Three episodes into the new season (the show’s first), and I’ve already begun to lose interest in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
And it’s happening rather quickly too! The first episode held my attention, although I wasn’t exactly captivated; but the last 2 were more like chores to watch, which is obviously a negative… for me anyway.
But maybe I’m just not a member of the series’ target audience. After all, it appears to be doing well enough for ABC, since the network announced last week that it had picked up the series for a full season.
It opened as TV’s highest-rated drama debut in nearly 4 years and, on average, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is No. 1 in its Tuesday, 8pm time period.
There are no black characters in the series’ starring cast, as you should already know, and given this blog’s interests, it’s something that we’ve previously paid some attention to – notably Joss Whedon’s former Angel cast member, J. August Richards, making an appearance in the series’ pilot episode, as the source of the episode’s conflict.
Looking ahead, you may be interested in knowing that this week’s episode (10/15), as well as next week’s (10/22) will feature 2 women of African descent in prominent roles – one seemingly also as a kind of quasi-villain (similar to the kind of character J. August Richards played in the season pilot) – at least, based on the info currently available to us; The other is still a mystery at this point. Although we are told something of who the character is and how she’s involved in the episode’s plot.
First, in tomorrow night’s episode, look for actress Pascale Armand (photo left) who will play a character named Akela Amador. The episode is titled Eye Spy, and in it, Agent Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team try to “track down a mysterious woman who has single-handedly committed numerous high-stakes heists. But when the woman’s identity is revealed, a troubling secret stands to ruin Coulson.”
The mysterious woman is of course Akela Amador, as played by Pascale Armand – primarily a stage actress, with few screen credits. In fact, based on her IMDB page, I’d say that this is her highest-profile on-screen role ever!
And then in next week’s episode (10/22), actress Ruth Negga will also play a source of conflict for the S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Titled Girl In The Flower Dress, Negga will play an elusive girl in a flower dress (as you can see in the image above, from the episode) who may hold the key to the mystery that brings Coulson and the team to the rescue a young man with an unusual and dangerous power.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.
The TV serial is being shepherded by Joss Whedon (who wrote and directed the big-screen version of The Avengers), alongside Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse).
So tune in tomorrow night (and next week Tuesday) at 8PM to catch Pascale Armand and Ruth Negga in their respective roles on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Here’s a look at tomorrow night’s episode with Pascale Armand: