Danny Hale reviews Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 3 – A Wanted (Inhu)man…
This week Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered powers, laughs and tears and brought back Rosalind and Lincoln after their absence last week. As I’ve said before I’ve never really taken to Lincoln but thankfully this episode took a few good steps in the right direction in humanising him and rounding him out. Right from the off we can see he is being hunted by the ATCU and the show displayed a gorgeous use of his powers at the pylons when he caused some electrical cables to rain down sparks before his foes. Thus caused us to see the power of the words ‘Alien’ and ‘Threat’ when they are attached to a face and plastered across the news. This is when I started to feel for Lincoln; the poor guy just wants to be left alone. He only seems to use his powers when he’s being pushed and he’s being pushed for having powers. It’s not a new or original plot line by any stretch but it is effective.
Hunter and May’s Ward hunt had them meet with an old friend of Hunter’s called ‘Spud’. I rather enjoyed their English banter and cringed at Hunter’s hair and outfit which means he got it so right. I’m guessing the subtitles were necessary for some American audiences but wonder would it have been funnier to share in May’s confusion by leaving them out. Either way I just loved seeing May in a Blondie shirt! With Spud’s connections the duo are able to partake in what is essentially a fight club. The rules are simple; don’t talk about fight club last man standing gains an audience with the boss and by extension entrance to the lower ranks of HYDRA. Although we all know it (including Hunter) that May is the better fighter it does make more sense for Hunter to fight . . . I’m on board . . . I’m not bitter . . . But never fear, three thugs decide to try and sexually assault May. The build up to this exchange was awesome; I know it’s nothing new but we got to see May’s first moment of kicking ass this season and it still left me very satisfied. Hunter meanwhile in a slight twist has to fight his friend Spud. I thought Nick Blood did an excellent job with the material here. He looked genuinely hurt that Spud was getting ready to fight him. It’s these little moments that remind us that Hunter is softer than he lets on and despite taking a serious pounding he manages to defeat Spud but kills him in the process. It’s a heavy moment and one he shares with May who we know has some experience in this area. All in all it just further emphasises how violent and relentless Ward’s new HYDRA is.
Simmons is back and she is not okay. We are given a brief rundown of her condition and start to see how difficult it is for her adjusting to being back. Her senses are all heightened and Elizabeth Henstridge gave an incredible performance in showing us this. Her body language throughout left her looking frail and brittle and that moment in the restaurant when she started to tear up hit me hard. Also can we just have a moment for Fitz holding that reservation for all that time while she was gone? So freaking sweet. It was great to see Simmons and Daisy back together for a scene as I always really enjoyed how close they were. Back in season one Fitz and Simmons were really the first close friends Daisy made once she joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mirroring nicely with Hunter killing Spud we see Lincoln seeking refuge with an old friend John who some may remember as art teacher Dr. Arzt from Lost. Okay so this storyline played out very predictably but it still helped me sympathise with Lincoln. What I didn’t see coming was when John had his obligatory heart attack and Lincoln began to use his abilities as a makeshift defibrillator, it didn’t work! I figured he’d revive John in time for his friend to realise his mistake only to see Lincoln carted away but Lincoln in fact ‘killed’ his friend or at least inadvertently led to his death. It was at this point with the ATCU storming the building that Lincoln FINALLY decided to call in some help though I do admit I enjoyed how much resistance he put up to joining S.H.I.E.L.D.
Coulson and Rosalind had a one on one meeting this week to discuss politics. I freaking loved the ‘eyes up here line.’ Perfect. The more I see of this pair together the more I realise how well their chemistry works. I’m glad there seems to be more to Rosalind than the typical ‘stone-cold bitch’ archetype; the visible empathy on her face when Coulson informs her that his missing hand was a recent happening and that she is in fact the first person to joke about it speaks a lot about the kind of person she is. She has no interest in bullying Coulson but seems to enjoy a mutual battle of wits. Like Coulson I think Rosalind’s intentions are probably pure just her handling of the situation leaves a lot to be desired. Threatening Daisy was a stroke of genius on Rosalind’s part as Coulson’s personal affection for her has always been a big weakness of his.
Watching Coulson’s side it was understandable that he would give up Lincoln in exchange for Daisy’s safety but where Daisy, Mack and Lincoln were standing it seems like any hope of Lincoln trusting Coulson or indeed S.H.I.E.L.D. again is well and truly gone. Could we be witnessing the beginning of a future villain in Lincoln? Or will Daisy break away from Coulson as she did have that incredibly predictable kiss with our lightning friend? On a side note I did feel the kiss was better delivered this week than if it had happened last season. I’m not saying I can’t understand why Daisy would fall for Lincoln; he was a massive support for her in Afterlife but I think we as an audience need to see what she sees and feel what she feels a bit more.
The post credits scene gave us a little montage of Bobbi getting back on her feet (YES) and Simmons back in the lab! She has a new found energy and drive and states that she needs ‘to go back’ to the planet from where she just came. As I said last week I was concerned with how quick Simmons returned but it looks like we may not be done with our mysterious blue planet just yet! This week took great steps in making Lincoln more fleshed out and helped develop his and Daisy’s relationship while also showcasing some really heartrending moments between Fitz and Simmons. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for this nerd, you are nailing it.
Danny Hale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=BqcluuxZR9E
