Marvel’s Agents of Shield

Series one, episode one
Remember when Agent Phil Coulson is killed by Loki in ‘Avengers Assemble’? He ain’t really dead. Picking up from where the film left off, Joss Whedon drops us into the day-to-day lives of Shield (that’s Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), an unlikely team of maverick agents who deal with rogue superheroes. Coulson (Clark Gregg) leads the team, comprised of brilliant lone wolf Agent Ward, battle-weary ninja Melinda May, adorkable geekspeak duo Fitz and Simmons, and sassy Skye, a hacktivist with a social conscience and distracting amounts of lipgloss.

This pilot episode zips along with movie-worthy action, fast dialogue and Bond-like glamour. A number of ‘now’ topics come up: financial worries, government secrets, and the impossibility of privacy in the age of smartphones – especially relevant for superheroes with secret identities. But don’t expect ‘Utopia’ levels of darkness: the show gestures towards issues without being engulfed by them.

It appears closer to ‘Buffy’ in terms of knowing humour, setting up genre clichés and lofty words only to bring them down with a razor-sharp gag. It’s a promising start for Marvel’s first live-action TV show, with some tantalising cliffhangers that will leave you wanting more.

Kathryn Bromwich, 25, is a freelance journalist from Hackney. He was selected to write this review as part of the Time Out Takeover – a special edition of the magazine written entirely by our readers.