Category Archives: Marvel on Disney +

Agents of Shield S3 E11, E12

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“Bouncing Back”

“The Inside Man”

A sick day allowed me to watch a couple more Agents of Shield in season three. The ongoing Inhumans story continued through these two.

President Ellis named General Talbot the new head of the ATCU, but promises Coulson that Talbot would follow Coulson’s lead. Not necessarily how this was going to turn out.

We meet “Yo-Yo” Elena Rodriguez, who is a new Inhuman with super speed, and she will become a regular later on in the series. They started the relationship between her and Mac, which becomes more important later on.

They brought back Crusher Creel, the Absorbing Man, and put him with Talbot. It created uncertainty about what Creel’s plans were.

Hydra blackmailed Talbot by grabbing his son. It was a way to make Talbot turn away from Coulson without making him the bad guy.

Agents of Shield S3 E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10

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“Devils You Know”

“4,722 Hours”

“Among Us Hidden”

“Chaos Theory”

“Many Hands, One Tale”

“Closure”

“Maveth”

So I watched a chunk of season three episodes of Agents of Shield over the last couple of days. During this run of episodes, we got quite a few storylines that made some serious progress. In this stretch, we got to learn what life was like for Jemma on the alien planet, we saw the truth behind the ATCU, we lost Rosalind Price at the hands of sniper Ward, we discovered the truth behind Lash, and we brought to the forefront a new Hydra villain: Hive, the evil from the planet that escaped by taking over the dead body of Grant Ward.

The death of Rosalind Price was a surprise, considering that they had set her up as a new love interest for Coulson. It sent Coulson on a revenge mission, but, to be fair, he did not necessarily do anything that required him to give up the Director of Shield position.

I did not remember Lash’s true identity until Daisy saw the shadows changing shape. It was at that point that I remembered that it was Dr. Garner, as played by Blair Underwood. It continued to be a rough path for poor May. Lash killed a bunch of Inhumans in these episodes, several of which Jemma will clearly blame herself for.

The relationship between Daisy and Lincoln did not feel right. It seemed to be forced. Particularly because they did not spend much time together this season.

Mac has really stepped up his game as he took on the mantel of interim Director of Shield while Coulson went after Ward. Mac seemed to have more chemistry with Daisy than Lincoln ever did.

I love Bobbi and Hunter, but I know their time is drawing short. They were originally intended to lead a spin off called Marvel’s Most Wanted, but it never saw the light of day, and they had been written off this show.

I do not remember Gutierrez and his metal shaping powers much in the future of the team, so I wonder what his fate is going to be. He came through big time during episode ten, saving Daisy.

The episode “4,722 Hours” was one of the best of the season. The episode revealing the time that Jemma spent on the alien planet with Will was some of the best of the series. We already knew how Fitz had saved her, but seeing this part of the story filled in a lot of extra steps.

I’m not sure I liked the arrival of Hive. It did not make a lot of sense and was done, seemingly so, as a way to just keep Ward on the show.

I kept wondering why Mac and the Agents of Shield did not call the Avengers for help when they were storming the Hydra castle to take back the portal. I guess the budget would not work.

Agents of Shield S3 E1, E2, E3

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“Laws of Nature”

“Purpose in the Machine”

“A Wanted (Inhu)man”

Third season rewatch is underway with the team scattered about and everyone trying to face the possibility that Simmons was killed by being sucked into the monolith. Of course, Fitz never gave up and he was taking risk after even greater risk to prove that Simmons was alive.

I actually did not remember Simmons being brought back from the alien planet so quickly, but I know there is an episode coming up that is dedicated to the time she spent on the alien planet.

I am not 100% sure why May is doing what she is doing at the beginning of the season or why she decided to accompany Hunter on his mission. It has to be more than just the opportunity to kill Ward. However, the scene of May kicking the ass of the three brutes in a backroom of a fight club was awesome.

A new agency was formed by the President to deal with “alien” threats, meaning specifically Inhumans. The ATCU is led by Rosalind Price, and she and Coulson have some interactions.

Lincoln is being pursued by both the ATCU and Shield, and Daisy has her own personal feelings involved. It has been a rough three episodes for poor Lincoln.

Grant Ward recruited the son of Baron Von Strucker, Werner Von Strucker. I remember this character being a big piece over the seasons. Ward’s recruitment of Hydra agents does not seem to have gone very well so far.

We see the first appearance of the Inhuman named Lash. He was quite the powerhouse and a dangerous force.

Simmons struggled to readjust to earth, but she also seemed to want to go back to the planet. I do not remember why so I am curious to the answer.

Good start to the season and Dr. Garner even named dropped “Secret Warriors.”

Agents of Shield S2 E19, E20, E21, E22

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“The Dirty Half Dozen”

“Scars”

“S.O.S. (Part One)”

“S.O.S. (Part Two)”

The Inhumans arc of Agents of Shield wrapped up with the last few episodes. Jiaying and the Inhumans tried to start a war with Shield only to find that things were not going to go in a positive way.

Lots of arcs were resolved in these episodes including:

  • Kyle MacLachlan’s run as Daisy’s father, Cal. His ending is kind of happy, even though the idea of mindwiping someone is iffy at best.
  • Skye officially began calling herself Daisy Johnson.
  • Raina, who had been an antagonist through most of the first two seasons of the show is killed by Jiaying in a way to keep her quiet.
  • Robert Gonzalez is murdered via the Terrigan crystals at the hands of Jiaying. See ya later Edward James Olmos.
  • Agent 33 and her crazed vengeance on Bobbi came to a close when Ward accidentally killed her thinking she was May.
  • Ward apparently is the new head of Hydra.
  • Post credit of the monolith swallowing up Simmons was creepy as all get out.
  • Coulson had his left arm chopped off by Mac to prevent the spread of the Terrigen after Coulson caught the crystal, preventing it from breaking and killing the rest of them.
  • Coulson talked about forming a small team of powered individuals (aka Secret Avengers)
  • Lincoln turned on the other Inhumans to help Daisy and the Shield agents.
  • Mac joined back up with Shield despite his initial doubts.
  • Fitz and Simmons were the Jin/Sun (from LOST) of this show, something always happening to keep them apart.

Kyle MacLachlan is a tremendous actor. He could bring unbelievable levels to a crazed killer. He was basically Mr. Hyde from Marvel Comics, but I could understand and relate to everything he did. I think he was a fabulous character and I was pleased that he had such a strong arc this season.

The whole Agents of Shield connection to Avengers: Age of Ultron with the arrival of the Helicarrier felt a touch awkward since much of the action around the reveal of the Helicarrier and the secrets Coulson was keeping played out in the movie. Because of that, the storylines felt a touch anticlimactic. Still, the season did a great job of wading through the stuff that was necessary and still created some tense moments of action and exciting scenes.

The Muppet Show (2026 special)

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Love it.

This is exactly what I was hoping for when I heard that there would be a Muppet Show special on Disney +. A show full of nostalgia and fond memories of a show of the past filled with humor and music of the present.

A show with voices that are different, but still familiar. With guest stars that are as happy to be there as I am watching.

I did not know much about Sabrina Carpenter, but she fit right in to the guest role. She had a beautiful voice and sang well with both Kermit and Miss Piggy on the song “Islands in the Stream.”

Seth Rogan, one of the executive producers, made a funny appearance as did Maya Rudolph. I liked how they had interspersed humans into the audience along with the typical Muppet characters. Maya was in the crowd and fit right into the weirdness of the show.

I was hooked immediately, from the slow walk of Kermit into the theater, to Ralph’s piano version of Rainbow Connection as background music to the absolutely wonderful theme song that I unabashedly sang along with and played twice.

This year is the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show and this special was a way to help celebrate that momentous occasion.

My favorite song was the “Blinding Lights” version performed by Rizzo the rat. The finale with all of the Muppets doing “Don’t Stop Me Now” from Queen was another highlight.

I hope this does gangbusters for Disney + because this is an IP that Disney owns that has been woefully underused over the years. The Muppets are back in the perfect place for them. Where it all started. Where they can “play the music” and “light the lights.”

Raise that curtain. It’s The Muppet Show…

Agents of Shield S2 E15, E16, E17, E18

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“One Door Closes”

“Afterlife”

“Melinda”

“Frenemy of my Enemy”

Season two continues to be fire as multiple storylines are combining into some excellent action and storytelling.

Skye is reunited with her mother in Afterlife, the location where the Inhumans are living. Sure, there is not any of the named Inhumans like Black Bolt or Medusa, but there are several intriguing characters. We are introduced to Lincoln, who becomes more important in the Shield series.

Skye is training, trying to control her quake powers. I remember not being a fan of her changing her name but this time through, I am not bothered by it. While she has not officially changed to Daisy Johnson yet, I believe in it more. It could be that I actually spent more time with Daisy Johnson than Skye (Five more seasons).

The show was trying desperately to make Coulson look like he was dirty, keeping all these horrible secrets and even betraying those around him. I hate the idea that May seemingly is being convinced. Still, it is clear that Coulson is the hero that he always has been.

We get the final reveal about what happened with May in the situation that led to the nickname “The Cavalry” and why she hated that name so much. It was an emotional situation where she had to kill an Inhuman girl to save everyone. It changed May for the longest time, costing her May’s marriage and her ability to be in the field.

Ward back and “sort of” working with Coulson has provided some tense moments, including Fitz’s reaction. Hunter has his share of funny lines. I remember why I liked Hunter as much as I did.

Just four more episodes of season 2. Lots of things happening.

Wonder Man S1 E5, E6, E7, E8

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I finished the final four episodes of Wonder Man on Disney + and I have to say that this is one of the best Marvel Disney + shows in a while. It’s up near the top of my list with WandaVision, Loki and Agatha All Along.

It is one of the least Marvel Marvel Studios TV shows. It is original and more focused on character. It avoided the typical, big CGI fest at the end with the villain fight while still providing a satisfying conclusion to the show.

I will say that when it ended, I really wanted more. That is a successful sign for any show.

I noticed the tremendous dialogue on this show, specifically in the last half of the episodes. The dialogue between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kinsley was wonderfully written. It was both comedic and realistic. The pairing of these two characters is the main reason why this show worked as well as it did.

The first episode back after “Doorman” was an important one, and, while it may have been the shortest of the season, it was so very impactful. “Found Footage” worked on so many levels that it was the perfect return to form after the black and white origin episode for why Simon had to keep his superpowers hidden.

Joe Pantoliano made a triumphant return to resume playing the character of Joe Pantoliano.

The twist at the end with Trevor reclaiming the Mandarin mantel to protect Simon’s secret was unexpected but brilliant. Seeing Ben Kingsley re-deliver those epic lines such as “You never saw me coming” was awesome.

The biggest question I have is why Marvel decided to drop this series all on one day instead of on a weekly basis. This felt like a show that, if you dropped the first two or three together and then go weekly release, would have built viewership and word of mouth, much like Agatha All Along did, another show that people wondered if we needed only to find out it was amazing. Now, instead, Wonder Man gets dropped one day and could go the way of Echo. Even a daily release schdule like What If…? got might have been better.

I do hope that we get more of Simon Williams somewhere in the MCU. The talent of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is too impressive to waste on just one 8-episode series.

Wonder Man S1 E1, E2, E3, E4

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Destin Daniel Cretton directed Shang Chi and the Ten Rings in the MCU and will be directing the upcoming Spider-Man movie. He is the showrunner behind the new Marvel Studios television series which dropped on January 27th on Disney +, Wonder Man.

Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a working actor who is struggling. He lost a role on American Horror Story and found himself at a movie theater. He runs into Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley), who lets him know that there is an audition for Wonder Man, a movie of a superhero Simon loved as a child.

I got to see the first four episodes last night and it feels like one of the most original and different Marvel Studio series yet.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley are fabulous together. The strength of this show was the chemistry between the pair of them. The story is about the actor’s process and the show is truly meta.

The show has shown us that Joe Pantoliano and Josh Gad are MCU cannon. They had some great cameos in the first four episodes.

Josh Gad’s episode was an amazing black and white episode that actually did not feature either Yahya Abdul-Mateen II or Ben Kingsley. It told a story of a super powered guy named DeMarr Davis, the Doorman, who was the reason why studios in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have actors sign an agreement that the new actors do not have superpowers.

After episode four Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery both get a call back for Wonder Man. We had met Simon’s brother Eric, who is a jerk and in the Marvel Comics, he is the Grim Reaper.

This was really great. I am excited about finishing off this series.

Agents of Shield S2 E7, E8, E9, E10

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“The Writing on the Wall”

“The Things We Bury”

“…Ye Who Enter Here”

“What They Become”

The story of the Obelisk and its destiny is in full swing, bringing Skye and Raina into an underground cavern and turning them.

Poor Trip, we barely knew thee.

So much for Legacy characters.

The Inhumans arc kicks off big time with the Obelisk triggering the Inhuman transformation in Skye.

Or should I say Daisy?

Cal and Skye have their father-daughter reunion at gunpoint as Grant kidnapped Skye from the Bus. Cal dropped Skye’s true name, the name we would know her by as the series continued: Daisy Johnson.

Ward had a big stretch during these episodes too as he murdered his brother and parents, making it look like a murder-suicide. He rejoined Hydra, but he had his own motivations.

We learned that Cal wanted to murder Whitehall because he dissected Cal’s wife, giving him the ability to not age. However, Coulson shot Whitehall first, causing Cal to attack Coulson violently.

I am happy that the “Crazy” Coulson arc seems to be done now that they figured out what the weird writing was. Since Skye never had it happen to her, does that mean her Inhuman traits allowed her to avoid the crazy Kree messages in her head?

Dramatic episodes as the show is finding its pace.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 E8

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“The Fleece Works its Magic Too Well”

The Sea of Monsters came to a conclusion with the second season of the Disney + show. Percy, Annabeth and Grover make their way back to camp in an attempt to stop Luke from burning the camp to the ground.

Of course, Percy wound up getting his ass kicked by Luke.

I am not sure how I felt about this final battle. It felt as if it had gaps in the story that just did not make sense or seemed to happen off screen. The ending of the whole thing felt a little anticlimactic.

I did like the use of Tyson saving Percy like a Deus ex machina. Percy really got brutally battered. I am not sure whether or not using the Fleece on the tree was a good thing. It brought back Thalia, but the end of that battle was lacking in my opinion.

I really enjoy Walker Scobell in this role. I think he does an admirable job as Percy Jackson. I enjoy the chemistry between the three main characters. Luke makes an interesting villain.

We got a new Zeus after the death of Lance Reddick. It was Courtney B. Vance, but he did not seem like Courtney B. Vance. I did not recognize him until I looked up the actor playing the role.

Honestly, I felt this episode was a touch of a letdown after a solid season. I am still anxious to see a season three, which is supposedly being filmed right now.

Agents of Shield S2 E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6

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“Shadows”

“Heavy is the Head”

“Making Friends and Influencing People”

“Face My Enemy”

“A Hen in the Wolf House”

“A Fractured House”

The second season of Agents of Shield starts off with new team members and characters leading to the Inhuman story- tied to Skye’s arc.

With Shield, Mac has arrived. Mac becomes a major force on this show moving forward. At this point, he is just a semi-regular, but he will become more as the years go on. Trip remained with the team after the end of last season. Bobbi Morse arrived in episode six. Morse is the name of the Marvel comics character Mockingbird, but the TV show never called her that. Lance Hunter was a merc at first when he arrived with Lucy Lawless. Lucy did not make it though as she wound up dead at the hands of the Absorbing Man. Turned out Bobbi and Hunter were formerly married. I remembered how much I loved these two. They were not on this show long enough.

Kyle MacLachlan joined the show as Skye’s mysterious father. He dropped the first hint about a new name for Skye. We learn later that he is basically the character of Mr. Hyde. He played a wonderful crazy.

Jemma went undercover at HYDRA. It did not last too long, but it helped bring us Bobbi. It is also a way to show the problems being faced by Fitz. Fitz was struggling during his recovery from the water trap from last season.

Raina is having troubles all over the place. Karma is surely mucking her up badly. She is scared of Skye’s father and Hydra’s new baddie, Daniel Whitehall, who was actually tied to an object from the Peggy Carter days.

Ward is being held in a cell in the cellar of the Shield base. They were using him as info. Then his older brother came back into the arc in episode six.

Melinda May is still such a bad ass. I loved her episode where she had to fight herself.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 E7

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“I Go Down with the Ship”

The penultimate episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 was fire as Percy and Clarisse went to reclaim the Golden Fleece and to save Annabeth, although the order of those events were up for debate.

Within this episode, we got a great Percy vs Luke battle, Annabeth and Clarisse flexing against some low level villains, and we get to hear Chronos’s voice as he continued with his machinations in his attempt to return.

I will say, Percy getting stabbed by Luke just as the elevator closed was dramatic, but, in the end, it was anticlimactic because Percy just used the Fleece. It took most of the dramatic tension out of it.

Percy’s mom made her return as they needed a ride. There was a funny interaction with her and a normal at a store. It was fun.

Clarisse had the fleece and headed back to the camp on Blackjack. There was a good moment between Clarisse and Percy as he gave her the Fleece that he had retrieved from the sarcophagus of Chronos.

Everything is pointing to a major showdown next episode.

Agents of Shield S1 E18, E19, E20, E21, E22

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“Providence”

“The Only Light in the Darkness”

“Nothing Personal”

“Ragtag”

“Beginning of the End”

Season one of Agents of Shield was wrapped up tonight as the storyline with Hydra and Shield came to a conclusion.

The truth behind Ward being part of Hydra came to light and he teamed up with Garrett, Raina and Deathlok to try and recreate the GH-325 that was used in TAHITI.

Lots of cool stuff in these episodes:

  • A sort of Absorbing Man came into play as we meet the cellist that was connected to Coulson.
  • Melinda may returned after leaving the team
  • We got to catch up with Maria Hill.
  • We met Eric Koenig, played by Patton Oswalt, an agent of Shield in Fury’s secret hidden base.
  • Eric was murdered by Ward. Ward was trying to get Skye to decrypt the file she fixed.
  • The show hinted at a storyline for season two, dealing with Skye’s past and the truth that she is an Inhuman.
  • It was revealed that Coulson left a message saying TAHITI “must be shut down because of horrific side effects the drugs had on test subjects, which could only be mitigated by erasing the victim’s memory of what happened.”
  • Raina made a sample of GH-325 and it ended up being given to Garrett, who was revealed as the first test subject in the Deathlok program.
  • Ward trapped Fitz and Simmons in a pod and ejected it into the ocean. They sank to the ocean floor.
  • Nick Fury makes an appearance and rescues Fitz and Simmons.
  • The magic drug started to cause Garrett to go mad.
  • We see where Garrett recruited and trained a young Ward, by leaving him alone in the woods for six months.
  • Skye and Ward had a big showdown at Cybertek.
  • Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury has a cool cameo in the finale.
  • Fury made Coulson the new Director for a new, rebuilt Shield.
  • We see Billy Koenig at the end of the finale show up. He is also played by Patton Oswalt.

Agents of Shield S1 E15, E16, E17

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“Yes Men”

“End of the Beginning”

“Turn, Turn, Turn”

Hail Hydra!

The Agents of Shield TV program caught up with the MCU movies as the episode “Turn, Turn, Turn” came out the week after the release of Captain America: Winter Soldier, which revealed that Shield had been infiltrated by Hydra from the start. It was a massive change in the status quo of the series.

Agent Garrett was revealed to be, not only be Hydra, but also the Clairvoyant. The first half of the season was kind of wrapped up with this block of episodes.

Lady Sif (Jane Alexander) made an appearance in “Yes Men” to take on Lorelei. I am guessing that the show kind of made Lorelei and the Enchantress amalgam with this character. It was good to see Sif again.

Mike Peterson was back, fully designated as Deathlok. He turned into quite a handful too.

Seeing Grant Ward turn and shoot the other Shield agents and Victoria Hand was still shocking. It just felt like it came out of left field and I wonder when he became aware of his character’s duplicitous nature. It seemed as if he were loyal to Coulson and had real feelings for Skye, but having nobody in Coulson’s team a part of Hydra would have seemed weird. It certainly wasn’t going to be Fitz or Simmons. With Coulson out, the only choices were Ward or May. It was fun too when the show was trying to make May look like the traitor, but I am glad that they did not make her the Hydra sleeper agent.

With Shield destroyed in the MCU, everything changed for this series, and this was the start of the switch. Poor Skye just got her official Shield badge and now it is gone.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians S2 E6

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“Nobody Gets the Fleece”

Big episode this week…

  • Percy and Annabeth arrive on Polyphemus’s island.
  • They find where Grover and Clarisse are being held
  • Tyson is saved from drowning
  • Luke showed up to island
  • Tyson vs. Polyphemus
  • Annabeth nearly gets killed by Polyphemus
  • Grover discovered the truth Golden Fleece
  • Percy has to give the Fleece to Luke to save Annabeth’s life (his great flaw from a couple of episodes ago)
  • Tyson and Percy reunited in a big hug!
  • Luke took off with an unconscious Annabeth and the Golden Fleece.
  • Percy, Grover, Clarisse and Tyson prepared to pursue them on hippocampi, one of which was named Rainbow.

I kept expecting the episode to end during several of the cliffhangers, but it went through to a spot where our foursome prepared to ride the hippocampi and pursue Luke.

I do hope Percy is able to step to the forefront in the last couple of episodes of the series because it does seem like all of the supporting characters are having moments this season with Percy kind of being in the background.