The agents are back for Season Three! But how does the premiere stack up?
Can we first give a round of applause to Iain De Caestecker, a.k.a. Fitz? His final scene with the Monolith was breathtaking and heart-wrenching at the same time. The Fitz we were introduced to this season is very different from the one we last saw. Who would have thought we’d ever see Fitz out in the field, being a badass? It just goes to show how much Simmons means to him.
It’s only fitting that I hit upon Skye er, Daisy, as she has also gone through some drastic changes. Her entrance was a great straight-off-the-comic-page moment — all action, with a cool costume and gauntlets. Now we just have to wait for her to get a Quake code name.
Daisy rules.
Seeing her try to comfort Joey after with his life flipped upside down was a nice parallel to her struggle last season. I’d be remiss mentioning this without also point out the awesome pairing of Daisy and Mack. I’m extremely happy with Mack in a regular role, and their partnership works oddly well. One thing SHIELD does well is its banter, and this duo is already off to a great start. Poor man needs that shotgun-axe.
One thing I wasn’t expecting to see was the addition of the Inhuman Lash, who made his debut in the hospital. While the fight between him, Skye, and Lincoln provided another great comic book-y moment, I’m still skeptical about how well he be utilized in future episodes. He seemed a bit awkward in action, and the few lines we heard from him didn’t help much. I’m hoping time is all the show needs to make him more enjoyable.
SHIELD is juggling several story lines to say the least, and we’ve only had one episode — this isn’t a fault, just an observation. One of those plots is a new threat facing the team: the ATCU and their leader Rosalind Price. I worry they will be a retread of the Real SHIELD from Season 2, but it’s refreshing to already know they’re not exactly “enemies.” Of course, they still have Rosalind Price. Her scene in the subway with Coulson was fantastic, and I look forward to seeing more of her. But how exactly did Coulson and Hunter get out of that train car?
Here’s hoping Rosalind and ATCU don’t become a retread.
Sadly, Coulson also became the poster child for the weakest part of the episode: he was just walking exposition for the majority of his scenes. I’ll give the writers the benefit of the doubt for this episode since there was a time jump, but I hope the trend doesn’t continue — on-the-nose, heavy dialogue is painful to hear. On the flip side, Coulson’s creative use of his new hand to escape capture was entertaining.
With so many characters and plots to juggle, it’s no surprise that some agents took a backseat. Bobbi, for example, was grounded in the lab, an odd but interesting choice. But I do look forward to her going back into the field — you can’t keep Mockingbird down for long. Hunter also wasn’t heavily featured in this episode, but it was revealed that he has a plan to hunt down Ward (something I’m very excited to see play out). Speaking of which, he and May weren’t even seen, a smart choice so as to not overcrowd the episode.
Overall, Agents of SHIELD returned with a very strong premiere, even with some minor flaws. Learning that Simmons is in fact alive and on a different planet is awesome, but I’m trying to keep my expectations in check. I’ve seen fan speculation about her meeting the Guardians, the Royal Family, or even Death; I would love for these things to happen, but I know they’re extremely unlikely. The focus on the super-powered aspects of the show is very welcome, and I think SHIELD may have its strongest season ahead of it.
Article by contributor Russ Milheim.
Such a good episode
I really enjoyed the episode. Fitz stole some great scenes and i like seeing Daisy as the mentor figure to new Inhumans. I look forward to where this season goes. I share your concern about this new organization being a retread of Season 2 SHIELD v Real SHIELD.
I like the references to every Phase 2 (except Guardians) and the cameo by *SPOILER ALERT******************* President Ellis (from Iron Man 3). That was a great callback for Universe continuity.
Keep up the reviews! Thanks for posting this.
Maybe that means we are due for a Guardians one!
Thanks for reading, should have a review posted every Friday.
I enjoyed the episode a lot.
Something that crossed my mind during it was the whole issue of Inhumans – AoS often references the movies in some capacity, but if Inhumans are really the epidemic they’re made out to be on the show (basically the MCU mutants) then it’ll be really frustrating to not see the movies reference them until their film in 3 or 4 years. Here’s hoping the movies do a better job of at least acknowledging how the universe is portrayed on the ground levels.
You bring up a very good point. With Kevin Feige promising more references, I hope we get some soon. I figure they will have to at least address the Inhuman issue (though the name might not be used, as only the SHIELD crew uses it so far), and maybe even referencing the masked hero in Hell’s Kitchen.
Yes, a good episode for sure. The only thing I didn’t like was forcing Bobbi into a scientist role – since when did she have any interest in science? And what science? I understand Simmons is gone and Fitz is mourning but I’d rather have a new character than crowbar one into a role they’re ill-suited for. And saying “lucky you took Biology” does not make someone an expert in every science!
I hope she’s not stuck there for too long. We need more of that badass Bobbi from last season’s finale.