TV REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2, Ep. 14

(Marvel Studios, 2015)

Summary: Agent Phil Coulsen leads a ragtag group of agents through the mud as he fights Hydra and any other baddies that comes along the way. As our heroes learn to adapt to one another, and the changes happening around them the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur. This is a tale where not every superhero needs a power to save the day. This is a tale about survivors.

 “Love in the Time of HYDRA”

Directed by Jesse Bochco; Written by Brent Fletcher

[SPOILERS!!]

Review: This was a rather interesting episode to me, and definitely not one I was expecting. I wasn’t prepared for such a bold title to be about the blossoming affections between Grant Ward and Agent 33, otherwise known now as Kara. Ward was an interesting character, but I’m not so interested in the guy anymore. There’s just so many other neat things going on now – one of those neat things being introduced in this very episode – that unless the writers can think up a way to bring Ward back into the fold in a much more needed, and well, interesting way I will continue to see his story in season 2 as the weakest.

I can’t for a second believe Ward’s affections for Kara are real, not after he’s gone to such great lengths to creepily win Skye’s heart. I am glad the creators were smart enough to make sure Skye doesn’t want anything to do with Ward, but the man is a tried and true expert liar. He’s still after Skye and we all know it. When it was first revealed that he was a HYDRA agent all along, I was most definitely shocked. And how they handled him in season 1 after that reveal was marvelous. But now they’ve sort of dropped the ball until we can see where they go from here. At least that’s how I feel currently.

I turn my thoughts to the rather interesting “real SHIELD,” reveal we had this episode. I can understand why Hunter would have his reservations, and I’m more than excited to see what we got going on. Especially after Fury himself appointed Coulson the new head of SHIELD. One could see this group as the usurpers to the throne, but we’ll see how it plays out.

I do think Hunter escaped WAY to easily for an organization that calls themselves the “real SHIELD.” Perhaps they let him go out of respect for Mockingbird, but really, it was shoddy police work. Gonzales though seems like a well intentioned, and honest man. I like that, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him and Coulson working together as the co-heads of two separate organizations. I also enjoyed seeing the return of Agent Weaver. I assumed she had just been killed in the fall of SHIELD, but I’m glad to see that’s not the case.

And poor, poor Skye. She’s seriously in danger of hating every last person in this show. I understand why Coulson did what he did, locking her away in a safe house – where Captain America once stayed AND it was built by the Bruce Banner, which I’ll admit is amazingly awesome – but I feel like they’re handling the situation all wrong. Treating it with fear, instead of compassion. I do understand we all have to make tough choices, but so many of these characters have kind hearts… and I just don’t want to see them falter because suddenly someone on their team has superpowers. For some of these characters, it feels just a bit out of place.

And Coulson is one of them. I’m rootin’ for ya Skye.

I don’t think this episode lived up to its awesome title, but I also don’t think this is the worst episode this show has had to offer. However, it’s definitely not one of season 2’s strongest either.

Final Score: 2.5 Super Hidden Inconspicuous Secret Organizations out of 5


DERRICK-imageDerrick is a born and raised otaku with a love for comics, anime, manga and movies. The full list is pretty long, but that’s just the basics. Stories set in space are his bread and butter.

You can find more of his writing at IndieComix.net

@KazekunForever

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