Review
  • Agent Morse, I mean Bobbi
  • Lance Hunter Being a Douche
  • Kyle MacLachalan
4

Summary

Season 2, Episode 4

Aired: Oct. 21, 2014

Director: Holly Dale

Writer: Brent FletcherBrent Fletcher

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First, I apologize for my absence for episode 3. I was doing some undercover work at HYDRA headquarters, their Wi-Fi is not that great. I digress. Let us dive into this weeks excellent episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This week we open with a very Game of Thrones-esque wedding; lots of sailors die. Seems as though HYDRA is working on weaponizing the effects of the obelisk, and Daniel Whitehall is not satisfied. The hunt for the artifact is on, with Raina caught in the middle. With Whitehall and Skye’s dad placing Raina smack-stuck in a hard place, she seeks out Coulson to make it right. I mean, that’s his thing. He’s the only dog in the hunt with a heart, right?

Not So Fast

Coulson continues to show a harder exterior, and shut out his team (with the exception of Agent May.) I mean, I get it. He’s been obsessively scribbling the strange markings all over everything, he has to devise a plan for May to put him down if he goes the way of the Garrett, and he’s been put in charge of building SHIELD from the ground up. It’s a tall order for someone who has so loyally served under (former) Director Fury for so long, but now it’s his team, his agency. I can see that, for Phil Coulson, distancing himself from his team is probably the hardest part. Especially Skye, whom he seemed to regard as an adopted daughter of sorts. We have plenty more to cover with Skye later, but I was at first a bit nervous when Coulson played a bit of chicken with Raina. Then again, Coulson seems to always have a plan. There was no way that he would have just left Simmons exposed and out to the wolves. Wolves? More like tentacles, I guess.

Call Me Bobbi

We finally get introduced to Agent Barbara “Bobbi” Morse. Upon first meeting, she seems like a HYDRA hard-ass, but after Simmons’ cover is blown (via a chain email sent by Raina) we see this “mockingbird” (that’s a comic reference) spread her wings. I found myself just as impressed with Bobbi as Jemma Simmons, and I’m sure she’ll be a great addition to the team. There’s a lot of upside, but how great is it that she’s the monstrous, ex-wife that Lance Hunter keeps talking about?! I look forward to him being put in his place.

It’s All About Skye

Since the pilot episode it’s been clear that Skye is an important character. It’s her mysterious, shadowed past that makes her interesting. We, as the audience, were introduced to this team right beside her, and now we discover the details of her past together. This week Coulson even suggests that she may be an alien. Kyle MacLachlan was introduced to us as Skye’s Dad in the premiere this season, and I’ve been eager to learn more about this mysterious figure. We’re four episodes in and we don’t even know his name. What we do know is that he has possession of the obelisk and this week, we learned that he’s not just “a man trying to put (his) family back together”; he’s also got some major anger issues. Skye, much like us, has agreed that her estranged father is, in fact, a monster. Coulson is the closest thing to a father Skye has ever known, and this became clear to Skye’s bio-dad when he played with the sneaky and spied via surveillance camera. An iPad was punched and discarded, and then Skye’s bio-dad delivered the obelisk, or The Diviner, straight to Daniel Whitehall. This offering is all for the sake of forming the united front against Phil Coulson.

We also saw Skye retreat to the basement in an attempt to get info out of Ward on the strange carvings. She is able to deduce that it’s Coulson who is making the carvings and confronts him. Director Phil seems to open the doors a little bit wider, and lets Skye in on what he’s been hiding. She’s been studying the mysterious writings for, what’s probably been, weeks or months, and upon viewing it once (etched into Coulson’s office wall) she has a EUREKA! moment: It’s a map!!

And another thing …

  • Kyle MacLachlan only has one setting, and it’s 11.
  • Fitz acknowledges that the Simmons he has been talking to is, in fact, imaginary. However, he makes this proclamation just in time for the REAL Simmons return to the team. The moment they saw each other, I thought I was going to explode.
  • “How’ve you been?” That’s all she’s got?! Really
  • Daniel Whitehall is creepy.
  • Skye’s Dad is creepy.
  • Daniel Whitehall and Skye’s Dad forming a tag-team is SUPER creepy.
  • In a world where Captain America and the Avengers exist, I think it’s funny that the main target of HYDRA is Phil Coulson. Then again, I’m sure we’re only see one corner of the massive reach of HYDRA.

This week’s episode may have been my favorite yet. There’s a lot building this season, and it’s only going to get bigger and bigger. What are you thoughts, theories, and hopes for the remainder of the season? Comment below.

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Daniel J is a writer living in Baltimore, Maryland. He’s spent a lifetime compiling an impressive backlog of pop culture knowledge. He comes in handy at bar trivia.