Pilot was above average and got my attention. Latest episode way below average to the point it was bad! I could make up a checklist of cliche's and they would all get a tick next to them. Cameo at the end was the only good thing and "cancel the fish tank"
Not having a dig at you, but surely a show's failure to meet individual expectations is the individual's problem, not the show's? I absolutely take your point that a lot of fans expected more superhero action, but personally I thought the pre-launch PR had made it clear that this series was more about ordinary people doing extraordinary things than anything else. The key really is can the show meet the expectations of a wider mainstram audience upon whose viewing decisions the show will live or die?
100% agree about the set-up of this episode being obvious I guess thatr's the trade-off of a 42-minute TV episode - this one traded off a clever plot for more time on focussing on fleshing out some of the team, which I guess you have to do in the infancy of a show.
I agree, I was never expecting superheroes, this is about the organisation behind the superheroes and I, for one, am really interested in finding out more about SHIELD and how it operates.
I enjoyed the second episode, the humour I expect from a Marvel product is there, Agent Coulson is one of my favourite characters and there was a nice nod with SLJ's appearance at the end.
The plot was fairly mundane but they did okay with it, still not 100% sure on the "spy on the inside" storyline with Skye, it's either going to be dreadfully obvious (she comes to change her mind and really bonds with the team, leaves Rising Tide) or she's going to be the end of season casualty if she remains a "traitor". I suppose they could possibly run a third option and she's then turned double agent or we find out Rising Tide isn't actually a bunch of baddies after all.
The action stuff is done well, specially on a TV budget and now they've got the start of the team bonding out of the way, hopefully the story narrative's going to pick up a bit.
No denying that Firefly hit the ground running but Angel and especially Buffy took a little longer than two episodes to develop into the shows they eventually became.
Honestly, can you imagine Buffy had debuted this year? It would have been lucky to get a second season.
Couldn't agree more, Buffy would never have made it out of commissioning hell after Season One.
I agree, I was never expecting superheroes, this is about the organisation behind the superheroes and I, for one, am really interested in finding out more about SHIELD and how it operates.
I enjoyed the second episode, the humour I expect from a Marvel product is there, Agent Coulson is one of my favourite characters and there was a nice nod with SLJ's appearance at the end.
The plot was fairly mundane but they did okay with it, still not 100% sure on the "spy on the inside" storyline with Skye, it's either going to be dreadfully obvious (she comes to change her mind and really bonds with the team, leaves Rising Tide) or she's going to be the end of season casualty if she remains a "traitor". I suppose they could possibly run a third option and she's then turned double agent or we find out Rising Tide isn't actually a bunch of baddies after all.
The action stuff is done well, specially on a TV budget and now they've got the start of the team bonding out of the way, hopefully the story narrative's going to pick up a bit.
I can't see Skye ever being written out - although I also said there was no way they'd get SLJ to cameo! - she's there as a combination of eye candy and the audience's eye-view. Pretty sure she will make a decision to jump ship at some pointg - the way that final scene was played she was clearly already conflicted about being a mole. For me, Skye looks like she is going to be (after Coulson) the central character in the show.
I think the "on a TV budget" bit is an important thing to remember. It's never going to replicate the films - how can it given both the budgetary and time constraints of a TV show? - but that's not the point. What it will give us (eventually) is depth of characterisation and a team we get to know and really care about. It could all go horribly wrong but here's hoping they get it right.
... then consider him as the 'everyman' - even aside from the fact that he has a secret that even he 'must never know'. Yes I do know that it's a convenient hook as part of the mis en scene.
I was wondering if there were too many characters but Joss had 9 Main characters in Firefly compared to the 6 here and there isn't a Firefly episode I can think of where the story suffered in the same way.
There were duff Fierfly stories. The Message is one of the worst. Smuggling human organs inside the courier's body: what happens when he arrives and you take the organs out? How does he get his own organs back? Why didn't they smuggle the illegal ones they same way they smuggled his? And most of the plot arises because Mal won't tell the guy his plan, for no reason. And then at the end the bad guys are scared away by a face to face confrontation, again for no reason. Firefly had great characters, but everything else about it could be weak.
With SHIELD, it's still early days. It's loads better than, say, Revolution or Under the Dome.
There were duff Fierfly stories. The Message is one of the worst. Smuggling human organs inside the courier's body: what happens when he arrives and you take the organs out? How does he get his own organs back? Why didn't they smuggle the illegal ones they same way they smuggled his? And most of the plot arises because Mal won't tell the guy his plan, for no reason. And then at the end the bad guys are scared away by a face to face confrontation, again for no reason. [I]Firefly [/I]had great characters, but everything else about it could be weak.
With SHIELD, it's still early days. It's loads better than, say, Revolution or Under the Dome.
Sadly shield hasn't got none, even Coulson (better as a cameo like in the films), and the SLJ cameo, please that was just poor, and looked like a last minute addition added on at the end to please fans. But there is still time for it to improve. At the moment I would compare it to the awful first season of Falling Skies.
Nice episode 3 with great use of Ian Hart and hopefully we get to see him return. Lots of references (maybe too many) to Coulson 'feeling rusty'. Red herring for him being an AI? or blatant obvious clue?
Nice episode 3 with great use of Ian Hart and hopefully we get to see him return. Lots of references (maybe too many) to Coulson 'feeling rusty'. Red herring for him being an AI? or blatant obvious clue?
Yes the 'muscle memory' thing was a bit of a give away.
Not a bad episode but I'm still not feeling it.
Just knew that the bloke would still be in the gravity ball at the end.
Yes the 'muscle memory' thing was a bit of a give away.
Surely if Coulson was this life model / AI thing that everyone is raving about, he'd not have lost his touch.
Also, I don't know whether this is me clutching at straws, but when Coulson referenced working with the Avengers, Agent May clearly said "yeah, you died" ~ both in the past tense, and in the tense that when she said 'you' she meant 'you/him' like he'd been resurrected.
The ratings for SHIELD have continued to decline with each new episode in the US.. It's not a big drop but it's not the massive hit ABC was expecting. The show is not in any danger of cancellation so there's no worries there for fans. This is a major property for ABC and they're going to stick with it.
Viewing figures so far:
1st Episode - 12.12 million
2nd Episode - 8.66 million
3rd Episode - 7.72 million
As you can see it lost a fair chunk of viewers during the 2nd episode. The 3rd episode saw a slight drop so the ratings for the show may finally be settling down. Still a very decent amount of viewers.
Total viewers mean FA. Literally NOTHING. Shows with 11m viewers have been cancelled, because they skew too old. Advertisers want to reach the people that watch TV less (18-49 year olds) therefore any show that appeals to that demographic (regardless of total viewers) is of more value.
18-49 rating is the only figures networks care about, ep. 3 got a 2.8 (down 0.5 from last week).
It's good, but not exceptional. I'd imagine if it gets renewed (which it probably will) you can expect budget cuts ahoy...
Total viewers mean FA. Literally NOTHING. Shows with 11m viewers have been cancelled, because they skew too old. Advertisers want to reach the people that watch TV less (18-49 year olds) therefore any show that appeals to that demographic (regardless of total viewers) is of more value.
18-49 rating is the only figures networks care about, ep. 3 got a 2.8 (down 0.5 from last week).
It's good, but not exceptional. I'd imagine if it gets renewed (which it probably will) you can expect budget cuts ahoy...
I don't think ABC wants to piss MARVEL off. I think a 2nd season is going to happen.
Anyway, this is the "all-important 18-49 demo" (I'd like to smack the corporate knuckleheads who thought this up):
I'm still not sold on this show. It still feels lackluster, unambitious to me. But I've decided that I'm going to watch the rest of the season. I really hope it gets better.
Episode started well then got too Skye centric for me.
We got the flashy sci fi elements at the beginning and end but fairly standard action melodrama in between..and strangely it all looks a bit cheap budget wise.
Coulsons actions seem all over the place..he went out of his way to save Mike in the first episode but sacrificed Hall in this show ?
Still feels worth sticking with but could be a lot better.
Does get extra marks for somebody going in a pool and still being wet 10 minutes later.
Another good episode. Skye's 'journey' was a little predictable, but played out nicely enough and I'm slightly starting to warm to Ward a bit more than before.
Was cool to see our first established Marvel villain origin story too.
I don't think ABC wants to piss MARVEL off. I think a 2nd season is going to happen.
Anyway, this is the "all-important 18-49 demo" (I'd like to smack the corporate knuckleheads who thought this up):
I'm still not sold on this show. It still feels lackluster, unambitious to me. But I've decided that I'm going to watch the rest of the season. I really hope it gets better.
I don't doubt they'll be a second series, but they might have to get used to having less money.
Nobody thought it up, it's the law of supply and demand. 18-49s watch less TV, therefore shows which attract them are scarce, and advertisements in shows which attract 18-49s are also scarce. Because they're scarce, advertisers are willing to pay more for these slots, making these shows more profitable for the network.
If old people watched less TV, their demographic would become scarce and after a while more shows would be aimed at them...
Coulsons actions seem all over the place..he went out of his way to save Mike in the first episode but sacrificed Hall in this show?
Mike was a victim who could be saved. Hall was delusional and Coulson only sacrificed him when there were zero choices left on the table and lives at immediate risk
Nice episode 3 with great use of Ian Hart and hopefully we get to see him return. Lots of references (maybe too many) to Coulson 'feeling rusty'. Red herring for him being an AI? or blatant obvious clue?
I thought there were loads of trails being laid down to make the viewer wonder, Coulson's muscle memory, the "truth serum", Ward's younger brothers, Skye's seeming betrayal of Shield and then acceptance she wants in and Dr Hall's possible end. Quinn getting away also opens up future series long arcs with him as a primary antagonist.
Overall I thought it was yet another improvement on last week, less reliance on gadgets and more human intuition and a building up of team work.
Also, I don't know whether this is me clutching at straws, but when Coulson referenced working with the Avengers, Agent May clearly said "yeah, you died" ~ both in the past tense, and in the tense that when she said 'you' she meant 'you/him' like he'd been resurrected.
I've always said, if you don't see it happen on screen, it didn't happen. We didn't see Coulson die, we saw his eyes close, we saw Fury start to walk away, we saw the medic team come in, but we didn't see the flatline etc. Besides, this is Marvel, death's only an occupational hazard at Shield
The ratings for SHIELD have continued to decline with each new episode in the US.. It's not a big drop but it's not the massive hit ABC was expecting. The show is not in any danger of cancellation so there's no worries there for fans. This is a major property for ABC and they're going to stick with it.
Viewing figures so far:
1st Episode - 12.12 million
2nd Episode - 8.66 million
3rd Episode - 7.72 million
As you can see it lost a fair chunk of viewers during the 2nd episode. The 3rd episode saw a slight drop so the ratings for the show may finally be settling down. Still a very decent amount of viewers.
TV companies are also now starting to take notice of the social media buzz which any given programme creates. They monitor mentions on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook etc and this now counts towards their "audience" when deciding on show renewals. Agents of Shield is getting good buzz, not only on viewing figures but taking into account the +1, +3 and +7 demographics as well.
Based on Live + 3 Day data for the 2nd episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the new ABC drama saw significantly bigger TV playback gains than for its premiere telecast. The show surged 51% to 4.92 Adult 18-49 rating (vs. a 3.26 rating in L+SD), up from a 38% increase for its debut telecast. Additionally, the second episode of the show built 39% in L+3 to deliver 12.07 million Total Viewers (vs. 8.66 million viewers in L+SD), up from a 31% increase for its première.
So far apparently 22.1m people have watched the pilot episode, taking into account the Tivo etc.
It was interesting how they altered the origin story as well, I seem to remember Hall got his powers after an explosion and that he at first tried not to use them at all before eventually succumbing to temptation. I liked that, in this interpretation, they had him wanting to destroy the element before it became dangerous. I wonder if they're going to bring him back as Graviton, maybe a bit above the budget for the sort of powers he has.
Total viewers mean FA. Literally NOTHING. Shows with 11m viewers have been cancelled, because they skew too old. Advertisers want to reach the people that watch TV less (18-49 year olds) therefore any show that appeals to that demographic (regardless of total viewers) is of more value
Ridiculous. What kind of crack pot reasoning is this? I don't know who comes up with these things, I really don't.
Regarding this episode, definitely an improvement from last week. There seems to be more depth and layers developing with the two most unpopular characters with viewers (Skye and Ward). I loved Skye's vulnerability at the end, and it also shows that she is just a lost kid at heart.
I'll say it again, this show was always going to fail in the eyes of a lot of people. To go from the big screen to a season 1 network budget and then think you're gonna get the ambition and wow factor of that big cinema screen is asking far too much.
Ridiculous. What kind of crack pot reasoning is this? I don't know who comes up with these things, I really don't.
Regarding this episode, definitely an improvement from last week. There seems to be more depth and layers developing with the two most unpopular characters with viewers (Skye and Ward). I loved Skye's vulnerability at the end, and it also shows that she is just a lost kid at heart.
I'll say it again, this show was always going to fail in the eyes of a lot of people. To go from the big screen to a season 1 network budget and then think you're gonna get the ambition and wow factor of that big cinema screen is asking far too much.
I think you're right that we can't expect big budget wows but I don't think that's the problem..the problem is lack of ambition in the creativity of the stories..And I don't think that needs money
To wax on about one of my favourite shows at the moment..Person of Interest , which to all intents and purposes is the story of a vigilante righting wrongs in New York but which through real creativity is now in danger of out-Fringeing Fringe for sheer joyful weirdness .
Budget means nothing if you can tell a good story.
Comments
I agree, I was never expecting superheroes, this is about the organisation behind the superheroes and I, for one, am really interested in finding out more about SHIELD and how it operates.
I enjoyed the second episode, the humour I expect from a Marvel product is there, Agent Coulson is one of my favourite characters and there was a nice nod with SLJ's appearance at the end.
The plot was fairly mundane but they did okay with it, still not 100% sure on the "spy on the inside" storyline with Skye, it's either going to be dreadfully obvious (she comes to change her mind and really bonds with the team, leaves Rising Tide) or she's going to be the end of season casualty if she remains a "traitor". I suppose they could possibly run a third option and she's then turned double agent or we find out Rising Tide isn't actually a bunch of baddies after all.
The action stuff is done well, specially on a TV budget and now they've got the start of the team bonding out of the way, hopefully the story narrative's going to pick up a bit.
Couldn't agree more, Buffy would never have made it out of commissioning hell after Season One.
I think the "on a TV budget" bit is an important thing to remember. It's never going to replicate the films - how can it given both the budgetary and time constraints of a TV show? - but that's not the point. What it will give us (eventually) is depth of characterisation and a team we get to know and really care about. It could all go horribly wrong but here's hoping they get it right.
With SHIELD, it's still early days. It's loads better than, say, Revolution or Under the Dome.
Sadly shield hasn't got none, even Coulson (better as a cameo like in the films), and the SLJ cameo, please that was just poor, and looked like a last minute addition added on at the end to please fans. But there is still time for it to improve. At the moment I would compare it to the awful first season of Falling Skies.
Yes the 'muscle memory' thing was a bit of a give away.
Not a bad episode but I'm still not feeling it.
Just knew that the bloke would still be in the gravity ball at the end.
Also, I don't know whether this is me clutching at straws, but when Coulson referenced working with the Avengers, Agent May clearly said "yeah, you died" ~ both in the past tense, and in the tense that when she said 'you' she meant 'you/him' like he'd been resurrected.
Yeah, that was a given.
Viewing figures so far:
1st Episode - 12.12 million
2nd Episode - 8.66 million
3rd Episode - 7.72 million
As you can see it lost a fair chunk of viewers during the 2nd episode. The 3rd episode saw a slight drop so the ratings for the show may finally be settling down. Still a very decent amount of viewers.
LINK
18-49 rating is the only figures networks care about, ep. 3 got a 2.8 (down 0.5 from last week).
It's good, but not exceptional. I'd imagine if it gets renewed (which it probably will) you can expect budget cuts ahoy...
I don't think ABC wants to piss MARVEL off. I think a 2nd season is going to happen.
Anyway, this is the "all-important 18-49 demo" (I'd like to smack the corporate knuckleheads who thought this up):
Episode #1 - 4.7
Episode #2 - 3.3
Episode #3 - 2.8
I'm still not sold on this show. It still feels lackluster, unambitious to me. But I've decided that I'm going to watch the rest of the season. I really hope it gets better.
We got the flashy sci fi elements at the beginning and end but fairly standard action melodrama in between..and strangely it all looks a bit cheap budget wise.
Coulsons actions seem all over the place..he went out of his way to save Mike in the first episode but sacrificed Hall in this show ?
Still feels worth sticking with but could be a lot better.
Does get extra marks for somebody going in a pool and still being wet 10 minutes later.
Was cool to see our first established Marvel villain origin story too.
I don't doubt they'll be a second series, but they might have to get used to having less money.
Nobody thought it up, it's the law of supply and demand. 18-49s watch less TV, therefore shows which attract them are scarce, and advertisements in shows which attract 18-49s are also scarce. Because they're scarce, advertisers are willing to pay more for these slots, making these shows more profitable for the network.
If old people watched less TV, their demographic would become scarce and after a while more shows would be aimed at them...
http://marvel.wikia.com/Franklin_Hall_(Earth-616)
Mike was a victim who could be saved. Hall was delusional and Coulson only sacrificed him when there were zero choices left on the table and lives at immediate risk
Yes. Particularly when that somebody is Skye. In that dress.
Link doesn't seem to work.
http://marvel.wikia.com/Franklin_Hall_(Earth-616)
I thought there were loads of trails being laid down to make the viewer wonder, Coulson's muscle memory, the "truth serum", Ward's younger brothers, Skye's seeming betrayal of Shield and then acceptance she wants in and Dr Hall's possible end. Quinn getting away also opens up future series long arcs with him as a primary antagonist.
Overall I thought it was yet another improvement on last week, less reliance on gadgets and more human intuition and a building up of team work.
I've always said, if you don't see it happen on screen, it didn't happen. We didn't see Coulson die, we saw his eyes close, we saw Fury start to walk away, we saw the medic team come in, but we didn't see the flatline etc. Besides, this is Marvel, death's only an occupational hazard at Shield
TV companies are also now starting to take notice of the social media buzz which any given programme creates. They monitor mentions on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook etc and this now counts towards their "audience" when deciding on show renewals. Agents of Shield is getting good buzz, not only on viewing figures but taking into account the +1, +3 and +7 demographics as well.
Source:
So far apparently 22.1m people have watched the pilot episode, taking into account the Tivo etc.
It was interesting how they altered the origin story as well, I seem to remember Hall got his powers after an explosion and that he at first tried not to use them at all before eventually succumbing to temptation. I liked that, in this interpretation, they had him wanting to destroy the element before it became dangerous. I wonder if they're going to bring him back as Graviton, maybe a bit above the budget for the sort of powers he has.
Try this one.
Ridiculous. What kind of crack pot reasoning is this? I don't know who comes up with these things, I really don't.
Regarding this episode, definitely an improvement from last week. There seems to be more depth and layers developing with the two most unpopular characters with viewers (Skye and Ward). I loved Skye's vulnerability at the end, and it also shows that she is just a lost kid at heart.
I'll say it again, this show was always going to fail in the eyes of a lot of people. To go from the big screen to a season 1 network budget and then think you're gonna get the ambition and wow factor of that big cinema screen is asking far too much.
I think you're right that we can't expect big budget wows but I don't think that's the problem..the problem is lack of ambition in the creativity of the stories..And I don't think that needs money
To wax on about one of my favourite shows at the moment..Person of Interest , which to all intents and purposes is the story of a vigilante righting wrongs in New York but which through real creativity is now in danger of out-Fringeing Fringe for sheer joyful weirdness .
Budget means nothing if you can tell a good story.
But whether they are telling a good story or not is totally down to personal preference and interpretation.
It's basically one of those little tax haven/international diplomacy no go areas (in the show universe).
It also has much sandier beaches in the show universe..in fact you'd swear it was LA