Review: Agents of Shield Season 2 Premiere

Agents of SHIELD just kicked off is second season, and despite the agonizing months I spent desperately missing my weekly dose of Coulson, it feels like it never left. Building on the momentum from the end of season one, the premiere unapologetically dives back into the story; SHIELD is disbanded and Hydra are still a threat. In the wake of the crisis, Coulson has stepped up and is acting director despite the limited number of field agents still operating. His team has grown jaded and their mood is dark, the entire episode set a bleak but exciting precedent for the rest of the season.

There was a ton of hype leading into season two; promises of Lucy Lawless appearing as a SHIELD agent, Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter turning up before her show starts up, Colonel Glenn Talbot playing a pivotal role. For all these teases, I didn’t expect any of this wonderfulness to appear in the season’s opening episode, so I was very pleasantly surprised. Agent Carter set the precedent for the episode and for her own series. Agent Carter was the highlight of Captain America, and after seeing her brief appearance where she has taken leadership of the Howling Commandos, I could not be more excited for her show to debut. Lucy Lawless plays Isabelle Hartley, one of the few SHIELD agents that Coulson trusts. She is a welcome addition to the cast and kicks just as much ass as you would expect a former Warrior Princess to.

While the beginning had exposition and felt a little dialogue heavy, it was out of necessity and never felt pedantic. They dived right into the plot and through conversation, filled in all the gaps between the end of season one and now. The action was worth the wait. Skye is a full-fledged field agent now and with Melinda May and Triplett, is working for Coulson in the field. The team was also working with agent Hartley and her two agents, this episode proved that the team is not afraid to get their hands dirty and Coulson is not afraid to make the tough calls. They are going to have new challenges this season, and the mood is decidedly darker as they face the fact that they have been compromised.

Unlike most of the first season, I feel that there is a genuine challenge for Coulson and his team this season. They will not have access to the same resources, and will have to take greater risks and rely on their cunning to succeed. This episode also hinted at many other positive changes to smooth over the complaints from last season; the characters are already better developed and feel more genuine and less like charactures. They are also darker, having had to face betrayal and loss; I predict that each member of the team will have their own demons to overcome before the mid-season finale. Of course, this was only the first episode, but at this point season two is shaping up to be an awesome ride.