While we’re still waiting for all of our favorite comic book shows to return for the Fall season, this was the first week that featured more than just one show; two to be exact. Therefore, this week will be the launching off point for Superhero Television Recap. A new weekly segment that will review and rate the week’s shows. Unfortunately, I am only one person and can’t watch every show on television, so I will only review the following:
Fall:
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
Arrow
The Flash
Gotham
Supergirl
Mid-Season:
Agent Carter
Spring:
Legends of Tomorrow
This week saw the season three premier of Agents of SHIELD and a promising second episode for Gotham.
**Full Spoilers for all shows listed**
Monday, 9/28
Gotham “Knock Knock” (Initial Review)
Gotham was a show that had disappointed me for the last time, or so I had thought. I was all set on dropping it after a lackluster first episode that looked to maintain some of the same problems from the first season. Luckily for me, my Monday night was free and I tuned in to FOX at 7:58.
This episode is probably one of the best of the series, to date. For the first time it really seemed as if they were setting up one big arc. Last season felt like they were trying to do too much. Popular characters, or characters with connections to them, were being forced into the story every couple of weeks. Many episodes saw an independent conflict for Gordon and Bullock to investigate while Penguin continued his manipulation of the crime families, Riddler continued creeping on Miss Kringle, and Fish continued to get unnecessary screen time to feed Jada Pinkett Smith’s ego.
It was as if they weren’t sure whether they wanted a crime/gangster drama or a supernatural/comic book drama. Now it seems like they may have found one storyline that they plan on developing without the insertion of unnecessary characters and independent story arcs.
The standout performance of this episode was easily Jerome, who seems to be taking on characteristics of each and every modern-day Joker. He quickly, and dramatically, cemented himself as the head dog of their new crime group and led the attack on the GCPD precinct in a fantastic, and unexpected, scene. At times, his performance was truly terrifying, including the scene in which he killed Commissioner Essex and the recorded video that was played on the news after the attack (which was eerily reminiscent to Heath Ledger’s performance in the The Dark Knight).
Another big positive of this season seems to be the development of David Mazouz’s acting skills. Over the first couple of episodes he has really grasped the character, and while his acting can sometimes seem a bit stiff, there have been multiple scenes so far this season that have made me believe that this kid will eventually grow up to become Batman. More specifically, in this episode his relationship with Alfred was pushed to the brink. These were emotionally charged scenes, and while Sean Pertwee always gives a fantastic performance, David Mazouz really sold me during each and every one of them.
Other notable events included Edward Nygma’s split personality, Gordon heroically saving a bus of cheerleaders from a fiery death, and Harvey Bullock’s return to the GCPD.
8.3/10
Tuesday, 9/29
Agents of SHIELD “Laws of Nature”
If the opening scene, and episode, of Agents of SHIELD third season is any indication of what’s to come, then ABC should be very happy. The show began with a grand display of their new special effects budget, as a recently transformed Inhuman, Joey, ran from the police, only to be saved by Skye/Daisy/Quake (I guess we’ll call her Quake in the field, Daisy at all other times..?) and brought to SHIELD.
We were introduced to yet another antagonistic group, the ATCU, led by Rosalind who proved she could match Coulson’s wit with a very entertaining exchange on a train. A small twist, though, shed light on the situation as we realized that neither group were the ‘bad guys’, or in this case responsible for the recent killings of new Inhumans. This was a pleasant twist, especially when we met the true antagonist, Lash.
Lash is an Inhuman who feels that all Inhumans need to earn their transformation, and not by just being healthy and ingesting fish oil. While he looked like something from the Power Rangers, he was definitely set up to be a major badass and a big thorn in the side of SHIELD throughout the season. His quick fight with Quake, Lincoln, and Mack was used to show the audience just how strong he is, and set up the character for the rest of the season.
My personal favorite part of the episode was seeing Fitz continue to search for Simmons, who was swallowed by the monolith. This is the type of arc that I think was missing from the past two seasons of the show. The antagonist has always been another group rather than one powerful person or being which doesn’t allow for as much focus on personal relationships which really drive tv dramas. As an audience, it’s hard to hate an entire group as much as one evil person. (This is why I was pleased to see that Rosalind’s ATCU would not be the season’s antagonist). They tried this towards the end of last season with Daisy and her mother, but it was was extremely rushed and didn’t have as much of an impact in the finale because of it. The relationship between Fitz and Simmons, though, has been developed for two seasons now, and while his solo mission was a bit ridiculous, the performance by Iain De Caestecker in that final scene was absolutely fantastic.
Speaking of Simmons, we got to see just where she’s been spending her time recently and it seems like she’s somewhere halfway across the universe. Cree or Skrull maybe?
We also got our obligatory greater-MCU acknowledgments, as Sokovia and [Hank] Pym were both mentioned, referencing the two most recent Marvel films.
As someone who has never been completely hooked by this show, I was really impressed with this episode. Then they showed the preview for next week’s installment and I saw that we would be re-introduced to Grant Ward and his mission to rebuild HYDRA…
All in all though, a really solid premier episode that sets them up for their best season yet. That said, there is a lot going on and we haven’t even seen the return of Agent May yet, so it will be interesting to see if they can juggle so many storylines, and if they can do it successfully.
8.5/10
Next Week, 10/5-11
Monday: Gotham, Ep 3
Tuesday: Agents of SHIELD, Ep 2
The Flash, Ep 1
Wednesday: Arrow, Ep 1
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