Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Shadows” of Coulson’s Team!

Hello and welcome back to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

The premiere of season two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in my opinion, felt like a huge, albeit great hour-long teaser. When I spoke to a friend of mine regarding her thoughts, she said: “…it left more things open than the finale did.”

We have been dying to hear about THE single team that we came to love over the course of a season, and when we saw everyone again, it seemed like nothing was really answered.

Of course, we still have to get used to the pacing of the TV show, but still it felt a little like a pilot, almost like a reboot, with unexplored avenues, trick and twist endings, and insinuated but unclear occurrences (I really do not think Hartley (Lucy Lawless) is dead. I know, she had blood coming from her nose and mouth and her eyes were open, but I am just not feeling the dead vibe yet.).

With a miniMay Skye (Chloe Bennet), a possibly psychotic Ward (Brett Dalton), an aphasic Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), a missing Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), a softer Melinda May (Ming Na Wen), and an isolated Coulson (Clark Gregg), it felt like every character on the show got a rewrite, and I admit: I am not certain what to think of it.

I still trust the writers. I am sure that I will either adjust to the changes or some of the changes will vanish (come back, Jemma!). The show definitely did what any pilot (or premiere) should do: it left me warning more. A lot more.

And it left me wanting. The number of open plotlines just for the people we know indicate the writers are going for heavy, intricate storylines, moving everything forward incrementally but ultimately reaching a cliffhanger (or a climax). It is a huge undertaking, linking everything together like this and weaving these storylines, and it just feels like there could have been more…just a little more from everyone.

Maybe there was, but there was only an hour of time to tell the story in. Some characters had to go on the back burner. Just…some of the backburner characters are the ones we really wanted to hear about!

First, however, we need to give a shoutout to newcomer Brian Patrick Wade for his portrayal of the Absorbing Man. VERY WELL DONE, SIR! The visual effects team for this show did a beautiful job of showing his ability, and Brian certainly embodied the character to a fan-pleasing degree.

He (Brian Patrick Wade) was one of the highlights of the episode: we were introduced to him and given not only the bare-bones information about him.

We had an actual chance to see a range of what he can do (I laughed with evil glee at the glass trick), and his apparent opinion of what he does.

Much like Mike Petersen (J. August Richards), we were given some motivation and character backstory for him, and he certainly sold every aspect of his performance.

Speaking of selling performances, how about Iain de Caestecker‘s return? Sure we knew he was likely going to survive, but who saw the aphasia coming? Given many of the fan theories circling, I thought some speech and language deficiency was getting off easy…and then they dropped the bomb.

Before I get into said bomb, however, Iain! He is not only another member of a solid cast put together for this show, he is one of the best of the team (in my opinion). He has shown both an incredible amount of range and an incredible amount of subtlety and nuance in his character. He can balance rage and grief simultaneously without going over the top, and he convincingly portrays many of Fitz’s inner motivations and decisions without seeming wooden or forced.

This is not to say that other actors suffer from wooden acting on this show – I think it is a highly talented group all around – but Iain has really stood out to me. Now, he has the added challenge of playing a man with both aphasia (if you know anything different about what it is, please tell me in the comments!) and hallucinations a la Rodney McKay (David Hewlett) or Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) from Stargate Atlantis.

I have seen many actors portray disorders – the ones that come immediately to mind are David Nykl in Canada’s Cold Squad and Ryan Cartwright in Syfy’s Alphas – and with what little I have seen of Iain, he is balancing it very well. Time will tell if he continues to pull it off. I definitely hope we see more of his therapy and recuperation over the course of the season. The writers have yanked at our heartstrings with him and I would encourage them to keep the human element as much as they have been.

So, now to the bomb: No Jemma?! I know some people started crying when that reveal came around. I was horrified, myself, and at the same time strangely happy. No, not happy because she was not there. Let me say firmly: I love Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge).

The reason I am happy is because it shows how much Fitz cares for her and how important she is to him. It underscores the power of his feelings (that Iain has beautifully portrayed), and makes a comment on the cruciality of friendship and support.

Fitz needs Jemma, not just romantically, but in almost every way. She is his best and closest friend and confidant. Without her, he has no one to turn to while healing. Ward betrayed him. Skye is off being miniMay. Coulson has taken on the ‘Director’ role, which has separated him from his team.

Fitz is truly alone in a time of terrible fear and need…and that destroys him. It is more real than we think, and more likely than we think. I cannot wait for Jemma to come back – because I am sure she will – and see the effects it will have on Fitz and on Fitz’s and her relationship.

Continuing off of that, one of the big questions is why Jemma has left the team. While I am sure the reason will be revealed in its own time, there are several theories to chew one. One: She is out working on a cure. Perhaps she is not able to get to the materials she needs with Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team underground and…more guerrilla-style. But if that is the case, why not have people casually mention her?

There are a few answers to that, chief among them being it would spoil the reveal that she was a hallucination. So maybe she simply was not mentioned because she is off somewhere and will be heard from more next episode now that we have the drama of Fitz hallucinating her.

 

There is another reason for why she left and it does not take into account what she is doing. No matter how much you love someone, sometimes watching them go through something you cannot help with is unbearable. Fitz’s condition may be too difficult for Jemma to deal with. He was her best friend, her other half, and potentially a romantic partner (which we are definitely still hoping for). Now she is watching him struggle back from the consequences of saving her life. He saved her life and it cost him his (he will never be the same.).

There is no doubt in my mind that she is experiencing not only grief and fear, but guilt, and horrible amounts of it. If she could not contain or hide those emotions, they would likely upset the more unstable Fitz, and hinder his recovery. As a result, she chose to leave the team…hopefully temporarily. We already know she will be a major player in episode three. The only question is, will she be a major player inside Fitz’s mind in some sort of hallucination/delusion, or will we be seeing the real Jemma?

I mentioned in a previous review that I was hoping the writers would give Brett Dalton more to work with and it certainly looks like they are. Is it just me or did he channel some Hannibal Lecter? I seriously expected him to say: “Hello Agent Starling” as Skye, (Chloe Bennet) walked into the room. He was so careful in the information he gave to Skye, doling it out in tiny bits as if laying out bread crumbs, trying to keep her coming back to talk to him.

On top of that, his oddly calm, quiet demeanor does not radiate the same power as it has, mainly because Brett did something with his eyes. Whether intentional or not, Ward is striking me as cracked. He is not animated or alive, and the only passion in his voice came when….wait, there was none. Grant Ward seems broken, and that has made him downright creepy.

Then, there is that business with Skye’s father. What? Has Ward been holding out on us the whole time or did he just pump information from Raina (Ruth Negga)?

Finally, I am certainly hoping to see expansion on Ward’s character without John Garrett (Bill Paxton). From day one, we knew Ward was the ‘good soldier.’ He did what he was told to do, even if he sometimes bent the rules to do it on his own terms, (he could not shoot the dog point blank but he could hunt it).

With Garrett dead, there comes the question that has been in the premieres: what will he become? What is Ward when he has no one to order him around? Can he become a man, really, or is he a permanent lapdog? He clearly has had an adjustment period (multiple suicide attempts), but I hope that was not just glossing over the fight he is likely going to have to go through.

One of the saddest moments for me (other than FitzSimmons) in the premiere was seeing just how fractured Coulson’s team has become. However, I must applaud the writers for taking a very realistic spin on the reactions of people within a world at war. We as an audience in general like teams, serials, things to stay at least somewhat stable and trustworthy. We like the drama of a cohesive unit scattered to the four winds and then have to fight back to each other. But in a world as shattered as the Marvel Cinematic Universe currently is, that just cannot be the case.

Skye has lost her commanding officer, father figure, and closest friends. At heart, she is a fighter, and so it makes sense she joins up with Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) and Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt), the fighters of the team. Her training combined with her sharp mind makes her a formidable opponent on either field of battle, and she is proving how much of an asset she really is.

However, in the premiere, she is still more relegated to the fighter/hacker we have seen in previous episodes. Little is mentioned about her 0-8-4 past at all. However, previews for next week’s episode show Raina in the picture (yay!) so it is likely that is getting some breathing time!

May is still keeping an eye on Coulson, but Coulson is in charge and creates a barrier of separation that everyone finds difficult (Skye openly complains about it). The relationship between May and Coulson seems a little more steady, but there is still that lingering coolness, that distrust. Coulson is a little darker, but proves he still has his mental faculties.

He is smart, calculating, and still compassionate. He also still has a habit of giving dangerous people a chance, as evidenced by the welcoming of the mercenary group led by Isabelle Hartley (Lucy Lawless), and seconded by Lance Hunter (Nick Blood).

The mercenary group is an interesting and dangerous addition. Though Hartley is a former S.H.I.E.L.D agent, those answering to her do not share the same past and thus become more unpredictable. There are clearly going to be some issues with chain of command (since it seems like Coulson is trying to remake S.H.I.E.L.D with those parameters – which may not work) as Hunter refuses to stay with the team going for the QuinJet in favor of trying to save Hartley from the 0-8-4 she grabbed in a panic.

Hunter is a very ‘do what needs to be done’ character that kinda looks and feels like he might be replacing Grant Ward’s role on the team, though with the whole team up in smoke…what role is that really?

Anyway, Coulson is somewhat grasping at straws for S.H.I.E.L.D’s reconstruction but when you are at the bottom – take anything you need to get the job done.

All in all, the premiere left us wanting, which was likely the intention. It hooked us with just enough information and emotion to remind us of the family we left behind, but left far too many possibilities and stories open. As with the first season, it feels like we have not even gotten a glimpse of the main story of the season, which is a frustrating position to be in. But again, that is that slow pacing. We just need to keep watching!

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Nayari09 (Pam)