(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.

 “The Dirty Half Dozen”

Directed by Kevin Tancharoen; Written by Brent Fletcher & Drew Z. Greenberg

[SPOILERS!!]

Review: My God, guys. This episode. This stinkin’ episode. That was amazing. That was wonderful. That was… dirty? Welcome to Agents of SHIELD reviews with yours truly, hold on tight as we avenge some well-written TV!

Alrighty, so we were told that #itsallconnected many times, and that this episode was going to lead into Avengers: Age of Ultron. That definitely came true in more ways than one, as not only did this episode deliver on giving us back the original team for a short time, but also provided us with some incredible hints at what’s to come in the movie. For many countries, the movie has already aired. I can see now why they waited to show it here in the States though, to give this episode time to air.

I didn’t really find much fault with this episode, except that maybe Coulson’s plan went a little too swimmingly, as has been the case all the second half of the season. I’m pretty sure something is going to go wrong soon though, just in time for the season finale. When Coulson confronted Gonzalez with his plan, I was more than sure everything was going to go down hill, but In the end everyone got what they want – except for HYDRA – and now we’re faced with the prospect of who’s going to cave first?

I heavily enjoyed seeing the original team back together, and that everyone is still very happy that they got back at Ward, even when he tried to make “amends” this episode. Which I say loosely. However, I was genuinely surprised to see Simmons go after him, but what I was most surprised about was Bakshi proving that he was, in fact, loyal to Ward when he saved his life; even at the cost of his own.

It was also nice to see Skye finally getting control of her powers, and I hope that by season 3 we get to see her using them more often and with pride. That being said, I absolutely loved seeing her SHIELD training brought to its fullest in the scene where she took down all those HYDRA agents with only her skills with a gun. The Skye has turned out to be so much more solid this season than it was last season.

I do feel Ward is still becoming a comedy of himself, I do think he’s going to get better now that him and Agent 33 are no longer a thing, because he works better by himself I’ve noticed, but I just don’t want to see him fall into that pit of being something that he clearly isn’t: a clown.

There were several hints to what is to come in the movie, some of them stuff we already know, some of them critical hinting that I think those who watched this episode will appreciate more upon seeing the film. I sure I hope I will. The action was great, with the exception of Ward, Agent 33, and Bakshi, the acting was pretty spot on this episode. All these characters just not being as written as well as they could be, or maybe it’s just the actors being unable to really pull off separate aspects of their character’s own psyche? Whatever the case, I do hope it gets better on that front.

I do wish we could have gotten to spend more time with Dr. List, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him more in the movie so definitely look for him there. The ties were seamless with what we know is coming out, and I do feel that makes the episode stronger. - Some would argue that a tie-in making the tied-in stronger is telling for the material that is being tied-in, and not the tie-in itself, but in the case of Agents of SHIELD, even if you take out all the references to Avengers: Age of Ultron or anything else, this was a really solid episode.

This was probably the best of the season. It paid off a lot of plot lines, and set up some intriguing new ones. I’m ready to see what happens next, and there are only 3 more episodes left in the season. Here’s to S.H.I.E.L.D.! Here’s to good writing! Here’s to Marvel! Here’s to the Dirty Half-Dozen!

Final Score: 5 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. out of 5

Derrick 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