Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete First Season

The first TV series set within the fabric of the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes place in the aftermath of The Avengers and gives Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) his own special operations team to locate and help “gifted” beings before the bad guys can get to them. Developed for TV by Joss Whedon and overseen by his regular collaborators Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. resurrects Coulson (he only apparently died in The Avengers), who forges a group that includes bad-ass battle veteran Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), hunky field agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), science-squad duo Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons (Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge), and rebel hacktivist turned newest corps member Skye (Chloe Bennet). The young agents aren't really very interesting or charismatic, and the episodes rehash familiar stories and situations—but the show does sport great production values, impressive action scenes, and solid guest stars from the movies (including Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Fury), not to mention the Whedon brand of pop-culture riffing and humor. The storyline pivots around the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, sending the narrative in a new and more interesting direction; in fact, the final chapters are more engaging, promising a better second season. Compiling all 22 episodes from the 2013–14 debut run, extras include episode commentaries, the TV special “Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe,” production featurettes, and the 2013 Comic-Con panel presentation. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)