Sex! Violence! Mind control! Don’t forget to watch before you read.

The director of SHIELD has a shield! Coulson’s fanboy moment came out of nowhere, but it was a nice surprise. Maybe he’ll employ it again out in the field? We could have our own Captain SHIELD! But that wasn’t the biggest moment of the episode, as the first part of the Fallen Warrior series — it’s pretty sweet that we’re getting comic event-like arcs — was eventful on many fronts.

Much of the spotlight was on Fitz & Simmons this week, and they were as charming as ever. I’m happy to see them diving further and further into what their relationship means — it was hilarious having Simmons so bluntly bring up the moment when they might sleep together, a moment that Fitz so lovingly compared to crossing the event horizon.  The chemistry between those two characters (and actors) is rarely ever matched, though they did choose an awfully risky spot for their first time. I mean, Mack was just dropping off stuff in the Quinjet, was he not?

Smooth move, nerds.

Speaking of Mack, he had a really great scene discussing Fitz with Simmons. You don’t see those two interact much, so it was refreshing to see them have a heart-to-heart.  It was also neat to see Mack and Fitz share some scenes. We haven’t seen much of that friendship in a while, so I’m happy it was touched on again.

After Daisy’s turn to the dark side, it’s no surprise that the entire team made it their number one priority to get her back. Coulson took it the hardest, finally mentioning how personal it was to him, how Daisy was the closest thing he had to a daughter. And I really enjoyed the point that May held against Coulson: that he was willing to sacrifice Lincoln without hesitation. He would never place a harsh choice like that on Daisy.

Another struggling member of the team was Lincoln. Luke Mitchell was given more strong material this week, and his desperation to help SHIELD find Daisy showed — the dude wore a bomb vest to prove it! With Coulson changing his mind and (quite understandably) not allowing him to help, I’m intrigued to see what consequences Lincoln’s desperation will invoke.

What have you done…?

As for Daisy herself, she seems to be doing better than ever… or so she thinks. It was eerie seeing her stand beside Hive/Ward, but it was even worse knowing that she still fully remembered and understood her past with Ward himself, and wasn’t fazed. The show has chosen a creative, interesting way to portray her under Hive’s control with the addiction comparison. Daisy feels good; she has everything she’s ever wanted, and that makes her more dangerous then ever. This is clear from her run-in with Fitz. It showed that even the small bit of Daisy that cares about her friends can’t stop the influence that Hive has over her.

Brett Dalton continues to impress with the versatility of his Hive portrayal. With an episode full of character moments, his confrontation with Simmons stands as one of the best. It just goes to show how cold and cruel Hive is. It was haunting having this pseudo-Will speak with Simmons, and I’m glad it didn’t trip Simmons up too much.

There is still so much that could be said about this episode. New Inhuman Hellfire is in the picture – they must have heard my idea about the Terrigan crystal a couple reviews back – adding a fresh persona to the cast. Our old pal Alicia lost all of her body doubles, something I hope doesn’t make her powerless. Even Hydra got disbanded… off screen. I’d complain about that more, but seeing as Zemo is in Civil War, I’m fairly certain Hydra isn’t gone. Classic Hydra.

I really liked Alicia, too.

Either way, if the next three parts of Fallen Warrior are as eventful as the first, it could be one hell of a finishing stretch. Then again, the show stumbled in its mid-season finale. I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen again.

Thanks for reading my reviews! Make sure to leave a comment below if you agree, disagree, or have something entirely different to say. You can also follow me on Twitter @RussMilheim.