We are closing in on the season final and Agents of SHIELD has finally delivered what we expected from the start: lovable Joss Whedon characters and a story that is actually meaningful in the overall Marvel Universe.
*Spoilers*
After the Maria Hill tease at the end of the previous episode, the episode opens with Maria Hill, played wonderfully by Cobie Smulders, talking on the phone with someone about the whole HYDRA infiltration and that Stark is protecting her with the best lawyers money can buy. Even though we knew she is working with Tony after the brief clip in The Winter Soldier, I love how intertwined the series is with the movies! It is a direct continuation of the movie in many ways from Hill's perspective. If you noticed Hill's line about working with Stark to "Privatize Global Security," you might have noticed the reference to the upcoming Age of Ultron. While I will keep my full thoughts about this for another in-depth post, how do you think Tony is going to create global security? By creating an army of robots and drones controlled by a highly advanced A.I. that happens to be named Ultron, at least that is what I think is going to happen.
Also, if you happen to be a supergeek like me, you may have noticed Hill mentioning that she to explain what a "Man-Thing" was. In the Marvel comics, there is a character named Man-Thing, and he even got his own B-movie back in 2005 (haven't seen it but I have heard it was terrible). Man-Thing was a science experiment gone wrong, which turned Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis into a hideous Man-Thing, a creature with only basic mental functions. Maybe the team will encounter Man-Thing in season two, that could be cool.
Anyway, back to the episode. Seeing Skye try to stall Ward was fun to watch, and having drop-in was an unexpected surprise to say the least. While the exchange about Ward being a Nazi according to the SHIELD handbook was great, Skye saving Ward was a little annoying. Obviously, she has feelings for him and that basically had to happen for the plot to progress, but it could have been handled better. Also, why did the team not shoot DeathLok and Ward out of the sky after Skye and Coulson escaped? Sure, they want to keep the Bus intact, but come on! How can you let them get away with the data? They are essentially defenseless without a hostage! Also, the special effects for Lola falling out of the Bus were understandably terrible, but terrible nonetheless.
Other than those minor complaints, getting to see Colonel Talbot in the flesh was fun, and the fight scene with Hill and Coulson kicking butt was great! Now that Hill is working for Stark, I imagine that she will be playing a slightly larger role. The humor was particularly top notch with the dialogue between Coulson and Hill especially humorous. Also, now that "How I Met Your Mother" is complete, hopefully Smulders will make more appearances next season.
The team hanging-out at the crappy Motel was another fun scene. I really enjoyed Fitz and Simmons' talk by the pool. It was nice and very well done. I hope we get a little resolution with their characters by the final. Also, did anyone else catch Skye referring to Fitz and Simmons as "FitzSimmons"? That was also a meta moment!
Wow! Coulson was behind the project T.A.H.I.T.I!? That was totally unexpected! Agents of SHIELD is continuing to surprise with its twists and turns every episode. From what I understand, Coulson led the project so that a dead Avenger could be revived. After threatening to resign, I assume Fury put the project on ice, but brought it back when Coulson died. I wonder who were the other lucky (or unlucky) test subjects of the procedure. Maybe it was Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. In the comics, he actually died and resurrected three times (by different means of course).
Overall: 9.4/10- Agents of SHIELD continues to deliver yet again with another solid episode, and a more than welcome return by Smulders' Maria Hill.
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Great review! :) I agree, this episode was another awesome addition to the list of much-better episodes of the series! Same, I loved Skye calling Ward a Nazi(since it is true, since HYDRA was created by the Nazis) but her saving him was annoying. Like you said, it's probably because she still likes him, but under the circumstances, I don't think saving him was the best idea, strategically(and I agree about the plane, they really should have blown in up).
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) I liked that part two, and we have the same problem with the episode. I guess she did not want to be a killer, but he really does deserve it.
Delete-James
Excellent Review James!
ReplyDeleteAccording to some gifs I saw, Maria was talking to Pepper, but I'm not sure. Anyway, that was a wonderful episode! I agree-I love how Skye stalled, and I love her 'Hail Hydra' line. The Lola effects were-in my opinion at least-surprisingly okay for a TV series. I thought the whole episode was wonderful, and I thought that the ending was good as well. I loved Coulson's reaction to it all though, and it just describes that plot twist: 'Huh'. I think he and Skye just stole the show last week, to be honest. They had the best lines. Once again, excellent review, James!
-Tegan
Thanks! Oh, I did not catch that! That's cool!
DeleteWhile I agree it was surprisingly OK for TV, it was still kind of annoying by how cheesy it looked. I agree they stole the show now!
-James
P.S. I like your theory!
ReplyDelete(spoilers) I was very annoyed when Ward was Hydra the whole time out of the blue, but it has certainly made for a whole new (great) layer to the show. I'm enjoying it more than ever now, so of course next week is the season finale. :P Did you notice that Hill was chatting on the phone with Pepper? I thought that was hilarious -- they're totally bffs now. :D
ReplyDeleteAt first I was annoyed, but after his actions were explained it turned out to be a fantastic twist for me! :) And I agree, after that twist, the series is amazing now! No I did not notice that, but that is really cool, and hilarious! :D
Delete-James
Click agents of shield season 3 netflix watch free online now. WHAT IT'S ABOUT Created by Joss Whedon, this picks up from where his big-screen "The Avengers" left off, following the battle of New York with -- surprise -- agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) still very much alive. A new threat called The Rising Tide looms. His new team: agents Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet). As with "Avengers," everything takes place in the Marvel Universe, peopled by thousands of characters.
ReplyDeleteMY SAY ABC introduced this show to the press over the summer with cloak- and-dagger theatrics that even agent Coulson would have admired. The pilot was hand-delivered under guard to the Beverly Hilton, where it was then played to critics who were warned that anyone caught recording would be vaporized, or otherwise meet an end far too gruesome to explain to their spouses or employers. That's an exaggeration, but not by much. Marvel, now under the aegis of Disney, means business with its first TV series. Secrets must be kept because everything, including the fate of the Marvel Universe, seems to be riding on this. Maybe everything is -- at least for ABC -- although for the moment, there's nothing to worry about. "S.H.I.E.L.D." boasts a must-watch pilot that will forcibly remind viewers of what network TV can still do, if budget is a secondary concern. As with "The Avengers," Whedon's ear and sensibilities match the material perfectly -- that high-velocity back- and-forth snark that illuminates character and motive, even when you don't always know exactly what someone just said. That's a neat trick, but it may also hint at a broader concern for the average viewer. Just how deeply will this dive into the Marvel Universe, a bewildering place, even for experts? The pilot, which can be a thicket in places, indicates dumbing down will not be an option. And if you didn't like "The Avengers," or don't know who the Fantastic Four are (none of whom appear here), or superheroes put you in a deep snooze, then move along: "S.H.I.E.L.D." isn't for you. But if the success of the "Iron Man"/"Avengers" movie franchises is any indication, it should be for plenty of others. Watch movies on watch32 very great!
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