Danny Hale reviews Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 episode 18…
This week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. covered a lot of bases culminating in a brawl including a few unlikely alliances. Cal Zabo featured prominently this week which was awesome and showed more of his softer side as he and Skye had their first Dad/daughter date. Personally I still wait for any slight mishap to send Cal flying into a violent rage so watching him on screen is akin to watching a bomb, a bomb with no visible timer!
In all his madness however I do believe he won’t hurt Skye although I did get slightly fearful for the men that bumped into her on the street. My one issue is that Skye’s sudden affections for her father felt just a little bit forced; not that I can’t understand why she would empathise with Cal only that I didn’t believe the transition. It was great to see Jiaying make the decision to abandon Cal though, to get a glimpse of a colder side of her. We know she did some questionable things alongside Cal while they searched for their missing baby but up until now we’ve seen very little of her character other than she’s wise and kind and motherly. It was just Skye’s defence of Cal seemed a little premature. It’s only a small gripe; the rest of the episode more than made up for it.
Thankfully Fitz made it to Coulson, Hunter and Mike unscathed and I love the dynamic between these four and so glad Deathlok’s appearance two weeks ago wasn’t a once off. More Deathlok please! After Ward’s name drop two weeks ago the creep finally showed up. Brett Dalton has been mostly absent since the show’s return and I honestly think it was a good thing; Ward’s reveal as Hydra last season catapulted Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. forwards and thankfully it hit the ground running but I could sense Ward’s character was floundering a bit; maybe the writers weren’t sure exactly where to take him but leaving him absent to fully assimilate a plan is far preferable to slotting him into each episode just to placate fans.
Agent Ward took me by surprise this week; I never expected holding Agent 33 as bait would successfully lure him to Coulson. I had no idea he had any genuine affection for Agent 33 so bit by bit we’re learning what makes Ward tick. Then again that could all be a ploy. Damn you Ward. The partnership between Coulson and his ex-team member was also handled very well; I’m always afraid when Ward pops up that he will have miraculously seen the error of his ways and start building up to a redemption story but not trusting Ward and not knowing how long he’ll play nice is what makes him so much fun to watch but this only works when he’s still human. I love the rift between himself and Fitz and I never want Fitz to forgive him or not at least until it’s really earned. The idea that Ward may want to be in some way redeemed while the team rejects that redemption makes for far more interesting viewing rather than insulting a character we’ve gotten to know by turning him into a two-dimensional wild-card.
Meanwhile Simmons confided in May that she copied Fury’s toolbox and that it’s now in Fitz’s possession. This wasn’t a strange thing for Jemma to do; the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D were going to figure it out shortly anyway and May is the most trustworthy person Simmons has. So May told Bobbi. I see how Simmons must feel this is an utter betrayal but I feel May getting Bobbi on her side is a good move. Notably, Bobbi has not reported Simmons and instead wants to take a chance to discover the truth which is really what both May and Bobbi want.
The conclusion of the episode took place in Cal’s building where his old office resides in Milwaukee. Hunter was shot but I noticed Agent 33 making a genuine attempt to save him. Skye, moments after seeing Coulson was teleported away by Gordon, Cal hitching a last minute ride. The ‘real’ S.H.I.E.L.D thanks to Simmons hacking into Deathlok’s camera feed glimpse Coulson fighting alongside Ward, most likely furthering their idea that Phil is a bad guy. Deathlok and Lincoln were taken prisoner by Hydra, making Lincoln truly interesting to me for the first time! Finally, Ward saved Coulson’s life, or at least made a move to help him but as we know Grant has his own agenda so I’m reluctant to believe that he was being heroic. With Coulson turning himself in presumably to unite both S.H.I.E.L.D’S against Hydra and The Avengers: Age of Ultron opening today in the UK we are approaching the finale at a rapid and exciting pace!
Danny Hale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pnc360pUDRI&list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5
Originally published April 24, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
