Things are about to shake up.
(screencap from CTV.ca)
Okay, now that Agent Carter has reached its end, what are we to do? Good thing Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has returned from a winter break with an episode that deals with the fallout of the previous episode, while setting the stage for the rest of the second season. Does it succeed in that regard? Let’s read on and find out.
Previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
The rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D., headed by Phil Coulson, has sought to wage war on all remaining Hydra cells, but opting to fight this conflict in the shadows. This war has taken them from being America’s most wanted, to having a somewhat-friendly rapport with the U.S. government. This has also brought Lance Hunter, Alphonso MacKenzie, and Bobbi Morse into the Team Coulson fold. It has also revealed the reason why Coulson has been drawing strange glyphs onto the walls of his office: they have revealed a map to a secret underground city.
This has also brought out Skye’s father, a man named Cal, out of the woodwork and back into the newly-minted S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s life. When we last left our heroes, Hydra head Daniel Whitehall died at Coulson’s hands (much to Cal’s chagrin), while Raina opened up the Obelisk inside the secret underground city to reveal a Terrigen Crystal. Exposure to the crystal has changed her and Skye, while killing Agent Triplett in the process.
Full Recap (Spoilers)
Since the start of this show’s second season, there has been a darker “edge” omnipresent as the story began to take a clearer path with a tight and cohesive tale, with even episodes deemed “filler” still managing to be a part of the greater myth arcs for the season. This week’s episode continues that turn, as it built upon the shocking events of the winter finale after a three month break. For the most part, it succeeds in showing how the birth of the Inhumans and the loss of one of their own has affected Coulson’s team. As you’ve read above, things were beginning to shake up both in the figurative and literal sense when we last left our titular Agents. While the midseason premiere doesn’t directly pick up from the closing moments of the winter finale, the aftershocks (like the very title of the premiere) could be certainly felt.
This episode saw even more of a darker turn for Coulson’s character, particularly with his declaration of wanting to crush Hydra for good. While it can be justified by Phil wanting to ensure that Tripp didn’t die In vain, this more ruthless side of our beloved Captain America fanboy-turned-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely a far cry from the man who awkwardly told Cap himself that he watched over him while Cap was asleep. The responsibilities of rebirthing the world’s former elite covert intelligence agency has helped put a massive weight on Phil’s shoulders, and the signs are certainly starting to manifest themselves. Leave it to Clark Gregg to show how that weight has fallen on him with such an efficiency, that you just can’t help but be in awe. One moment in particular (noted later in the Quick Hits section) gave me some serious chills. That being said, the operation of wiping out the Hydra leadership was a satisfying watch, if only to see the ruthless terrorists get taken out in such an efficient manner. While the Hydra braintrust is certainly far from dead – Baron Strucker is still out there and ready to cause problems for the Avengers – S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0’s immediate problems with Hydra seem to be resolved for the time being, and possibly just in time.
Meanwhile, the contrasting paths seen here with Skye and Raina’s rather Inhuman transformation started to take shape. While Skye is guilt-ridden and generally still unsure of what to make of her new powers, Raina is inconsolable and simply not willing to grapple with her mutation. It’s a wild divergence from her stated excitement at opening up the Obelisk and unlocking its true capabilities during the midseason finale (“What They Become”). In a way, despite her villainous leanings in past episodes, you do sort of feel sorry for Raina losing her humanity as a result of the Terrigen Crystal’s after-effects. Her usual scheming nature has now been supplanted by fear and overall abhorrence, and yet… there is certain sympathy to be felt for her situation.
The mystery eyeless man from the winter finale’s last scene, finally identified as “Gordon”, made an immediate impact of his own here. Exhibiting powers not unlike the X-Men’s Nightcrawler, Gordon the Inhuman appeared at the end of the episode to rescue Raina from a planned suicide attempt. The reasoning behind his rescue is still not known, as is where Gordon’s true allegiances lie, but this creates a new dynamic for the show to play with, on top of the other linkages we have seen so far.
Not so smooth, on the other hand, is Simmons’ sudden anti-superhuman as it relates to the whole Inhuman thing. While the reasoning behind this is to show that not everyone on Team Coulson is on board with having a teammate possessing superpowers, this characterization from Simmons feels forced and not at all a natural turn for her character. As it is, this simply just appears as a means for the showrunners to just build towards the basis of the plot for 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. On the other hand, Fitz’s gesture towards Skye in switching a blood sample prior to her Terrigen Mist-induced transformation to cover for her is one that feels slightly more natural.
Above all, while the execution was shaky at times, the return of S.H.I.E.L.D. indeed did hit the ground running, as they laid the groundwork for the remainder of the season. Whether or not the conclusions to the show’s major arcs (Inhumans, the war on Hydra, Mack and Bobbi’s secret mission) reach a satisfying end are yet to be decided, but it’ll be quite the ride getting there, if this week’s episode is any indication.
Grade: 8.0/10
Quick Hits
- The episode’s tag revealed that Morse and Mack are doing some sort of undercover operation for an unknown figure, showing them eyeing The Toolbox that was bequeathed to Coulson. While the initial assumptions is to brand them as more Hydra spies within S.H.I.E.L.D., I say that their ulterior motives may tie in to Avengers: Age of Ultron, and perhaps, a key player in that film who’s got quite the “stark” personality.
- While I myself have never even watched the show he starred in, the irony of Fred Dryer (of the 80s action series Hunter) as a Hydra head who gets shot by Hunter was too hilarious to not make a note of.
- A scene where the Team Coulson core group argued amongst themselves about recent events felt very similar to the scene from The Avengers where the team there had a big argument about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Phase II plans. Knowing how things work, this was certainly deliberate on the part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunners.
- “While Hydra scrambles for a new one, I will crush them!”
- Absent from this episode is Grant Ward, who was last seen heading off with the now-permanently-May-faced Agent 33 in the winter finale. Given the multitude of things going on throughout the episode, his presence probably wasn’t needed.
- Cal’s happy dance in response to what Skye has become is rather endearing, if I do say so myself.
- Perhaps it’s fitting that Skye remarked that “we’re gonna laugh a lot less,” speaking in reference to Tripp’s death and his missed presence on the Team. That, to me, seems like a meta-comment from the producers noting on how things are poised be a lot more serious on the show moving forward.
Next Week
Sif drops by S.H.I.E.L.D. once again, but looks like she’s got a bit of a memory problem on her hand. Couple that with the continued earth-shattering developments from Skye, and it looks like the Agents will have their hands full – and then some.
Marc Quill just happens to cover shows aired on Tuesdays at 9/8 on ABC that are also based on Marvel Comics. He’s also very Canadian. You can reach him on Twitter @MarcQuill.