Ready For The Final Season Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The long-awaited return of Phil Coulson and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is nearing, and we got another (short!) teaser last week to give us something to chew on for another month:

"So you're saying, 'To save S.H.I.E.L.D.'" ... "We have to save H.Y.D.R.A."

Whaaaaa?

Way back in the simpler times of 2012 we saw Phil Coulson die at the hand of Loki in Avengers. Truly a bummer of a scene, but a pivotal plot device for the film.

In 2013, the premier episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw Coulson alive and well. This captivated my attention because Coulson - arguably the best character in the MCU - was one of my favorite parts about the Avengers film. He was the personification of we in the community of Marvel fans (aka, nerds).

Seasons one and two of S.H.I.E.L.D. were great. Lots of new characters* were introduced, and references to other MCU goings-on kept the series relevant with the movies that continued to be released.

[*ed. note: I say "new" and I am referencing mainstream familiarity with said characters. Virtually every storyline and character lines up with something in the Marvel comicbook universe.]

While the seasons continued to be good, I was left with something of a 'jump the shark' feeling during the story arc that found Jemma on an alien planet in the third season. For my money, anytime that a show makes what seems to be an abrupt or sudden turn, I get that sharky-vibe. That said, the writers maintained a strong tie to the Inhumans plot line that has driven the series.

I felt similarly about season five when our heroes travel through time into the future to find that the earth has been destroyed by the aptly named "Destroyer of Worlds". Time-travel is usually a metaphorical death knell as far as my interest in a television series is concerned. However, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. held my attention. All in all, I think that it is the best Marvel-adapted television show (competition being the Netflix-produced Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and the eventual team-up of The Defenders).

If you haven't watched or aren't familiar with the series, you can check out all six seasons of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. streaming on Netflix. You have about a month to get caught-up... then it's onward to the newest, and final season: