"Best Laid Plans" Effectively Moves Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Decent plot movement, Some theme moments, Good special effects
The Bad: Very light on character development, Simple plot
The Basics: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. works to resolve the Kree and destroyed Earth splot with "Best Laid Plans," which gets viewers one step closer to the characters returning to our time!


It's time, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. At some point, the story has to get out of the dismal, damaged future and get back to the time period of the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As "Best Laid Plans" begins, it feels like the fifth season should be there by now. Ironically, "Best Laid Plans" features an a-plot that is potentially, utterly, inconsequential. Should the Earth be saved and time altered, anything that happens on the Lighthouse is entirely without enduring consequences; the tangent timeline of the destroyed Earth will be utterly undone. And yet, the a-plot is set on the Lighthouse for a liberation storyline.

"Best Laid Plans" follows "The Last Day" (reviewed here!), which found the team split between the downed Zephyr One on the remains of Earth and leading a rebellion against the Kree on the Lighthouse. Mack, Rodriguez and Flint remained on the Lighthouse where they were set to liberate the surviving humans from Kasius's control. In "The Last Day," the Inhumans had managed to liberate many of the humans from Kasius's control mechanisms and set the human rebellion in motion.

The Kree have the human sector of the Lighthouse on emergency power and the Kree are hunting the humans there. Flint is getting cocky as the liberation continues and Mack and Rodriguez manage to take out eight soldiers. On the Zephyr One, Coulson and his team do their best to get the ship up and running so they might use an oncoming gravitational storm to get from the ruins of Earth to the Lighthouse. Rodriguez teaches Flint how to shoot a handgun, but that alarms Mack as he believes Flint is developing a taste for killing. Kasius resurrects Tess to send her back to the human-controlled level as a message to the humans there. Tess tells the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Kasius plans to end the human race if she does not bring him all of the Inhumans over age ten on the Lighthouse.

Coulson tries to convince Daisy to remove the Kree inhibitor in her so she can access her powers and help fight the Kree. Fitz and Simmons are alarmed to discover that the Zephyr One has been reconfigured to a future upgrade that Fitz had once designed and that the gravitonium on the Zephyr indicates that they are now part of a closed loop that means they return to the past and the Earth gets destroyed, leaving Fitz and Simmons to make changes to the Zephyr after the destruction of Earth. Facing annihilation, Mack and Rodriguez make a desperate attempt to kill Kasius and save the humans on the Lighthouse, while Simmons figures out how to get the Zephyr off the ground. Tess brings Kasius a message while Sinara stows away on the Zephyr to prevent Zephyr One's launch!

"Best Laid Plans" is a decent psychological exploration of what happens when a person with some power starts to feel the effects of having power for the first time. Flint is getting cocky and he wants to fight, after a young life of caution. Convinced by Tess that Kasius can kill them all, he becomes more and more militant. As proof is found that all the humans on the Lighthouse could be incinerated at the push of a button, Flint gets more desperate and becomes an odd choice to take on the responsibility of saving the humans on the Lighthouse.

Mack is wonderful in "Best Laid Plans" as he methodically searches for how Kasius might carry out his threats against the humans on the Lighthouse. Mack and Rodriguez have a good flirtatious moment before Rodriguez advocates wiping out Kasius. Mack uses his engineering skills to come to understand just how Kasius can execute his plans and that is compellingly presented. Mack's rationality plays off Flint's anger quite well. The idea that Mack would find a way to extort Kasius is well-presented.

Kasius, for his part, is menacing again in "Best Laid Plans." After becoming disappointingly weakened the past several episodes, Kasius returns in full villain mode. Instead of simply relying upon others, he exhibits some nasty qualities of his own and cold cruelty in "Best Laid Plans." Fans of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. may have figured that he is not long for the villain role for the season (the formula for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has the antagonist from the first half of the season being replaced for the latter half of the season . . . and Fitz's episode seeded the obvious adversary for the second half of season five), but in "Best Laid Plans" he pops up as a megalomaniacal villain in true Marvel form.

The character front is muddied some by Fitz and Simmons. Simmons is a medical doctor, yet it is her (not Fitz) who recognizes Fitz's upgrades to the Zephyr and how to launch Zephyr One. Simmons is a genius, but her skill set is not in physics or engineering. So, that Simmons comes to the conclusions that Fitz is somehow blind to.

George Kitson wrote "Best Laid Plans" with nods to Joss Whedon's Serenity, which are fun. Garry A. Brown directed "Best Laid Plans" and he's mostly good - the shaking camera when Kasius screams looks infantile, but the rest of the episode is pretty wonderful on the direction and special effects front.

Ultimately, "Best Laid Plans" finally makes Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. feel like it is moving toward resolving its future plot and getting the season back on track!

6/10

For other elements of the MCU, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a comprehensive listing!

© 2018 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Identity And Change" Continues The Framwork World Well!

The Good: Good performances, Decent plot progression
The Bad: A few predictable reversals, Continues to build toward an unfortunately predictable
The Basics: "Identity And Change" is a good next act for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., even if it is hard to believe the payoff might be worth it.


Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has managed to write itself into a corner. As "Identity And Change" begins, the show is teetered on a precipice whereby the show will either move to a predictable season end or write itself out of relevance. The show managed to get there surprisingly organically, but the ambition and order of the plot development of the fourth season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Much earlier in the season, Agent Melinda May was taken hostage by Dr. Radcliffe and Aida for use as a guinea pig for his LMD program and the accompanying Framework. As Radcliffe figured out how to keep May content and busy within the Framework, he created different iterations and he realized that maintaining a world filled with conflict was imperative, but that to keep May docile, one deep-seated regret must be undone. All that is sensible, but the result is a bit of a mess.

May's big regret, as revealed in the episode "What If..." (reviewed here!), was in killing the Inhuman child on her infamous mission to Bahrain. Removing that regret reshaped her entire world, so the world inside the Framework has May as a leader within HYDRA, Inhumans on the run and being executed and Aida in command of HYDRA. The thing is, all of the other characters who have since entered the Framework have had to conform to May's dramatically-altered reality, which is a very tough sell. Most of the backstory for characters like Coulson and Fitz would be dramatically altered by suddenly waking up in May's HYDRA-dominated world and it is hard to believe that a single regret could be removed from any of their pasts to make them buy into the Framework. That is the burden going into "Identity And Change." "Identity And Change" picks up moments after the end of "What If. . ." and it finally brings Mack and Mace into the narrative within the Framework.

Daisy informs Coulson about the truth of the Framework moments before Ward calls to let her know that HYDRA agents are headed to pick up Coulson. Daisy rescues Coulson and brings him to Simmons. Elsewhere, Mack and his daughter are building drones and Mack is alarmed when his daughter uses parts from a crashed HYDRA drone. At HYDRA Headquarters, Fitz expresses concern for Ophelia (Aida, the Head Of Hydra) and he learns that Simmons is alive and a subversive and he sets to targeting her. When Coulson and Simmons go in search of the subversives, they end up at the old S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where Mace is in charge.

Daisy finds Holden Radcliffe within the Framework and Ward, Coulson and Simmons head out to find him. Daisy, in the meantime, is stuck on a HYDRA mission, one that puts her on the course to capture Mack and his daughter. Mack ends up at HYDRA headquarters, where he is interrogated by May. When Simmons confronts Radcliffe, they discover that he is very aware of his place within the Framework and that his escape route from the Framework has probably been compromised. Moments later, Madame Hydra and Fitz arrive and Fitz illustrates just whose side he is on!

"Identity And Change" returns Grant Ward to Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a decent and vital way. Brett Dalton was in "What If..." and his part in the episode as Ward was basically setting up his return and the reveal of his usual duplicitous nature. In "Identity And Change," Ward is a vital member of the subversive team and it is enough to remind viewers that there was a time that he was at the core of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Grant Ward within the Framework is efficient and Dalton plays him as unsettled by Simmons acting suspicious of him. Dalton leaps back into the role and makes Ward interesting and fun to watch again.

Henry Simmons gives a great performance as Mack, though it is one of the saddest performances of the series. Simmons has long played Mack as strong and smart and he is usually commanding as Mack. In "Identity And Change," Mack is hamstrung by the presence of his daughter and when Simmons plays Mack begging for his daughter to be set free, it is heartbreaking to watch.

Ming-Na Wen is unfortunately underused in "Identity And Change" and the episode still has not managed to find a way to make Jason O'Mara's Mace interesting. Mallory Jansen continues to shine in the dual roles she plays in "Identity And Change."

"Identity And Change" is decent, but it continues to progress Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the direction that can lead to only one of two places. Either the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents overcome the Framework or they fail and the last echelon of S.H.I.E.L.D. ends up lost forever inside (essentially) The Matrix. "Identity And Change" continues to explore the dark side of The Framework and its direction implies heavily that not everyone will escape the Framework, which could set up a fairly predictable season finale like the third season ender. But, for what it is, "Identity And Change" acts as a fairly decent bridge episode between establishing and escaping the world inside the Framework.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the fourth season here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other television reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for a listing of all the episodes and seasons I have reviewed!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Smart People Are Stupid;" So Is "Broken Promises."

The Good: Performances are adequate
The Bad: Predictable plot development, Crowded plot, Light on character development, No big performance moments, Editing
The Basics: "Broken Promises" returns Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the forefront of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when the LMD Aida goes crazy.


When it comes to current genre television, there are few that have more inherent burdens than Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had a core of hero characters that have remained essentially unchanged for the past three and a half seasons. The thing is, the executive producers have been remarkably conservative when it comes to developing the relationships between the five core characters of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. who have been with the series since the beginning. While the almost inevitable relationship between Fitz and Simmons has finally begun to get explored, the only other truly solid relationship in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been between Coulson and May. It seem like whenever the producers and writers of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. want to add real dramatic tension to the show on a character level, they put some tension into the narrative between Coulson and May. That is what happens with "Broken Promises."

"Broken Promises" follows on the heels of "The Laws Of Inferno Dynamics" (reviewed here!) and it continues the arc involving Aida having been manipulated by the Dark Hold. When "The Laws Of Inferno Dynamics" left off, May had been replaced by a Life Model Decoy and was being held captive by Aida, while Mack and Rodriguez start a relationship. Despite the hiatus and the apparent loss of Ghost Rider, there is a lot of momentum going into "Broken Promises," but the result is not at all impressive.

Aida cleans herself up after getting shot in the fight to subdue May. She keeps May in a closet, drugged up, while her doppelganger is tasked with recovering the Dark Hold for her. Mace, Coulson and Mack advocate wiping Aida's memory, though Radcliffe and Fitz are reluctant to do so. Elsewhere, Vijay Nadeer (the malicious Senator's brother) awakens from his terrigenesis in a remote location with his sister. Simmons recognizes that Nadeer has a lot to lose by Vijay's condition being made public. Daisy is called onto the carpet by Mace, who wants her to help him recover the "imprisoned Inhuman," when she reveals to him that it is Nadeer's brother. When Vijay and the Senator disagree, Ellen calls in the Watchdogs to deal with her brother.

When the Senator's assistant recognizes Simmons, she has to fight to get a location for Daisy and Mace to hit. With LMD May's help, Aida hacks the base and Coulson and LMD May are captured together while she searches for the Dark Hold. Radcliffe advocates for Aida's life while the Senator goes toe to toe with the Watchdog leader for the Senator's unwillingness to have him kill Vijay.

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is hampered in episodes like "Broken Promises" in that it crams the episode full of plot points without actually creating anything truly complex. The difference is the difference between being packed with something always going on vs. developing something that is actually interesting. "Broken Promises" has Daisy railing against the Watchdogs, Mace struggling to maintain control of his S.H.I.E.L.D. cell, Aida going crazy, Radcliffe struggling with having to wipe her memory, LMD May working to get the Dark Hold and Nadeer trying to deal with her brother. The episode is full of things happening, but none of them truly get enough time to breathe and develop. Introducing yet another new character in the form of Vijay Nadeer seems designed more to create tension between Fitz and Simmons as opposed to create a viable and intriguing new character.

Aida using life model duplicates like May create an inherently problematic doppelganger plot that has already been done so many times on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The last time May was replaced by someone else, Coulson figured it out well before the end of the episode. That makes a lot of sense given the years of history between the two characters. The problematic aspect of "Broken Promises" is that the viewer spends the episode waiting for Coulson to figure out that May has been replaced . . . and the episode gets into the quagmire of "been there, done that" versus "how can Coulson be so stupid?!" It's a lose/lose situation and it's surprising that the producers willingly leapt into that quagmire.

Simmons's jealousy of Fitz feels very forced in "Broken Promises." Simmons and Fitz spent years getting to the point where they could have an open romantic relationship. Fitz being at all intrigued by Aida, Simmons being jealous of him and the potential that Simmons will be drawn to Vijay (as implied in "Broken Promises") seem far more melodramatic than organic.

The editing on "Broken Promises" is strangely awkward as well. Fitz and Radcliffe appear to escape Aida and there is no clear transition there. Aida should be unwilling to leave her base - May is there and the moment she is found, LMD May's jig is up - and if Fitz and Radcliffe simple leave her base after she has left without looking around, how fucking incompetent are they?! Similarly, when Radcliffe and Fitz have Aida cornered, the scene ends and in the next shot, Coulson and May are suddenly there! As well, the writing is surprisingly bad in that Daisy makes a comment about the Senator's guard's weapon not being the style of weapon used by the Secret Service; do the writers on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. not know that the Secret Service is not used to protect Senators?!

Perhaps the lone redeeming point of "Broken Promises" is the banter between Mack and Rodriguez. Both Mack and Yo-Yo share a love of 1980's films where computers manage to take over the world and kill all humans. The dialogue between Mack and Yo-Yo is humorous and restores a spark of life to the otherwise crowded and dull episode.

The reversals in "Broken Promises" are nothing truly audacious or surprising, which is pretty much the last nail in the coffin on a painfully weak episode.

For other works with Ming-Na Wen, please visit my reviews of:
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 3
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 1
Push
Mulan

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the fourth season here!
Thanks!]

1.5/10

For other reviews of elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of all those reviews!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Paying Off The Fitz/Simmons Relationship: "The Singularity"

The Good: Character development, Performances, Special effects
The Bad: The ominous sense of dread pervading the episode for anyone who is a fan of Joss Whedon's works, Special effects are so gross for the squeamish!
The Basics: "The Singularity" advances Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a pretty awesome way!


With Captain America: Civil War being released next week and The Inhumans being removed from Marvel/Disney's 2019 release slate, fans of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. are undoubtedly feeling like the neglected fanbase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the rising action of the Inhumans in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. setting the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a state of constant panic, the most voluminous element of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will undoubtedly be neglected in next week's blockbuster film. Despite that, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is powering ahead and moving towards its potentially biggest season finale yet with "The Singularity."

"The Singularity" continues the action from the final scene and twist in "The Team" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without discussing where the prior episode ended. "The Singularity" picks up after the revelation that Daisy has been infected by Hive and is essentially acting as a sleeper agent for the parasitic organisms running around in Grant Ward's corpse. And the episode is good, especially as it refocuses Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. as something vital and cool.

With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters crippled by Daisy on her way out of the facility, Coulson uses Campbell to repower the damaged facility and get the bay doors partially opened. Daisy reunites with Hive as May gets the Zephyr in the air and out of the facility. Daisy, who has taken the Kree artifact and some terrigen crystals, is revealed to be under the influence of Hive, much like a drug addict. Fitz and Simmons believe they know a scientist who might be able to help them in getting Daisy freed of the Hive parasites. Coulson opts to try to beat Daisy to the Inhuman Alisha, to prevent her (and her doubles) from falling under Hive's influence. Fitz and Simmons infiltrate a Romanian transhumanist meeting house to try to find Dr. Holden Radcliffe.

Campbell finds Alisha, but she has already been compromised by Hive. Hive and Daisy track down James, inflect him with the terrigen crystals and when he survives to become an Inhuman, Hive infects him with the parasites. Fitz and Simmons are invited to meet with Radcliffe . . . if they implant their cybernetic eyes (which are their ticket into the club) into a human host. When things with Radcliffe go slightly sideways, Fitz must convince the doctor that S.H.I.E.L.D. is distinctly different from HYDRA. But as Coulson and May try to survive one of Hive's traps, Fitz and Simmons must survive a direct attack by Daisy and Hive!

"The Singularity" is a reference to science jargon used by Fitz in the episode to explain his affection for Simmons. The fact that the episode finally devotes some time to progressing the relationship is actually incredibly refreshing. Fans will enjoy the payoff and the on-screen chemistry between Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker is incredible. After years of waiting, the relationship takes a step forward and "The Singularity" is a nice step. Fans of Joss Whedon's other works have to be figuring that one of them will die or be horrifically transformed in a subsequent episode.

Almost instantly, "The Singularity" stands out for the quality of the acting. Despite momentary asides - like Adrian Pasdar's appearance implying a set-up in the next episode for a tie-in to Captain America: Civil War (the resurgence at the end of the episode seems to be trying to close down the last threads of Marvel Phase Two) - the performances are surprisingly solid. Brett Dalton continues to make Hive unsettling to watch with his cold portrayal of the alien-infested corpse. Chloe Bennet gets in on the action by making Daisy seem dark and conniving. Bennet's extended "force choke" sequence is a clear departure from her prior from her prior performances.

In fact, on the performance front, only Ming-Na Wen stands out as at all awkward. May's arc in the episode puts her in conflict with Coulson after Coulson gives Lincoln Campbell a murder vest and her the kill switch. May expresses anger about how Coulson uses her to kill people and while that makes some sense for her character, the expression of the anger - the breaking of her icy and professional facade - is abruptly presented. Later in the episode, when May and Coulson discuss Daisy, Ming-Na Wen's performance is more organic and seems character-based.

"The Singularity" is not for the squeamish. There is an extended sequence with a needle and an eyeball (my two personal bugaboos!) that only appears to be able to be on a network television show by virtue of the eye being revealed as artificial. Despite the gore factor, "The Singularity" manages to make viewers care once again about the core characters of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. while telling an entertaining story (which is clearly setting up the finale!) quite well.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Make Your Move, Fitz! "Many Heads, One Tale" Is Another Fractured Episode Of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Decent performances, Good plot progression
The Bad: Light on character development, Plot threads seem very disparate
The Basics: "Many Heads, One Tale" mortgages a solid Ward plotline by spreading out the various Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters and once again trying to deal with all of them at once.


Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is at a weird place when "Many Heads, One Tale" begins. After "Chaos Theory," fans of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. might hope that Agent Coulson would have some serious civil liberties issues to raise over the treatment of Inhumans or that Daisy would get on his case (especially given where Skye began the television series). Instead, the show goes back to the HYDRA plotline with "Many Heads, One Tale." That plotline is diluted by Fitz and Simmons working to get back Will Daniels and Coulson and his people getting closer to learning what the audience already knows about the ATCU . . . without overly delving into the character-based philosophical issues.

"Many Heads, One Tale" picks up after "Chaos Theory" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without some allusions to where the prior episode ended. Coulson discovered that the ATCU is capturing Inhumans and placing them in suspended animation and storage in "Chaos Theory." In "Many Heads, One Tale," Rosalind Price continues to pretend that the ATCU is attempting to cure the Inhumans they have captured, while apparently getting closer to Coulson.

Opening with Gideon Malick having dinner with Grant Ward, Malick reasons that Ward is searching for the mythical Von Strucker vault with the ultimate power HYDRA possessed. Ward dispatches the assassins Malick sets upon him before continuing his hunt for the vault. Fitz continues searching for a way to bring Simmons's astronaut friend back from the distant planet upon which both were stranded. After Mack confronts Coulson, Coulson announces Operation Spotlight, a mission to learn everything they can about the ATCU. So, while Coulson is showing Rosalind Price around the hidden S.H.I.E.L.D. base, his people are tasked with infiltrating the ATCU. While Ward tortures his would-be assassins, Coulson brings Rosalind Price to the secret base.

Daisy causes a blink on the servers at the Advanced Threat Containment Unit, which gets Morse and Hunter into the ATCU facility masquerading as FBI I.T. professionals. While Morse searches the ATCU facility, Gideon Malick interrogates Dr. Garner. When Hunter recognizes Banks at the ATCU facility, the HYDRA connection to the ATCU is made and Coulson locks Price into a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment suite to interrogate her. While the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents extract themselves from the ATCU, Coulson has a showdown with Price.

"Many Heads, One Tale" once again diminishes the power of HYDRA. After decades of being smart enough to completely evade S.H.I.E.L.D.'s notice, Gideon Malick - the last surviving Old Guard head of HYDRA - is revealed to be the idiot of the bunch. The assassins Malick sends to kill Ward have even peripheral knowledge of the vault Ward is searching desperately for. Your people can't betray you if they know nothing of your plans . . . I'm not a spymaster and I know that.

Similarly, when Hunter enters the ATCU, it seems inconceivable that the head of the ATCU technical support brings Hunter in without any sort of radio dampening. How Hunter maintains a connection to Daisy seems unrealistic, as does Morse's ability to walk around the ATCU facility (having worked at an innocuous Treasury Department facility in my past, that Morse can walk around unescorted is entirely unrealistic).

The character arcs in "Many Heads, One Tale" are once again fractured. Agent May, who was seriously traumatized in "Chaos Theory" by learning the truth about her ex-husband, is minimized in "Many Heads, One Tale." To be fair, the writers attempt to keep some semblance of focus by having the three main threads, but none of the characters truly develop in "Many Heads, One Tale." At this point in Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ward is pretty much a generic psychopath and Coulson is inscrutable. Coulson is finally given a hint of real backstory when he talks about being recruited out of college, though it is hard to believe that he is being completely honest with Rosalind Price. Fortunately, the latter half of "Many Heads, One Tale" Coulson reaffirms that he is as smart as viewers might hope and that he deserves to be the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Arguably the greatest amount of character development comes from Fitz and Simmons. Simmons has to confess her feelings for Will Daniels to Fitz. Simmons has a deeply human moment when she expresses frustration about how hard Fitz is working to get Daniels back now that they lack a portal. Fitz, for his part, struggles with the idea that Simmons might love Daniels and he expresses his feelings that their relationship is cursed. He also, finally, makes his move, much to the delight of those who have been watching since the show's first season.

"Many Heads, One Tale" helps to reaffirm that a one-hour drama is the wrong medium for Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The series is playing several plotlines at once and in forty-three minutes, there is not enough time to tell a decent story that actually develops well. To wit, Grant Ward has a dominant role in the first two acts, but is entirely absent from the third and fourth acts. The characters are unable to truly develop and each episode usually has only one significant new fact presented. "Many Heads, One Tale" is very much the archetype for the sense of reversals and plot progression of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. If the series was transitioned to half as many episodes, which were twice as long, the series might feel more satisfying.

Instead of strong character arcs and impressive progression, "Many Heads, One Tale" has hints of character development, reversals and a couple of kick ass fights. The season might end up being impressive, but its component parts are hardly incredible and "Many Heads, One Tale" suffers from being so underdeveloped.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Four Plotlines, Little Real Growth, "A Wanted In(Human)" Is Average Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Decent plot, performances, character moments
The Bad: Plot-heavy, so actors are not given anything extraordinary to do and none of the characters progress in an incredible fashion.
The Basics: The Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "A Wanted In(Human)" continues to spread a wide focus over so many plots and characters that none truly shine.


As the third episode of Agents Of S.H.I.E.D., "A Wanted In(Human)," began, it came it a unique burden in science fiction television. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has Joss Whedon as an executive producer and as "A Wanted In(Human)" begins the writers bear the burden of potentially treading where Whedon went sufficiently before. The third season of the Joss Whedon show Angel (reviewed here!) featured a character who was just rescued from an alien dimension. Fred's original characterization was brilliant and frazzled, writing on walls and the like. The instant anxiety fans of Whedon's works have to feel at the outset of "A Wanted In(Human)" is that Simmons will simply be recharacterized as a different version of Fred.

Picking up right after "Purpose In The Machine" (reviewed here!), "A Wanted In(Human)" continues the storyline begun in the season premiere with Inhuman Lincoln Campbell being pursued by the new Anti-Inhuman task force, the ATCU. It also marks the return of Simmons, who was rescued from a different dimension in the final moments of the prior episode. While Simmons reports being pursued by something in the alien dimension and she goes into isolation right away, "A Wanted In(Human)" focuses more on the Lincoln plot than the Simmons character arc.

Opening with Lincoln Campbell being chased by U.S. government forces, he only escapes by exercising his powers. With Simmons going into isolation, Daisy and Mack talk to Coulson about Lincoln being pursued. At the same time, May (who is still freelance) and Hunter try to get Hunter into HYDRA. Simmons remains unsettled by the change of gravity and lighting on Earth. Using Spud, a contact Hunter had from the underworld, May and Hunter try hard to move up the HYDRA ladder to get in proximity to Ward in an attempt to kill him. Lincoln turns to an old friend, John Donnelly, to evade the ATCU and while Coulson arranges a meeting with Price, Price uses her lieutenants to betray their peace.

When Donnelly sees a broadcast on Lincoln that the ATCU leaked to the press, he confronts Lincoln. Lincoln accidentally kills him, which leads the Inhuman to contact Daisy for help. While the ATCU moves in on Lincoln, Hunter gets into a brutal fight with Spud to try to get into HYDRA's good graces. But Coulson realizes soon that Price has pressure on her and an image that proves Daisy is working for him and he is forced to make a decision that might force him to sacrifice one for the other.

"A Wanted In(Human)" continues and expands the mundane romantic subplot between Daisy and Lincoln . . . for no particular reason. While the second season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. had the two interacting, the season focused much more on Skye's relationship with her parents, with only a few furtive glances between her and Campbell. "A Wanted In(Human)" pushes for that to be more and it does so with the appearance of adding to each character, when it only works in defiance of character. Daisy is a woman who is sworn to a cause, Lincoln is a loner and they are basically the only two known heterosexual Inhumans currently left standing. Their relationship "reads" like two black characters hooking up because they are the only two black characters on a television show - there's no real basis for the relationship, save the most superficial concept of who they are.

Director Garry A. Brown does a decent job of using lighting and sound to indicate well how Simmons is shaken by her experience in the alternate dimension. Actress Elizabeth Henstridge does a decent job of making Simmons twitchy without going over the top. Instead of mimicking Amy Acker's initial performances in Angel, Henstridge simply moves slower and takes steps back as she scans rooms. Henstridge makes Simmons work effectively as someone who is both in shock and still able to be metaconscious.

"A Wanted In(Human)" marks the return of Constance Zimmer as Rosalind Price, director of the ATCU. Zimmer remains a good screen counterpart for Clark Gregg as Price. Neither she, nor Gregg, are given anything to do in "A Wanted In(Human)" that is outside their well-established range. Their characters have been established as foils of one another - in "A Wanted In(Human)" that is extended to Price having a similar car to Coulson - and Zimmer and Gregg continue to play their key scenes with one another as cool, with underlying gravitas. Coulson and Price are leaders of their respective agencies and both play like actual active, responsible leaders with their own agendas.

Much of the episode, as the title suggests, focuses on Lincoln Campbell. Campbell's potential capture leads to a stand-off and a series of choices for both Coulson and Daisy. Campbell's powers continue to expand and he becomes, by this point, a good-looking version of the Marvel villain Electro. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a chance to really delve into the character of the Inhuman fugitive, but in "A Wanted In(Human)" he is more a conduit for his powers and a chess piece in the plot than an interesting character of his own.

Arguably, the best scene of the episode involves Fitz and Simmons going to dinner. It is followed by Coulson and Skye once again changing the direction of the show and the potential for the season continues to expand. "A Wanted In(Human)" feels like what is is; a chase story that continues to move several plot/character threads forward. The advantage might be that this can help make the season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. work well as one long story; the disadvantage is that, as a component part, "A Wanted In(Human)" is a pretty mediocre hour of television on its own.

For other works with Daniel Roebuck, please visit my reviews of:
Weeds - Season 8
Lost
Flash Of Genius
"Unification, Part II" - Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Unification, Part I" - Star Trek: The Next Generation

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

5/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"Melinda" Empowers May To Become The Cavalry For Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Moments of character, Generally good performances
The Bad: Conflict of various characters not developing while May is developed, Plot is very much a filler (bridge plot)
The Basics: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. does its best to live up to the hype alluded to surrounding "Melinda" May!


Ever since Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. started, there has been a lot of mystery surrounding Agent Melinda May. Starting in "0-8-4" (reviewed here!), May was given the nickname Cavalry and has had mystery surrounding her backstory. While May has been only the occasional focus of episodes of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., her backstory is most-focused on in "Melinda." It's a pretty Marvel-heavy week for me - whatwith Daredevil just dropping and Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 trading cards hitting the market tomorrow - and "Melinda" is an interesting diversion from the darkness of the city-based Marvel Cinematic Universe show I've been reviewing.

Picking up in the wake of "Afterlife" (reviewed here!), "Melinda" is an action-adventure backstory plotline blended with a much more cerebral present-day plot that focuses on May working with the second half of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Skye trains. Skye and May are given emotional choices to make that involve big internal conflicts that are reflexive of their past experiences. With the focus on May in the backstory flashbacks, the preponderance of scenes with Skye in the present seems incongruent, like Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. was unwilling to fully commit to a Melinda May episode.

Opening with a flashback seven years prior when Agents Coulson and May were part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation in Bahrain where they were tasked with picking up Eva Belyakov. In the present, Gonzales's S.H.I.E.L.D. team, under Morse and Weaver, try to get May to join their mission. They have discovered that Coulson's big project since taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. is a massively expensive off-the-books operation called Theta Protocol. At Gordon's compound, Skye is trained by Jiaying. Jiaying has her "feel" the mountain nearby and Skye lets her powers loose enough to cause an avalanche! While reflecting upon her powers, Jiaying confesses to Skye that she is her mother.

May is put in charge of Gonzales's team and she seeks out Simmons to find out if she knew anything about the Theta Protocol. Simmons denies knowing anything about Theta Protocol and seems upset that Coulson was using Deathlok technology. Simmons tracks the money and finds that Coulson was burning through money on projects like secret construction projects, which Mack theorizes has to do with continuing to find and contain more super-powered individuals. With May deciding what to do about Coulson, Skye sits down to dinner with her parents, where she learns some surprising new information.

The backstory plotline in "Melinda" is a tough story to present, though the episode does it well. Having a character with a mysterious story that is based around a single mission that took on a mythic quality within the organization is a tough one to write and then present. After all, it is hard to show something that so many people have so many theories about and make it satisfying to watch. As most fans would expect, May becomes something of a one-woman army during the mission in Bahrain seven years ago. We've seen May kick ass before, but in "Melinda," the scope of her using herself as a weapon and the speed at which she processes information in combat is a bit bigger.

A much weaker plotline involves Raina, who whines her way through scenes with Gordon. It is hard to imagine that Ruth Negga is particularly satisfied with the role of Raina as the former lead manipulating adversary of the show has been reduced to a porcupine woman who sits around whining about how she looks. Raina worked for years to experiment on people to make super-powered people as soldiers for other interests. Now that she has an ability, it seems uncharacteristic for her to sit around complaining about it, as opposed to figuring out how to be useful and empowered. Thematically, this weakens "Melinda" quite a bit. It's like writer D.J. Doyle and director Garry A. Brown could not deal with writing four truly empowered, powerful women (May, Eva, Skye and Raina all have the potential to impress in this episode).

"Melinda" reveals May's backstory while artificially constructing a new secret for Skye (she has to lie to the compound's other occupants about Jiaying being her mother) and that seems like a ridiculous pretense. Skye and the rest are a compound of people who are essentially mutants (I know, they're "Inhumans," but they are essentially metahuman mutants, which is fine); it seems ridiculous to believe none of them might not now or ever possess psychic abilities.

The performances in "Melinda" are fine, but none are truly exceptional. Ming-Na Wen does a good job of making May vulnerable for the episode's key moment, while still making May powerful in the present.

For other works with Clark Gregg, please check out my reviews of:
Brightest Star
The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assemble
The West Wing
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
Sports Night
Magnolia
The Usual Suspects

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the sophomore season here!
Thanks!]

5/10

For other reviews of components of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of reviews from best to worst!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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