the coulson report : agents of shield episode 8 : the well (aired Nov 19, 2013)

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SPOILERS ALERT


 

The Plot

Following the devastated affects of Thor : The Dark World, SHIELD is called in to gather any alien debris or information left behind by the Dark Elves and basically cleaning the mess up. Miles away, a Dutch couple discovers part of an alien artefact concealed in a large tree with direct ties to a certain hammer wielding Asgardian.
 
 

The Verdict

This direct tie in to Thor : The Dark World is exactly the kind of push the series needed, although his name is mentioned a few times, I was hoping for the god of thunder to actually make an appearance, but no such luck or more like no such budget. This story about Berserkers is taken directly from Norse mythology, I had to look it up, but I can’t really recall if they were used in Marvel Comics. I couldn’t find anything on the Berserker staff, but leave it to Whedon’s writing to make up a pretty convincing story and blend in the appearance of an Asgardian living on Earth hiding as a professor. 
 
The humour is all Whedon, as the female characters talk about how dreamy Thor is and the funniest dialogue comes from Professor Randolph, cleverly played by character actor Peter MacNicol, this guy’s always a hoot. The story jumps to several different locations throughout the world and the SHIELD team get there lickety split because they have a jet, but The Norse Paganist hate group don’t, I don’t care how crazy they get, the staff gives them super strength not super speed.
 
We’re getting closer to Coulson’s Tahiti story and also some interesting tidbits on Ward’s brother’s well incident.
 
 

Bad-ass action scene

May grabs the Berserker staff in its fullness and takes care of business.
 
 

Best line of dialogue

After the Asgardians are mentioned, Coulson looks at the giant mess and says “I wish the Asgardians had a god of cleaning up”
 
 

Final report

With last week’s terrific episode, Agents of SHIELD is packing a punch and is on its way from being a mediocre show to becoming one worth your time and is damn entertaining. We need more of these Marvel Movies tie ins.
 

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