Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Starring: Clark Gregg (136 episodes), Ming Na-Wen (136 episodes), Chloe Bennett (136 episodes), Elizabeth Henstridge (136 episodes), Ian De Caestecker (126 episodes), Henry Simmons (114 episodes), Brett Dalton (64 episodes), Natalia Cordova-Buckley (62 episodes), Jeff Ward (45 episodes), Nick Blood (36 episodes), Adrianne Palicki (31 episodes), Luke Mitchell (29 episodes), John Hannah (27 episodes), Maximilian Osinski (27 episodes), Joel Stoffer (26 episodes), Adrian Pasdar (24 episodes), B.J. Britt (21 episodes), Briana Venskus (20 episodes), Mallory Jansen (19 episodes), Ruth Negga (18 episodes), Jason O'Mara (14 episodes), Kyle MacLachlan (13 episodes), J. August Richards (12 episodes), Simon Kassianides (12 episodes), Patrick Cavanaugh (12 episodes), Powers Boothe (12 episodes), Dichen Lachman (11 episodes), Jamie Harris (11 episodes), Mark Dacascos (11 episodes), Catherine Dent (10 episodes), Enver Gjokaj (10 episodes), Patton Oswalt (10 episodes), Blair Underwood (10 episodes), Gabriel Luna (9 episodes), Zach McGowan (9 episodes), Reed Diamond (9 episodes), Brian Patrick Wade (9 episodes), Coy Stewart (9 episodes), Christine Adams (9 episodes), Thomas E. Sullivan (9 episodes), Dominic Rains (9 episodes), David Conrad (9 episodes), Florence Faivre (8 episodes), Constance Zimmer (8 episodes), Maya Stojan (8 episodes), Spencer Treat Clark (8 episodes), Tunisha Hubbard (8 episodes), Karolina Wydra (7 episodes), Axle Whitehead (7 episodes), Lola Glaudini (7 episodes), Brooke Williams (7 episodes), Winston James Francis (7 episodes), Bill Paxton (7 episodes), Dove Cameron (7 episodes), Tobias Jelinek (6 episodes), Peter Mensah (6 episodes), Matthew Willig (6 episodes), Juan Pablo Raba (6 episodes), Andrew Howard (6 episodes), Christopher James Baker (6 episodes), Ricardo Walker (6 episodes), Alexander Wraith (6 episodes), Lexy Kolker (6 episodes), Dianne Doan (6 episodes), Raquel Gardner (6 episodes), Eve Harlow (6 episodes), Geri-Nikole Love (6 episodes), Alicia Vela-Bailey (6 episodes), Parminder Nagra (5 episodes), Jose Zuniga (5 episodes), Barry Shabaka Henley (5 episodes), Lilli Birdsell (5 episodes), Tamara Taylor (5 episodes), Matt O'Leary (5 episodes), Shontae Saldana (5 episodes), Edward James Olmos (5 episodes), Daz Crawford (5 episodes), Saffron Burrows (4 episodes), Lorenzo James Henrie (4 episodes), Pruitt Taylor Vince (4 episodes), Patrick Warburton (4 episodes), David O'Hara (3 episodes), Titus Welliver (3 episodes), Maximiliano Hernandez (3 episodes), James Paxton (3 episodes), William Sadler (3 episodes), Cobie Smulders (3 episodes), Jaimie Alexander (2 episodes), Peter MacNicol (2 episodes), Hayley Atwell (2 episodes), Samuel L. Jackson (2 episodes), Lucy Lawless (2 episodes), Kirk Acevedo (2 episodes), Jake Busey (2 episodes), Neal McDonough (1 episode), Anthony Michael Hall (1 episode), Gaius Charles (1 episode), Stan Lee (1 episode), Brad Dourif (1 episode), Brian Tee (1 episode), Kenneth Choi (1 episode),
Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen (16 episodes), Jesse Bochco (13 episodes), Billy Gierhart (11 episodes), Vincent Misiano (11 episodes), Garry A. Brown (11 episodes), Bobby Roth (5 episodes), Nina Lopez-Corrado (5 episodes), Roxann Dawson (3 episodes), Kevin Hooks (3 episodes), Ron Underwood (3 episodes), Jed Whedon (2 episodes), Clark Gregg (2 episodes), Jonathan Frakes (2 episodes), Joss Whedon (1 episode), Lou Diamond Phillips (1 episode), Elizabeth Henstridge (1 episode)
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2013-2020

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

Summary: S.H.I.E.L.D agents fight numerous villains and engage in deadly missions to protect the world from threats.

Review:
Tim: It's so difficult to write about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was the first television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it took viewers on an absolutely indescribable journey over seven seasons. I don't think it was ever a great show, but I had a blast watching. It was flawed, overly complicated, constantly on the bubble of getting canceled. And yet it created some memorable characters and was a fun, non-challenging series. It's difficult to sum it up. It was never great, but it was always good.

The series certainly felt like it continually shifted focus. It started off strong, but faced some big issues in the early episodes. It wasn't a show that knew what it was supposed to be. It had some connections with the larger MCU, but it also took some tentative steps to find its own path. It was actually its close connection to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier that showed the promise of the show. The events of that movie reverberated through the show. We'd never really see a series like that- you had to see the movie during the season to fully appreciate what those events meant for the show. It was brilliant and it was exciting. It ended that first season on a high note.

The second season introduced new agents, connected to Avengers: Age of Ultron, and introduced the Inhumans. Season three dug deep into the mythology of the Inhumans. Season four took some big risks- the first section of the season introduced Ghost Rider and dealt with the more mystical aspects of the MCU. The season shifted to focus on the Life Model Decoys, and the remainder of the season took place inside a Virtual Reality alternative world. The fifth season took the team into space and into the future, after the Earth was destroyed. That season dealt with the agents trying to prevent that future from happening. Season six introduced the Chronicoms and the Shrike parasites trying to infect the Earth. The final season featured the agents moving through time to stop a Chronicom threat. It's amazing how much ground this series covered- from Hydra agents to Inhumans, trips into space, back in time, into virtual worlds. It didn't always suggest the film had the clearest vision, but it was amazing the adventures these agents got up to. The breadth of it is stunning.

The cast was the biggest reason to watch the show. While some character development certainly took place, it wasn't always the main focus. The cast might not have delivered world-shattering performances, but you grew to truly love the over the course of the series. Clark Gregg doesn't always act the best, but he seems like a genuinely good person. Bringing back Agent Coulson from the movies and giving him his own show was brilliant. You get to truly understand him and marvel at what he goes through during the course of this series. I loved that we got so much time with a terrific character that could have been a throwaway supporting one. Gregg was enjoyable in this role. Ming-Na Wen did fantastic work as Agent Melinda May. She was excellent throughout all seven seasons. Chloe Bennett was great fun to watch. Her transformation from Skye to Daisy and everything in between was one of the most critical aspects of the entire show. Her character's relationship to Coulson was the heart of the show and it was great fun to watch Gregg and Bennett together. Elizabeth Henstridge and Ian De Caestecker went from purely supporting characters at the beginning to fully realized, complex characters as the series progressed. Their story tugged at the heartstrings and I loved them both for their excellent performances. Henry Simmons emerged as one of the great additions to the cast. I almost can't remember a time before Mac was on the show. He was critical to the series' success. Brett Dalton was overused, but man, he created some of the most memorable moments on the show. Natalia Cordova-Buckley was never my favorite, but she did solid work. Jeff Ward added great humor. I really loved Nick Blood and Adrianne Palicki and I was so disappointed when they left to spin off their own show (which never materialized). The core of the agent team grew on you over seven years and I really did find myself caring about them.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. benefited from some stunningly good supporting actors. Getting John Hannah, Adrian Pasdar, B.J. Britt, Ruth Negga, Jason O'Mara, Kyle MacLachlan, J. August Richards, Powers Boothe, Patton Oswalt, Blair Underwood, Gabriel Luna, Constance Zimmer, Edward James Olmos, Saffron Burrows, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Titus Welliver, William Sadler, Lucy Lawless and many others for extended time was amazing. I mean, the great Bill Paxton had a run on this show. That's amazing. I loved that Enver Gjokaj was able to make this leap from Agent Carter to this show. You got people from the movies, like Cobie Smulders, Hayley Atwell, Jaimie Alexander, and even Samuel L. Jackson. The talent amassed here is nothing short of outstanding.

Now, I do acknowledge some issues with the series. It struggled to find its own identify within the larger MCU. Some of the ties to the movies were fantastic, but as the series progressed, it moved away from that. It never addressed the issues in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which felt like a miss. The small television budget held the stories back, although the visual effects were solid for a show on ABC. The dialogue was often stilted. The whole story got so incredibly complicated. My wife actually abandoned the show after about five seasons. It just got to be too much.

While I acknowledge all that, I still had a fun time watching this. I love that it's the first MCU television series and it outlasted all that followed. Riding the ups and downs was worth it, especially for that final episode and getting a chance to say goodbye to these characters. Definitely consider me a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Agent Carter, Inhumans (maybe)