Though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is only four episodes old, its characters have already found their way into our hearts. Here’s why the show is so emotionally powerful – and why it’s only going to get better.
You may not have realized this, but Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a show about a family.
Well, it’s also a show about explosions and futuristic technology and and superpowers and talking really fast. But at it’s core, the story that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is telling the story of a group of disparate people who become a family.
Executive producer Joss Whedon is a great fan of what he calls “found families,” and the idea of disparate – even opposing – individuals coming together and forming powerful is an evident theme of his past work. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to Angel, to Firefly, bonds that are built between characters are almost always more powerful than bonds of blood. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is no exception.
What does make Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. different is how neatly its characters fit into the patterns of a nuclear family. That growing dynamic is incredibly powerful, and, we posit, is the real reason why the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first television voyage is going to make its mark on a crowded small-screen landscape.
A lot of this appeal lies in the way the family structure contrasts with what we know of S.H.I.E.L.D. as an organization. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not a home for the warm-hearted; it functions in a military-like capacity with a strict hierarchy of power and controlled information. Operatives are referred to by status or last name (as Tony Stark said, Coulson’s first name is “Agent”) and while there does seem to be a camaraderie among various operatives, genuine closeness must be made difficult by the dangerous reality of their lives.
And that, of course, is why Coulson’s team is so unique, and so seemingly controversial among the upper brass at S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson is not just building a team of agents; he is building a group of people who not only need to work together, but must live together for their objectives to be successful.
In other words, a family.
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