Finally done with Season 2. 44 episodes, 33 hours. I have much to say.
I knew about the series for awhile but wasn't that interested. But then I watched the one-shots and it seemed interesting enough. Well, it was. Especially after a season of 2 Broke Girls (I mean it was borderline funny and obscene but at season 2 it got very gross very quickly).
Anyway, it's been a fast and intense ride. Overall, it was pretty good but I'm still not sure it was a good idea. Unlike the PG-13 rated Marvel movies the series are a lot more fucked up and violent, even if justifiably so. Then again, Marvel sucked me in so deep I probably would have ended up watching it sooner or later anyway. Overall, I think the plot was too twisted and complicated, it was hard to keep up with. There were also many disturbing things in it.
About halfway through Season 1 I thought "Well, the plot might be lacking but at least the relationships are interesting." But after a few episodes it became clear it is very predictable after all. I was interested in Mei and Ward's intrigue but in the end it ended up as just a fuel for their future fights. "
You never topped" and all. May is the best. Possibly the coolest badass female character ever. As for Coulson, I liked him in earlier films, he seemed a bit of a simpleton and a Cap fanboy but in this series I had difficulty with how they developed his character, in Season 1 he seemed way too emotional and impulsive. Skye, on the contrary, developed well. At first I disliked her but by the end of Season 1 she won my sympathy. A little.
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And then was season 2, even grimmer. I had to cover my eyes for like 1/4 of some episodes. I know. But I'm too deep in this. Basically, the actors were really good, the characters varied and their relationships complex. There's Mr. Hyde who gives me creeps but then Jiaying was the real surprise there. The plot was very hard to keep up with. My fave part was after the whole Obelisk arc around ep 16-19 but then it got very confusing and WTF once again. The plot made my head ache but in terms of character development the season was really good. The Fitz/Simmons who were like puppies the first season fell apart so terribly and then tried to grow back together. Also the new guys weren't bad, especially the bickering exes. I felt sorry Xena died so soon. Maybe she wasn't pretty enough for the main cast. Raina was a very good character too, I'm surprised they killed her off so suddenly. I like the occasional crossovers though I think 2 appearances of Lady Sif was one time too many.
And then there's Ward who I still kinda wanted to like, even after everything that happened. Dunno why, I suppose it's like with Will, I got attached to him unwittingly even without really liking him. Wrong thing to do. Very wrong. The writers totally had fun with constantly making people hope he's actually not that bad only to ruin it completely. By the very end I realized there's no hope for him and was honestly hoping somebody preferably Mei will finally shoot him for good but no, he was too good of a character and apparently he's gonna be the next super-villain in the next season. The ep 19 little dysfunctional family reunion was a really good move though.
As for Skye, however, she still remains a precious little snowflake that she was from episode 1 which I think is really lame, not refreshing. And Ward's crush on her is so Mary Sue. I was pretty much expecting her to be revealed as some kind of chosen one but at least they only made her one of many.
The season's finale was terrible. I mean it was pretty good but the multiple cliffhangers... Like I get it, they need to keep the interest but the bridges they left felt very rushed and out of place. Poor Fitzsimmons, they really really deserved that date, what the actual fuck? I was waiting for a sense of satisfaction but there was none. Season 3 will take time and I'm already mildly dreading it but I'm in too deep. Damn you, Marvel!