Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D saw a staggering 16 million viewers tune in last week, and most of the reviews were positive. As with the majority of TV shows, and especially in the comic book world, fittingly, the second episode (or issue) is more important than the first. Can the momentum created in that first offering continue? Will developing characters lose their luster as time goes on? These are questions that will get answered in time, but for now, here are the Six Qs of episode 2 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
1. What is it?
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 1, episode 2, titled ‘0-8-4.’
2. Who’s in it?
The series regulars, Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Iain De Caestecker. Guest starring this week is Leonor Varela as Commandante Camilla Reyes, an old friend and possible past lover of Agent Coulson, and Carlos Leal as an archaeologist on a Peruvian dig site.
3. Who made it?
Joss Whedon steps back into his Executive producer role starting this week. ‘0-8-4’ was written by Maurissa Tarcharoen, Jed Whedon, and Jeffrey Bell; the episode was directed by David Straiton.
4. What is it about?
0-8-4 is the S.H.I.E.L.D. code for an unidentified object of power. When an 0-8-4 dating back to WWII is discovered inside a sealed, 500-year old Incan temple in Peru, S.H.I.E.L.D. scrambles Level 7 to investigate. This first mission allows the new team to try and gel, even as Agent Ward distrusts newly recruited Rising Tide hacker Skye, Melinda May is angry at everything and everyone, and tech heads Fitz and Simmons are geeking out at everything around them. When the 0-8-4 turns out to be HYDRA tech powered by Tesserect fuel, things suddenly get crazy as a powerplay for the ownership of the object threatens the team–and the world.
5. Any revelations, tie-ins, easter eggs, etc.?
Reference to the last 0-8-4 S.H.I.E.L.D. found (HINT: it was a Hammer!), callbacks to Coulson’s untimely end at the pointy end of a Chitauri spear in The Avengers, and mentions of Director Fury. There are also a few references to Tesserect technology, HYDRA, WWII, and Captain America. Melinda May’s mysterious past begins to clear up as we learn her nickname was “The Calvary,” and now she hates to be called by that name. A history of Phil Coulson is developing. A major, established, Marvel Universe cameo occurs at the very end.
6. Will we watch next week?
A definite yes. The show is slowly building its foundation, and I’m interested in Melinda May’s mysterious past–as her character happens to be bad ass–as well as how the show will tie into the greater Phase Two films of the Marvel Studios properties. A revelation at the end of the episode alludes to a greater plot facing our heroes. The cameo works and is very welcome.
