BLOOD WORK: MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: AGENTS OF SHIELD SEASONS 1

Nowadays there are more than a half dozen television shows that supposedly take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher, Defenders, Runaways, and Cloak & Dagger. Back in 2013 however there weren't any. It was after the success of Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that ABC Television (owned by Disney) produced the first television show to take place within the MCU: AGENTS OF SHIELD.

Agents of SHIELD has now finished their fifth season and wrapped up story arcs that have been in the works since season one. In many ways this season was set up as the final season and if you were to stop watching the show here it would act as an appropriate ending. So here is where we're going to look back at the show, where it succeeded, where it failed, and what it ultimately accomplished. And of course what I thought of it.

I know it's unfair to the show to review all five seasons at once but I'm going to try and do it justice.

PLACEMENT

If you wanted to watch the show within the context of the MCU films, Agents of SHIELD begins after IRON MAN 3 and before THOR: THE DARK WORLD. From there the show occurs during and ties into many MCU films on the periphery, aftermath, in subtle indirect ways, or bluntly direct ways. For instance: In Season One when SHIELD collapses during the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER the entire show is rocked and forever changed from that point on. Or in the case of Season Four, the MCU movie at that time was DOCTOR STRANGE. While the show doesn't tie into Doctor Strange directly, Season Four contains heavy magic elements and even some of the same magic spells appear.

SEASON ONE

A Tough Sell

The show begins with a number of mysteries, first and foremost: How is Agent Coulson still alive? Second and so on: Who are these new super humans emerging and who or what is Centipede? Who is this mystery hacker named Skye? And who is the Clairvoyant? On top of all of this we are introduced to an entirely new cast of characters save for Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson, the anchor of the show. Aside from some pretty cool cameos, Agents of SHIELD wasn't allowed to feature any of the actual Avengers from the movies or any big characters of note from the comics that could potentially arrive in an MCU movie at a later time.

To say that this show had an uphill battle is an understatement. I'm not exactly sure who said it, one of the Whedon's perhaps, but the show was initially described as this (and I'm paraphrasing here): this is a show about the side characters of the side characters, the sidekicks of the sidekicks. This isn't a show about Captain America's supporting cast or Iron Man's supporting cast. It's about the background characters behind the supporting cast even.

SEASON ONE: MCU (FOR TELEVISION)

Me being an MCU junkie, and the amazing idea of a new piece of MCU story every week, I was sold instantly. But the novelty wore off pretty quick with that first season. I found myself growing very bored with season one well after the mid season finale. Yes, I was intrigued with what was going on but it wasn't unfolding fast enough and I was tired of being teased these characters I knew from the comics that weren't actually those characters i.e. Mike Peterson (instead of Luke Cage) and the Fire Manipulator (who wasn't Sunfire or the Human Torch or Inferno or any other of Marvel's plentiful fire users) and so on (because they weren't allowed to actually use them).

And, aside from Agent Coulson, it was difficult to latch onto the regular cast. Yes I liked them, yes I thought they were good actors, but like any show it takes a while to get to know the cast. And being in a world where there were already so many characters I loved, it was a hard sell to get me to love these characters with no powers, the side kicks of the side kicks. This problem was compounded when a few cameos appeared. Nick Fury and Maria Hill make a few appearances as well as Lady Sif, all of which I loved and wanted more of. So for a while it felt like I was just holding on to see who else would make a guest appearance from the movies instead wanting to find out what happens with the actual cast of the show. Peter MacNicol as an Asgardian in disguise was fun too as well as Patton Oswalt's appearances later. And Brad Dourif (CHUCKY) makes a cameo too!

The first mystery we begin to solve is how Agent Coulson is still alive and what exactly "Tahiti" is. The revelation of a blue skinned humanoid corpse, harvested for its blood, being the key to Coulson's resurrection was cool (I hoped it was a dead Atlantean there for a while, you know, as a nod to Namor's people). Revealing it was in fact a KREE corpse was great (this show making the Guardians of the Galaxy/Earth heroes connection long before the Guardians ever set foot on Earth).

And Lady Sif's episode where she fights the Enchantress' sister, Lorelei, was one of my favorite episodes of the season as well. There's a setup for the mega powerful comics villain, GRAVITON, but nothing comes of it here (at the time I was thinking it was going to setup the villain for a future movie) but it's still cool. There's an episode with an old NOVA villain, the character Blackout. Victoria Hand appears played by Saffron Burrows. And a brief appearance of Adrian Pasdar as Glenn Talbot too. So, they do pepper actual comic characters in this season, granted most of them are footnotes, but again it's still cool.

So, I'm plodding along with the show and suddenly it catches up with the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. SHIELD is in shambles, Hydra agents are exposed, and people start dying. And Agent Ward goes full homicidal Hydra agent!

The show went from "meh" to "Holy crap I have to see what happens next!"

Mike Peterson is transformed into DEATHLOK (a favorite comic character of mine) and Bill Paxton arrives as the new lead villain! Once the Hydra agents are revealed the first season of the show becomes a "Must Watch" program. Nick Fury returns for the big season finale (dressed as he is at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and that's when you really get a sense of how great this show could be and where exactly it fits in the MCU.

Sadly, season one of Agents of SHIELD is the most "connected" the show ever gets to the MCU, with multiple appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smolders, characters Jasper Sitwell and Felix Blake, and Jaimie Alexander's Lady Sif. I feel the show only gets better from here creatively but with each subsequent season the show grows less and less connected to the movies.

Season One Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10

This season, while thrilling to watch a new chapter in the MCU every week, suffered from perhaps the series' lowest moments, but then kicks into some extreme highs for the show. Bipolar is maybe the best description of Season One. Still, for what this show was able to pull off, given how little resources from the actual MCU that it had, is a miracle.

Bravo, guys and gals, for making something with nothing!

SEASON 2: THE COMING OF THE INHUMANS

Season One occurred simultaneously with two MCU films, Thor 2 and Cap 2. As such it had episodes that tied directly into those films aftermaths. Season Two however occurs entirely between Guardians and Avengers 2, allowing it to explore its own story uninterrupted. It's both cool and slightly disappointing at the same time. I say slightly because we do get a little movie tie-in action toward the end.

Beginning with a flashback sequence in 1945 featuring Agent Peggy Carter, Dum Dum Dugan, Jim Mortia, and the rest of the Howling Commandos was a helluva way to start the second season! These characters would make one more appearance this season and were among the highlights of the second season. Also in the first episode we get a guest appearance by Lucy Lawless as well as one of my favorite Marvel villains, The ABSORBING MAN (who looked picture perfect from the comics)! And on top of it all this episode also features longtime Incredible Hulk supporting character General Glenn Talbot! Two Hulk villains in one episode?! That's awesome!

The seeds of the Inhumans start from here as an object simply called The Obelisk becomes a major mcguffin. We are also presented with a new mystery to solve in discovering Skye's true parentage. Skye herself receives a major upgrade. She is now fully combat trained and gains super powers via the revelation that she herself is an Inhuman. The process of Terragenesis is clearly laid out as well as the Kree origins of the Inhumans. Skye's father, played by the always wonderful Kyle Maclachlan, is revealed to be the Marvel Comics villain Calvin Zabo a.k.a. MISTER HYDE.

The Agents of SHIELD main cast is also expanded with the inclusions of Agent Lance Hunter, "Mac" Mackenzie, and Agent Bobbi Morse a.k.a. the Marvel Avenger Mockingbird! Mac becomes a mainstay for the rest of the show and grows into an endearing character. But who I was really wowed by was actress Adrianne Palicki (whom I wasn't familiar with at all) as Bobbi Morse. She was a cut above everybody else on the show in terms of her fighting ability and skill set as an agent. Her character is a full fledged Avenger in the comics and her counterpart in the show, I felt, was Black Widow caliber.

Deathlok and Maria Hill makes appearances again. There's another really cool episode with Lady Sif facing off against a Kree warrior. Other lesser known villains make appearances too such as Angar the Screamer and the like, including mentions of Baron Strucker. There's even a Hydra leader who appears on the show and then makes a minor appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

But the season really dives deep into the Inhumans, specifically a colony of Inhumans led by Skye's Inhuman mother, Jiaying. In a cool twist Jiaying is revealed to be an extremist (essentially the big bad villain of this season) and Skye's father shows a turn to the good side. The Inhuman city is destroyed, its residents scattered, and all is well.

Now, at the end of Season One Nick Fury gave Agent Coulson a "little black box," basically a piece of technology with all of Fury's secrets on it. Throughout Season Two there are little plots here and there in the background revolving around deciphering the little black box. At the end of the season we are shown what Coulson has been doing behind the scenes this whole time: renovating an old SHIELD Helicarrier. This was the show's lone MCU movie tie-in for the season. In AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Nick Fury arrives at the final battle in an old Helicarrier saying, "I dusted this off with some old friends," referring to Coulson and the show's characters.

I assume Joss Whedon was the main catalyst behind connecting the movies with the television series as deeply as they were. Avengers 2 "broke" Joss Whedon (as the internet put it) and as a result he left the MCU altogether. And then suddenly each successive season of Agents of SHIELD becomes less and less connected... Coincidence? I think not! There also happened to be a major falling out between the heads of the Marvel movie and Marvel television divisions, which I'm sure played a big part in the "connective tissue" or lack thereof going forward.

It's a shame really. They could've been doing amazing crossover work that no one else has ever done before. I say again, it's a real shame.

Season Two Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Mostly I feel Season Two is stronger all around than the first season. New characters are introduced smoothly and there isn't that awkward "getting to know you" phase of the first season. I thought the setup of the Inhumans was well executed too. While it didn't have the struggles of Season One I don't feel it reached the highs of Season One either such as the shock of Hydra having infiltrated SHIELD. Even so, Season Two is more consistent and overall stronger.

SEASON THREE: WAR OF THE INHUMANS

Like Season Two, Season Three fits between Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War and doesn't really tie into any movie save a little of Civil War near the end. One of our main cast is swallowed by an alien rock (yes, a rock) and is transported across the galaxy to a different planet. It's one of the coolest things this show has ever done. The character of Jemma Simmons basically gets to play "Robinson Crusoe On Mars" for half the season, while her other half, Leo Fitz, searches for a way to bring her back. By the mid-season finale Jemma is finally rescued in one of the season's most exciting episodes.

By this point I have come to really know and like all of the regular cast, especially Fitz and Simmons. From Season One I didn't think it would ever happen, but yes, I have come to care for these "sidekicks of the sidekicks."

Concurrently a sect of Hydra agents, led by Gideon Malick (played by Powers Boothe reprising his role from AVENGERS), seeks to open a portal to another world and free the Hydra figurehead from exile (Red Skull?). Former SHIELD agent, Grant Ward, along with Baron Strucker's son begin rebuilding Hydra's forces in full. This story paces alongside Jemma's story and comes to a head at the mid-season finale where Hydra actually opens a portal to an alien world (which so happens to be the planet Jemma is on. Agent Coulson, Fitz, and Ward go through the portal. Fitz rescues Jemma and Coulson kills Ward once and for all. Ward's body is then possessed by an Inhuman named HIVE who was exiled on that planet long ago. Everyone escapes back to Earth including Hive.

There are many other plots afoot as well such as the monstrous Inhuman named LASH traveling the globe and killing the remnants of Jiaying's Inhuman colony. Those he deems unworthy of the Inhuman gift he kills. The electricity wielder, Lincoln Campbell, joins SHIELD and works alongside Skye (who has changed her name to Daisy Johnson to coincide with her comic book counterpart ((which I think is a much worse name by the way))). The two have formed a romantic relationship and are searching for Inhumans in order to help them. They battle against Lash time and again. While pursuing other Inhumans Skye/Daisy encounters an Inhuman who can see the future. Upon contact with said Inhuman, Daisy sees a SHIELD agent dead in outer space. As the season progresses she tries to figure out who the dead agent will be and how to prevent that future from occurring.

Then there's the relatively minor plot focusing on a group of extremists called The WATCHDOGS secretly led by former SHIELD agent Felix Blake (actor Titus Welliver). This group is out to kill or subdue all Inhumans and powered people. There's an appearance by actor William Sadler (reprising his role from IRON MAN 3 as President Ellis) around here too which is pretty cool, basically setting the stage for the SOKOVIA ACCORDS for Captain America: Civil War. The Watchdogs plot overall sets the need for the Sokovia Accords in the MCU before they actually happen in the movies.

Hive becomes the major threat for the rest of the season, gathering up rogue Inhumans to his cause. Lash is revealed to be Agent May's ex-husband and he has a turn toward the good side at the end helping to bring Hive down. Daisy's vision begins coming to fruition as the season builds to its finale. Daisy believes it is her own death that she saw and has accepted it in so that her death ensures Hive's destruction. In the closing moments Lincoln sacrifices himself to save Daisy and everyone else from Hive, both Lincoln and Hive dying together at the climax.

Season Three Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10

Season Three is very strong, perhaps better than Season Two, but it has one major drawback that keeps it at only a 7 out of 10: the exiting of Mockingbird - Bobbi Morse. My favorite character on the show, proving to be quite popular, is written out of the show near the mid-season finale in favor of starring in a spinoff series called MARVEL'S MOST WANTED. The way she's written off is kinda stupid and nonsensical for a covert black ops group like SHIELD. But the bigger crime is that ABC passed on Marvel's Most Wanted and Bobbi was never brought back to Agents of SHIELD! Biggest let down of the entire series! Boo! So stupid!

SEASON FOUR: THE GHOST RIDER MATRIX

This season occurs alongside the Doctor Strange movie but never actually connecting with it, merely on a peripheral level. Ghost Rider uses the Doctor Strange "Sling Ring" teleportational spell via his mystic chains near the end but that is as close as they get to tying into a movie this season.

Season Four starts with Daisy having gone rogue, leaving SHIELD on a personal vendetta against the Watchdogs, putting an end to their persecution of Inhumans. While in pursuit of the Watchdogs Daisy runs into the GHOST RIDER. Those the Rider is pursuing and the Watchdogs that Daisy is after appear to be connected. Discovering the identity of Ghost Rider as mechanic Robbie Reyes, Daisy learns that a group of Watchdogs attacked Reyes and his brother nearly killing them both. Daisy and Reyes join forces to hunt down those who've ruined their lives.

Meanwhile SHIELD becomes a government sanctioned agency again and seeks to clean up its tarnished reputation by going public. A new director is appointed in the Inhuman hero THE PATRIOT (a golden age character from the comics). SHIELD actively recruits Inhumans, adding them to the team, demonstrating to the world that Inhumans are people too and that everyone can co-exist. Meanwhile a SHIELD recruited scientist named Radcliffe creates the first ever Life Model Decoy (LMD android), naming it AIDA.

In tracking down those who attacked Robbie Reyes and his brother Gabe, the heroes discover an ancient evil grimoire called the DARKHOLD, a book of vast black magic. A group of scientists consisting of Reyes' uncle, Eli Morrow, discovered the Darkhold and, through the book, began constructing a supernatural machine capable of giving a human dark powers. Enemies and heroes race to acquire the Darkhold. Morrow finds the book first and uses it to give himself powers. Reyes discovers it was his uncle who ordered the attack on him and his brother. While Ghost Rider battles Morrow, SHIELD comes into possession of the Darkhold. Since the Darkhold corrupts those who read it, SHIELD uses the LMD Aida to read the book, open a portal to Hell, and drop both Ghost Rider and Morrow in it.

Even with Aida being an android, the Darkhold still corrupts her. She creates LMD replicas of all the agents of SHIELD and places the real agents inside an artificial computer world called "the Framework." Inside the Framework Aida changes the agents personalities and histories, creating a Hydra controlled world with herself as the ruler, Madame Hydra. And if an agent dies in the Framework they die in real life too. Jemma and Daisy are the only agents to escape Aida's grasp. They covertly infiltrate the Framework and free their teammates from the computer simulated world. But once free of the Framework Aida is still too powerful for them. She uses the Darkhold once more to become human and possessing dozens of Inhuman powers. Ghost Rider returns from Hell and kills Aida once and for all.

Season Four Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

Wow, I loved this season! Of course there's my obvious personal biases to account for i.e. I loved Ghost Rider's portrayal and the inclusion of the Darkhold (both elements that I love from the comics). There's a cameo appearance by Johnny Blaze as well as references to the Quentin Carnival (Johnny Blaze stuff). And then the LMD/Framework story was brilliant, like creating their own version of THE MATRIX! Creatively and special effects wise this was the series' strongest season yet!

SEASON FIVE: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

This season occurs concurrently with Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Avengers: Infinity War yet it only connects with Thor 3 thematically. Thor is stranded in outer space and so are the SHIELD agents. There's a mention of Thanos' impeding arrival on Earth near the end but the season finishes before Thanos' children arrive in New York... I assume.

Quick synopsis: After escaping the Framework and defeating Aida, SHIELD has become public enemy number #1 due to Aida's LMD doppelgangers. Before the group goes into hiding once again they decide to have one last dessert. The lights go out and the group discovers themselves 80 years into the future on a space station ruled by the Kree. What's more they see that Earth has been destroyed, massive chunks of the planet floating in space. To their horror they learn that it was Daisy who quaked apart the earth, the legends calling her "The Destroyer of Worlds."

Running from xenomorphs (not "those" xenomorphs, mind you), fighting enslaved Inhumans, and battling Kree warriors, the heroes discover that they were transported through time via an alien obelisk similar to the one that transported Jemma across space to that alien planet in Season Three. Discovering a way to use the obelisk to send them back, the heroes manage to return to the past, now with the terrible knowledge of what's going to happen in the future and the staggering task of preventing that future from happening.

SHIELD soon discovers that the last remaining Hydra sect is working on a project called "The Destroyer of Worlds." By harnessing Gravitonium and infusing it into a candidate they hope to create the most powerful super human on the planet. Through a twist of fate the mentally unstable General Glenn Talbot becomes infused with Gravitonium. He destroys what's left of Hydra. As an alien space ship looms overhead Talbot, now going by Graviton (believing himself to be a superhero), confronts the invaders. The aliens inform SHIELD and Talbot of Thanos' impending arrival. Talbot believes he has the power to stop Thanos if he can acquire more Gravitonium.

Talbot grows increasingly unstable and dangerous as Daisy is forced into a showdown with him to prevent the dark future they all saw from happening.

THOUGHTS & FEELINGS

Creatively Season Five is amazing. The first half of the season when they're trapped in the dark future was awesome. I loved the heavy use of the Kree. The villain Kasius was one I loved to hate and his right hand enforcer, Sinara, was wicked cool and badass (I really wish they hadn't killed her and that she would've somehow ended up on the team). There was a very cool "ALIENS" vibe as well as a sheer sense of awe at what was happening. This new direction for the show was totally unprecedented and unexpected. I liked the inclusion of the Inhuman named FLINT. I loved Fitz's role in everything, and speaking of, Fitz and Simmons are my favorite characters for this season. Their "We are invincible" mentality was badass!

I loved how they finally made good on their season one promise of the villain Graviton. Adrian Pasdar looked like the comics version of Graviton and it played into Talbot's comic book history of eventually going crazy and becoming a villain. The "Nightmare Dimension" episode was fantastic and a great way to see characters like Lash and Hive return. And Coulson's necrotic tissue spreading like cancer was another good callback to where this show all began. The filmmakers and writers nicely bring the show back full circle in this season and allow for the saga to wrap up nicely.

Season Five Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10

I do feel that this is the strongest season of them all. I'm rating it the same as the last season however because it lacks one major ingredient: Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider's inclusion and execution in Season Four was so well done, elevating the show beyond any other season. If Season Five had something similar, like say a significant cosmic character or reality hopping hero from the comics to replicate that Season Four Ghost Rider experience, then this season would be a 9 out of 10. That being said, Deathlok's return was a welcomed sight.

IN CONCLUSION

Agents of SHIELD is one of those shows that no one ever asked for and by rights shouldn't have survived beyond the mid-season finale of Season One. As an ABC television program it could never achieve visually what the movies do. And it was further hampered by the fact that Kevin Feige and the people running the movies refused to share their toys (i.e. not sharing the film scripts ahead of time nor allowing Captain America, Thor, or any actual movie super hero to make an appearance). Yet it was forced to tie into the movies but the movies refused to acknowledge what was happening on the shows.

So, this show had virtually no help from the MCU (with a few exceptions), had practically no resources to make it with in comparison to the movies, and was setup to fail. But it didn't. It succeeded despite all the factors working against it. It's one of those rare shows that gets better with each season. As far as Marvel television goes (and I haven't seen RUNAWAYS, FX's LEGION or THE GIFTED) Agents of SHIELD is one of the highest quality in my opinion.