things of a televisual variety
Sep. 28th, 2013 08:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe Wrong Mens
I gave it a try – it’s a good sign that I was disappointed that it was only half an hour long and not an hour, or is that a sign that I expect shows to be longer? This is a comedy, after all, though I found it funny at times, not all-out hilarious. Still, there was fun to be had from the lead, Sam, a bit of an Innocent Fool, meaning well but a directionless kidult (signature music: Belle and Sebastian*), paired off with Cordon whose energy was put into good use as the slightly delusional, offputting Phil.
So, I was entertained, but I don’t think I’ll be watching it live. That doesn't mean much, I couldn’t get around to watching The Mindy Project in a similar slot live either.
*I own one of their albums.
Agents of SHIELD
Mixed response under the cut. I was glad to watch Coulson!!! Alive (just like fandom decided) and in charge. Loved the interaction with Maria and with May, not to mention. Who was not what she seemed.
Obviously, Tahiti is not all that it seemed either (for a second, I thought it was meant to be mysterious Maria backstory there, but given that Clark Gregg is a lead and Cobie Smulders is a special guest star, that’s something about his recovery).
I liked the older characters unhesitatingly – the strength of my delight on seeing Ron Glass as their doctor surprised me, and their ship is surely meant to remind us a little of Serenity. (The being reminded of other stuff is a problem I’ll come back to). I want to know more about Melinda May’s backstory, and her buttoned-down mien, in contrast with the more look-at-me aspects of other characters, drew me in.
On the other hand, Ward. Oh, dear. Downey Jr. and Hemsworth have the charisma to make obnoxious characters likeable. This pretty boy doesn’t as far as I’m concerned and even the truth drug manoeuvre (though appreciated as part of Coulson’s management style) didn’t help. I found Sky annoying – too abrasive, also what was with her behaviour when she got to interrogate Ward? Also, her turnaround from ‘men in suits = evil’ to ‘on your side’ was a little too much. But she had more likeable moments than Ward.
I admit to being intrigued about Fitzsimon’s history/relationship, because they do seem to work together well, and although they too were full-on, they were so into their geeky little work that I stopped grumping that he was a bit like Burn Gorman in Pacific Rim and she’d been cast because she looked like Keira Knightley. Because of the Epidermis thing, I would love to see them cross paths with Tony. They may graduate yet to being little science bros (as I love Tony, Bruce AND Jane geeking over science in fic, I think I’ll call it ‘family’).
The other fic I’d like to see stat is Maria grading Natasha. (Also, Agent Hill has a field office. Get her. I wonder if they’re thinking, once HIMYM is over of setting up a parallel series/team, Agents of SHIELD: Miami, or something.)
I’m not shipping yet – Ward/Sky may be thrust aggressively in our faces, but whatever to that – although there’s potential, and I’m persuadable in the Avengersverse.
J August Richards’s presence just made me do Heroes comparisons, and this had nowhere near the impact of that show’s premier. (Though he was as good as he could be, playing such a wellworn type.) At best, I’m thinking I’ll give it a chance and look and see how it all settles down now that they’ve got the exposition out of the way. Surely it will get less clunky. I don’t think it helps that they’re making a team out of a disparate group of people who aren’t used to being one, which is the exact same thing that happened in its progenitor, Avengers Assemble. The shadow of giants, indeed (with a better budget and talented actors with movie star charisma playing superheroes). Of course, they had to keep referring to those giants. It makes sense and it’s going to be fertile ground to explore how knowing about aliens and Hulks and Captain America and Thor’s arms is going to affect the world. But having Extremis be part of the thing that they were facing? It had risks and benefits. Mainly I want to know about the timeline. It’s a little too knowing – cosplayers outside Stark Towers? With great power, comes great...Mike deciding this was his origin story? But I am going to take the Doctor being a lady (and the fact that she was the one who got rescued while being behind it all was a nice touch) as a jibe at Doctor Who, if for nothing else because Mike’s son was called Ace.
I could see Whedon’s stamp all over the attitude to authority/the establishment/the financial reality, except it was all an incoherent muddle of hanging on the 99% coat-tails and SHIELD being beyond governments, so it didn’t quite work. I only positively like a few of the characters (mainly the older ones), but I do like the world. I’m already invested in Marvel’s translation to live action (multimedia global domination), and this may yet prove to be an interesting part of that story. At the least, there are going to be Easter eggs for the movies (maybe Darcy could turn up).
I then watched Strictly live, because it’s Strictly (I’ll catch up on Orphan Black asap) but I’ll post about it separately. For now, I’m going to catch up on everyone else’s thoughts about the SHIELD pilot.
I gave it a try – it’s a good sign that I was disappointed that it was only half an hour long and not an hour, or is that a sign that I expect shows to be longer? This is a comedy, after all, though I found it funny at times, not all-out hilarious. Still, there was fun to be had from the lead, Sam, a bit of an Innocent Fool, meaning well but a directionless kidult (signature music: Belle and Sebastian*), paired off with Cordon whose energy was put into good use as the slightly delusional, offputting Phil.
So, I was entertained, but I don’t think I’ll be watching it live. That doesn't mean much, I couldn’t get around to watching The Mindy Project in a similar slot live either.
*I own one of their albums.
Agents of SHIELD
Mixed response under the cut. I was glad to watch Coulson!!! Alive (just like fandom decided) and in charge. Loved the interaction with Maria and with May, not to mention. Who was not what she seemed.
Obviously, Tahiti is not all that it seemed either (for a second, I thought it was meant to be mysterious Maria backstory there, but given that Clark Gregg is a lead and Cobie Smulders is a special guest star, that’s something about his recovery).
I liked the older characters unhesitatingly – the strength of my delight on seeing Ron Glass as their doctor surprised me, and their ship is surely meant to remind us a little of Serenity. (The being reminded of other stuff is a problem I’ll come back to). I want to know more about Melinda May’s backstory, and her buttoned-down mien, in contrast with the more look-at-me aspects of other characters, drew me in.
On the other hand, Ward. Oh, dear. Downey Jr. and Hemsworth have the charisma to make obnoxious characters likeable. This pretty boy doesn’t as far as I’m concerned and even the truth drug manoeuvre (though appreciated as part of Coulson’s management style) didn’t help. I found Sky annoying – too abrasive, also what was with her behaviour when she got to interrogate Ward? Also, her turnaround from ‘men in suits = evil’ to ‘on your side’ was a little too much. But she had more likeable moments than Ward.
I admit to being intrigued about Fitzsimon’s history/relationship, because they do seem to work together well, and although they too were full-on, they were so into their geeky little work that I stopped grumping that he was a bit like Burn Gorman in Pacific Rim and she’d been cast because she looked like Keira Knightley. Because of the Epidermis thing, I would love to see them cross paths with Tony. They may graduate yet to being little science bros (as I love Tony, Bruce AND Jane geeking over science in fic, I think I’ll call it ‘family’).
The other fic I’d like to see stat is Maria grading Natasha. (Also, Agent Hill has a field office. Get her. I wonder if they’re thinking, once HIMYM is over of setting up a parallel series/team, Agents of SHIELD: Miami, or something.)
I’m not shipping yet – Ward/Sky may be thrust aggressively in our faces, but whatever to that – although there’s potential, and I’m persuadable in the Avengersverse.
J August Richards’s presence just made me do Heroes comparisons, and this had nowhere near the impact of that show’s premier. (Though he was as good as he could be, playing such a wellworn type.) At best, I’m thinking I’ll give it a chance and look and see how it all settles down now that they’ve got the exposition out of the way. Surely it will get less clunky. I don’t think it helps that they’re making a team out of a disparate group of people who aren’t used to being one, which is the exact same thing that happened in its progenitor, Avengers Assemble. The shadow of giants, indeed (with a better budget and talented actors with movie star charisma playing superheroes). Of course, they had to keep referring to those giants. It makes sense and it’s going to be fertile ground to explore how knowing about aliens and Hulks and Captain America and Thor’s arms is going to affect the world. But having Extremis be part of the thing that they were facing? It had risks and benefits. Mainly I want to know about the timeline. It’s a little too knowing – cosplayers outside Stark Towers? With great power, comes great...Mike deciding this was his origin story? But I am going to take the Doctor being a lady (and the fact that she was the one who got rescued while being behind it all was a nice touch) as a jibe at Doctor Who, if for nothing else because Mike’s son was called Ace.
I could see Whedon’s stamp all over the attitude to authority/the establishment/the financial reality, except it was all an incoherent muddle of hanging on the 99% coat-tails and SHIELD being beyond governments, so it didn’t quite work. I only positively like a few of the characters (mainly the older ones), but I do like the world. I’m already invested in Marvel’s translation to live action (multimedia global domination), and this may yet prove to be an interesting part of that story. At the least, there are going to be Easter eggs for the movies (maybe Darcy could turn up).
I then watched Strictly live, because it’s Strictly (I’ll catch up on Orphan Black asap) but I’ll post about it separately. For now, I’m going to catch up on everyone else’s thoughts about the SHIELD pilot.
