, considering it took huge ensemble show Once Upon a Time three seasons before we got an LGBT character.)  Suffice to say I’m invested in SHIELD and I think it’s doing a lot of things right, and while I’m not a big fan of audience blaming I think some of the criticism is unfair and shortsighted.

Before I get to addressing Darren Franich’s specific complaints/suggestions, I should say that I think SHIELD’s creators have a different approach to “genre” television than what is commonly seen on TV in the 2010’s and what audiences expect from “genre” television in general these days.

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Recap: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Girl in the Flower Dress”

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We’ve made it to our fifth episode of SHIELD, and I think it’s safe to say that the plot has thickened.  Tonight’s episode gave us some major character developments and background information, a peak into the season’s potential “Big Bad”, a continuation of plot points from earlier in the season and some internal conflict within the group.  The darker and more mature tone from last week continued this week, but instead of detached eyeballs and severed hands we got some good old sex.  And, perhaps biggest of all, the show returned to the issue of superpowers, something that will be key for the show if it wants to be a success.  But let’s take it from the top! Continue reading →

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