Article first published as AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Review "Laws of Nature" on Seat42F.
MARVEL’S
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. does not do slow and quiet, as evidenced in the
third season premiere last night, “Laws of Nature.” Months have passed,
and Inhumans are starting to show up across the globe. S.H.I.E.L.D.
seeks to catch and protect them, but they suddenly have competition in
that market, and it’s not Hydra (or, at least not entirely Hydra). Not
all the members of the team are focused on this, though, with personal
issues driving the motivations of several.
Daisy (Chloe Bennet) is probably the
most changed. Rejecting the name Skye, she now leads Coulson’s team to
find the Inhumans. An intense opening scene in which she meets Joey
Gutierrez (Juan Pablo Raba, Narcos) beautifully illustrates the
challenges she faces, both physical and emotional. It’s not easy for
someone to suddenly gain powers they can’t understand and control
without warning, and while Daisy has gone through it herself, not
everyone is receptive to her assistance.
Mack (Henry Simmons, now a full-time
cast member) does his best to help Daisy, but he doesn’t have the same
experience she has, so that’s why she approaches Lincoln (Luke Mitchell,
also promoted to full-time). But Lincoln wants nothing to do with her,
even after the monstrous Lash (former NFL player Matthew Willig), who
looks like Raina’s overgrown big brother, destroys Lincoln’s new life.
So Daisy is failing on multiple fronts.
Her failure does not mean that she
should be written off. Daisy has shown remarkable strength and character
over the past two seasons, growing into a very formidable member of the
team, and earning authority despite her limited tenure. While she is
drawn into MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. because of her past, she is
well-poised to write her own future, and it’s a pleasure watching her go
through this. And Lincoln will have to come around, eventually.
The best character on MARVEL’s AGENTS OF
S.H.I.E.L.D., though, remains Coulson (Clark Gregg). Armed with a new
hand (hehe), as we knew he would be, Coulson spends most of “Laws of
Nature” tracking down Rosalind Price (Constance Zimmer, UnREAL,
Entourage, House of Cards, etc.), his competition for the Inhumans.
Their exchange in the subway is perfect, and in Rosalind, I feel like
Coulson has met his match.
Though, they aren’t exactly on opposing
sides. It turns out, someone is killing Inhumans, but it’s not
Rosalind’s group. I think. (Maybe it’s Hyrdra?) So that means this could
be a match made in heaven. Or T.A.H.I.T.I. Wherever. As long as Zimmer
sticks around as long as possible (as allowable by her other work), I’m
happy.
Speaking of chemistry, the electricity
between Hunter (Nick Blood) and Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) has not cooled
off. They are at odds and yet happy together at the same time. This pair
has an odd balance, one born of both love and conflict, and yet it
seems like they are as good together as they’ll ever be, and it’s nice.
Someone on MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has to be happy, and my vote
is for these two. Who may very soon have their own spin-off anyway.
Poor Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) isn’t so
lucky. He’s spent months trying to find a way to get Simmons (Elizabeth
Henstridge) out of the monolith. Even Coulson gives up, telling Fitz
it’s hopeless and she’s probably dead. The fact that she isn’t, instead
trapped in an alien wasteland, with the rock-thing serving not as a
cage, but a portal, only makes Fitz’s seemingly hopeless mission feel
warranted.
I can’t help but wonder, though, despite
not wanting Simmons off the show, if it might not have been a more
powerful story to see Fitz dealing with a truly lost cause. The hero
pushing on is a predictable archetype, and usually MARVEL’S AGENTS OF
S.H.I.E.L.D. is better than this. It also doesn’t feel entirely right
that Coulson and others have given up on Simmons without confirming what
happened. I’m still waiting for the twist to redeem this plot, such as
Coulson perhaps still working on this in secret, and I expect there will
be one coming. Hopefully.
Ward (Brett Dalton) and May (Ming-Na
Wen) are both absent from “Laws of Nature,” but that’s OK. MARVEL’S
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has expanded its cast enough that not every
player must be in every hour, and there’s plenty going on without them.
Of course, I look forward to their imminent returns in the near future.
But even sans those two, the season premiere is a solid one, setting up a
new, interesting arc as the Inhuman-triggering substance spreads
globally, and providing plenty of character drama meat to boot. This is a
satisfying first episode back for a reliable series.
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
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