Ha. I always smile when I hear that American shows are appearing in Britain within a couple of days, like Game of Thrones. Stopped owning a TV when we switched to digital, it's torrents all the way. Funnily there's no lack of people to talk about Breaking Bad with.

Bunnies | September 27, 19:24 CET

I enjoyed it. It's a pilot, and it still has to find its feet, but the character mix is promising, though Skye reminds me alternately of Faith and Kaylee. Nice to see JAR and Ron Glass again - he at least is likely to return, I suspect.

Tahiti? Hmmm...

Gill | September 27, 21:50 CET

It was really good. I loved it.

Simon | September 27, 22:06 CET

I think I'm about 90% happy with it overall. Did not love the cheesy smiles-of-success montage, which dropped me entirely out of the show, and there were a few other moments that verged on that sort of ridiculousness too, but mostly I just relaxed into it and felt at home. Clark Gregg is probably about half the reason for that.

[ edited by skittledog on 2013-09-27 22:42 ]

skittledog | September 27, 22:41 CET

I couldn't resist calling the number myself before the show. Rarely has a pre-recorded telephone message made me feel so special.

I really enjoyed the pilot. It felt rushed, but I loved the characters and everything Whedony about it. The Bus is like Serenity with an interior like the Dollhouse. Skye reminds me of Caroline (how long before we learn her real name?) and at times Melinda May made me think of a retired, older Buffy. I loved hearing a real orchestra too.

I keep thinking of *SPOILER* the shadowy team with guns who showed up looking for Mike near the end, who Coulson said weren't "ours" (or something along those lines). Think SHIELD does have more morally grey people after all who our team don't know about? Maybe my distrust of fictional organisations is too ingrained. Thanks, Joss.

Bluelark | September 28, 00:26 CET

@skittledog--the smiles montage to which you refer is the tail end of a two minute clip up on the network show site. I watched that clip (and only that clip) before I viewed the episode. I hadn't watched any trailers and was entirely unspoiled except for knowing some of the characters.

Since none of the backstory on the plan is included in the clip, seen out of context it reads like the hostage negotiations we've seen a thousand times on TV and in the movies, where the unarmed negotiator tries to convince the agitated armed person that the negotiator is on his side. Which he seemed to be succeeding at. That makes what happens next startling, and the prolonged visual high-fives the crew give each other really creepy. I thought, "Wow, Joss isn't wasting any time going dark with this show."

When I watched the entire pilot and learned that Joss was not, in fact, turning that trope inside out, I was rather disappointed.

janef | September 28, 00:55 CET

janef, I'd love to see that clip but can't find it on the site. Can you post alink? Thanks.

I agree that was the worst moment of the show, which was otherwise superb.

ZodKneelsFirst | September 28, 09:42 CET

Stephen Fry tweeted this thinking it was genuine. He quickly realised he had been taken in. He has 6 million followers. Good publicity.

bivith | September 28, 11:02 CET

ZodKneelsFirst - I think the trope being turned inside out and hung out to dry was the '24' style trope. In 24, Mike would've been shot. Similarly, using the truth drug on Ward was another complete inversion.

bluesqueak | September 28, 11:56 CET