Anghus Houvouras reviews the eighteenth episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D….
There is a moment in the latest episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that felt cathartic. An almost meta scene where Coulson has his faith tested. The agency that he dedicated and gave his life for is in shambles, now branded a terrorist organization by the United Nations, disintegrating rapidly at the hands of Hydra and the traitorous Agent Garrett, is nothing more than a fleeting memory. In this moment, he wonders if it’s all been for nothing. At his weakest moment, he wonders why everything he believed in has forsaken him and if it all adds up to something worthwhile.
Viewers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have had the same question.
This first season has been a long, wild ride. The status quo has been effectively shaken up. Fury is gone, S.H.I.E.L.D. is in shambles, and Coulson now is responsible for charting the course for the agency. He finds himself with few people to trust and dealing with the aftermath of the events that transpired in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
“Providence” finds Coulson and company on the run. General Glenn Talbot has the US military hunting down S.H.I.E.L.D. agents looking for answers. Coulson tries to mount a comeback strategy, but he’s low on soul coal and trying to stoke what few fires that still burn. He receives a small clue when coordinates show up on his badge. Even though everyone is telling him Fury is still dead, he believes that there is still hope.
Agent Garrett/aka The Clairvoyant is now revealed and using the chaos to continue research into ‘the Jesus juice’ as he calls it. The resurrection formula that brought Coulson back from the dead. Agent Ward has played his hand and we now know how deep his devotion to Garrett is. The only problem is that Coulson and his team still don’t know he’s a turncoat. Brett Dalton hasn’t had many moments this season to shine. Now with his villainous turn he gets to have a little fun, revealing the mind games he played to help get him on Coulson’s team way back in the pilot.
As the season moves towards its conclusion, there’s a lot of loose threads beginning to be tied up. Like all S.H.I.E.L.D. episodes, there are some things to love and some things to love less. Seeing Patton Oswalt show up was a thrill. The guest stars have been carrying a lot of weight in the first season injecting the show with some much needed charisma. Oswalt’s Agent Eric Koening is a much needed breath of fresh air. Coulson gets his faith restored in S.H.I.E.L.D. when he learns that Fury is very much alive and there are failsafes in place to help him fight back. When he realizes that the only other Agent there is Patton Oswalt, it’s a little less inspiring.
“Providence” was another solid episode, though I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was looking forward to a little housecleaning at the end of season one. I’m liking where the show is going and reducing S.H.I.E.L.D. from an all knowing, all seeing super agency to a scrappy group of rebels is a nice change of pace. The team having their back to the wall presents all sorts of exciting scenarios for the creators to tap into. However, at this point I’d like to see the cleaver of episodic television cut deep and remove Bill Paxton’s Agent Garrett and the rest of this Clairvoyant stuff behind when season two heads for greener pastures.
Anghus Houvouras is a North Carolina based writer and filmmaker. His latest work, the novel My Career Suicide Note, is available from Amazon. Follow him on Twitter.
Originally published April 16, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
