Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has met with more than it’s share of criticism since it launched earlier this fall. Everything from bland characters, dull stories, and a lack of super powered heroes and villains has been cited as some of the reasons that the show has failed to take off and saw several weeks of declining ratings.
Recently it seems as if the powers behind the show have paid attention to the complaints and have crafted shows that have been far more engaging than what we had been shown prior.
In recent weeks fans have been given stories that delved into the death and rebirth of Agent Coulson, The origins of Skye, as well as an ongoing subplot involving the Centipede Group and a shadowy new threat known as “The Clairvoyant” who seems poised to be an ongoing menace to S.H.I.E.L.D.
While this is far from a fix for what has plagued the show, it is a step forward in the right direction and an upcoming appearance from Stan Lee himself as well as a teaser of a character changing moment should help bring in fans who have left the series or have become more casual about it.
This is key as while ratings have leveled off over the past few episodes, the most recent broadcast was still a few percentage points lower than previous weeks and after a brief spike for the pre-holiday episode, ratings have settled into the mid to high 6 range.
There is still much work that needs to be done as the explanation over Coulson’s return did not sit well with fans and many still clamor for more super powered heroes and villains, more interesting and dynamic characters, as well as a more enthralling plotline that goes beyond the Mystery of the Week format that the show to often relies upon.
The fact that many fans took to social nets to voice their displeasure with the story of Coulson’s resurrection shows that there still are some passionate fans out there that want the series to be better. This is a good sign as most shows do not get this chance as if a viewer checks out, they can be slow to return.
That being said, at least the creative talent behind the series are slowly improving the series without making desperate moves and if they can maintain the recent momentum, may have turned the corner with creating a show that while not what fans expected, one that they can live with and enjoy.
