Coulson is a Life Model Decoy.
That or he was ressurected by Scarlet Witch, a character certain to debut in the show (as she is his ex) along with her brother, Quicksilver are slated to appear in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Now we know Whedon is using the show as a vehicle to bridge the films and he could introduce characters in this way. We also know Coulson did in fact die from Loki’s blow. Working him back into the continuum isn’t a retcon so much as a plot device to indicate some larger tech or magic.
But enough about the larger plot. The pilot episode of Agents of SHIELD was vintage Whedon, a world crafting, team-building romp into a world dealing with the emergence of Gods. The show inspired me to really reflect on the idea of higher orders of power in the way that few comics have. This is about unpowered people trying to hold the line in a world where your enemy could be a God. It was everything I needed to see in a pilot. I will be back for week 2…
Just like I came back for Riddick 3. Here, it is 10 years after the events of Pitch Black and Riddick has gotten soft and been betrayed by the Necromongers. So, Riddick has to bone up and be a man out on a planet where things are about to get real–Pitch Black style. The movie happens in three phases: Riddick the lone man, Riddick the hunter/killer, and Riddick doing his Pitch Black thing. All three phases are vintage cool with strong visuals and classic one-liners. This isn’t high fiction. The Oscars will not get a copy. At the same time, it is fun and well worth the hour’s wage for a ticket.