Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Episode 2 Preview: What's an 0-8-4?

Now that we've had a bit of time to watch (and rewatch and obsess over) the series premiere of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., let's talk about what's ahead for ABC's exciting new drama. Joss Whedon's known for favoring ensemble dramas and working a sense of team spirit among his series' casts. Just look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly for evidence of that, but I'm not sure any group has assembled quite as quickly as the S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Given the nature of the organization, that may have been expected, but still, it's exciting to watch the above promo and see the team working together to tackle whatever unusual situations they're investigating. Will they become "the ultimate team?" We can hope.

So the group has more or less formed and now they're tasked with working with one another and getting along, which may not be as simple as it sounds. In fact, I don't think there will be anything simple about this series. The promo teases Coulson stating simply, "So work it out," which is an indication this group has some issues they may need to sort out if they're going to be able to function together as a working group. And then there's the matter of the investigations. The very nature of the work they do deals with mysterious situations. The preview for next week's episode, titled "0-8-4" actually references the title, as Coulson says, "We've been called in to investigate an 0-8-4, we all know what that means. It means, we don't know what that means." Something tells me they'll figure it out.

Here's ABC's description for the episode, along with the list of guest stars set to appear:

"0-8-4" - Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents travel to Peru to investigate an object of unknown origin, codenamed 0-8-4. But when he runs into Comandante Camilla Reyes, more than just sparks fly at 30,000 feet, on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.Guest starring are Leonor Varela as Camilla Reyes, Carlos Leal as archaeologist, Anthony Dilio as Cusi and Celestin Cornielle as Vilca.

While Episode 2 will explore a mystery-object, it sounds like Episode 3 will raise the stakes even higher when someone is kidnapped. Check out the vaguely spoilery description for Episode 3, titled "The Asset" below:

"The Asset" - When the brilliant scientist Dr. Franklin Hall is kidnapped, Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents must race against the clock to locate him. Skye is their only way in -- pushing the team to their limits when the entire plan turns upside-down, on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.Guest starring are Ian Hart as Dr. Franklin Hall, David Conrad as Ian Quinn, Josh Cowdery as Agent Tyler, Bodie Newcomb as Agent Mack, Scott Subiono as Todd Chesterfield, Vachik Mangassarian as Qasim Zaghlul, Assaf Cohen as translator, Brandon Molale as Quinn's main guard.

And while we wait for next Tuesday, rewatch the pilot episode here and join us in speculating over what the deal is with Agent Coulson's seemingly miraculous return here. Is he a life model decoy, as so many people are speculating? Or is there an even bigger twist ahead for the character?

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.