Midseason Report Card: Was ‘Agents of SHIELD’ season 2 heroic enough so far?
Through the first half of season 1, Marvel’s “Agents of SHIELD” became one of the favorite shows for cynical TV critics to mock. While there were many good things being brought to the table, there were also some flaws. Many of the stories were disjointed, we didn’t know the characters well enough, and it just felt like Marvel or the producers were holding back some of the powers that the show truly needed.
Still, we wonder somewhat if this show would be getting far better ratings now if it was as good right from the beginning as it was starting to become during the second half of season 1. Unfortunately, viewers are not so patient these days and many jumped ship by that point.
In looking at the first half of season 2 in the latest edition of our CarterMatt Midseason Report Card series, we are able to say that we feel, at least for the most part, very satisfied with the direction that we saw the show take following some of those big twists with Hydra, and leading up to the enormous Daisy Johnson twist to close out the midseason finale.
What worked – Almost everything from Bobbi Morse’s arrival onward was fantastic, with great action sequences and strong cast performances around. Clark Gregg and Brett Dalton were stellar, with a bonus nod to Tim DeKay for his two-episode turn as the Senator.
Also, what made that Inhuman twist so great was that really, we should have seen it coming given the third part of the MCU and the knowledge of the Kree that is already out there. Still, somehow in between the presentation of it and the sheer effects, we were still blown away. The fact that the show was given some creative freedom to explore that is something any fan should be thrilled with.
What didn’t – We do feel like this season took a few weeks to get going, though not nearly as long as the first season. In particular, we wanted Ward to have even more to do, even with him being in prison. A few episodes ultimately just blended together around the third or fourth week.
Overall – While this may pale slightly to the second half of season 1, “Agents of SHIELD” proved itself to be a show immune to the sophomore slump so far. Not only that, but they’ve given us the best cliffhanger of the entire fall season. March 3 cannot come soon enough. Grade: B+.
What did you think about the first half of “Agents of SHIELD” season 2? Share some of your thoughts now with a comment! Also, click here to get some other updates related to the show, or here if you want to sign up to get some more news on everything we cover via our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)