MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD – Episode 2 Review

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD did not disappoint with its second episode tonight.  I think early on CBS has a real winner of a show.  And the cameos…if you listened real closely you could hear the collective nerd sploosh when Samuel L. Jackson got in on the fun and made his first (of many, hopefully) guest-spot as the gruff Colonel Nick Fury.  Besides Samuel L. getting in on the fun, tonight’s episode featured the lovely Leonor Varela, kind of like a poor man’s Sophia Vergera.  Varela is probably most famous for her screen roles in Blade II and The Man in The Iron Mask.

Tonight’s episode of SHIELD, entitled “0-8-4,” a code for dangerous items of possible alien origin (Coulson jokes about the last 084 being Thor’s hammer).  In essence, this episode was the team builder, the hour-long montage that cements Agent Coulson’s team together.  The team flies to Peru to do their due diligence on the 084 report.  The meat of the episode takes place on Coulson’s new plane.  Another present from SHIELD for services rendered; the agent makes another wry comment concerning his (maybe) demise to Loki.  So, the team having picked up a piece of the Tesseract’s energy cell (love the tie-ins) and rescued Leonor’s team of Peruvian locals after a shaky showdown at the dig site, are aboard the shiny new plane when treachery strikes.  Agent Coulson’s team is betrayed by the Peruvians and the SHIELD boys and girls have to come together and work as a unit to make it out.  All of the spanning story lines are touched on and you get a feel for more secrets and maybe a love story (I am looking at you Agent Skye and Agent Ward).  Ming-Na’s character has an interesting past…The Cavalry?  The more I see of this show the more I fall for it; like an eigth-grader at his first dance.  It has that Whedon feel, and it is in the Marvel Universe!  Did I mention the tie-ins?  HYDRA was talked about and gamma-radiation (a la The Hulk).  And keep your eye on Skye…still working with the Rising Tide it seems.

I know there are a lot of folks out there nay saying this show.  I have seen many complaints and gripes.  Give it a chance folks.  How many people jumped right on the Firefly bandwagon?  Let Joss do his thing.  This show is going to be huge.  Did you see the new Thor: The Dark World trailer?  Guest stars.  The movie connections.  The story lines have been good and the characters are developing.  I am hooked.  Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is on the rise; hop on fellow geeks and enjoy the ride with me.