Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 14, "Watchdogs" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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This Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode puts the focus squarely on character dynamics.  And it works pretty well.  Several of the characters are paired up with characters with whom we haven’t seen them interact that much in a while, and it throws an interesting light on their characters and actions.  However, this episode doesn’t just pair the characters up and set them loose; it sheds light on a dissenting opinion within the MCU which has been gaining traction over the last year or so:  those who object to the idea of superheroes and especially to the results of their actions.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 14, "Watchdogs" EXPECTATIONS

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns tonight with “Watchdogs” (3x14) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?

Daredevil Seaosn 2, Episode 2, "Dogs to a Gunfight" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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If the focus of the first episode was on reintroducing Daredevil and introducing the Punisher, the focus of the second episode is on the differing opinions of heroes/vigilantes among New York’s residents.  Are people like Daredevil and the Punisher heroes or are they criminals?  That’s the question which all the characters have to answer at some point in this episode.

Rumor Has It... In-Development Captain Britain TV Series

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According to Ciara McAvoy, a Scottish movie poster artist, Marvel has a Captain Britain series in development and she was hired to paint a teaser poster for it!  In a follow-up Tweet, McAvoy revealed that there are producers attached to the project (and their names), and they are working on a sizzle reel in advance of bringing it to Marvel.  A definite announcement may have to wait until late 2016 or early 2017, however.  Evidently this is not an official Marvel Studios project, but a project being spearheaded by fans looking to receive Marvel’s blessing if they like the pitch.

With that in mind, I thought I would try my hand at helping those producers out with my own ideas of what would make for an interesting Captain Britain TV series.

Now, I already talked about Brian Braddock, a.k.a. Captain Britain, in my “National Heroes” article and when talking about Union Jack’s rumored appearance in Captain America: Civil War.  However, in this article I will highlight the kinds of things which could have some bearing on a possible Captain Britain TV series.

Weekly MCU Review for 3/26 (Holy Saturday)

Another week, and more MCU news!  There really wasn’t a ton of news this week:  Daredevil season 2 came out last weekend, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. got the ball rolling on its spinoff.  Although, there was this little art-house flick that premiered yesterday… what was it?  Oh, that’s right:  Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice!  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 13, "Parting Shot" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

Remember how last week’s episode was the hundredth episode of MCU TV?  Do you realize that we’re already 14 episodes into the second hundred episodes?  And there’s probably at least another 42 episodes coming in the rest of this year!  MCU TV is just exploding!

And I think this one might be one of the best from a purely character standpoint.  “Parting Shot” really is Bobbi and Hunter’s show, and in my opinion the two of them absolutely nailed it.  This was most definitely a backdoor pilot for Marvel’s Most Wanted (even if the showrunners said they weren’t going to give it a backdoor pilot), and that showed throughout.  Bobbi and Hunter took center stage from the first scene pretty much to the end.  They fought and did spy-stuff together, but most importantly we explored their characters and their relationship.  If this episode is a model for what Marvel’s Most Wanted will be like, I think we’ll be pretty happy with the result.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 13, "Parting Shot" EXPECTATIONS

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues tonight with “Parting Shot” (3x13) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?

Daredevil Season 2, Episodes 8-13 NON-SPOILER REVIEW

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Daredevil season 2 really serves as an origin story for both the Punisher and Elektra.  And in story terms it does an excellent job of answering the question of where they come from and what truly motivates them.  Both become far more sympathetic as their past comes into greater focus.  And in both cases Daredevil does play a crucial role in this chapter of their respective stories.  However, there really isn’t much connection between Punisher’s story and Elektra’s story beyond teaming up with Daredevil.

Daredevil Season 2, Episode 1, "Bang" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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Daredevil season 1 was a lot of fun.  It saw the rise of a new kind of hero in New York City:  Daredevil.  Matt Murdock was a budding lawyer by day and a budding vigilante by night.  He fought for justice in the courtroom, and ensured that justice on the streets when the justice system couldn’t be trusted.  Even though he firmly believed in the rule of law, Matt Murdock couldn’t just sit back and watch criminal acts occur.  And it is from these twin identities that the Daredevil was born over the course of a 13-episode first season.  However, it is not until the end of the final episode that Matt Murdock finally assumes the iconic horned helmet and is given the iconic codename.

Daredevil Season 2, Episodes 1-7 NON-SPOILER REVIEW

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Daredevil season 2 is another 13-episode exploration of the Marvel Universe’s dark underbelly, along the same lines as Daredevil season 1 and Jessica Jones season 1.  Matt Murdock is still working to balance his vigilante career with his law practice, though he sometimes struggles finding that balance, leaving Foggy to pick up the slack.  However, Daredevil has begun to receive quite a bit of fame in Hell’s Kitchen, with the people cheering for his actions.  Unfortunately, Daredevil has also begun to inspire a number of copycat vigilantes, one of whom is Frank Castle, dubbed “The Punisher.”  Where Daredevil brings the criminals down so they can be arrested and prosecuted, the Punisher is just on a one-man killing spree.

Weekly MCU Review for 3/19

Another week, and more MCU news!  Daredevil season 2 dropped this week, and they've already started the hype-machine for Luke Cage!  Oh, and there's also more Indiana Jones coming our way in a few years.  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Top Ten Episodes/Moments from MCU TV's First Hundred Episodes

Oh, how far we've come!
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Sorry about the late update.  I wanted this ready to go up early in the day, but I kind of got sidetracked by Daredevil season 2!

Let’s do some quick math here:

56+18+13+13=100

You know what that means?  56 episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (22 episodes * 2 seasons + 12 of season 3) + 18 episodes of Agent Carter + 13 episodes of Daredevil+ 13 episodes of Jessica Jones = 100 episodes of MCU TV.  Wow!

Daredevil Season 2 EXPECTATIONS

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Marvel’s original Netflix hit, Daredevil, returns this week with its second season, which will be released on Netflix tomorrow, Friday, March 18.  What do we expect from this season?

Of Kings and Prophets Episode 2, "Let the Wicked Be Ashamed" REVIEW

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Well, I suppose the best you can say is that at least this last episode of Of Kings and Prophets was better than the first one!  And to be honest, it really is better than “Offerings of Blood.”  The Biblical accuracy is improved somewhat (though they still make one egregious error near the end of the episode).  There is also less gratuitous sex (though there’s still one terribly-gratuitous sex scene which pretty much destroys the character).

Unfortunately, that’s not quite enough to redeem the series, considering all the problems.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 12, "The Inside Man" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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So I really was not expecting either of the big, shocking reveals tonight.  I just want to put that out there.    There were a few things in this episode that I did expect, but those two twists were quite unexpected.  Nice job by Marvel TV there!

Also, was I the only one who noticed a very blatant semi-political statement partway through the episode?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 11, "The Inside Man" EXPECTATIONS

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues tonight with “The Inside Man” (3x12) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?

Weekly MCU Review for 3/13

Another week, and more MCU news!  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned this week, a new Captain America: Civil War trailer debuted this week, and Luke Cage received a release date.  Oh, and Daredevil is just one week away!  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Daredevil Season 2: All About the Hand

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Daredevil season 2 will be released in just over a week, and before that happens I want to take a little time to talk about a couple of the things we will see in season 2.  Next week I will post my Expectations for Daredevil season 2 the day before the season drops on Netflix, but this week I want to talk about the Hand, the group which looks like it will serve as the primary antagonists for the season.

Of Kings and Prophets Episode 1, "Offerings of Blood," REVIEW

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Here is my first attempt at reviewing 2 TV shows that air the same night.  I will continue to review this series, but I may continue them only on my church's blog if my readers here are not interested.

When I first saw the promos for Of Kings and Prophets (ABC’s new miniseries that airs immediately after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), I was actually excited.  After all, the account of David is one of the most exciting sections of the Bible—and practically begs for an adaptation which takes some inspiration from Game of Thrones.  The Biblical account is replete with courtly intrigue, romance, military conquest, action… all the elements that make for a good historical movie or TV series.  And all of those elements are in fact present in the Of Kings and Prophets series premiere.

But…

Unfortunately, this series borrows a little too heavily from Game of Thrones and not quite heavily enough from The Holy Bible.  The characters are behaving out of character.  The casting is laughable from a racial accuracy standpoint (either go all-Caucasian, or all-Middle Eastern, guys).  The costuming feels far too medieval for 1000 BC Palestine.  Israel has a very impressive cavalry in this series, especially considering that Israel didn’t exactly have horses in quantity until David’s reign!

But the worst offense this movie commits is in its depiction of God, who is certainly not given his due as the hero of this story.  Instead, God is relegated to the background as a grumpy old man demanding the slaughter of the helpless to avenge an ages-old slight.  Hardly the Biblical depiction of God!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 11, "Bouncing Back," REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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About the only thing I can say to the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. midseason premiere is “Awesome!”  This episode offers some good payoff for a few of the bigger moments in the midseason finale, particularly with regards to Ward and Coulson’s confrontation on Maveth.  We also get the much-hyped debut of Elena Rodriguez (whom Mack dubs “Yo-Yo”).  Oh, and there’s also that somewhat wild opening to talk about!  Let’s get right into it.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3, Episode 11, "Bouncing Back" EXPECTATIONS

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns tonight with its midseason premiere, “Bouncing Back” (3x11), at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?

Has Sony Lost Its Mind... Again???

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Do you remember just how stupid all the Spider-Man plans that came out of the Sony hack sounded last year?  Among other things they were trying to set up a Black Cat spinoff movie, Venom, Sinister Six, and even an Aunt May prequel!  Now, none of those ideas sound crazy in and of themselves (aside from the last one, that is), but with the number of heroes under Sony’s control (one) they just would not have all worked as part of a straight-up movie series.  And there’s really no denying that.

Fortunately, Sony finally figured out that they couldn’t do everything on their own last year and made a deal to include Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  I remember when that news broke I assumed that this meant that Sony had fully wised up and was done wasting money on Spider-Man movies that would only damage poor Peter Parker’s reputation.

Unfortunately, it turns out that that just plain was not the case.  Sony is at it again, but this time instead of doing it with Spider-Man they’re going to try it with Venom.  According to the report, Sony is reviving that previously-announced Venom spinoff, which will not be connected to the Spider-Man reboot which Sony and Marvel are co-producing as part of the MCU.  In case you missed it the first time, let me just repeat that:

SONY IS TRYING TO DO VENOM WITHOUT SPIDER-MAN!

All About Shang-Chi

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News broke just yesterday that Marvel Studios is in the process of casting Shang-Chi to appear in the upcoming Iron Fist Netflix series!  From the MCU Exchange report it sounds like Marvel is looking to give Shang-Chi the same treatment as Punisher will be getting in Daredevil season 2:  he is being introduced as a supporting character in Iron Fist, but if he is well received in that series then he could be given his own spinoff series in a year or two.  If these reports are true (with both Punisher and Shang-Chi potentially receiving their own series), then that would give us a definite direction for “Marvel Netflix Phase 2,” with future series based on characters who appear in the previous series.

If this is the case, then I would expect to see the four original series merged together down to 2 series in order to make room on the release schedule for at least 1 new spinoff series each year.

But this is getting ahead of ourselves; for right now we are talking about Shang-Chi, the hero who will is rumored to be making his debut in Iron Fist either late this year or early next year.

In anticipation of Shang-Chi’s presumed MCU debut, let’s talk about who he is and what we may see of him in Iron Fist and beyond.

Weekly MCU Review for 3/6

Another week, and more MCU news!  There was a metric ton of Iron Fist-related news this week, from casting to potential additional heroes.  Also, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been renewed for season 4!  Oh, and Sony is being stupid with its Marvel properties again…  Put some ketchup on your eggs, and catch-up on your Marvel news!

Marvel's Civil War: The Small-Screen Tie-In Possibilities

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My last article was supposed to cover all the tie-in potential in MCU Phase 3, but it started getting long, so I decided to split it up—the simple one-and-done article I started almost a month ago has grown like crazy!  Last week’s article dealt with only the Phase 3 movies and how they might tie in with Civil War.  This article will cover all of the upcoming TV shows as well as the Netflix series.

Captain America: Civil War will see the Avengers landing on opposite sides in a deeply-personal conflict which will also create a major ideological divide between Captain America—who has always stood for freedom—and Iron Man—who is (presumably) having a major crisis of conscience after creating an artificial intelligence monster that nearly caused the human race to go extinct.  The ideological side of the conflict will almost certainly—and I would argue needs to—have far-reaching implications all through Phase 3.  The conflict cannot be settled in a single movie; the aftermath will need to be felt in the future movies in which these characters appear.

However, even as the Avengers are being pulled apart by the personal side of the conflict, the rest of the world (particularly the world’s superheroes) will feel at least some of the ramifications of the conflict, as well.  In the comic book Civil War—a primarily-American conflict—the rest of the world was nevertheless drawn in on one side or the other; how much more will the rest of the world be drawn in when the “Registration Act”-equivalent (the Sokovia Accords) is enacted by the United Nations, a global legislative body?  This is not something that can be seen in-depth in a 2-hour movie, or even in multiple single-character movies.  To fully understand the scope of the conflict will require a lot more than that.  And that means tie-ins from the small-screen, as well.

Articles in this Series:

“Why the Civil War Needs to be BIG”

“Marvel’s Civil War Interconnectivity:  A Case Study from the Hydra Uprising”

“Marvel’s Civil War: The Movie Tie-In Possibilities"

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 10, "Hollywood Ending" REVIEW (SPOILERS)

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You know, all the talk coming into this season finale was wondering about Agent Carter’s chances for a season 3 order.  After all, the ratings have been pretty low and Hayley Atwell was cast in a pilot for a new ABC series, and both of those items don’t exactly look good for Carter’s future.  However, focusing on the negatives actually detracts from a very good season finale, which satisfactorily wrapped up all the major plots for the season and offered some tantalizing hints at the series’ future.

Agent Carter Season 2, Episode 10, "Hollywood Ending" EXPECTATIONS

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Agent Carter concludes is second season tonight with “Hollywood Ending” (2x10) at 9:00 PM Eastern/Pacific.  What do we expect from tonight's episode?