Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Team Television 

Five Thoughts on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s “The Team”

By | April 20th, 2016
Posted in Television | 3 Comments

The Secret Warriors assemble! For all of ten minutes. Then it’s distrust, paranoia, and more than a few bad decisions that all lead up to a big twist and bigger disaster for the team.

1. Secret Warriors in Action

Yes, the long awaited Secret Warriors team has finally come to fruition. Daisy and Lincoln unite with fellow Inhumans Yo-Yo, Joey (no codename given, but I like to call him “Melty Man”) and… that’s it, actually. The Secret Warriors is all of four people, two of whom were already on S.H.I.E.L.D. full-time. I was expecting to see at least one or two other Inhumans they met and brought onboard offscreen, but they limited it to the ones we knew.

Which actually proved to be for the better, since it made things all the more personal when one of them was compromised. That, of course, brings us to thought number two:

2. A Traitor Onboard?

When the team took off from the Hydra base, Hive!Ward seemed entirely unconcerned. He boasted of having an infiltrator on the team, which Malick (now S.H.I.E.L.D.’s prisoner) also confirmed, noting Hive’s ability to essentially hypnotize other Inhumans.

So one of the four Secret Warriors was under Hive’s control. But who? Of course, Coulson immediately reverted to his “hide everything rather than explain the situation so that people can respond rationally and we can resolve this properly” mode, as he still tends to do, so he had the non-powered humans on the team work to keep the Inhuman members in lockdown and in the dark.

That went about as well as you can imagine. Daisy rightfully called him out on it, since of course the team would be willing to chill for a bit to ensure that none of them were infected, but as often happens in this show, secrecy breeds conflict. Which leads us to thought number three:

3. Mini Civil War: S.H.I.E.L.D. Edition

Well, not so much a Civil War as a bunch of teammates fighting each other for a bit, which, come to think of it, is pretty much what we’re going to get in the Captain America: Civil War movie. But with tensions high, an unknown traitor, and no one free from suspicion, it was only a matter of time before fighting broke out.

Human vs Inhuman, S.H.I.E.L.D. vs Secret Warriors, it was a quick but high-powered throw-down. That said, the first fight took less than a minute before the Secret Warriors locked themselves in a room, argued for another few minutes about whether they should stay or go, then fought again once Coulson discovered that Lincoln was (presumably) the traitor.

That said, the show did a great job of setting things up so that no one was free from suspicion. Everyone had probably cause and evidence that could point to them being the infiltrator, whether it was an untimely absence or being introduced to the metaphorical Chekhov’s Gun (or less metaphorical explosive). There was plenty of foreshadowing to suggest that Lincoln’s anger issues would make him a prime target, and the emotional impact of Daisy’s kind-of boyfriend being taken over by Hive would surely set up some subplots to come.

Speaking of romantic subplots!

4. Fitz-Simmons Sails Again

This show must be rough for fans of Fitz-Simmons. The two have always been on the verge of being a couple, with the occasional dramatically-timed kiss, interrupted maybe-date, or your typical relationship obstacles like being stuck on an alien planet for the better part of a year.

But it seems they’re finally ready to stop playing will they/won’t they, with one more dramatically-timed kiss, and the confirmation from both of them that yes, they’re all-in, it’s going to happen.

So hey, good news to anyone who shipped the two! And with the Inhumans all properly in quarantine, Malick dead, and their feelings sorted out, nothing short of an unexpected last-minute twist could put a damper on their… oh, right.

5. Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal

The season isn’t over yet, so it’s time for one more twist! The infiltrator in question? Not Lincoln, but Daisy herself, who has more or less been our POV character up until this point. Yes, she got an eyeful of Hive dust, and is under his thrall.

Continued below

As I mentioned before, no one was above suspicion. Every Inhuman raised a red flag or two, but who would have suspected that Daisy Johnson, who we’ve followed from episode one, would be the one to get brainwashed? But when it comes to raw power alone, Daisy leaves the rest of the Secret Warriors in the dust (quite literally, in fact).

Up until now, Daisy’s powers have been pretty well limited to “smack people around with shockwaves.” But those who know her better as “Quake” are well aware of the damage she can do when she really starts shaking things up, if you’ll pardon the pun.

That is to say, she uses her seismic powers to trigger an earthquake that can collapse the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. base and bury her entire team under tons of rubble. See what happens when the girl cuts loose?

So there we have it. Quake compromised, S.H.I.E.L.D. once again in ruins, which I mean in multiple senses of the word, and Hive now with a plethora of brainwashed super-powered individuals ready at his beck and call, not to mention all of Malick’s unspent fortunes.

If only there were some team of individuals who could fight off impossible odds and come together to save the day. But the Avengers are busy fighting each other right now, so it’ll have to be S.H.I.E.L.D.


//TAGS | Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

Robbie Pleasant

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