Nothin’ but net.
(screencap from CTV.ca)
This week, a somewhat big Marvel Cinematic Universe name dropped by to say hi, while the cosmic corners of the MCU began to take shape in an episode that harkens back to the early days of the series. The full blow-by-blow recap below after we play some catch-up.
Previously on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D…
The fallout from the events in the underground city beneath Puerto Rico began to take its effect on the Team. While Coulson seeks to crush Hydra once and for all, Skye continues to grapple with her rather Inhuman situation. Suffice to say, she’s not exactly thrilled.
A mission undertaken by Hunter and Bobbi saw the end of Hydra’s main leadership (save, of course, for Baron Strucker). Meanwhile, it appears that Bobbi has another mission of her own, as she and Mack spied on Coulson’s Toolbox and reported to a mysterious person.
On the Inhuman front, to say that Raina was less-than-pleased with her new transformation would be an understatement. She was horrified by her freakish new appearance that she contemplated on suicide by cops, only to be saved by a teleporting Inhuman by the name of Lincoln.
Full Recap (Spoilers)
Until the latter half of the episode, the story didn’t feel anywhere near engaging as the second season of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been so far, feeling like a leftover plot from the series’ early “Superhuman of the Week” days. The main plot of Sif having a bit of a little memory trouble wasn’t exactly anything to write home about as a standalone premise. However, once things began to unravel, the episode found its true footing, fittingly coinciding with the restoration of the Asgardian warrior’s memories. On the other hand, it’s always a treat to see Jaimie Alexander drop by and reprise her role from the Thor films, which helps give S.H.I.E.L.D. some MCU star power on its side. Her interactions with Coulson and the rest of the Team feel natural mainly due to how well Alexander plays off of the main cast.
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Inhuman elements begin to take over the second half of the episode, again highlighting the show’s new responsibility of building towards the Inhumans movie coming four years from now, aside from telling its own story. This comes in the form of a Kree agent by the name of Vin-Tak (guest star Eddie McClintock), who was sent to deal with the activation of a Diviner. It is here we learn that the Inhumans were meant to be weapons devised by the Kree to be used in war, with only Earth-based experimentation being the one that yielded results. And speaking of these Diviners, it seems that the remaining ones under the possession of S.H.I.E.L.D./S.S.R. have gone missing, with nobody the wiser as to who has them. The remaining Diviners’ whereabouts could figure into a later episode.
The further introduction of the Kree, hot off the heels of 2014’s megahit film, Guardians of the Galaxy, adds an additional cosmic flavor to the MCU, bringing in an alien race that has played a major role in the lore of the comics-based Marvel Universe. Notably, they’re indirectly responsible for the incident that gave future MCU heroine Carol Danvers her superpowers. That being said, it’s a delight to see a representative of the Kree show up in this episode to expand the horizons of not only S.H.I.E.L.D., but the MCU as a whole.
The episode’s very title not only represents the current situation Sif finds herself in, but also with Skye’s predicament being one of the Inhumans in question, and what it means to her role on the Team. The tremors of her newfound powers not only literally shakes things up during a field mission to find Vin-Tak, but also in a metaphorical sense with the Team now finding out about her powers. While Simmons continues her staunch anti-Inhuman stance she developed in the previous episode (also now being nonplussed by Fitz’s covering up on Skye’s behalf), Mack believes that the Team should be protected from whatever Skye has become, which naturally doesn’t sit well with She-Formerly-Known-As-Daisy. Judging by reveals of future guest stars on the show, it becomes clear that all of this will likely lead to Skye seeking guidance on how to control her powers from Lincoln, an Inhuman character to be played by Luke Mitchell in future episodes.
That mysterious secret mission that Mack and Morse are up to continued to develop this week. Whatever it is that they’re doing appears to be not another hidden Hydra operation once again, as dialogue between the two during a scene within the episode possibly suggested. If that’s the case, it’s certainly a relief as going to the “Hydra infiltrators tearing S.H.I.E.L.D. part from within” trope probably has been played out by now, given that nearly every double agent on the show thus far has been working for Hydra. The curious namedropping of a “Backup”, as well as Mack’s actions towards Hunter during the tag scene when the latter became a bit too curious about the whole thing, once again raises even more questions. I again reiterate my belief that this subplot will be one that ties closely to Avengers: Age of Ultron, with Mack and Bobbi’s secret benefactor possibly being a certain billionaire playboy philanthropist. Whatever the outcome of this plot, it has become one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most intriguing developments in its second season.
While the early parts of “Who You Really Are” present itself as a throwback to the beginnings of the series – and certainly not in a good way, – the episode recovers by its finish through its continued exposition of the Inhumans and the unraveling of the fascinating goings on with Mack and Bobbi. The fact that a slightly-average episode can still have compelling components speaks volumes on just how much the show has improved since its inception, and can only mean good things moving forward.
Grade: 7.5/10
Notes From The Field
- Still no sign of Ward (or Agent 44, for that matter), though a future episode synopsis indicates that we won’t have to wait long to see what he’s up to.
- While Ward wasn’t present in this episode, Brett Dalton (his actor) was ever omnipresent on Twitter during the episode’s original airing, providing a pun-filled livetweet. No true fan of S.H.I.E.L.D. would miss the chance to follow his Twitter account for the maximum fun in wordplay.
- Sif: “I do not know that word [Thor], but for some reason, when I hear it, I want to smile. Do you have any idea why?” Phil: “I don’t know.” May: “I”
- Coulson’s beloved Destroyer gun made a short cameo for the episode, this time wielded by Fitz to take down Vin-Tak during the latter’s skirmish with Bobbi.
- A new web series co-produced by Marvel and ABC, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Double Agent, revealed the appearance of Vin-Tak in this episode, as well as a new S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol that hasn’t appeared in the show itself just yet, but it just might crop up in the future.
- On a note that’s completely unrelated to the show itself, but still related to Marvel, this week’s Saturday Night Live featured Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, as a guest host. It featured the inevitable skit riffing on the ending for the forthcoming Avengers If you can find it, do check it out. It’s quite funny.
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“A friend of The Shield.” So, does Sif know of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns?
Next Week
Doctor Cal returns next week, and this time, he’s not alone. A pseudo-Masters of Evil coming to cause trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D.? Bad news for Coulson and crew, but good news for the audience – in terms of entertainment value, anyway.
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.