Hey everybody! Logan here. Thanks for stopping by and following the reviews! As you may have noticed, we missed last week’s review of Marvel’s Agent’s of Shield. That was because I was off vacationing in The Bahamas! Yes, it was wonderful (and yes, I brought back a glorious tan), but I’m officially back now, so you can look forward to reviews every Wednesday for the rest of the season! Be sure to stay tuned!
I’m not entirely sure when it was that Marvel’s Agent’s of Shield became such a ridiculously fascinating show, but the past few episodes have really elevated the series to a new level with heightened stakes and new depths to familiar characters. It’s easy to see the parallels between the current events on the show and the themes of the imminent Captain America: Civil War, but the last Captain America film, arguably, saved Agent’s of Shield from itself back in season one, so you’ll find no complaints here.
Daisy/Skye/Quake is one powerful inhuman. At the end of last week’s episode, she had destroyed the hanger at Shield headquarters and escaped with the inhuman orb and a bunch of Terrigen crystals. It’s invigorating to see Daisy stepping up into her powers and causing some real damage. Chloe Bennett’s performance has evolved over three seasons, with many hills and valleys apparent (though much of that can be attributed to writing and direction). But here, though her character happens to be possessed by an evil hydra god, Daisy expresses some real truth in her character that resonates with her story arc, and is accentuated by the anger and power we see in her moments of action. While we root for her to overcome these challenges, it’s refreshing to watch.
This made the scene between her and Fitz that much more powerful. Iain de Caestecker has grown Fitz into an infinitely enjoyable and endearing character with real heart, and watching him almost choke to death at the hand of his lost and aggressive friend was heart-wrenching. These are the moments where Shield shines: when the characters take over and their interactions in a superpowered world come to light.
Coulson had some moments of truth this week as well, particularly with Agent May (whom we haven’t seen quite enough of this season). May felt pushed by Coulson’s actions and choices, especially as he hands her the button to kill Lincoln, should he become possessed by Hive. This led to a nice moment where Coulson admits that Daisy is the closest thing he has to a daughter, which isn’t exactly a new revelation, but a nice one to hear. These characters are family and have developed in a touching fashion over three seasons.
Effective, then, that all of the promotional material refers to a “Fallen Agent”. Someone on the team is going to die. It could be anyone, even Daisy or Coulson, and this element of mortality on the show makes every moment that these characters share together more precious. If it was this level of drama and action needed to pull this level of excellence out of the show, than keep it coming.
I won’t hit on every little moment this week, but it was quite an excellent week for the show, and sets up the rise towards the finale quite nicely. I’m dying to see how they get out of this one and face off against Hive! Stay tuned next week and we’ll break it down together!
Have thoughts? Theories? Tweet at me: @LoganASchultz or email me at Logan.Schultz@bagogames.com.