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And so this week we were treated to Agents of SHIELD's tie-in to Thor: The Dark World! Was this an episode worthy of the god of thunder? Or did it just plain flounder?
And the biggest question: is Agents of SHIELD living up to its cinematic roots?
Ben and Daniel talk about this episode and it's place both in the series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
NEWS
* Episode 9, “Repairs,” will feature Melinda Mae prominently.
* Episode 10, “The Bridge,” is a cliffhanger, according to Chloe Bennett (warning — there are annoying ads pop ups): http://www.mstarz.com/articles/21906/20131119/chloe-bennet-reveals-darker-agents-of-shield.htm
* The head of the Jessica Jones Netflix series has been announced: Melissa Rosenberg, who has written for Dexter, the Twilight movies, Birds of Prey, and an undeveloped Jessica Jones series: http://www.deadline.com/2013/11/melissa-rosenberg-to-shepherd-marvels-jessica-jones-series-for-netflix/
MAIN DISCUSSION
* From the opening to the end credits, this is about Asgard.
* Thor sort of appears in this episode, and casts a big shadow over it!
* Dr. Randolph has a secret, and flips the plot for us at the halfway point.
* This is Ward's turn to shine, Brett Dalton does a great job, and we get a look into his past!
* Melinda May is off the bus and kicking butt!
* And we actually get to Tahiti! It IS a magical place.
FEEDBACK
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They had me going for a second with “Did I fall asleep?” “For a little while..” Just a fun “Dollhouse” reference. Or was it more?
I totally missed this, but it has been a long time since I’ve seen Dollhouse (I dropped off before the second season finale, as much as I wanted to follow it, and haven’t gotten around to picking it up again).
The reference is blatant, for sure. But is it a fun Easter egg? A coded message to fans? Or more misdirection?
Time will tell.
I totally missed that and it’s HUGE… Wow. Great catch!
I wanted to reply to the subject that a listener brought up regarding Thor, the MCU and Christian beliefs. Specifically, Ben and Daniel were saying that the creators of the MCU had no intention of aligning the world of their creation with Christian beliefs, and indeed they may not have had any such intentions – I’m not familiar with the philosophies and world views of the creators. But either Ben or Daniel went a little further and suggested that the MCU was not aligned with any real-world religious perspective. I would argue that any creative narrative cannot help but reflect the religious worldview of the writers and others with creative input. Without going into an analysis, I feel safe in saying that there is a definite religious worldview expressed by the creators of the MCU. Obviously I’m not saying they believe in the gods of Asgard – those are just the storytelling devices that they find cool. Rather it is expressed in the attitudes and truth claims of the characters as they react to various situations. It may often be subtle, but it’s there. I feel it’s our job to recognize what the creators are saying about the nature of reality and compare it to what we know to be true. It is tempting to think that a given storyline is just a fun ride driven by the imaginations of the writers, but isn’t the best storytelling rooted in deep spiritual significance? Gleaning the spiritual world views of the MCU creators from the stories they tell may be a good topic for one of your filler episodes during the hiatus.