Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review – “Seeds”

As is expected from shows with the Whedon brand, the season is starting to gain a lot of momentum.

Cast and Crew Information

Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
Chloe Benet as Skye
Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz
Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons

Dylan Minnette as Donnie Gill
David Conrad as Ian Quinn
Christine Adams as Agent Weaver
Maiara Walsh as Callie Hannigan

Written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Jed Whedon
Directed by Kenneth Fink

Premise

Technology first developed by Fitzsimmons is repurposed to attack cadets as S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Sci/Tech academy, bringing the team in to investigate. Meanwhile, Coulson and May investigate Skye’s past.

High Point

That’s not the 0-8-4 I was expecting.

Low Point

As much as I’d love to see more established characters hit the screen, doing so with this episode structure spoils a lot of surprises. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can spoil yourself here.

The Review

This feels original. We get a lot of internal S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff, for only the second time, but looking at a completely different section of the organization. We get some major turns in the ongoing story, and we get some new connections between players on the board. Very well done. I give it 5 out of 6.

The effects are very well done this week. Some of that was accomplished by giving us sound effects instead of visuals, but it’s still good. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story is tightly plotted, both as a standalone chapter and as a piece of the ongoing story. It includes twists that comic geeks like me saw coming, and twists that were pleasant surprises. I give it 6 out of 6.

The acting from the regular cast was strong, but some of the younger guest stars could have been better. I give it 5 out of 6.

The production was by Mutant Enemy. 6 out of 6.

The emotional response was great, particularly when Coulson had his talk with Skye. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a strong chapter in a steadily improving series. I hope it lasts a while, but slipping ratings and this week’s music retooling have me concerned. At this point, I’d bet on a second season, but not a third. I give it 6 out of 6.

In total, Seeds receives 40 out of 42.

4 replies on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review – “Seeds””

  1. My low-point here was what’s his name, the supposedly-withdrawn kid. Everyone was being super nice to him, trying to help him, Fitz was being nice to him, everyone was telling him how cool and smart he was, they flew into the mess HE created to rescue him… and then at the end he’s all pissy and mad at them. What the hell, dude?

      • I may not have picked up on that because I immediately associated Donnie Gill with Blizzard from the comics. It seemed inevitable to me. Without a clean slate, I didn’t see the issues. See also my “Green Lantern” review.

  2. This episode was a bit mixed for me. Individual elements felt strong but for some reason as a whole it didn’t seem all that great. I found the Skye backstory much more interesting than the main plot.

    Spoilery speculation: Given this news it would be amusing if Skye ended up being Sif’s baby, hidden away on Earth.

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