When you don’t watch a show, how much fun can you expect to have at its New York Comic-Con panel? Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., however, was a blast to attend. Just like last year, Marvel’s Head of Television, Jeph Loeb, was on hand to introduce the early screening of Tuesday, October 14th’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, but this time around, he let Clark Gregg do it with him and when he came out, the crowd went nuts for him.
Not only did we get to experience a hefty dose of Coulson craziness and see next week’s episode, but Loeb and Gregg also unveiled some footage from Marvels brand new series Agent Carter as well. Hit the jump for more on that in my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Comic-Con panel recap.
After highlighting how instrumental New York Comic-Con has been to the show’s rise, Loeb said, “One of the things I hope that you learned about season 1, is that … anybody could be Hydra.” He unzipped his jacket revealing a Hydra shirt underneath and the audience wasn’t happy about it, but that’s when Gregg came out. I’m well aware that the show’s got a significant following and that Gregg has fans, but wow can that guy rile up a crowd.
After a whole lot of cheering and squealing, Gregg told Loeb, “You said, ‘Hail Hydra,’ and I’m not cool with that.” Loeb asked how he could possibly make it up to him and, of course, Gregg asked him, “Could we see something that no one’s ever seen before?” And that’s when we jumped into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2, episode 4, “Face My Enemy.”
The Episode
I don’t want to spoil the episode for you, so this description and reaction will be fairly vague. Be sure to keep an eye out for Evan’s piece after the episode airs next week for a more comprehensive recap. Also, keep in mind that I have not kept up with the show. I caught about four episodes of the first season and stopped watching it, not because I didn’t enjoy it, but rather because I didn’t have as much time for it as I would have liked. However, after watching “Face My Enemy,” I’m thinking that’s got to change.
The new episode focuses on a Coulson/Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) mission to snag a 500-year-old painting with strange markings on the back of it. In order to do so, they’ve got to get all dolled up for a super fancy fundraising party.
I walked into this episode knowing little to nothing about the group dynamic, what’s wrong with Coulson or why it’s so important for him to get his hands on those markings, but it didn’t even matter; the episode still held up exceptionally well. “Face My Enemy” quickly establishes a strong chemistry between Coulson and May, so even though I had got no clue how Coulson contracted this strange affliction nor any idea about what it could do to him, it was natural to care and get behind their mission.
Plus, tracking their efforts is quite captivating. Yet again, I was in the dark when it came to certain technology and characters, but it never stopped me from following the plot. Watching the pair navigate the party to figure out the location of the painting is engaging and then things intensify big time as they get into some serious combat, especially May.
Meanwhile, back on the Bus, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) is busy sulking. Having no context, I initially read his behavior as whiny and immature, but as the episode progressed, it dropped more and more information as to what sparked his bad attitude so in the end, I think I walked away with a fairly accurate idea of what happened. Regardless of that rocky start, the Fitz-centric portion of the show boasts a strong arc and is so well woven into Coulson and May’s operation that it winds up picking up a good deal of momentum as it makes its way to a very satisfying payoff.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is officially back on my iPad. I will be catching up - fast.
Agent Carter Footage
After “Face My Enemy” wrapped up, Loeb stepped up to the podium again and I assumed it was to deliver a quick thank you for attending. But then Gregg came back out and Gregg had already established that when he hits the stage, he does so for a reason and, sure enough, that’s when they revealed some brand new Agent Carter footage. Loeb prefaced by pointing out that they’ve only been shooting for a week and that the material we were seeing today had just been shot on Monday.
The footage begins with a shot of a 1940s car pulling up. A couple of people hop out and one man pulls a briefcase out of the trunk. Two of them walk down to a dock and that’s when it’s revealed that one of them is Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) and the other is Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). He prepares to take off in a speedboat when she asks, “Where are you headed?” He tells her he’s going overseas and asks her to help him track down something he’s invented. She asks what it is and he replies, “It’s just a piece of paper,” but it’s got a formula on it and the smallest amount of the substance could level a city block. He notes, “Technically, I’m not even sure it works, but, well, let’s face it, I invented it, so it works.”
Before Stark takes off, he introduces Peggy to Jarvis (James D’Arcy) and tells her, “He’ll help you in any way he can.” Stark heads out to sea and Peggy heads back to the car where Jarvis is waiting for her. He opens the door to the back seat and explains that he’s always in bed by 9pm, but then she replies, “Now, I go to work,” and hops in the front passenger seat instead.
From there we jump into a super short, quick-cutting action sequence that takes place in a small kitchen between Peggy and another man, and culminates with her throwing him out a window. It only lasted a matter of seconds, but the combat is still quite intense.
Marvel’s Agent Carter is due to kick off in January 2015.