Was it just me, or has it seemed like a lot of this season, this episode in particular, was shot on video instead of film? There have been bits in previous episodes where the 'soap opera effect' has come out, but this one was the first where it was incredibly distracting for the entire episode.

Personally I really like Bennet so far, as well as the character she plays.  Ward is much more troublesome, he's still dull, but he could come around.

I loved that line.  There were a lot of great ones in this episode though.  Fitz and Simmons are starting to come into their own a bit.

I thought that was clever as well.  There's a lot of depth to this show if you pay attention.

The 2nd episode was based on a Captain America plot point.  You didn't have to actually watch Captain America to get full enjoyment out of it, but it was a nice bonus if you had.

It's family friendly, but nothing about it seems like a kid's show.

Ward is still mostly a dud for me, but I've liked Skye since she was introduced, I don't get the hate.

I disagree completely.  I've liked all three episodes so far, and the first and the third have been particularly strong.

Ah thanks, that's it, she looks like a blend of Seychelle Gabriel and young Alyssa Milano.

I'm sure Breaking Bad is good, and I plan on watching it, but Treme is more the new Wire.

Whedon is a master when it comes to seemingly throw-away details coming back as major plot points later on.

I'm pretty sure this is being targeted at everyone.  For this show to reall, err, show, it's true potential, it will need to keep a pretty big budget, which will require high ratings across the board.

With closed captions on the male one is listed as 'Scottish accent' and the female as 'English accent' so I doubt they're twins.

For the younger cast it's a mixed bag.  Ward came off as mostly a dud, Sky was awesome, and the scientists were OK - plenty of potential to go either way.

Dollhouse took a while to take off.  It was a tragedy it was canceled, especially considering how good Epitaph 1 and Epitaph 2 were, since they gave the hint at where Joss was taking it all.  The second season was phenomenal.

This was hands down the best pilot I've seen this season (but to be fair, I was only able to see the first fifteen minutes of The Blacklist before a huge rainstorm knocked my satellite feed out).

That bit, plus Sky launching into the famous Spiderman speech then going a different direction, the rough interrogation turned on its head, etc, are what makes Whedon shows special.  He knows how to play with tropes and flip them on their heads, and how to toe the line when it comes to the characters being…

It was hands down awesome.  Solid A+ for a pilot.  I agree Ward is a bit dull, but Coulson and Sky are top notch, the scientists/geeks are a fun pair, Ming-Na's character could have potential, and even the chick from How I Met Your Mother did OK.

The optimism and belief that doing the right thing will lead to good results are both very good things IMO.  Not every show has to be dark and gritty, there's room for something aspirational in spirit and tone.

I agree that the ending was by far the strongest part of this episode.