Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.22

Long live Director Coulson.

Well, that was impressive. The Agents of SHIELD Season 1 finale did not disappoint and once again showed the full potential of this show. AND, if you didn't see my predictions from earlier today, I was all over it. I'm just saying. Can someone put me on Marvel's payroll? Please?

Let's dive into it...  (WARNING:  SPOILERS ABOUND!!)

There was a ton of stuff going on in this episode, so I'll try to skip all the obvious stuff and focus on the meat. Compared to the bulk of the season, the finale was masterful. The direction took a huge leap with dynamic shots and much better performances. The balance of payoffs for Season 1 and set-ups for Season 2 was perfect. Nothing was left hanging and when they closed a storyline, they slammed it shut.

Unquestionably, the most important element of Episode 22 had to be the setup of Season 2's primary storyline: Skye's origin and the secrets behind it which will lead to "evolution."

• The symbols that Garrett calls the "Words of Creation" will certainly come into play. I would guess these "words" detail the process/instructions for Terrigenesis.
• We also met Skye's father, or at least his blood soaked hand. He is likely a Kree alien and, chances are, he will be the Big Bad for next season.
• In the final scene, we discover that Coulson also has the "Words of Creation" hidden away in his brain as well, presumably because, like Garrett and Skye, he was treated with the GH 325.

I said we were talking about Inhumans and basically I think I nailed it. Raina spoke constantly about evolution and asks Garrett, "what will I become?" She says Skye's "true nature" will reveal itself. Ahem. Inhumans.

This is huge for Marvel TV. All season, AoS was shaped by the Marvel films and now the films will be shaped by AoS. Make no mistake, the Inhumans will be a major component of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). A ton of work has gone into the publishing side to prepare for it. Since Fox owns the movie rights to Marvel's mutants, Marvel Comics has taken a seldom used, quirky family of alien, mutant weirdos and suddenly elevated them to the biggest players of the MU (comics universe) last year.

Fitz and Simmons had a really, really nice scene. No surprise that De Caestecker and Henstridge turned in the best performances of the night. Fitz revealing his feelings before they escape the med pod may have been the best scene of the entire season. All the more impressive when you consider that it was basically a replay of their similar scene in "FZZT," yet still carried a lot of weight.

Fury's appearance was much cooler than his first. This time he was actually an integral part of the action, rescuing Fitz and Simmons and Coulson as well, rather than just being a cameo tacked on at the end. That's an important development to the show as big film characters increasingly get into the mix.

Ward was left in a weird place at the end of Season 1, being taken into custody after his motivations didn't seem clear all episode. He started getting cold feet right away in this one, starting to question Garrett and their motivations for the first time. He didn't have a stomach for Garrett's barbaric murder of the General. I'll stick with my prediction that Season 2 ends with Ward sacrificing himself to save the team. (Or maybe to somehow save Fitz from his current condition?)

Snarky Coulson was back and it was nice to see. We got the best jokes in weeks and this is the Phil we need. Not super weepy, emotional outburst Phil.

Fitz was kind of left in the lurch. Simmons tells the team about his condition, but it felt like we really needed to see Fitz before the episode ended.

So, the overall mission from here is for Director Phil Coulson to rebuild SHIELD from scratch. Probably the only direction you could go and also keep the show's title. It will be fun to watch and also alleviates a lot of logic problems I had with this season regarding why Coulson's tiny team was tackling these problems all on their own without more resources/assistance from their gigantic agency. Now, that continuity hiccup is eliminated.

Quick Hitters

• Did you catch the imagery of Garrett pulling the General's rib out?
• What is that tool box that Fury gave to Coulson?
• Fury considers Coulson an Avenger.
• I'm sure some geeks had a moment when Fury pulled out Coulson's Avengers gun.
• A great okey-doke gag when Garrett rebuilds himself and we think we'll have to deal with him for another season, then Coulson blasts him into oblivion.
• May jumping Ward and getting the chance to beat his arse was one of the few B.A. moments of the season that actually kind of worked the way it was intended.
• Patton Oswalt lives! Supposedly as a twin brother but, judging by all the exactly repeated lines, I would guess he might be a Life Model Decoy. I won't let that die will I? Well, WE'RE GOING TO GET ONE SOONER OR LATER!

Agents of SHIELD Finale Predictions

The Inhumans. Jack Kirby at his weird finest.

You have to expect Marvel TV will try to hit us with some doozies tonight, so I felt the need to go ahead and venture some guesses about what we'll see both in this finale and next season as well. If you don't want me to potentially ruin something, run away now.

• Is Garrett the real Clairvoyant?
• A few clues have been dropped that there still may be someone behind the curtain. Mike Peterson's "eyeball instructions" referred to Garrett in third person. My official guess and hope is that we aren't being misled and tonight will be the last time we have to deal with the C word.
• Is Skye an alien?
• Yes.
• What kind of alien?
• Kree is the easy answer. They're blue, just like Coulson's guy in the tube. But, now I think she may actually be an Inhuman. Brace yourself, you're about to be neck deep in 50 years of geek mythos here. Thousands of years ago, the Kree were at war with the Skrulls and, from their strategic outpost on Uranus (we can hear you snickering), the Kree noticed that humans had evolutionary potential while their own evolution had become stagnant. So... they began to experiment on humans, hoping to create stronger Kree warriors. They created a new race (the Inhumans) that would mutate when exposed to mist from Terrigen crystals. Yeah... I know. The mutations are completely unpredictable. (As you can see in the picture, one of them is basically a giant, teleporting dog.) They say that the Terrigenesis process reveals what was already lurking underneath; the true selves of the Inhumans. Okay, SO, last week Raina was going on about Skye's origin and DNA and said her parents were the monsters yeah, yeah, yeah... But, the writers carefully planted another line in the mix. Raina says she stays with Hydra because she's waiting for "what's inside to be revealed." Later, she also drops the word "transformation." That couldn't possibly sound more like the big Inhumans storyline that started in the comics about six months ago.
• Can Ward be redeemed?
• Yes and no. Can he come back to the team? No. I mean, I really, really... reeeally hope not. In all the promo images for next season, Ward is in the group. That certainly indicates he'll be around. I'm thinking his role will be the complicated antagonist that sacrifices himself for his old team at the end of Season 2 and finds redemption with his death. That's the only method that makes sense. The other options are that 1) he does something heroic and all is forgiven and he's given a second chance (that would be horribly stupid considering how many innocent good guys he has shot point-blank in the head or strangled and hid in the drop ceiling) or 2) Ward was a double, double agent all along, Victoria Hand and Patton Oswalt aren't really dead and all the murders were a giant ruse to allow Ward to stay undercover and save everyone from Hydra. Obviously, THAT, would be insane and ridiculous. So, let's hope that I'm right on my original prediction even if it is a tad predictable.
• What is the fate/mission of the team for Season 2?
• I really don't know. That's the most interesting question of all. How do you have a show called Agents of SHIELD when SHIELD no longer exists? My best guess is that Nick Fury will tell Coulson that the world needs his team. That they need to do the things that no one else can. That their little six-person squad is SHIELD now.

Mad Men's News and Notes 5.12.14

How about a completely unorganized list of notes for your Monday? I knew you'd be excited.

• I must be one of the mindless masses because MAN, do I love Mad Men. The show is coming to an end this season and I am going to be one sad, white hipster. Roger Sterling is one of my favorite television characters on any show ever. (And Ginsberg is quickly on his way to second.)
• Although, as I type this, things are getting weeiiird.
• It's so odd that you could consider this a golden age of television for the quality of the scripted shows, while at the same time there is more garbage on TV than ever thanks to all the reality junk.
• Space Cops t-shirt: coming
• 7 Space Cops episodes: coming
• Seven!
• I dreamed the first two acts of a feature film this weekend. All of it. Val Kilmer was the lead, Mark Wahlberg was the villain-turned-ally. It was weird. And probably not great.
• That led to maybe the most guaranteed-to-succeed idea I think I've ever had. A television show. Too bad I don't have the rights and too bad we aren't actually in the biz. If anybody knows Shane Black, I have a goldmine for him.
• Well... It looks like Ginsberg can't be second favorite, eh?

Wealthy benefactors, we're still accepting large cash gifts to pursue creative nirvana. Tomorrow is the season finale of Agents of SHIELD, so stop by for the recap and any secrets that only the nerd can decipher.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.21

Episode 21 is in the books and we're all set up for the big finale. First, I have to give credit where it's due. That was by far Ward's best episode and it isn't even close. Brett Dalton played cold and conflicted much better than any other character moments he'd had before and really made the most of his spotlight in this episode. It looks like we have plenty to see next week to close out the season, including a fight with a room full of Deathloks, a showdown with Coulson and Garrett (who is all jacked up on alien juice), and a visit from Nicholas J. Fury.  Let's get to the notes...

• Loved Tripp's Howling Commandos suitcase and Coulson's "OMG a Hypnobeam" moment. Good stuff.
• +1 chuckle for Coulson accidentally slipping into Fitz's accent.
• This show has to get some directors for next season that are more comfortable with action. Action pieces are slow and low-impact like the zip-line sequence, fights are sloppy and hard to watch... It's one area they really need to step their game up. I don't need a huge budget, but I do need better camera angles and editing to make that stuff jump.
• "Get ready for a large file transfer." And... cue the filing cabinet out the window. I couldn't help but like that one.
• John Garrett is a Deathlok which holds true to the John Garrett of comics becoming a cyborg (although not necessarily a Deathlok).
• The whole segment of flashbacks with the dog in the woods cross-cut with Jemma and Fitz locked in the container really did play well. Kudos all around.
• The moment of Ward sending FitzSimmons into the ocean was spot-on perfect and one of the best of the whole season. Every note rang true and I'm glad Brett Dalton got that moment. He basically told me I can shove it.
• Nice to hear the Six Million Dollar Man shout-out from the writers with Quinn's "better, stronger, faster" line.

Predictions

• Fitz and Simmons won't die. Duh. I don't think I'm ruining anything for you there, right?
• I HOPE this isn't the case, but... I feel like there is a chance Ward programmed in a fail-safe that helps Fitz and Simmons escape their box. (I really, really hope not because that totally negates the great scene from tonight and steals the one cool moment Ward's character ever had.)
• Skye is at least half Kree (alien), but I already told you that.

We'll see you next week for the big finale. There should be plenty to talk about.

Cinco's News and Notes 5.5.14

Happy Cinco. It's time for everyone to bee-line to your nearest Mexican Restaurant and drink margaritas on the outdoor patio. As far as I know, that's what this holiday means to Americans and apparently that's all they need because the stature of Cinco continues to grow in the pantheon of holidays. Most of what I had for you was WSF related, but let's start it with a gigantic rant of nerd talk because that's what I do.

Superhero Overload

Amazing Spider-Man 2 hit theaters this weekend. Did you see it? I did not. ...Yeah, you heard me. The comic book geek and ultimate Marvel homer didn't go. Sorry. I just can't get excited about it. In my opinion that apathy could grow in the next 3-4 years. And believe it or not, if the superhero movie dies... Marvel killed it.

See, the problem is Sony and Fox own the rights to some of Marvel's biggest names and they are going to continue squeezing bad movies out of those properties in order to keep them. That's the way the contracts work. You make a new movie with the character within X years of the last one, or the rights revert to Marvel. But, by and large, they don't know how to make the most of what they've got. Marvel Studios has unprecedented success because they've been telling great stories with these characters for 50 years. They know what works and they don't feel the need to reinvent the wheel or let some ego driven director change the core of the character.

The even BIGGER problem is that all of these studios want their Avengers now. The cash-cow, the payday, the goldmine, etc, etc. So they're going to stretch their one property into an entire "universe" with the C-list characters that come along with guys like Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. What should be a group of supporting characters are now going to be headlining major motion pictures. Even to the extent that Sony is going to give Spider-Man's villains their own film. Make that two films. The Sinister Six and Venom. ...What? Fox is going to stretch out their mutants as wide and as thin as they can with teams like X-Force and they'll eventually bring them together with the Fantastic Four's universe.

Warner Brothers is the only studio that actually has a chance to build something similar to Marvel because they own all the DC characters under one umbrella. That's exactly what they plan to do. But, unfortunately, they aren't structured like Marvel. Warner Brothers doesn't have a creative committee from the publishing side and a strong guide like Kevin Feige steering their ship. Leaders come and go. Right now they have Zack Snyder. We get Superman and Batman next, which sets up their Justice League movie and Snyder is already attached to direct that as well. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman,  Cyborg, and those are just the names we know of so far. Do you see what I'm saying? It's all going to be a mess. (The DC movies will probably be fair to decent. Maybe. But it's the quantity that kills.)

In my opinion, the majority of these movies are going to be Green Lantern level messes. The superhero film movement can survive a Green Lantern or X-Men Origins now and then... but not this. This is going to be an absolute overload of garbage and fans like myself are going to pay the price. Why? Because this might be bad enough to take Marvel Studios down with the rest. Even if they could keep making good movies in the midst of the schlock and possibly stay afloat, they're going to start losing all their heavy hitters right at the time that this perfect storm hits squall. Downey, Evans, Hemsworth... they are all going to want to move on sooner rather than later. In fact, RDJ and Chris Evans have already said as much. Will people want to watch their replacements? Are they going to be as excited about a Winter Soldier-is-the-New-Captain-America movie? Are they willing to take the leap of a new Tony Stark (who would even want to attempt to fill those shoes)? Are they going to fall in love with Phase 3 characters like Ant Man and Dr. Strange? Who knows.

All I'm saying is that I'm scared for the future of superhero movies. When Marvel sold off their biggest properties years ago, they handed Fox and Sony a knife and when Avengers made a billion dollars, they taught them how to use it.

WSF Notes

• We enter a new season of productivity and creation at WSF headquarters this month.
• I'm currently editing two projects for friends, but Space Cops eps are still coming and they are amazing.
• I've typed up half of a Bizarnival 2 script on an amazing piece of free scriptwriting software. I'll tell you about it in a post soon.
• We have no less than four or five short films in some stage of pre-production right now.

I hope to bring you an Indie Wednesday this week as well as a breakdown of Agents of SHIELD; only two episodes to go for the season. Keep checking in, friends.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.20

This was the best episode since the Captain America tie-ins began. Right off the bat we get a nice Man-Thing reference for all the geeks like yours truly. What is Man-Thing? That's him in the picture; Marvel's version of Swamp Thing. A government scientist was experimenting on plants and got transformed into a mushy plant-man that lives in a swamp... or something like that. This is actually the second reference to Man-Thing in the Cinematic U. Man-Thing's wife appeared in Iron Man 3. (Same name, same scar, AIM agent: check, check, and check.) It seems somebody at Marvel Studios has a soft spot for the green and mossy guy. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him appear in one of the TV properties someday. Now let's get to the rest of the notes...

• Speaking of Man-Thing, the writers are getting much better at sneaking in Marvel names and references without making them distracting. (The joke two weeks ago about Johnny Horton made me laugh out loud, which is maybe the dorkiest thing I could possibly admit.)
• Maria Hill was talking to Pepper Potts on the phone when the episode begins, but the most interesting tidbit was the news that Stark Industries is "privatizing global security." That's a fact that could actually play out in The Avengers 2. Kind of cool that they seeded it on AoS.
• By the way, I thought Cobie Smulders did a nice job and brought some extra juice to the episode.
• Tripp tells us that Coulson is an "expert in analysis" and Phil correctly diagnoses the predicament his team is in to the letter. I liked that moment and the effort to develop Phil's character, letting us know what makes him talented, unique and valuable as an agent.
• The emotional moments on the show just don't carry weight and I'll tell you why. The high emotion moments and outbursts happen far too often and usually they don't ring true. So, when you have an occasion where that emotion would feel right and appropriate, its impact is stolen. This is the most emotionally fragile bunch of spies ever and any time the feelings come out, the directors have them crank it up to 11.
• Skye calls Ward a Nazi and serial killer. I'm glad, because she's right on both counts and I've been worried that the show would let Ward off easy at some point.
• I liked Deathlok's heart gadget.
• He still doesn't look enough like Deathlok. I understand the difficulties, but rather than looking like a cyborg, it looks like he's wearing an big, ill-fitting vest. In no way do his appliances look like part of him.
• Nice to see Lola, but that green screen work... yikes. Forgiveable though. I got some laughs out of it.
• I like Tripp. There is room to improve on the acting, but I like him and that's more than I could ever say for Ward.

Predictions

Like I said, I was worried they would allow Ward to redeem himself. Now, I'm confident (and happy) to say that Ward is just too far gone for redemption. He's shooting people in the head left and right, including Victoria Hand. Orders or not, Skye's line was correct, he's a serial killer. He had an unfortunate childhood and was misled by Garrett. There isn't enough room to let him off the hook, but I do believe they'll give Ward one chance to sacrifice himself for his former team. One final act to make good and go out on the good side (a la Anakin Skywalker). It could happen in the season finale, but not necessarily. It seems they might like to make him a foil for next season. Scenario B would be something along the lines of Ward kills Garrett and allows the Agents to escape, but he then takes over as the leader of this arm of Hydra; being the oh-so complex character that he is.

We'll see you back here for the final two episodes of the season.

Captain America's News and Notes 4.21.14

Well, it took longer than expected to recover from Kentucky's amazing run through the NCAA Tournament which ultimately ended in defeat to a Huskies program we are learning to loathe. Nevertheless, here we are!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

First, since we've made Marvel fare a bit of a hobby here on the blog, let me start by saying that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an absolutely outstanding superhero movie. This latest Marvel flick is quite possibly their second best overall. Yes, above The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and The Dark World.

I don't want to give an exhaustive review right now, but let me say that Cap 2 had the best script by far outside Iron Man 1 & 3 (possibly better than 3). This was by far the best characterization of Cap himself thanks to the Russo brothers who directed. The sickeningly goody-goody aspect of Steve Rogers that we saw in the Avengers (hopelessly dreary and serious at all times) was nearly eliminated and replaced by a subtle edge. Kudos to Chris Evans who was able to pull that off as well; I had major doubts and he proved me wrong. The improvements weren't solely for Cap; the Winter Soldier also contained the best portrayals of Fury and Black Widow by far. Sam Jackson seemed to be engaged for the first time by his character and, again, you can credit that to a top-notch script.

The hand-to-hand fight scenes also might be the best ever in any super hero movie. Yes, the movie had its problems and weird moments that quite seem to fit, but they were minimal and I'm not going to nitpick. Bottom line: if you haven't seen it, you need to.

WSF Notes

We've been busy bees. That's the other reason I've been doing a horrible job with the updates here. I'll try to make a bullet list of what we have going on and maybe get into some details later.

• Space Cops editing continues. We're finishing off multiple episodes so we can string together several weeks of releases in a row.
• Rumors persist of a Space Cops t-shirt that would coincide with the release of new episodes.
• Some serious pondering happening at HQ. There are some major questions being asked about our goals and priorities.
• A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday to determine how ambitious we will be in producing a short film this year (the two options are very or not at all).
• Or will we focus all our efforts into turning Walk Softly into a full-fledged company and new careers for all?

Don't give up on the blog. It's just getting good. The next few months are going to be nothing if not interesting. See you back here on Wednesday? We might have an Agents of SHIELD update.

Aaron Harrison's News and Notes 3.31.14

If you were hoping for news and notes, I have to apologize. It's March. And in March we don't do anything in Kentucky. Because this.

We'll be back up to full speed in a couple weeks for sure. Could be next week, but I hope not.

St. Patty's News and Notes 3.17.14

The Space Cops t-shirt is going to be amazing.

I've been at work painting and editing. Space Cops is all-consuming these days. You're going to want one of these t-shirts. Trust me. So, start saving your pocket change.

If today is Saint Patrick's Day, that means our Lunch with the Arts is only two days away. There is still room to join in the fun and if they don't sell this thing out, you're going to hurt us. You're going to hurt us deeply. We hope to see some new faces there (that don't already own a copy of Cannonball). We have no shame. It's going to be a lively back and forth, so tell your friends.

Keep that green on and don't get pinched, friends.

Geek Scope: Agents of SHIELD 1.15

Agents of SHIELD continues to build steam in the back half of its first season and my enthusiasm for the future of the show continues to grow. In my opinion, "Yes Men" was the best episode since "FZZT," nine episodes ago. Sif's guest appearance worked well and didn't feel forced. AoS even worked in some Cinematic Universe backstory and new continuity as well. More on that later.

Jamie Alexander was excellent and really made the most of her chance to take center stage. The internet has been crying for prominent female superheroes and I think tonight was a big victory in that regard. I know my ten year-old daughter was pretty fired up about it. Once again there was some solid character development as well as nice comedy and action pieces. The comedy was primarily provided by Fitz and Simmons who were on their game in limited roles. One exchange between Coulson and an entranced Fitz actually made me laugh out loud.

Not many criticisms on this one, but I'll pick at it a little. The fight choreography basically stinks. And, not to get too "inside baseball" on you, but the fights were sped up in post and the frame blending process was obvious. Somebody in the edit chair was in a hurry.

Now, turn away from the screen Agent Ward fans. I don't want to make you cry, but Ward hurts the show. He is the weakest character and it seems no one knows how to make him compelling. If I'm a writer and the show ever needs a death to serve a story... I know where I'm starting. Ouch, I know, I'm ruthless. Also, AoS writers, if Ward knows Lorelei's power set and has his tranquilizer gun pointed right at her, why does he not fire it, allow her to speak to him and touch him? Somebody has to catch stuff like that, because that was just dumb. Try this: she sneaks up behind him, touches him and speaks: easy peasy. (Lemon squeezy.)

• Admirable exposition to set the scene between Sif and the team. Why is Coulson alive, etc. Coulson asks to tell Thor himself. More setup if they want to use it.
• Coulson probes Sif for information on blue aliens. She says she knows plenty and goes through the list... Trust the comic guy: it was all blah, blah, blah, Kree. (Told you so.) She does mention frost giants but that notion is dismissed and the guy in the tube was no giant, nor did his features resemble one.
• So... another outer space alien. Hooray. (Again, I'm sorry, but aliens really are the explanation for everything in the MCU. Switch it up a little guys. You've even been calling Asgard a planet. Stop it!)
• Lorelei was a good choice as the villain. Her power over men actually provides a good reason for Sif to be the only Asgardian who pursues her.
• Ward is "as lethal as any"? No. I've seen nothing that makes me think that at all. Writing problem.  If you want me to believe that, you're going to have to show me. Brett Dalton's performances can be stiff, but this is on the writers.
• I actually felt some emotion for Lorelei's predicament. Kudos.
• Here's a big one: Odin wants Lorelei back alive...   But Odin isn't Odin is he? So somebody else actually wants her back alive. Heh? Hehhh? If you've seen The Dark World, you know who I'm talking about.
• Sounds like Ward and May's tryst is over for now.
• Lorelei intimated that Ward has feelings for someone else. (Skye. Duh.) Although they could possibly play a Simmons switcharoo on us.
• They really upped the stakes at the end of the episode and I bought it. Fury vs. Coulson?
• Agent May is in on it (with Fury?) and has apparently been providing inside info for some time.

Theories

• Skye is a human/Kree hybrid, orphan which is what makes her an 0-8-4 and why she reacted even better than Coulson to the freaky alien juice they injected her with.
• Would they go so far as to make the alien in the tube a direct relation to her? I lean towards no, because I think we were being led to believe the alien had been there since the 40s or 50s.
• If they ever use AoS to advance the Loki storyline, people will lose their minds and the ratings will be even higher than the premiere.

No episode next week. Looks like they're having a promotional special for all the Marvel properties in general. Some of those Deathlok clips looked pretty cool. His bionic/cyborg eye was exposed. Are we going to keep inching closer to the look of Deathlok from the comics?