NEW SHOW: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I'm a superhero fan. Although X-Men are my favorite, I've enjoyed the various other comic book films and adaptations that have been released over the past decade or so, even the less popular ones like Daredevil. Therefore, I had high expectations for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., though I feel like most people did, with the names attached to it and the hugely positive reception for the Avengers and Iron Man films in particular. So, it could be that the pilot was decent, but it did not excite me and I wasn't particularly taken with it or most of the characters. I'm sad to say that this show is already looking to get cut, but, on the other hand, I've seen many pilots that I hated only for the series itself to become a favorite, so only time will tell.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Pilot" (S01E01): A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Ward, uses a handprint on a glass to get into an apartment, where he uses an x-ray device to look through the walls. After some fighting, Ward joins Fitz and Simmon on a plane, piloted by Melinda. [black matte plane... interesting.]

Mike is a single father in East Los Angeles. His wife left him when he lost his job after injury, for which he did not receive workman's compensation. [a story we've all heard a hundred times.] However, he saw a doctor afterward who gave him experimental super strength, which he uses to save people from burning buildings. A bystander gets his face on her phone and follows him for a few days before confronting him, specifically to suggest he try to avoid SHIELD. [but she doesn't really have a reason to hide from them over any other government entity.] She steals his driver's license, then goes to record a podcast when SHIELD shows up and kidnaps her, wanting to know who "the hooded hero" is. [she hacked the SHIELD database from her van??] When she won't talk, she is threatened with a truth drug. But, Coulson gives it to Ward and lets Skye interrogate him. [I didn't find this as funny as it was supposed to be. and, it's creepy to know that such tactics will be employed on this series.] Meanwhile, Fitz and Simmons search the bomb site, and eventually put together enough clues to determine that someone who underwent the same procedure of Mike WAS the bomb! [dang!] Mike will also explode before long, so Fitz and Simmons work on an antidote, based on knowing that the centipede-like thing on Mike's arm seems to use a serum used years ago on SuperSoldiers. [hmmm...]

Skye is allowed to return to civilization, and after Mike tries to get his job back and winds up beating up his boss, he turns to get to help him disappear. ["no, it's an origin story" was so cliche!] She deletes his identity from various databases, then signals Fitz and Simmons to their location - Union Station. [so she's like a super-hacker?]

Credit: ABC/Justin Lubin

But, the doctor has an assistant who also goes after Mike, for the kill. Coulson tries to talk to Mike, but Ward winds up having to shoot him, though he isn't dead. [so shooting was the plan all along? is there corruption to the system? not a fan...] Coulson drops off Mike's son in the country with a family, saying that his father will return. Then, Coulson offers Skye a job. [so she'll go from anti-establishment to working for an undercover agency in a matter of days? annoying.]