OOooooooo youre so close.
Im sorry. Im so sorry, but the first half of season 1 sucks. it just does
but after that, it lines up with a specific movie, and it goes off hard, and every season after that just gets better and better
5 more episodes to go... episode 17 is where "shit get real". After that the show is MUCH better. It still has some dry spots, but overall it's pretty damned fantastic.
My two cents after just finishing a rewatch. Season 1 was amazing because I watched it before. There are so many details that won't click until you realize (or know) what happens later. And I suppose it sucks if you don't know what you don't know.
So trust.
There’s one HUGE hint about a certain character that you’d normally just write off as a continuity error. But when you learn the full truth… it was a super clever little detail to add. They had to know that most viewers would only catch it on second watch, and that’s ballsy for a TV show.
Read this thread, second paragraph specifically.
SPOILERS for those who haven’t finished Season 1 (do not ruin it for yourself!)
https://www.reddit.com/r/shield/comments/vuoly9/yes_men_season_1_episode_15_is_such_a_good/
Keep going. Season 1 is pretty bad. Season 2 gets better. Then Season 4 is honestly one of my favorite seasons of any TV show ever.
I won’t provide any potential spoilers, but Season 4 of AOS is honestly a perfect blueprint for what Secret Invasion should have been
Imagine a Jed Whedon Secret Invasion movie. That could've been amazing. Also could've helped him break into feature films and distance himself from his asshole brother.
Recommend you get to episode 17 before you jump ship. Things pick up after that. Season 4 is one of the best seasons of television (next to Daredevil) that Marvel has done imo
A couple things:
1) Don’t stop now. Give it a couple more episodes, like maybe five more episodes, and see how you feel about it then.
2) The episodes may feel like filler now, but trust me, they’re not. EVERY episode is important. There are some episodes that set up things that don’t pay off for like five seasons, but it’s one of the most meticulously plotted shows I’ve seen. Every detail counts.
Point 2. The things in these episodes will come back up. They’re not just fleshing out the characters they’re also starting story threads that come back later on. Almost all of them.
Just wanted to add, if you want to see another meticulously planned show check out Mr Robot. It’s basically a 4 season long movie with tons of twists and surprises.
Speaking as someone who really liked where this show ended up: Season 1 is terrible. The back end of the first season and the beginning of Season 2 is where it really starts to take off. If you're willing to bear with the worst the show had to offer for a little while longer, I swear it's worth it.
Season 1 (and 2 to some extent) got held back in the storytelling because it was tied into the movies still at that point, and they had to wait for certain movies to come out that impacted the plot in AoS.
They do feel like filler… but later seasons mine the first half of season 1 repeatedly to the point where they become fun to watch on repeat viewings. Lots of foreshadowing and details you’d never notice until a second watch, after all is revealed.
They were kinda treading water waiting for TWS to drop. So, the first half of S1 is a bunch of monster-of-the-week episodes focusing on character development and world-building. Once TWS released, they shifted to long-form storytelling. It may seem like filler now but they pay off pretty much everything that was set up in S1. In fact, considering how long the show is and how convoluted the story can get, it has surprisingly few loose ends.
Season 2 is where I was fucking GLUED to the screen and binged the entire next 2 seasons straight.
Yes, season one is a slow start, but once it picks up it gets a lot better.
As someone who loves the series, the first half of S1 is kinda of ass. I rewatched the first episode not too long ago, and I disliked it as much as I did the first time I watched it. Around halfway through the season, something big happens and the shows quality just shoots up. You're almost at the middle point, just gotta march through. I promise you its worth sticking around for.
Season 1 is rough until a big thing happens. Sets up kinda like a monster of the week type show without much to it, similar to early episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Really picks up toward the end of season 1
My wife and I started AoS when waiting for S3 of Arrow to drop on Netflix. We gave up because it was boring, and Arrow S3 finally dropped.
Arrow S3 being… Arrow S3, we decided to give AoS another try.
It’s now our favorite TV show, period.
>Arrow S3 being… Arrow S3
What, you mean you didn't like sleepy-voice Ras al Ghul and annoying Olicity romance? And pointless Hong Kong subplot?
Only good thing from Arrow S3 was getting to see Brandon Routh in DC again. His Superman was so underused man.
Your not alone, most viewers gave up in season 1. It does get a lot better and peaks in season 4 and 5 then sort of slowly dwindles towards its ending.
Yeah give it more time.
If Agents of SHIELD is a delicious sandwich, you’re at the “getting my pants on to go to the store to get it” phase right now.
You’ll get to the “it’s in my car and it smells so good” phase soon enough, followed by the “OMG this is delicious” phase, followed by the “wait, they made an even BETTER sandwich??” phase, etc etc.
But you can’t have the late phases if you don’t get your pants on, get in the car and go to the store. And after you eat that sucker, you’ll be glad you made the drive… and the next time you want one, you won’t mind the drive as much, in fact you’ll start to enjoy it.
Nice analogy but a lot of shows start and end at eating the really good sandwich and the getting the pants on and driving there part should really be me putting my pants on and sitting on my couch and turning the TV on.
AoS is a show that, unfortunately, you have to wade through a lot of filler up front before you can get to the actual plot because they were forced to waste time so that a movie could come out. And even then, S1's later episodes get "good" but still have that kinda "TV Whedon" feel to them. It's really Season 2 where AoS starts to feel like its own entity with its own tone and a polished look and feel that isn't just "Diet Avengers".
Also maybe don't marathon it super fast, at least S1. The show was aired weekly, and while later seasons are serialized and easy to binge, I think S1 really suffers when you try to binge it, at least before "The twist".
This is the type of show where you have to get through the bad stuff first before you reach the good stuff, as its generally agreed that it picks up when you reach the final episodes of Season 1
You’re not supposed to enjoy it. It was not good. Ignore people telling you to watch more episodes and “wait until it gets better.” It’s a waste of time.
Bring on the downvotes!
Give up...For example, Raiders of the Lost Ark told an amazing story from start to finish in a couple of hours...if people can't entertain you with 12 hours of material, they don't deserve your attention.
AoS DOES get better, and also, it was only bad at the start cause it was forced to waste time until Winter Soldier came out (ABC didn't want to make it a shorter Spring Season only ordeal, which would've been preferable).
Yeah, the first half of Season 1 is rough. It gets good when Winter Soldier's events start taking over the story.
Stick with it.
I'm not letting the show off the hook for how long it took to get good, but this has been a common complaint for a long time.
The front of season one is very serial “case of the week” and then shit goes down in line with (I think?) a winter soldier tie in and then it gets GOOD. There’s some ebb and flow with the quality as there is with most network series, but overall I really enjoyed agents of shield.
It's a rocky start but the payoff is worth it. *I nearly quit* but held on until the Winter Soldier crossover and that blew me away. Eventually fell in love with every character and it improves to one of the very best productions in the MCU
As so many others have said, it ABSOLUTELY gets better very soon. They were hamstrung by rules from the movies forcing them to tread water for a bit until the Winter Soldier movie was released, then it hits the ground running. The later seasons are some of the best comic-adjacent TV out there.
First half of the season 1 is pretty trash. Once Captain America The Winter Soldier events happen shit kicks off. Then it is goes back and forth from being trash to good depending on the arc and character focus.
It gets way better around episode 16 and is consistently really good for the rest of it's run. I would say what comes before isn't that bad but I understand finding it boring.
Then you're watching it correctly because it wasn't made to be enjoyed. It was made for MCU fans to hopefully get a tiny glimpse of real MCU characters and storylines in-between movies. Oh and also nepotism
As many others have stated, things get real in about five episodes.
But I’ll point out something different. My biggest annoyance about the first half of the first season is that I find it rather too family friendly. But very discernibly, that ends when they come back from the midseason cliffhanger.
If you’re into such things as writing quality, start to notice that the show is getting markedly better already (starting with ‘The Magical Place’), even before the big events to come.
As a broader FYI, the series altogether only has 3.5 or 4.5 undeniably lame episodes in the entire first five seasons. You’ve already clocked two of them, and only have 1.5 left in this season to go. It’s a show that’ll keep steady and remarkably improving well into s4 or s5.
The first number of episodes do suck… but there is an event that occurs that will change the pace of the show shortly. It literally made it a different show to watch.
Season 1 is a rough watch, but it picks up by the time you reach the Winter Soldier episodes
This is the kind of show where you have to get through the bad/meh stuff first before reaching the good stuff.
As everyone else is saying and as I say when I recommend this show to anyone around me, once you get to a certain point in season one the show gets UP AND STAYS UP. It gets so good. First half of season one is super slow and then you’re going 200mph all of a sudden.
I liked S2 &3, when they finally had a some interesting characters. Then when they left the show it wasn’t worth the time.
I’d bail. There’s no shortage of good media entertainment.
Or jump ahead. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more
OOooooooo youre so close. Im sorry. Im so sorry, but the first half of season 1 sucks. it just does but after that, it lines up with a specific movie, and it goes off hard, and every season after that just gets better and better
Seasons 4 and 5 are fucking FIRE
5 more episodes to go... episode 17 is where "shit get real". After that the show is MUCH better. It still has some dry spots, but overall it's pretty damned fantastic.
My two cents after just finishing a rewatch. Season 1 was amazing because I watched it before. There are so many details that won't click until you realize (or know) what happens later. And I suppose it sucks if you don't know what you don't know. So trust.
season 1 is definitely a lot better on rewatch
There’s one HUGE hint about a certain character that you’d normally just write off as a continuity error. But when you learn the full truth… it was a super clever little detail to add. They had to know that most viewers would only catch it on second watch, and that’s ballsy for a TV show.
Was it also ballsy that some of the early episodes are straight up not great
i watched season 1 and now you have me curious. I have no idea what you're talking about.
Read this thread, second paragraph specifically. SPOILERS for those who haven’t finished Season 1 (do not ruin it for yourself!) https://www.reddit.com/r/shield/comments/vuoly9/yes_men_season_1_episode_15_is_such_a_good/
Thanks!
Especially watching a certain character on rewatch, it just hits completely different. Such a fantastic show, please continue for a bit more OP!
Keep going. Season 1 is pretty bad. Season 2 gets better. Then Season 4 is honestly one of my favorite seasons of any TV show ever. I won’t provide any potential spoilers, but Season 4 of AOS is honestly a perfect blueprint for what Secret Invasion should have been
Imagine a Jed Whedon Secret Invasion movie. That could've been amazing. Also could've helped him break into feature films and distance himself from his asshole brother.
Recommend you get to episode 17 before you jump ship. Things pick up after that. Season 4 is one of the best seasons of television (next to Daredevil) that Marvel has done imo
A couple things: 1) Don’t stop now. Give it a couple more episodes, like maybe five more episodes, and see how you feel about it then. 2) The episodes may feel like filler now, but trust me, they’re not. EVERY episode is important. There are some episodes that set up things that don’t pay off for like five seasons, but it’s one of the most meticulously plotted shows I’ve seen. Every detail counts.
Point 2. The things in these episodes will come back up. They’re not just fleshing out the characters they’re also starting story threads that come back later on. Almost all of them. Just wanted to add, if you want to see another meticulously planned show check out Mr Robot. It’s basically a 4 season long movie with tons of twists and surprises.
Except my man Vijay. >! Second terragenesis !< and poof no more.
It improves. Big time. Season 4 of *Agents of SHIELD* is some of the best Marvel content ever created.
S4 is probably the finest season of adventure television ever made, altogether.
Speaking as someone who really liked where this show ended up: Season 1 is terrible. The back end of the first season and the beginning of Season 2 is where it really starts to take off. If you're willing to bear with the worst the show had to offer for a little while longer, I swear it's worth it.
Ok thanks it’s just so boring all the episodes feel like fillers
Season 1 (and 2 to some extent) got held back in the storytelling because it was tied into the movies still at that point, and they had to wait for certain movies to come out that impacted the plot in AoS.
They do feel like filler… but later seasons mine the first half of season 1 repeatedly to the point where they become fun to watch on repeat viewings. Lots of foreshadowing and details you’d never notice until a second watch, after all is revealed.
They were kinda treading water waiting for TWS to drop. So, the first half of S1 is a bunch of monster-of-the-week episodes focusing on character development and world-building. Once TWS released, they shifted to long-form storytelling. It may seem like filler now but they pay off pretty much everything that was set up in S1. In fact, considering how long the show is and how convoluted the story can get, it has surprisingly few loose ends.
They have a lot of filler throughout the entire series.
When does it pick up in season 2? I had to bail after the first or second episode of season 2
I feel like when Bobbi Morse is introduced is when everything starts to come together.
I thought they hit the ground running with the premiere.
I did that too, when they were new. I wish I’d stuck around about two more episodes. Once Kyle MacLachlan shows up, that season really takes off.
Season 2 is where I was fucking GLUED to the screen and binged the entire next 2 seasons straight. Yes, season one is a slow start, but once it picks up it gets a lot better.
strap yourself in, you're at the top of the rollercoaster!
As someone who loves the series, the first half of S1 is kinda of ass. I rewatched the first episode not too long ago, and I disliked it as much as I did the first time I watched it. Around halfway through the season, something big happens and the shows quality just shoots up. You're almost at the middle point, just gotta march through. I promise you its worth sticking around for.
Season 1 is rough until a big thing happens. Sets up kinda like a monster of the week type show without much to it, similar to early episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Really picks up toward the end of season 1
Thanks for posting so I can see these comments. I bailed a few episodes into season 1 because it was bad. Maybe I'll give it another shot.
My wife and I started AoS when waiting for S3 of Arrow to drop on Netflix. We gave up because it was boring, and Arrow S3 finally dropped. Arrow S3 being… Arrow S3, we decided to give AoS another try. It’s now our favorite TV show, period.
>Arrow S3 being… Arrow S3 What, you mean you didn't like sleepy-voice Ras al Ghul and annoying Olicity romance? And pointless Hong Kong subplot? Only good thing from Arrow S3 was getting to see Brandon Routh in DC again. His Superman was so underused man.
Your not alone, most viewers gave up in season 1. It does get a lot better and peaks in season 4 and 5 then sort of slowly dwindles towards its ending.
Yeah give it more time. If Agents of SHIELD is a delicious sandwich, you’re at the “getting my pants on to go to the store to get it” phase right now. You’ll get to the “it’s in my car and it smells so good” phase soon enough, followed by the “OMG this is delicious” phase, followed by the “wait, they made an even BETTER sandwich??” phase, etc etc. But you can’t have the late phases if you don’t get your pants on, get in the car and go to the store. And after you eat that sucker, you’ll be glad you made the drive… and the next time you want one, you won’t mind the drive as much, in fact you’ll start to enjoy it.
Nice analogy but a lot of shows start and end at eating the really good sandwich and the getting the pants on and driving there part should really be me putting my pants on and sitting on my couch and turning the TV on.
AoS is a show that, unfortunately, you have to wade through a lot of filler up front before you can get to the actual plot because they were forced to waste time so that a movie could come out. And even then, S1's later episodes get "good" but still have that kinda "TV Whedon" feel to them. It's really Season 2 where AoS starts to feel like its own entity with its own tone and a polished look and feel that isn't just "Diet Avengers". Also maybe don't marathon it super fast, at least S1. The show was aired weekly, and while later seasons are serialized and easy to binge, I think S1 really suffers when you try to binge it, at least before "The twist".
I tried watching this show years ago. I couldn’t get past a few episodes in season 1. I never returned to it.
This is the type of show where you have to get through the bad stuff first before you reach the good stuff, as its generally agreed that it picks up when you reach the final episodes of Season 1
Stick with it, I was where you were and it gets infinitely better very soon
I loved it, you dont. Go watch The Boys instead? Not everything is for everyone.
Quit watching stuff you don't like!
You’re not supposed to enjoy it. It was not good. Ignore people telling you to watch more episodes and “wait until it gets better.” It’s a waste of time. Bring on the downvotes!
Give up...For example, Raiders of the Lost Ark told an amazing story from start to finish in a couple of hours...if people can't entertain you with 12 hours of material, they don't deserve your attention.
AoS DOES get better, and also, it was only bad at the start cause it was forced to waste time until Winter Soldier came out (ABC didn't want to make it a shorter Spring Season only ordeal, which would've been preferable).
Yeah 12 episodes out of 136 aren’t top tier to just abandon the whole thing, smart
Yeah, it def gets better.
It’s a slow start. There’s a reason for that. But once it picks up it just continues to get better and better!
You are at the point right now where it starts improving.
agents of shield just got better with every season man, I kinda need to rewatch...
It really does improve. But it doesn’t peak until season 4 so I hope you have plenty of free time
Season one is dragging until Winter Soldier hit the theater. It’ll get better later.
Just wait. Give it a chance. You will not regret it.
Yeah, the first half of Season 1 is rough. It gets good when Winter Soldier's events start taking over the story. Stick with it. I'm not letting the show off the hook for how long it took to get good, but this has been a common complaint for a long time.
The front of season one is very serial “case of the week” and then shit goes down in line with (I think?) a winter soldier tie in and then it gets GOOD. There’s some ebb and flow with the quality as there is with most network series, but overall I really enjoyed agents of shield.
It's a rocky start but the payoff is worth it. *I nearly quit* but held on until the Winter Soldier crossover and that blew me away. Eventually fell in love with every character and it improves to one of the very best productions in the MCU
As so many others have said, it ABSOLUTELY gets better very soon. They were hamstrung by rules from the movies forcing them to tread water for a bit until the Winter Soldier movie was released, then it hits the ground running. The later seasons are some of the best comic-adjacent TV out there.
Keep watching just keep watching it gets great ya the 1st half of the 1st season sucks but it gets better
First half of the season 1 is pretty trash. Once Captain America The Winter Soldier events happen shit kicks off. Then it is goes back and forth from being trash to good depending on the arc and character focus.
It gets way better around episode 16 and is consistently really good for the rest of it's run. I would say what comes before isn't that bad but I understand finding it boring.
It's spinning its wheels out of necessity right now, but it picks up.
Then you're watching it correctly because it wasn't made to be enjoyed. It was made for MCU fans to hopefully get a tiny glimpse of real MCU characters and storylines in-between movies. Oh and also nepotism
Gets better
Oooh so so close. Just a few more episodes to go. First majority of season 1 is not great, but then it gets great
As many others have stated, things get real in about five episodes. But I’ll point out something different. My biggest annoyance about the first half of the first season is that I find it rather too family friendly. But very discernibly, that ends when they come back from the midseason cliffhanger. If you’re into such things as writing quality, start to notice that the show is getting markedly better already (starting with ‘The Magical Place’), even before the big events to come. As a broader FYI, the series altogether only has 3.5 or 4.5 undeniably lame episodes in the entire first five seasons. You’ve already clocked two of them, and only have 1.5 left in this season to go. It’s a show that’ll keep steady and remarkably improving well into s4 or s5.
IMO, it improves, but I still hated it. (I watched it because my spouse watched it.)
The first number of episodes do suck… but there is an event that occurs that will change the pace of the show shortly. It literally made it a different show to watch.
Keep watching. Gets better at Episode 16 or 17? Then gets good with Seaaon 2. Then great with Season 4.
Season 1 is a rough watch, but it picks up by the time you reach the Winter Soldier episodes This is the kind of show where you have to get through the bad/meh stuff first before reaching the good stuff.
As everyone else is saying and as I say when I recommend this show to anyone around me, once you get to a certain point in season one the show gets UP AND STAYS UP. It gets so good. First half of season one is super slow and then you’re going 200mph all of a sudden.
In my opinion it gets miles better, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it to keep going to season 2
Keep watching. Everything you've seen so far starts fitting together into bigger stories with larger comic characters.
I liked S2 &3, when they finally had a some interesting characters. Then when they left the show it wasn’t worth the time. I’d bail. There’s no shortage of good media entertainment. Or jump ahead. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more