10 Things Marvel Fans Should Know About ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’

4. Don’t Judge it By It’s Opening Season Character Development

If you were initially excited about Agents of SHIELD when it began its run in 2013, but you were turned off by the series’ initial “monster of the week” feel, then it might be a good idea to stick with it. The series spends its first dozen episodes or so building the characters and having the team chase down seemingly random monsters and meta-humans, while they try to gel as a working unit. At that point, it’s easy to see the show as largely episodic. Then, just in time for the theatrical release of Captain America: Winter Soldier, a plot revelation plunges SHIELD into serial territory, as large, sweeping plots begin to take over the series. There are still a lot of monsters and meta-humans, but they’re all in service of a larger story.