Danny Hale reviews the eleventh episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3…
I was eagerly awaiting Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s return after its strong winter finale before Christmas and although it is an often used device, getting a glimpse 3 months into the future to the apparent peril of one of our agents was still an effective way of piquing my interest right from the start. We glimpse a few things; a gold crucifix on a chain and some blood floating through a ship apparently experiencing some difficulties above the Earth. Our first present day scene followed and here we saw a small regiment of police officers under attack from a seemingly invisible opponent. It became clear that the main point of interest was a crate of firearms located in the rear of a truck. The startled police officers find the crate of weapons stolen from under their noses but with no casualties to speak of. Our assailant is revealed but not before we get a deliberate look at her crucifix around her neck, not unlike the one we saw floating inside the doomed vessel during the prologue.
Coulson and the President met face to face this week and did a good job of establishing S.H.I.E.L.D’s status in this new world and I actually like the idea of keeping the ATCU active as a public face for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s actions. Coulson makes it clear from the start that Malick is his target and number one concern. Ward may have pulled the trigger but Rosalind’s death is on Malick’s hands too. Learning Malick is out of the President’s reach just reaffirms how far this man’s influence stretches and just how much preparation he has done to secure his position.
It was great to see Joey out on a mission with Daisy; I’ve been intrigued by him from the beginning and eager for him to get fleshed out a bit more so we can see a bit more of his powers and what he can really do. It doesn’t take long for Mack to encounter our new speedy gun thief, Elena Rodriguez. I liked that they didn’t speak the same language and as such it was hard to really place Elena’s intentions although I had the feeling that there was a lot more to her than initially suggested. With a great display of her powers ‘Yo-Yo’ manages to take Mack captive, proving that she has had time to learn and understand her abilities. In the lab meanwhile we get a brief conversation between Lincoln and Simmons. I enjoyed this as Lincoln raised the notion that Inhuman’s and their abilities are not random but in fact part of a grander plan. It wasn’t clear how Simmons felt about this theory but I am inclined to think she doubts it. This nicely ties in with Elena when she tells Mack about her belief that her powers are a gift from God. I found it very refreshing to meet someone who has taken their powers in a positive way and as it transpires to use them for justice. It makes Elena stand out and speaks volumes about her character already.
Coulson’s decision to bring in Von Strucker, who I thought we had seen the last of, was grim even though Werner was as abhorrent as any character we’ve met so far. Subjecting him to the Tahiti procedure was in one way a great link back to season 1 but also tough to watch as Von Strucker begged for death, echoing Coulson’s own words so long ago. Thankfully, with a little help from Lincoln Coulson is able to gleam enough information to contact Malick. At this point it seems Coulson may really have exhausted all his options.
Malick meanwhile gives us our first proper introduction to the blue planet’s mythical creature, the Hive. It makes it so much more effective to see Brett Dalton really engage with this creature; I was half afraid it would just look like Ward, talk like Ward and act like Ward but you know, not be Ward. It’s great to keep Brett Dalton on the show and I really can’t wait to see where he takes the Hive. As the entity is existing inside Ward’s body, which due to Coulson is now dead, it is weakened and requires feeding. This leaves a nice time for it to gear up for the finale. The Hive has had a major build up and as it is essentially the reason HYDRA are around, the payoff has to be worth it.
I genuinely started worrying when Hunter and Bobbi approached Elena’s cousin. Knowing he was innocent and knowing how gun happy Hunter can be placed the audience in a difficult situation which only meant when the local law enforcement, which included an Inhuman with a Gorgon like ability put a bullet in his head it genuinely hit me hard. It is a testament to Natalia Cordova-Buckley who portrays Elena that I was that invested in her well-being that quickly into her first episode. I was fearful that her cousin’s death would drive her away from S.H.I.E.L.D, that she would blame them. Instead she used it to give her fire and she really held her own on the mission. Although personally I think there may have been a better way to tell her that her cousin died without showing her his body so bluntly. But I guess they wanted her to know how he was murdered, to inspire her to fight. The result of her cousin’s death leads Elena to join S.H.I.E.L.D on their mission and she describes how her powers rely on her pulse so I believe she can move at super speed until her next heartbeat when she will snap back to her original position? Either way she was awesome on the mission; working very nicely with Daisy all the while using her own initiative to further help the cause. On a side-note it was cool to see ‘Medusa-Eyes’ get retrieved by HYDRA; his powers are interesting and I’m glad we haven’t seen the last of him.
Coulson finally gets his call to Malick and as impressive as it was that he managed to get on the end of the line it was hard not to feel like it was just a small prod in Malick’s massive hide. Every step counts I guess. As a show it was sad to hear Elena wasn’t going to stick around and join the team but for her character it makes perfect sense that she would want to remain in Colombia and help her people. Also it gives some space and prevents an already massive cast from becoming too crowded. I guess with Marvel’s Most Wanted still on the horizon there will be two big gaps in the cast once Bobbi and Hunter presumably leave Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Daisy also gave Joey the chance to return home but I wasn’t clear on for how long, surely they haven’t written him out? It is more likely a way of thinning the cast for episodes where they don’t need everyone.
In other news Fitz and Simmons start their relationship again in an attempt to shake off all the baggage they’ve accumulated. I find it odd that Fitz feels guilty about killing Will when Will was dead before he even got to the blue planet. I get that the writers want to keep Fitz and Simmons apart to keep people rooting for them but I hope Fitz doesn’t hold on to this for too long. May had very little in this return but I’m certain she will get her time to shine next week. One thing I did love was that May knew about Coulson killing Ward (I think) from the beginning of the episode. Declaring him as part of the cavalry strengthened their bond and hopefully granted Coulson some peace of mind. It just further emphasises how close those two are. The final scene had an interesting moment when we see on Malick’s face a glimpse of doubt or disbelief as the Hive watches the many monitors in front of him. The Hive to me seemed to read his mind or at the very least he sensed Malick’s disquiet. The Hive then gave us his only display of his powers in the episode but we will have to wait until next week to see the results but we are assured that Malick ‘will believe’. Our post-credits scene gave a look at the president’s choice for the head of the ATCU. As I had hoped, Adrian Pasdar’s General Talbot is returning. I always enjoyed his relationship with Coulson and am interested to see him return to the show now that the stakes are that much higher.
Overall I thought Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s return was a very positive one. I love the huge cast, I love the action and I think it’s great that we’ve gone from a show with very little powers to a point where the likes of Hunter start to feel left out for NOT having any. I want to see how Fitz and Simmons approach this new start, I can’t wait to see what the Hive can do and damn that better not be Mack burning to death in space.
Danny Hale
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