The headline pretty much says it all. This episode of AGENTS OF SHIELD solved a lot of issues I had with this season and created a set of new ones. So let’s start from the beginning.
The episode started with everyone worrying about how close Coulson has become with Rosalind. After a hearty protest from Coulson on the matter, he claims that it’s simply been to get them access to the ACTU base. Hence the beginning of what Coulson deems Operation Spotlight. They need to get inside the ACTU in order to access their network and assess how far along they are in creating a cure.
Throughout the episode we get little scenes involving Ward and Gideon (actor Powers Boothe). It’s here they discuss Hydra, the history of it, and Ward’s place in the larger game that Gideon is playing. I have to admit that I was surprised how graphic the scene was where Ward tortured those Hydra men. Burning that guy’s skin was rather intense.
While the SHIELD agents are infiltrating the ACTU headquarters, Rosalind got her own personal tour of the SHIELD facilities. It was here Coulson decided to reveal his true colors to Rosalind. He locked her inside a containment cell and interrogated her. We learned that the romance was just a play, on his side at least, and that he never really trusted her. He may have liked her, but he didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her.
At the same time, Fitz and Simmons were pushing the boundaries of their relationship. This was something that was bound to happen since the beginning of the show. The way this happened though was very natural and I felt that the love triangle that’s developed between Will, Simmons and Fitz is a proper one. It doesn’t feel overly dramatic and you can absolutely understand why Simmons is in love with both men. Of course it was a little cliché that their kiss knocked the book over to the exact page they needed to see. Apparently the logo that was on Will’s shoulder is an evolution of the Hydra logo! Who knew?
This is where everything began to come together. We learned that Rosalind’s superior is Gideon and that the ACTU is actually a Hydra organization. Hydra has been using the Inhumans in order to find a way to open up the portal. Apparently those holes in the monolith were actually pieces that were cut from it years ago. Hydra’s origin lies in the Inhumans and the creature that was hunting Will and Simmons on that planet. They want to bring it back to earth.
So here are the issues that this episode fixed: It finally brought all the season’s story lines under one roof. We finally know what the point of the season is. It just took us forever to get there. Rosalind not knowing what was actually going on was a nice touch as well. It would have been groan worthy to have her be a Hydra spy as well. I’ll briefly mention that Coulson’s line about Gideon being on the World Council does in fact make him the same character from the AVENGERS movie.
The issue I have is that… it’s Hydra… again. I thought we spent the first half of second season getting rid of them. It also kind of makes Ward’s storyline pointless as his goal was to resurrect Hydra. Turns out they were never really all that gone to begin with? I just wish they would find some other organization for SHIELD to go up against.
Couple of final notes: I thought this episode was the mid-season finale. I was incorrect in that assumption. There will be another episode the week after Thanksgiving (December 1). This column will not be posted next week as there won’t be an episode airing! I’ll be back the week after with what might be the mid-season finale…? Enjoy your holidays!
Written by Peter Freeman, AGENTS OF SHIELD Beat Writer