Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ‘The Bridge’

After seeing what the folks over at Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. put together for their mid-winter send-off, I have to honestly say that I’m not sure I’ll be back when this show returns.  The entire series has been a bit of a disappointment to me and no matter how hard I try to remain positive I just can’t ignore it any longer.  Filled with mediocre writing, only half-likeable characters and no strong over-arcing plotline to get excited over, the show just can’t inspire in me any anticipation when it airs each week.  I was hoping that the mid-season finale, ‘The Bridge’ would solve that dilemma by deepening the story, but I was once again wrong.

This week’s episode begins with the return of a character that I was quite happy to see again - Mike Peterson, AKA the really strong guy from episode one.  So far, he’s been one of the more interesting characters despite having very little screen time.  Now, he’s back to help the team as they make their move against the folks who run Project Centipede.  So off the team goes, to fight the baddies and hopefully stop super-exploding people from ruling the world.

The first attempt is thwarted by a group of Project Centipede super-strong men, with even Mike’s presence doing little other than keeping the team alive.  Eventually, the bad guys kidnap Mike’s son and he’s forced to make a deal - hand over Coulson in exchange for his boy.  Then a bridge explodes, leaving Mike’s health in question.

The first 15 minutes of this episode were spot-on.  They did everything right, especially the reintroduction of Mike.  From there, it slowly spirals to mediocrity, going over the same ground and displaying the same flaws that the series has been burdened by all season.  The dialogue goes from relevant to sappy, the bad-guy perspective is mysterious in a very cliché way and even Mike’s presence can’t save the eventual anti-climax.

It’s a shame that Joss Whedon’s name is attached to this show, as it’s done nothing to maintain my faith in a man who has always been one of my favorite directors.  I have to wonder at how much influence he truly has over the series, especially considering he’s only directed one episode thus far - the pilot.  Will something miraculous happen between now and when the show returns on January 7^th?  Can they pull this sinking ship out of the water?  The number of viewers stays consistent, but I have to wonder if it will survive with so much criticism.  I guess the only thing we can do is to wait and see.

For a look at what Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is planning for us after Christmas, check out the preview for episode 11, ‘The Magical Place’ over at this site.

Photo Credits -

The Bridge courtesy of cinemablend.com