We finally have a super villain team! They’re not quite the Masters of Evil, but they’re something!

Cal provided great antics (as per usual) as he strung together this rag-tag team of misfits — I laughed at the diner scene, as it mirrors the Avengers shawarma scene. Overall, the team was fun, but they ended up not really living up to their threat potential due to some logic gaps.

For example, the screamer could have taken out Coulson and his entire team instantly, yet he was the first to go down. I mean, he was watching the group in the stadium for a good amount of time and staying silent. Really, how useful is that guy in a group situation? He uses his ability once, and both his enemies and his own team go down. The writers didn’t put much thought into using him in action, but instead relied on the potential threat of his powers. And to the woman with the finger blades: how are those permanent? I feel like SHIELD could have surgically removed those instead of banishing her with a super awkward metal gauntlet. Also, why was she on the Index to begin with? The idea of the group was great, but it could have been much more.

And why did Skye only sort of get her Daisy gloves?

Now let’s talk about that big stadium scene. Overall, I thought it was a weak finish to the episode, but it did have some great moments. Cal’s first interaction with Skye was awesome, and he’s right — it’s a shame she didn’t get wings. Our blind Inhuman coming back into play was a nice surprise too; I personally hope he ends up kidnapping Skye, that way we can really get an inside look at what he does. It was also nice to see Skye forced to confront her powers, because holding them back only broke her bones previously.

I may seem like I’m complaining a lot, but the best parts came before that stadium scene. For example, I really enjoyed all of the therapy sessions with Skye and newcomer Blaire Underwood. They were handled nicely, and none were on the nose, unlike the conversation between Coulson and Skye at the beginning of the episode).

We need more of him!

Hunter is still one of my favorite additions to the show. His attitude is awesome, and sometimes it’s almost as if the audience’s thoughts are being spoken through him — I laughed out loud at his “I take it all back!” directed at Bobbi. That being said, we finally learned whom Mack and Bobbi are working for! Sadly, it wasn’t close to any of the exciting fan theories like SWORD. Instead, we got “the real SHIELD,” whatever that means. I’m not immediately excited for this revelation, but I want to learn why they are in such a conflict with Coulson and company.

Fitz and Simmons didn’t get much to do this week, but we did get more tension between the two. Even with this tension, we saw a fleeting glimpse of their old relationship. I’m really hoping we get that dynamic back one day, because I really miss it. Fitz and Simmons have always been one of the strongest parts of the show.

This week’s episode was a fun one, with some good moments like Skye trying to learn how to cope with her powers. Clearly, she is going to have to get a handle on them really soon, or she will become a huge problem for the team.   While the super villains were enjoyable, logic gaps in the writing made them less than what they could have been, and their threat ended up making only a small impact. I’m interested to see what this “real SHIELD” is too. Also, where the hell has Ward been?

Article by contributor Russ Milheim.