Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast Descriptions Surface Online

[carabas]

I wonder if they always had an asian woman in mind to play the once named Agent Rice? The new name is way too on the nose, cutesy, "clever" for it's own good.

Obviously they did not have an Asian woman in mind for the part. Althea Rice is not really a name one gives to an Asian character.

What is "clever", cutesy, or on the nose about the new name?

[shades of eternity]

personally I would make their first enemy hydra...which suspiciously looks like the firefly cast :p.

adam baldwin as reaper = win :D.

[Simbob4000]

Obviously they did not have an Asian woman in mind for the part. Althea Rice is not really a name one gives to an Asian character.

What is "clever", cutesy, or on the nose about the new name?

Neither is the name Melinda May.

She's a soulful yet somewhat damaged woman named Melinda May, just look up the name Melinda and think about things associated with May.

[Simbob4000]

personally I would make their first enemy hydra...which suspiciously looks like the firefly cast :p.

adam baldwin as reaper = win :D.

They should just get him to play an agent that's pretty much Animal Mother.

[bringthenoise]

Neither is the name Melinda May.

She's a soulful yet somewhat damaged woman named Melinda May, just look up the name Melinda and think about things associated with May.

From the wiki page on Melinda:

The modern name Melinda is a combination of "Mel" with the suffix "-inda". "Mel" can be derived from names such as Melanie meaning "dark, black" in Greek, or from Melissa meaning "honeysuckle" in Greek. It is also associated with the Greek word meli, meaning "honey", and with Linda, meaning "gentle, soft, tender" in the Germanic languages

So I'm still confused.

[carabas]

Yeah, me too...

[Rimmer]

Has it been stated WHEN this series will take place? If Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) is in it, and a regular, then this would have to take place BEFORE the Avengers movie. Is the premise perhaps how SHIELD got started/its early days? Or is this a way 'out' for them to explain that Coulson didn't die (a LMD or something).

Thoughts?

[Phil Clark]

Any thoughts at this point would be wild speculation and guesswork. So far as I have read, they are being extremely coy about when the series takes place and how Coulson is able to be in it considering the events witnessed in Avengers. What I will say is... it will be very interesting finding out.

[carabas]

Has it been stated WHEN this series will take place? If Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) is in it, and a regular, then this would have to take place BEFORE the Avengers movie.

Apparently rumours of his death have been somewhat exaggerated.

[kalorama]

Obviously they did not have an Asian woman in mind for the part. Althea Rice is not really a name one gives to an Asian character.

Why not? If she were actually born and raised in an Asian country that might be true. But if she's a 2nd or later generation American of Asian descent, then any "Americanized" name would be fair game.