Bringing new meaning to “the sparks are flying”.
(screencap courtesy of CTV.ca)
After the status quo got rocked last week, how do things size up for our venerable Agents? In an episode that brings a bit of setup into the fold.
Previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Robert Gonzales’ S.H.I.E.L.D. faction invaded the Treehouse in full force, easily capturing it. However, Coulson managed to escape thanks to a rescue by May. At a tropical island that might have been Tahiti, Coulson was met by Lance Hunter, who offered his loyalty to Phil.
At the Hulk’s Cabin, Skye’s moment of piece was interrupted by “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D., who tried to take her by force. Using her powers, Skye literally shook off her pursuers and asked to be taken away to God-Knows-Where by Gordon, who she had met prior.
Recap (Full Spoilers Ahead)
“Afterlife”, the title of the episode, refers to the mountaintop retreat that Skye has been whisked to by Gordon. But it’s certainly applicable to a variety of situations that our beloved characters have found themselves in after last week’s twists and turns.
For the aforementioned Skye, it’s in her newfound situation that has brought her to the sanctuary somewhere in Parts Unknown. Despite her predicament, she still longs for her S.H.I.E.L.D. allies and a way to help them against the threat from within. It’s also here where we’re introduced to Lincoln, a “transitioner” with electrokinectic powers. His intent is to help Skye get acclimated to her powers and to her new surroundings. These scenes with Lincoln and Skye fall a little flat, and that’s on mostly how bland the Lincoln character is. He seems to exist only to create a romantic relationship for Skye, highlighted not-so-subtly by a moment where Lincoln literally makes the sparks fly between them. However, things do pick up once Cal, Gordon, and Raina enter the mix. Their presence paves the way for the apparent resurrection of Jiaying, the mother to Skye and wife of Doc Cal. Her mere presence is enough to reveal some humanity embedded within that crazed mind of Cal’s when the two reunite on somewhat bittersweet terms. We’ve only seen Cal through a lens of his insane determination and great fury, so to have him viewed in a sympathetic light throughout the episode is a different and welcomed turn. On the other hand, Skye is still in the dark on who Jiaying really is, though that will likely change real soon.
Meanwhile, Coulson is adjusting to life after S.H.I.E.L.D. (if at least temporarily) with the help of Hunter, who helps him “borrow” a Jeep at the start of the episode. Of course, this involves taking back his organization from Robert Gonzales and his S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta faction (the show refers to them simply as “S.H.I.E.L.D.”, but for the benefit of readers, they will be differentiated by being known as “S.H.I.E.L.D Beta”.) While a plan to lure S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta to The Cabin so that they can hijack a Quinjet doesn’t go off exactly as planned, the two are saved by the very timely arrival of one Mike Peterson, better known as Deathlok. It seems like he’s been doing undercover operations for Coulson since we last saw him in the Season I finale and now he’s back to help Phil liberate S.H.I.E.L.D. from Gonzales’ insurrectionists. Their course of action now is to call in the “bad option” in the form of Grant Ward, which may end up coming back to haunt them.
The return of Deathlok into the show was a pleasant surprise and a well-kept one – so well-kept to the point that his actor was not credited as a guest star in the episode’s opening credits – helping to give the shorthanded Coulson some added cavalry in the fight ahead versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta. After all, Phil will need all the help he can get against a well-armed enemy that’s taken his organization with relative ease.
Over with Gonzales and S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta, they continue to make overtures towards Coulson’s loyalists with Mack and Bobbi attempting to recruit Fitz-Simmons to open the Toolbox and Gonzales himself trying to convince May to join his inner circle in order to supposedly “defend S.H.I.E.L.D.”, also hinting towards more of May’s backstory in Bahrain. While Skye’s story is set on building towards a movie that’s a good four years away, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta arc is clearly setting up next year’s Captain America: Civil War with each passing episode. Yes, Gonzales’ continued fears of superhumans running rampant to the point of wanting them dealt with harshly is on the extreme side, but it’s slightly justifiable. The world has already been witness to multiple superpowered battles with major damage all around, so it’s understandable that some might want to keep things under control. However, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta approach doesn’t appear to be the ideal one, since it appears that Gonzales just doesn’t care even if superhumans are on the “same side” as he is. He just wants them taken care of for good.
To take this back to the whole theme of “afterlife”, let’s turn our attention to Fitz-Simmons, especially with the former. His decision to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. under new management is one born out of trust, like the trust he has for Coulson and the trust that he feels has been betrayed by not only Mack and Bobbi, but also with his beloved friend Jemma. However, as with a lot of things on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., everything is not what they seem, and the falling out between Fitz and Simmons was all but just a setup. While Fitz is now long gone from S.H.I.E.L.D., he didn’t leave empty handed, making off with the Toolbox thanks to Simmons’ cleverness coming into play. In the meantime, she’s got a duplicate Toolbox with her back at the Treehouse and is definitely working S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta to perfection. So, as it stands, it appears that Coulson is not only going to fight Gonzales and S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta directly, but also with some good old-fashioned spy work.
“Afterlife” takes the pieces laid out by last week’s episode and simply puts them together as the march towards the final few episodes begins to take shape. With surprises and twists galore, this low-key hour is one that does the job well, helping set up the S.H.I.E.L.D. Civil War and the continued Inhuman world-building that’s now come into play.
Grade: 8.0/10
Notes from the Field
- Daredevil, the first of Marvel’s new shows airing only on Netflix, launches on Friday. I, however, will not be writing recaps for FAN (mainly due to my lack of Netflix). For the blow-by-blows on Daredevil, look for fellow FAN writer Jesse Swanson to cover the show.
- And while I’m in the promoting mood, do check out Jesse Swanson’s TV Tuners Podcast, wherein he and friend Kiorein search for the “greatest TV show ever made” on TV.
- For when you want to play cards and distract your enemies, there’s the Howling Commandos Kit with real hologram-simulation action.
- Using your teleportation powers to get pizza seems like a very responsible use of said powers, if I do say so myself.
- As noted above, they did a great job in keeping Mike Peterson’s return a surprise, but the return of Skye’s mother – meant to be a shocking twist – was slightly undercut by Dichen Lachman listed in the credits.
- Speaking of the above-mentioned revelation, it might certainly mean that Daniel Whitehall, the man who was thought to have killed the mother in question, isn’t as dead as many might think.
- During S.H.I.E.L.D. Beta’s raid on The Cabin, they use a battering ram that looks a bit like the one used by the fake cops/Hydra agents on Nick Fury’s car in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
- Coulson reveals that Mike has been trailing Dr. List, that doctor seen with Baron Strucker watching over Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in the Winter Soldier If List does shows up, it’ll likely constitute part of the show’s tie-in to Age of Ultron.
- “Can’t believe that worked!” “We had the better hand.” (Coulson and Hunter playing cards, kicking some tail)
- On that tangent, I love the camaraderie between Coulson and Hunter during their scenes.
Next Week
The much-awaited origin story behind Agent May and what happened in Bahrain will finally be declassified next week, in an episode fittingly titled “Melinda”. Plus, more Inhuman stuff, probably.
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.