ABC
As a fan of the Whedons (and Whedon-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen), I’ve happily been following Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from the get-go. While its reviews have so far have stayed mostly in the moderate-to-mediocre category, I have high hopes. I think it just needs to find its footing – it’s steadily improved week by week, after all.
But the aspect of the show that bothers me most? All of the ships! Don’t get me wrong; I love shipping: I’ll take your Nick and Jess and raise you a Ross and Rachel. But keep in mind, this show has six series regulars, and all are neatly paired off. I mean, that would be like if Monica and Chandler flirted from episode one, and Phoebe ended up marrying Joey instead of Mike. It even has built in shipper names…from the pilot on, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons have collectively been called FitzSimmons. And Skye and Ward, or rather, “SkyeWard” – come on.
There was hope – when the series first started, Fitz and Simmons seemingly platonic, brotherly/sisterly relationship was intriguingly unique. And I was quite pleased to see Fitz (very awkwardly) try to put the moves on Skye (because if there’s anything better than shipping, it’s ill-fated love triangles). But Simmons’ near-death experience in “F.Z.Z.T” made it clear that she and Fitz are in looove.
In fact, this week’s episode, “The Hub,” only sought to increase their couple-y-ness. She frets over him as he goes on his first dangerous mission – she even makes him a sandwich, fer cryin’ out loud. And don’t even get me started on Ward and Skye: from his truth-serum induced admissions of her hotness, to her clunky comparisons of Ward to her ex-boyfriend Miles, you might as well hit us over the head with a frying pan. All that’s not even mentioning May and Coulson: if their flirty innuendos and one-liners are any indication, we’re slated to see Coulson and May fall for each other too.
What’s the fix? I suppose spending your days on a jet (no matter how big that jet may be) with the same group of people would lead to some incestuous-feeling relationships. Maybe they need some juicy guest stars to join the team and shake things up a bit before mating for life like metaphorical swans.
