New "Laws" for MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

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. - "Laws of Nature" - "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (ABC/Kelsey McNeal) CHLOE BENNET, LUKE MITCHELL

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.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Send An "SOS"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ends its sophomore run on ABC last night with “S.O.S.,” a two-hour finale that is as surprising as it is intense. Lots of characters die, dynamics shift, a war is only narrowly avoided, and there are plenty of pathos and cliffhangers to go around. I don’t think I’ll be able to cover it all here, but I’ll try to focus on the most important things.

No sooner does Coulson (Clark Gregg) agree to an advisory council than those on that council begin dropping like flies. Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) is murdered last week, soon followed by Agent Oliver (Mark Allan Stewart) in “S.O.S.” Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) is kidnapped by Ward (Brett Dalton), while Weaver (Christine Adams) is held hostage by Jiaying (Dichen Lachman). By the end of the finale, a couple are left, but will Coulson replace those who perished? I hope so, because it still seems like a good idea to have his judgment balanced by others, and not just those on his team.

Coulson does earn back some lost respect, though. Mack (Henry Simmons) hasn’t quite left the agency when the battle begins, and decides to stick around and help Coulson prevent a war. Last week, it looked like Mack would be resigning for good, but he is too noble to walk away when he’s needed. Let’s hope MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t really have to say goodbye to him, signs being positive he will re-enlist at the end of the episode.

The battle Mack and Coulson are working to end is the one between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans. Jiaying, hardened and turned dark by the traumas she suffers through, doesn’t trust S.H.I.E.L.D., and so tries to force a war to wipe them out. This makes sense, given what we’ve seen of her character, but she brings along a lot of Inhumans who don’t realize what’s happening. As Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) says after learning the truth, they aren’t bad, just misled.

The struggle to stop Jiaying is not an easy one. While her plan isn’t perfect, she does have the element of surprise at first, and starts fighting before S.H.I.E.L.D. knows there’s anything to fight about, Coulson being the cool head that keeps the council for escalating things early. Jiaying also has Gordon (Jamie Harris), who believes in her scheme, and Cal (Kyle MacLachlan), who is set loose in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s base with super strength.

But Jiaying doesn’t have everything. Raina (Ruth Negga) sacrifices herself to expose the truth to Skye (Chloe Bennet), who turns on her mother and teams up with Mack, and Coulson talks Cal into switching sides to protect his daughter, appealing to the good man long buried deep inside of Skye’s father. What this means is that the war in “S.O.S.” really features a single villain and henchman (Jiaying and Gordon), with everyone else being essentially good, one may assume, manipulated by this leader. It should make for a more peaceful relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans next season, with Jiaying and Gordon dead and Lincoln supporting Skye.

The casualties are rough, though. Besides the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Jiaying kills, Coulson loses a hand. He would lose more if not for Mack’s quick thinking, and surely S.H.I.E.L.D. has the technology to give Coulson a really cool bionic replacement. Still, there’s a lot of destruction left to recover from.

Overcome it they must, though, as Ward is now heading up Hydra. After some disturbing scenes of torture, Ward making Bobbi suffer, Hunter (Nick Blood) and May (Ming-Na Wen) swing in to the rescue. In the chaos, Bobbi is badly wounded and Agent 33 (Maya Stojan) is killed, the latter sparking Ward’s embrace of the evil group, which he plans to use to take his revenge. Still, even with Ward remaining out there as a Big Bad, the outcome is as positive as one could hope for from such an encounter.

All of the above stuff makes for some really intense action and suspenseful moments. Emotion is served, too, especially in the relationship between Skye and Cal and the outcome of that, Cal’s memory being wiped and he being given a chance at a good life. The episode runs the gamut, being both big and small, and ending the season on an anticipatory note that should have fans on edge waiting for MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. return next fall.

There are also two huge cliffhangers, exemplifying the two arenas S.H.I.E.L.D. participates in. The personal has Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) finally planning a first date, something viewers have been waiting for at least a year, and then Simmons is sucked in by an alien artifact. The larger plot sees Jiaying’s crystals infect fish, whose oil is bottled and sold, thus potentially affecting a huge chunk of the population and activating more Inhumans.

And that’s why I love “S.O.S.” It really does have it all, presenting two hours that frequently shocked and constantly entertained.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. will return for a third go ‘round next fall, and this pick-up pretty much guarantees them a fourth year because of syndication patterns. I look forward to seeing what they do with it.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Bear the "Scars" of Ultron

Article originally written for Seat42F.

NOTE: This review is as much about the Marvel franchise as a whole as it is about this week’s television episode.

I hope you made it to the theater to see Avengers: Age of Ultron before watching this week’s episode of MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. The installment, titled “Scars,” doesn’t serve the movie a lot, but the events are pivotal in how the S.H.I.E.L.D. characters relate to one another now, and there are enough mentions to spoil some of the key things in the movie. Still, MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is its own part of the franchise, so the majority of the hour focuses on arcs from this season of the show, not the movie.

If anything, I’m disappointed that the movie doesn’t tie in more to the series. There is a flashback to Coulson (Clark Gregg) and an agent Koenig (Patton Oswalt) viewing the helicarrier that Fury uses in the movie, but it really doesn’t go further than that, save some news clips shown on television screens. Shouldn’t Coulson have come to Fury’s aid? Do the Avengers know Coulson is alive? If we’d at least gotten a glimpse of some of our small screen heroes on the helicarrier on the big screen, I’d have been pretty happy. Though, I must say, Avengers: Age of Ultron was awesome!

But while Ultron himself and the crisis he causes does not impact the cast of MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. much directly, seeing the global near-disaster does bring S.H.I.E.L.D. and the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. together, Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) willing to abandon his coup. For his part, Coulson realizes the value Gonzales and his council bring to the table and that he himself has made some mistakes, and so offers to make them his advisors, even while retaining the director title. Since Fury is involved, Gonzales agrees, albeit a bit reluctantly it seems. Civil war averted.

Or is it? Next spring, we’ll get Captain America: Civil War in theaters, and I can’t help but think some of the seeds of that are being planted in “Scars.” Gonzales compares Coulson to Tony Stark, a man acting on his own, ignorantly putting others in harm’s way. It’s a sentiment echoed in debates between Captain America and Iron Man, and I have to think MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. will play into that, assuming it is renewed. I just hope it plays a larger role than with this year’s film.

Gonzales himself won’t be the one butting heads with Coulson, though, as Jiaying (Dichen Lachman) murders him in “Scars.” Yes, S.H.I.E.L.D. may have come together, but S.H.I.E.L.D. still has an exterior foe in the Inhumans, who won’t make their film debut for a few years, likely when different Inhumans we haven’t seen yet are in charge. The Inhumans are the main antagonist now, with Hydra lying low, and take center stage this week.

Mack (Henry Simmons) would be an excellent replacement for Gonzales in opposing Coulson. He quits S.H.I.E.L.D. this week, unable to work for a man he doesn’t trust. But might Bobbi lure him back to sit on the advisor’s board, no longer being under Coulson? Mack is a great character and it would be a shame to lose him altogether. I hope “Scars” doesn’t mark his last appearance.

One cannot blame Jiaying for protecting her people. She has lived through a lot at the hands of very bad men, and while Gonzales’ offer of peace might be genuine, she would have to make big sacrifices to accept it. He wants to catalogue her people, keeping a database on them. That would make them easier to find and hunt, and she can’t have that. She doesn’t want to be under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s control.

In the past, S.H.I.E.L.D. mainly deals with humans. When superpowers are involved, they have their own heroes, The Avengers, to send in. “Scars” finds the humans of S.H.I.E.L.D. going head-to-head with powered peoples, and that puts S.H.I.E.L.D. at a huge disadvantage. While the Inhumans are generally not warlike and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are much better trained for battle, I can’t help but think that some of the big screen heroes may need to be brought in to resolve this without S.H.I.E.L.D. being left decimated.

All of this puts Skye (Chloe Bennet) squarely in the middle of the conflict. Jiaying is lying about Gonzales attacking her, and one assumes Cal (Kyle MacLachlan) has juiced up to fight, too, so the Inhumans are the instigators. But they are Skye’s family, and she does feel accepted by these people. On the other hand, Coulson is like a father to her and she is close with several other agents. I can’t see her truly fighting for either side, but she may have to. Which side will she pick, or can she broker peace in a situation that is already falling apart?

And how would things have turned out differently had Jiaying murdered Coulson instead of Gonzales? Jiaying likely wishes she had, removing Skye’s main connection to the other side.

The wild card here is not Raina (Ruth Negga), who Jiaying wisely locks up, but Ward (Brett Dalton) and 33 (Maya Stojan), who kidnap Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki). What do they want with her? What is their plan?

They are involved in my one big complaint about “Scars.” How does no one notice two agent Mays (Ming-Na Wen) in the strike force, and why does Gonzales’ jet not concern itself when Bobbi’s doesn’t check in? Does no one notice 33 has escaped? This part of the episode just doesn’t make sense to me.

Still, that kind of hole is unusual for this program, and MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. has done a great job building up something huge for next week’s two-hour season finale. Not to mention, I mostly like the way the show fits into the Marvel universe, even if I wish it had a slightly bigger role.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.’s sophomore run concludes next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Reveals "Melinda"

Article originally written for Seat42F.

“Melinda” May (Ming-Na Wen) takes center stage in the latest installment of MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. In flashback, fans finally learn why May is known as The Calvary, witnessing the traumatic event that drove her from field service and changed her into a closed-off person, while becoming a legendary hero to everyone else. It’s a sad story, but also a good one for a character who doesn’t always get as much development as the others purely because she doesn’t reveal much of herself.

The May that the “Melinda” flashbacks begin with is happily married to Dr. Andrew Garner (Blair Underwood) and ready to start a family. She loves her job and her life, and she’s a cheery optimist, at least when compared to the version we’ve grown to know. This episode not only satisfactorily explains the shift, but is an engaging, compelling story in its own right. It is probably the most important hour for this character so far.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. plays it smart by revealing the story now, using it to inform May’s relationship and trust of Coulson (Clark Gregg). As Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Mack (Henry Simmons) show May and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) the evidence against Coulson, doubts among Coulson’s own team begin to accumulate. May trusts him because of their history together, and we see that. However, we also see that Coulson has kept secrets even from her, possibly putting together a group of those with super powers. Can Coulson really be trusted?

Both Coulson’s agenda and May’s backstory tie into Skye’s (Chloe Bennet) thread, too. Skye is happily training with the woman she soon realizes is her mother, Jiaying (Dichen Lachman). However, Jiaying tells Skye no one can know about their relationship because the others might see Skye’s treatment as favoritism. To demonstrate how such a perception can go wrong, she tells Skye May’s tale, which ends in May having to kill a super-powered child.

The way these three all fit together so seamlessly is impressive. MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. tends to plod along for awhile, usually good but somehow not quite great, for large parts of the season. Like last year, however, there is a greater plan working behind the scenes, and when everything is known, it all comes together awesomely. “Melinda” is one of those installments that pays off viewers for sticking with the series through the lesser episodes.

It is not without flaw. Despite Jiaying telling Skye they need to keep their bond a secret, when the two eat dinner with Calvin (Kyle MacLachlan), they aren’t very careful in what they say. Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) walks right in on them, though he may not yet understand what he is seeing. Also, while it must feel extremely good for Skye to have eat with her parents for the first time ever, something she’s longed for for so long, can she really overlook Cal’s violent and cruel missteps that bring her to this place? There’s a limit of what is forgivable. This may not quite be an error in storytelling, but I’d like to see Skye resist just a little more.

Still, “Melinda” is mostly good. The stories mentioned above are fascinating, and we also see Gordon (Jamie Harris) working with Raina (Ruth Negga) to try to find her hidden gifts, which Lincoln may have stumbled upon. Raina is unhappy, and justly so, but if she has the power to see the future, as is indicated, she could become even more important to AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, the episode ends with Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) asking Coulson and Hunter (Nick Blood) to help him lose a tail, which seems like it will be a lot of fun.

In general, “Melinda” is a triumph for MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. It reveals a lot about important players, especially May and Coulson, and it helps set up what should be a very exciting finale. If the show can deliver more episodes like this one, I’d have almost no complaints about it. Not that I have that many now, but it could usually be just a bit better, and “Melinda” proves that.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

"One" Helluva AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Article originally written for Seat42F.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. revisits S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fall this week in “One Door Closes,” while the fragile, rebuilt group threatens to collapse again. This time, it’s not villains who seek to destroy what Coulson (Clark Gregg) has built, but members of the organization who think the new Director is taking things in the wrong direction and doesn’t deserve the position. Are they right? Can a compromise be reached that doesn’t involve civil war?

The “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. that seeks to topple Coulson is made up of Robert Gonzales (Edward James Olmos), Agent Weaver (Christine Adams), Agent Calderon (Kirk Acevedo), Bobbi Morse (Adrianne Palicki), Mack (Henry Simmons), and more. These are good people, and we see their nobility and bravery in flashback to their time during the initial Hydra revelation, circa Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Along with now-deceased Izzy Hartley (Lucy Lawless, who it is wonderful to see return), they take back a vessel that Hydra has conquered. These are good agents, the real deal, who love their country and their organization.

Which makes it very hard to be mad at them when Bobbi and Mack sabotage Coulson’s base and let in their comrades. They may have valid points about Coulson, putting his selfish motivations in front of the group and following in Fury’s arguably too-secretive footsteps. Fury and Coulson use those with powers without transparency, and with Coulson acting a little nuts in the search for the buried city, his stability is questionable.

Yet, it’s also hard for viewers to turn on those people who we’ve watched for two years on MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. None of Coulson’s original team betrays him because they’ve been with him a long time and trust him. May (Ming-Na Wen) even helps Coulson escape with Fury’s toolbox and alerts Skye (Chloe Bennet) that they are coming for her. Our agents are not going down without a fight, and “One Door Closes” leaves two separate teams doing battle, Coulson joined by Hunter (Nick Blood) on the outside, and Bobbi and Mack helping Gonzales and company keep the others prisoner within.

Is there a possible happy ending here? Could Gonzales be reasoned with if Coulson let him in on why secrets are necessary? After all, Coulson has worked to break down some of the security levels under his leadership, even if he’s kept a few things classified as needed. If the two leaders, both respectable men doing what they think is right, could just sit down, surely they could talk things out?

In the meantime, I can’t help but wonder if some of Coulson’s people may be swayed. May has deep personal reasons for supporting Coulson, but she’s also seen him act erratically. Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) remain at odds partly because they disagree over how Coulson has treated Skye. Bobbi and Mack are their friends; there’s a chance at least one of them could come ‘round to Gonzales’ way of thinking.

If Coulson has to take back the base by force, he doesn’t have his best weapon to do so. Skye isn’t captured by Bobbi, but instead escapes with Gordon (Jamie Harris). Gordon offers her answers and understanding concerning her new abilities, and given how Skye is so caught up in dealing with her powers, and not knowing how serious the S.H.I.E.L.D. situation is, she’s likely to stay focused on herself for at least a little while. That’s a good thing for her in the long-run, but it doesn’t help Coulson and her friends much right now.

Gordon seems nice, too, if he’s being honest. He is accepting of Skye and knows about her, being like her. He approaches her in a friendly manner, not forcing her to go with him or anything, and not asking for anything in return yet. We know Gordon isn’t working for Skye’s father, so he might be good people. My instinct is that Skye is in safe hands.

What this means is that “One Door Closes” has a lot of conflict, but not bad guys. I really, really like this. Fighting Hydra or Ward is exciting and cool, but by pitching those who all have similar morals but different perspectives on maintaining those values against one another, the story gets much more interesting. It allows complexity in the various characters, and makes the outcome very uncertain.

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.