Written by: Paul Zbyszewski & DJ Doyle

Directed by: Billy Gierhart

 

Plot: Just when there’s no one left to trust, Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) – from “Marvel’s The Avengers” and Marvel’s “Captain America: The Winter Solider” – returns to team up with Coulson as S.H.I.E.L.D. is being destroyed around them.

Review: One wonders  if this show will be the new home for Maria Hill. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s presences will be out for several movies and I have no clue if she will be in The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Making Hill a regular next season won’t be a bad idea, especially since Cobie Smulders is free from her How I Met Your Mother duties.

In a world post Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we get a small taste of Hill’s life after that movie. While we don’t get details of what exactly does she do for Stark Industries, we do know that at least she’s speaking to Pepper Potts regularly (Oh, and I loved the mentioning of Man-Thing.)

While I like Cobie as Hill, I personally think that I haven’t seen the Maria Hill that I’ve read in the comics yet. I feel like with this episode, I’m getting a taste of Hill’s hard nosed and dry wit attitude that I’m used to from the books, and Smulders delivers, making Maria feel more like a character in this episode that she has in her two movie appearances. She also finally gets in on the action with a fun fight scene that she shares with Coulson (with some obvious help from some stunt doubles.)

This world post Winter Soldier just keeps making this show more and more interesting. It’s funny, the drastic change in the shows formula is something that usually happens to a series much later, like say season three, but do to the fact that they share the same world as the movies, the show has to reflect the major changes. They are really making good use of exploring all the characters and how they are being affected by the shaken status quo.

Poor poor Fitz. This is a true wake up call for the guy, as he straight up can’t take another blow to his already crumbling world.  I love how Fitz deals with the realization of Wards true intentions, and it’s eating him up.

Is it safe to say this my favorite use of Skye since the series began? The scene at the diner and her dialogue about what would “Ward” say to “Garrett” about being a traitor was pretty strong and the reveal that she ratted Ward to the authorities was good.

Oh, and three cheers for a great use of LOLA!!! Sure, the CGI is a tiny bit shaky, but it was a fun scene to see the old girl used in a death defying escape. I also quiet loved the comedic beat of it landing at a valet.

While I don’t want Ward to be redeemed, I hope that Deathlok (aka Mike Petersen) get’s to be. Personally, I feel the way they’ve written/directed J. August Richards as Deathlok doesn’t quiet ring true to how we met him in the beginning of the series. I get that he’s being forced to do this, but I’m not getting that element in the way he’s being protrayed. I feel like Mike should have more of a hesitation on his actions, but he’s coming off too easily as an accepting villain lap dog. It’s a tricky balance, that’s for sure, but it’s clear for me that they’re not quiet nailing it with him.

Were we leave the team now is very interesting. As Maria Hill points out, there will be no more back up. No more secret bases. This is it. The team is bare bones, and operating from a Motel. With two more episodes to go, it’s certainly going to be fun to find out.

Oh, and that video massage that  Melinda May shows Phil? You know, the video message of a past Phil Coulson telling Fury to not work on the Tahiti project?  The video message that spells certain doom for him and Skye, since they’ve both been through the treatment.  You know, THAT video? Well, concerning all that new info we were giving, I feel the words of Hermes Conrad say it best….