Danny Hale reviews the fourteenth episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4…
‘The Man Behind the Shield’ saw our team launch a rescue mission to retrieve Director Mace and Agent May while we were also granted a great look into Coulson and May’s past and their initial encounter with the Superior, Anton Ivanov.
From the instant we saw May (reserved almost exclusively for the flashback) it was clear that this was a story from before the events in Bahrain. This realisation was heart breaking; this was a May who was younger, more innocent and not relentlessly plagued by guilt. We’ve been told many times how Bahrain and the moniker of “the cavalry” have affected Agent May and this glimpse at her past harshly highlighted just how much she shut down after her encounter with that Inhuman girl. It only lands the more powerfully after our recent glimpse of May living out the fantasy of saving that very same little girl in the framework.
Off the back of his bravery last week Director Jeffery Mace was a true hero in ‘The Man Behind the Shield’ and as someone who has been rooting for him to find his place it was great to see his defiance in the face Ivanov’s torture and his expression of full confidence in Coulson and of S.H.I.E.L.D. On top of that if Mace, as mentioned last week, was training with Agent Piper then chances are he has never been prepared to withstand torture or questioning making his ordeal all the more admirable.
I absolutely adored Coulson’s parrying with Ivanov when they finally came face to face. As I have stated before I don’t see Ivanov as a big a threat as what our team has faced before so to hear Coulson completely dismiss his “origin” and to portray complete indifference to his justifications really seemed to be the most effective way to get under Ivanov’s skin. Then, passing the mantle to Daisy to lay the coup de grace was perfect; stopping the Watchdogs and gaining some retribution for her people has been something Daisy has been seeking for a long, long time. That said, given the incredible build I was hoping for a better confrontation between Daisy and Ivanov. However, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has set a very high bar with their consistently strong choreography so it is possible I am judging too harshly. On top of that, the episode’s final reveal just proves how insignificant Ivanov really is and that he is not the biggest player on the board.
‘The Man Behind the Shield’ did an incredible job of pulling the rug out from under our feet. Watching, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss; everything was going too smoothly and the pacing was slightly askew. The final reveal however was not what I was expecting. As Fitz and Simmons began to break it down for us (despite being exposition heavy, Elizabeth Henstridge completely sold this moment to me) I started to think that one of our four characters would be a suspected LMD which felt a little stale to me but to then learn that Coulson, Mace, Daisy and Mac have all been replaced was the biggest shock this show has given me in quite some time. It was a great moment and the perfect place for this season to go; I am honestly astounded at the relentless plot twists and threads this season has explored thus far without ever feeling clunky or superficial. May being replaced by an LMD became such a huge plot thread and one I have been so interested in that I really thought that was the end of the LMD storyline with focus shifting to the Superior. This new development has just taken Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from its amazing high to another level of tension and excitement.
This better not be the final season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; with this formula Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen have truly created an exhilarating and thought provoking action series, worthy of the Marvel title. I feel spoiled with another eight episodes remaining in this season and can now comfortably sit back and watch the drama unfold. I hope Fitz and Simmons take centre stage next week to save the day but genuinely fear for the safety of S.H.I.E.L.D. and our remaining characters at headquarters. With Aida becoming more and more aware and half our team compromised the coming weeks will surely be an incredible close to a great season.
Danny Hale
Originally published February 16, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
