Hot off the heels of Avengers 1.5 comes a SHIELD episode that ties into the events of the film! Is it a swing? Is it a miss? I don’t know! Lets find out.
As is the nature of this article, spoilers are discussed.
1. That Pesky Crossover Stuff
If you’re a regular reader of the site, you may have noticed a somewhat disparaging article on the nature of Marvel’s synergy, something I’ve certainly addressed in this column before. I’m pretty down on the idea, just because I think it’s more trouble than it’s worth and I think we’re heading towards a bad place with it. (But, y’know, read that article if you want the full breakdown.)
So all that said? SHIELD did fit nicely into the arc. You can see where there was strain, the show definitely feels like it was thrown off course and tonight’s episode was full of red herrings and spinning plates. Yet, just like with tie-ins in comics, they did the best they could, which is honestly a bit better than their usual flair.
SHIELD is awkwardly up and down in quality, but I’d say this was a better episode — even if it leaned far too heavily on the idea that every scene needed a big shattering twist.
2. More Triplett Needed
I’ll be honest: out of all the characters that have been introduced to the show, Triplett is perhaps the only character I’ve instantly liked. I mean, he was likable in his introduction for sure, but in this episode all of his scenes were pretty great; out of all the newer crop of characters, he’s the only one to hop into the show and fit into the rhythm of it quite well without being instantly shifty or otherwise untrustworthy (like some other certain characters).
I’d like Triplett to become a bigger part of the show. With the team in a bit of disarray right now, Triplett could fit in quite easily.
3. Melinda May’s Confession
So now we know: May’s not the ultimate betrayer, just a bit of a backstabber.
I’m unsure how I feel about this scene, to be honest. That she was reporting to Fury makes sense and isn’t too much of a big deal, but that she was the one to form the team? It feels a bit convenient, a bit forced. I mentioned earlier that I think the show tried to throw too many twists into the episode, and this was definitely one of them. I think the impact of her confession could have interesting consequences, but in terms of leaning on that trope of “No, you see, your history is wrong!”, I think this was a bit of a swing and a miss.
4. Victoria Hand, Agent of Hydra! Phil Coulson, Agent of Hydra!
One of the most interesting aspects of this episode is that we were split into two factions, both of whom were convinced that the other was an Agent of Hydra. It was ostensibly going to make for an interesting finale, but then they went ahead and spoiled it all by having a nice and convenient little radio on for Hand to suddenly realize, no, Coulson isn’t Hydra. And Coulson? Well, he was betrayed once, so surely he wouldn’t be betrayed again; he didn’t wanna be startin’ nothin’!
Of course, it was Agent Garrett that was the true Hydra agent and the Clairvoyant (like we, and probably you, guessed). The reveal wasn’t particularly shocking, but all things considered I thought it was nicely done. As telegraphed as it may have been, the show did a nice job of seeding doubt with its opening scene, and Bill Paxton really did do a great job in his scenes of trying to remain someone the audience would trust, let alone Coulson.
It’s just too bad they didn’t play up the Hand vs. Coulson angle. I was really looking forward to some choice words being thrown around.
5. The Real Traitor
So the episode ends, they tell you how Winter Soldier ends and SHIELD is otherwise in disarray. The team is full of distrust (again) and everyone’s in a bad mood, and then Ward has to go and shoot Hand in the head. Oops.
Continued belowHere’s the thing: that was clearly something Marvel/the showrunners were excited about introducing as the final twist, but I’m honestly not convinced. Ward as a Hydra agent? I don’t think so; for one, the stinger to the episode is focusing on Ward looking pensive, and for two, he doesn’t say “Hail Hydra.” I feel like if they really wanted us to believe Ward was an agent of Hydra, he would’ve said something. (That, and the teaser for next week kind of alludes to this being a sham.)
Is Hand dead? Potentially. Probably. We don’t see her die on screen, but we do see some blood, so lets assume she’s dead (which is a shame).
Is Ward an agent of Hydra? I’d honestly assume it is more about him having daddy issues and seeing Garrett as a father figure, allowing the darkness in him to make a bad choice. If you remember the Dark World tie-in episode, we saw a bit about Ward’s childhood and we know that there’s something bad in him boiling under the surface. So, as Zangief told Ralph, Ward is bad guy… but this does not mean he is bad guy.
We’ll see next week.
