Back in July 2012, when the rumors of MARVEL entering the television industry began to sprout, many wondered what kind of show they would be making. Maybe it’d be tackling lesser known heroes (TV would be a great avenue for Heroes For Hire. Just sayin’).  Or perhaps it’d be a way to show origin stories for their beloved characters. Instead, the final product is an interesting juxtaposition of dealing with the world of the renowned Marvel Cinematic Universe, while also tackling all-new characters and situations.

Well, perhaps I’m stretching the term “all-new” characters, since the main protagonist of the show is Phil Coulson. The man who was killed by Loki in “The Avengers” has come back to life, and is now leading a ragtag group of agents against the forces of evil. He makes for a great lead, mainly thanks to Clark Gregg’s stupendous job at playing the man with a fine balance of humor and gravitas. Kudos to Joss Whedon for continuing to take the character in interesting directions, even if the show he’s starring in starts off with a plot that feels both brilliant and anti-climactic.

A man named Michael Peters (J. August Richards) exhibits stunning super-human abilities that at first make him into a hero, until all the terrible things the world has given him (lack of job opportunities mainly) lead him to doing some not so fine things with his new powers. Realizing that deep down he’s a good man (not to mention the fact that his powers will soon backfire in a horrific way if they don’t help him soon), Coulson leads his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on a mission to help Peters, along with trying to figure out how a hacker named Skye figures into this whole mess.

This story is a fine way to springboard into this show and it’s sprawling universe, which is set up with an irritatingly large amount of exposition. Currently, the show doesn’t seem to truly get whether it’s aimed at casual viewers or major fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, the world the show inhabits is undeniably fascinating, with the show presenting the members of The Avengers (who don’t appear in this episode) as celebrities, who have become toys, legends and inspirations for many people. That’s where Peters comes in, as a surrogate for the everyman who is just trying to endure all the chaos Iron Man and his buddies bring to the world.

Peters (who gets the largest character arc in this particular episode) brings a nice contrast to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who are used to this kind of craziness. Speaking of those agents, they all seem oddly one-dimensional and underdeveloped, save for a duo of scientists named Fitz and Simmons, who with their quirky personalities and foreign accents, seemed destined to be beloved by the Internet community. These agents are saddled with much of the episodes worst dialogue and cheesiest moments, although a scene involving a unique twist on the use of truth serum is undeniably vintage Joss. If only such creativity could’ve been used to the rest of the cast, who feel oddly dull right now.

I’ve always felt that TV shows take about four or five episodes before they truly maximize their true potential and become grand shows (the best example of this phenomenon is the bizarrely underrated “Bob’s Burgers”). I have a feeling Joss and his crew will truly have a good handle on this show and it’s universe in another episode or two, and in many ways they already do, but for now we’re left to witness a show that’s decent, but nowhere near as great as all the MARVEL movies themselves are.