Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Premiere 'Shadows' Review: On The Right Path

Let's be perfectly honest here. For much of Season 1, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was not a good show. The pilot set up plenty of potential, but then the show floundered for months until Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit theaters and completely changed the game for the ABC series.

And to be fair, the first season ended quite strongly. The final batch of episodes finally fulfilled the potential of which the pilot gave us a glimpse. But by that time, the show had built up a lot of bad credit among fans. And the scheduling problems throughout Season 1 didn't help, either.

The Season 1 finale set the table for a changed world in Season 2. Coulson (Clark Gregg) is now director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has to rebuild it from the ground up. Skye's (Chloe Bennet) father is out there and about to enter her life. Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) barely survived his predicament with Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) underwater, but he clearly suffered some consequences. Ward (Brett Dalton) was revealed as a traitor and locked up.

Thankfully, the Season 2 premiere, "Shadows," delivered on this front, as the episode felt like a fresh start for the series. Coulson is clearly changed from his experiences last season, but he's also undergone a bit of a personality change thanks to his role as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He was so close with Skye last season in a fatherly capacity, but the premiere made it clear that Skye barely gets any face time with him anymore. In fact, hardly anyone does, as Coulson is too busy flying around the world trying to recruit new members to the organization.

Skye has changed, too, for the better. Last season, half the team was tied to tech or science, but this year, nearly the entire roster knows how to wield a gun and is capable of taking care of himself or herself in the field. It makes the team feel much more formidable, which is important in a world where Hydra agents are seemingly everywhere.

Speaking of HYDRA, the plot of this episode centered on the original 084 and tied back to World War II, complete with a delightful cameo by Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter (even if this was just a tease for her own upcoming series). In the present day, Hydra sent the Absorbing Man (Brian Patrick Wade) to steal the artifact. His dismissive and unimpressed "yeah" when he heard "Hail Hydra" was pretty funny, and I'm looking forward to his return. The villain is one of the longest lasting in Marvel Comics, and his inclusion in the season premiere indicates the team will be dealing with some powerful enemies in Season 2. We even got a reference to his famous ball and chain!

Lucy Lawless' appearance as Agent Hartley was short but memorable, and her (apparent) death had a surprising amount of emotional weight. The new cast of characters was set up pretty well and the team has expanded beyond the original six, so hopefully we get some more out of all of them in the coming episodes.

The Season 2 premiere hit the ground running, and the road ahead looks bright for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As long as the show can find a way to keep its characters interesting and continue to unfold the mysteries of the Marvel Universe, then Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. should join the slate of great comic book shows on TV this year.

Notes:

-       This season, the role of Hannibal Lecter will be played by Grant Ward. I'm actually okay with this development if it unfolds the right way and Skye continues to pay visits to him. If the show rushes Ward down the road to redemption and back onto the team, then it will have been a waste.

-       The twist that Simmons is actually gone and Fitz was talking to an imaginary version of her was well done, although you have to feel for the poor guy. He's barely functioning (which still puts him well ahead of most other people in the smarts department) and has nowhere to go, so S.H.I.E.L.D. just stuck him in the lab again.

-       Why doesn't Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond) age?

What did you think of the Season 2 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Let us know in the comments section.