Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S01E22 – Review

By: Marissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon (story)

The Story: The end and beginning of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Review: I’ve come to a crossroads with S.H.I.E.L.D. While the show has seen marked improvement in the second half of the season, it hasn’t really left much of a mark. S.H.I.E.L.D. has learned to be dependably entertaining, but without reaching that addictive quality that keeps viewers—well, me, at least—attached. And with new comic book shows being greenlit by the day—Gotham, Constantine, Agent Carter, The Flash*–attachment is necessary to keep our attention from wandering elsewhere.

I’m afraid even to the very end, S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven to be a very small-minded, closed-off sort of world. Arrow‘s first season finale ended with a city in chaos and half-ruin, two major characters from both sides dead, and everyone else reeling from the disaster. This guaranteed that the Arrow that would return in the fall would have to be a very different beast than it had been, and so its second season has proven. S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s season finale, however, reveals a show that’s still extremely resistant to such big waves, reveling in changes that are more cosmetic than substantive.

If the show really wanted to impress me, it would have stuck by the apparent end of S.H.I.E.L.D. for longer than six episodes, which is what—about a month of in-show time (not to mention actual time)? I understand that this might’ve been too radical an adjustment for the characters; I mean, what would Coulson do with himself, you know? And certainly, the resource problem would’ve made any world-saving efforts a lot harder. Still, it says volumes that the show treats its biggest, most important development as little more than a temporary inconvenience.

Nick Fury’s request that Coulson rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. with himself as its director is intended to jumpstart a brand new beginning for the show, yet in most respects, it feels more like the show is reversing course—specifically to its eighteenth episode, right down to the team discovering yet another of Fury’s secret, fully stocked bases (the “Playground” instead of “Providence”), staffed by the still cheery Eric—”Billy, actually”—Koenig, who reminds them all that “lanyards will be handed out on a case-by-case basis.” It’s hard not to be baffled by this clear recycling of ideas from only four episodes back.

In other ways, the show hasn’t changed much at all. The loss of Ward is no great one. Once the initial excitement of his treachery wore off, his character only grew less interesting over time as he revealed himself to be nothing more than Garrett’s lapdog, which pretty much everyone, from Skye to Raina to Coulson disgustedly points out. In fact, he spends this entire episode running after Garrett, pleading for new orders, even though Garrett breezily gives him the option of figuring out his own options. Good riddance, I say. After May satisfyingly takes him down, he has pretty much no use left for us, especially since Triplett has stepped in so comfortably as his much cooler replacement.

S.H.I.E.L.D. can’t even be depended upon to rid itself of its primary antagonist in a committed way. Garrett hasn’t been the most deeply motivated villain, or the most consistent, but he is nonetheless all the show’s got, and now it seems like he may remain so for at least the near future. After already faking us out once with his apparent death, the episode’s end teaser reveals that even physical obliteration may not have done the trick, as Coulson, in a dream-like state, continues the alien inscriptions where Garrett left off. I sincerely hope for the show’s future that this is just a common side-effect of the drugs that saved both their lives, and that Garrett’s higher consciousness isn’t possessing poor Coulson.

For those who plan to remain with the show, there are some bright spots. Action sequences have gotten sharper, more impressive, which is good because it’s a travesty that Arrow on a CW budget consistently outstrips them in this regard. The individual characters and the team’s chemistry are pretty clearly defined now and mostly likable. And we can expect at least one significant change when the second season starts, now that Fitz’s feelings for Simmons are out in the open and his oxygen-deprived brain possibly left some permanent effects on his body. Plus, Raina and Garrett’s discussions about evolution hint at significant, world-altering events to come. A shame that few of these kinds of things happened during S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s first season.

Conclusion: A slightly predictable conclusion with signs of pleasant, not great, things to come.  Amicably Dropped.

Grade: B-

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: * Which just came out with an insanely awesome trailer by the way. I’m kind of afraid most of the show’s budget was eaten up producing those first episodes alone.

– Finally, Coulson throws a punch.

– After Garrett makes some barking mad declarations to the U.S. military officers Quinn is trying to schmooze, they ask incredulously, “This is your strategy consultant?”

“He’s…part-time.”

– And the award for Best Burn During a Fight Sequence goes to May, for telling Ward quite emphatically, “You were never on top.” Hello!

– I admit, I will miss Simmons’ indomitable pluckiness. “I thought we were dead for sure, Fitz. We’re so lucky!” And her whole spiritual spiel about the Second Law of Thermodynamics is pretty freaking adorable.