SEARCH MY BLOG

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Agents of SHIELD: F.Z.Z.T. Review

Thoughts: Yes! We finally have an episode about Fitz and Simmons that develops their characters and provides backstory!
*Spoilers Ahead*
The recent episode, "F.Z.Z.T.", brings a surprisingly serious and emotional core to the show, with some classic Whedon character development and interactions. The show is starting to remind me a lot of Firefly, which is great because Firefly is one of the best shows ever made. While the first thirty minutes of the episode setup a quick mystery, which was soon solved, it was mostly setup for the character development later in the episode. Fitz and Simmons and Coulson were all given great character development in the episode. First let's start with Fitz and Simmons. Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons really stepped up her acting big time for this episode. She nailed the sad and emotional scenes perfectly. At a few points I almost thought there was a incredibly slim chance that she would not make through the episode, albeit very slim. I have been asking ever since the second episode that we need more development for Fitz and Simmons and we got it in spades. Both of them talking about their past and how they signed up for the job provided the much needed backstory to the characters. We know their motivation and I look forward to even more episodes about those two because it is obvious that they will be a couple at some point, which brings up another question about Coulson and May. Okay, there is some romantic tension between Coulson and Agent May in the episode, particularly in one scene, and while I like them together, the plane may turn into the "love boat" since every character has a potential romantic interest, which will become odd. However, that brings up the question: what happened to Coulson's girlfriend mentioned in the Avengers, the cellist? I have been wondering if they have decided to forget about those references or that is a hint at something larger since the Scarlet Witch is a cellist, and the only notable one from the Marvel Universe. The scene where Coulson was talking to the guy who was able to die was great and the series continues to show that not everyone can be saved, which something that I did not expect. Coulson wondering why he feels different is becoming even more intriguing, although it would appear that May has put that theory to rest for Coulson for the moment. My guess is that he is either cybernetically enhanced or he was revived by magic, specifically the Scarlet Witch or Doctor Strange, both of whom will be appearing in Marvel movies soon. Alternatively, his revival has something to do with Asgardian magic since The Dark World will be tying into an upcoming episode.

For the first time Agent Grant and Skye were not a central part of an episode, and while I like those character immensely, seeing more of the other characters was a great change of pace.

If you watched the Marvel One-Shot, Item 47, that came with the Avengers Blu-Ray, you will recognize Titus Welliver returning to reprise his role as Agent Blake.

Action: For the first time, the show did not have much action, however that is not a bad thing since it focused on character development.

Acting: Henstridge and De Caestecker gave noticeably stronger performances with an episode more focused on their characters. The rest of the cast were strong as usual.

Production Value/Special Effects: The skydive scene at the end of the episode was not that great. While I can forgive the shiow for having to work with a low budget, they could have found a way to make that effect better.

Comedy: Probably the least humorous episode of the series thus far, however that is not necessarily a bad thing either. The lack of humor made the serious scenes more impactful.

Overall: 9.5/10- While I cannot safely say that "F.Z.Z.T." is the best episode Agents of SHIELD has had yet, it is certainly an incredibly strong character development episode, which is exactly what I wanted to see.

Additionally, I will be going to see Thor: The Dark World tonight!


If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

12 comments:

  1. I agree, I also really enjoyed the episode(and I was glad to see more character development from Fitz and Simmons). I also wouldn't say it's my favorite episode, but it was definitely one of the stronger ones and I really enjoyed watching it and the acting was really good this time around.
    This show is really getting good(it's been very nice getting to watch a Joss Whedon TV show again).
    Awesome, I hope you enjoy Thor: The Dark World! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely an all around strong character episode, which something that the show really needed. :)
      I know, a Whedon show every week is such a fun thing to have on again.
      Hopefully I will get to see TDW soon!

      -James

      Delete
  2. I actually really, really enjoyed this episode because of all the focus on Fitz and Simmons, who are my favorite characters besides Coulson, of course. The beginning was hilarious where they laughing at Ward; I actually laughed really hard at that. And the rest of the character development was exactly what I was needing to see happen. This is pretty much tied for my favorite episode with the eyeball one in my book. :)

    I can't wait to see how their going to tie the show and The Dark World together! Enjoy the movie tonight!

    ~Jamie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same here, the episode was very, very enjoyable and rather shocking at points. Although I cannot say with certainty, if Fitz and Simmons are my second and third favorite characters after Coulson, but they are getting there!

      -James

      Delete
  3. I hope Coulson and May doesn't become a 'thing'. I like May a lot but I don't think I'd like her in that role.

    YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THOR:THE DARK WORLD. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I agree. While I like the two and I think they make a good team, the show might have a little too much romance.

      I can't wait to see it! :D

      -James

      Delete
  4. Since Joss Whedon has a habit of killing off regulars, I was a bit worried for a while there.

    I think that Coulson's cellist moving to Portland kind of ended their relationship. He didn't seem too eager to take Tony Stark up on the offer of flying him there some weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is what I was thinking too. I was thinking: "Please don't kill off Simmons yet!" throughout the second half of the episode.

      True, that is a very good point. That and the fact that he died kind of ended the relationship. It would be interesting to see his Ex in an episode though.

      -James

      Delete
  5. Just want to weigh in on Coulson: Best bet is confused life-model decoy, I think. It wouldn't be asgardian magic b/c morally upright story characters always say that resurrecting people is an abomination that shouldn't be done. Doctor Strange is probably the sort of character whose price would be too high.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Especially after last episode, a life-model decoy is the most likely scenario, or a cybernetically enhanced "6 million dollar man" type thing. True, using Asgardian magic to revive the dead is probably against some kind of rule or something. I don't exactly understand what you mean by Doc Strange's price being too high though.

      -James

      Delete
    2. What I meant was he would probably demand something shield isn't willing or able to let him have so that he can take over the world or something.

      Delete
    3. Actually, Doctor Strange is a good guy and was part of the Avengers for a short time. Also he was a brain surgeon before becoming "Sorcerer Supreme." So, taking over the world is not something he ties to do. :) But I agree, LMD is the most likely venue of Coulson miraculous return.

      -James

      Delete

One rule: No strong profanity. If you want to link to one of your posts, please do; I am always interested in other reviews and such.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...