(Marvel Studios 2016)

Summary: Inhumans have begun popping up all over the globe now that the Terrigen strain has been released into the ozone. Phil Coulson, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is leading a task force to detain these Inhumans before they unleash unknown catastrophe on the world. However he meets opposition from all sides including the U.S. Military. Things are not the same and this is a tale of a changed people.

“Bouncing Back”

Directed by Ron Underwood; Written by Monica Owusu-Breen

[SPOILERS!!]

Review: If there is one thing Agents of SHIELD is good at it’s bouncing back. Generally though that gift is utilized more often when a good episode is following a bad episode, and this episode followed a good episode as I remember quite liking the mid-season finale from last year.

Of course the joke in the title isn’t just the show returning to prime time but it’s also a reference to the introduction of Yo-Yo this episode! Not a character I ever assume we’d see on TV and really she was wonderful. They used her character quite well I thought. Though she has a wicked sense of justice and a golden heart for good I do think there’s plenty of room for her to continue growing as we get to see more of her.

I also appreciate them allowing her a true Latina heritage. Not content with just making her Colombian-American they actually just put the episode in Colombia and so we get our first real international new Inhuman since the outbreak. It’s fun and really lets us see that yes, in fact this genesis is happening all over the world.

It’s also nice to see they’re starting to get serious about the creation of the Secret Warriors. True the end of the episode continues to push the storyline back a little further as Daisy allows two teammates to go live normal lives again rather than keeping them close and fighting the good fight. But in the earlier parts of the episode we do actually see all these Inhumans working together and it’s really cool.

One of the worst parts of the episode was the jumps between subtitles, characters understanding one another so no need for subtitles, and a downward shot of a tablet that is translating Spanish for the viewer to see. It’s a very jumbled mess of a display and never fully feels like one or all three of these methods are sufficing. And because they jump around these methods it eventually just becomes laughable that they even attempted any of them.

Mack gets a big role this episode which really surprised me. I think they’re hinting at a romantic subplot for Mack and Yo-Yo but I do think Mack is one of those characters that just works better as single. Plus this series’ usage of romantic subplots in any of its 3 seasons have never turned out well written.

I was very happy to see a posthumously possessed Ward taking on the role of  Hive and the man is truly creepy. Who knew it would only take his previous character dying and then being resurrected as something else that Dalton is really allowed to show off just how good of an actor he really is. I’m very excited to see where they take the Hive storyline as it’s hopefully going to be something really unique to the series.

Thing is there really wasn’t a lot of bad this time around. Some awkward moments but nothing outright terrible or irritating. I enjoyed seeing SHIELD become under the table legitimized by the President as well as Fitz and Simmons continuing to be really good at actually asserting their feelings whenever on-screen. Their chemistry really knows no bounds.

I honestly have no clue where this season is headed and that’s exciting. There’s still a long road ahead of us until the ending but that does not mean any story from here till then should be treated as airing fodder. Bouncing Back makes the most out of its air time and gives us hope for a brighter future.

Final Score: 4 Human Yo-Yo’s 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