Agents Of SHIELD (Season 1)

I used to love Agents Of SHIELD. I watched up to Season 4 while it was airing, but I stopped at Season 5, around the same time I stopped watching the Arrowverse. Though unlike with those shows, it's not that I stopped being interested, I was just tired of all those superhero shows at time. So I decided to go back, watch the whole thing, and see what I missed, starting with Season 1, which is almost unanimously considered to be a slow start for the show. I, however, think that's being a bit harsh.

Agents Of SHIELD is a spinoff of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though like the Netflix series, it eventually becomes its own disconnected thing. After the Battle Of New York, a revived Phil Coulson creates a taskforce of SHIELD Agents to deal with unusual people, technology, and cases. The first half of the season is fairly procedural, focusing on one-off baddies and episodic situations. I think that's why a lot of people find much of this season pretty dull, and I will admit that there are some rough episodes at points, especially the Thor crossovers. However, even the early episodes have some compelling mysteries, like how Coulson came back to life, what the hacker Skye's origin is, and pretty much everything about Centipede. Sure the season starts episodic, but it slowly becomes more serialized, not unlike one of my favorite shows of all time: Person Of Interest. Personally, I think the midseason finale is a big turning point, as the stuff around Coulson's backstory is actually really intriguing. But even when the season is weak, it helps that the main cast is likable and has a great banter with each other. Coulson and Skye are great leads, May is just incredibly badass, and Fitz and Simmons are adorable. The only weak link in the cast for much of the season is Agent Grant Ward, but that changes in the final third. 

Because while I do actually enjoy much of the first two thirds of the season, everyone knows that Agents Of SHIELD gets a massive boost in quality around Episode 16, as we learn that Hydra has been fully integrated into SHIELD, and that Ward is a Hydra agent. This was actually a crossover with The Winter Soldier, but it actually helps the series really come into its own. The Ward twist is one of my favorites in all of TV, as it was surprising without being completely out of character. Rewatching the first two thirds of the season knowing Ward is a Hydra agent gives his character a bit more depth, and while I don't know how well it was planned out ahead of time, I think it fits perfectly. In addition, SHIELD being pretty much taken over by Hydra gives the show a much needed sense of urgency, forcing the agents to go on the run for the final third of Season 1. It leads to a phenomenal last batch of episodes that really does blow anything the show has done out of the water, managing to tie a lot of the season's more disparate plot threads together in an impressively satisfying manner.

This season had a bunch of strong episodes, especially in the final third:

T.R.A.C.K.S.: This was a nice change of pace for the series, an experimental episode about the agents attempting a train heist that quickly goes completely off the rails (get it?). The perpsective jumps were super creative and led to a lot of strong comedic moments. This was easily the funniest episode of the show so far... at least until Skye gets shot kicking the show into second gear.

End Of The Beginning: While "Turn, Turn, Turn" is the more iconic episode, I think this one rivals it in terms of sheer twist-y ness. Because Ward kills the Clairvoyant in this episode, the season should end here, right? But then Skye realizes the Clairvoyant is a mole in Shield, and then Fitz discovers May's encrypted line, and then the Bus starts heading to the Hub so that Hand could slaughter everyone, and it's really starting to feel like the agents are really starting to fall apart.

Turn, Turn, Turn: This is still one of the best episodes in the series, it's a nonstop series of twists and turns that turns Agents Of Shield completely on its head. I actually really like the chaotic opening where everyone is turning against each other and screaming like crazy, and it just so happens that Skye is the only one not being accused of anything. In any other episode, that would be the best scene. But then there's the reveal of May being the one to make the team, and the reveal that Hydra has taken over Shield, and the reveal that Garrett is the Clairvoyant, and of course, the shocking ending where Ward shoots Hand four times revealing he's also an agent of Hydra. Just, what an episode. Even when I know what happens, it's nail-biting as hell.

Nothing Personal: It's been a long time since Skye's first mission, and Nothing Personal is a showcase of how much she's grown and improved. While Skye managing to survive under Ward's watch until the fun rescue mission is already great, this episode also manages to pack in the most screentime Maria Hill has ever gotten, the agents dealing with learning Ward is part of Hydra, the attack on the Providence base, and the big reveal that Coulson was in charge of Project T.A.H.I.T.I.

Beginning Of The End: This is a pretty great finale, pretty much giving everyone a chance to shine. May and Ward got the best fight scene in the whole season, Coulson defeated Garrett in a hilariously satisfying manner, Fitz and Simmons's subplot continues to be emotionally wrecking, and Skye got a great chance to show her growth. Not to mention Nick Fury's appearance, as well as the bucketload of cliffhangers that cap off the episode.

Overall, I still really like Season 1. Admittedly it does have a pretty slow start and a bunch of really weak episodes early on, but the characters are likable, the mysteries are compelling, and the final batch of episodes once Hydra takes over are absolutely fantastic. Also, given that later seasons would delve into Inhumans, outer space, and time travel, there's a charm to Season 1 simply being an espionage show about SHIELD agents.

3/5 Stars