Couldn’t we at least try to not be so generic?
Of course I enjoyed this episode; the cast is still ridiculously charming, and the production values are surprisingly top-notch. But I’m going to need Shield to step it up a bit if it wants to really thrive. This is getting all too reminiscent of another Joss Whedon show: Dollhouse. That production also had a fantastic premise, but it tread a lot of water the first few episodes (thanks to a FOX mandate) until it kicked off in its sixth hour. I know this is Joss Whedon and I should have faith that things will turn epic soon, I just wish this episode wasn’t so forgettable.
Skye continues to be a joy to watch and my absolute favorite member of the cast. Not only is she resourceful and quick on her feet, but she’s now learning the art of hand-to-hand combat thanks to Ward’s training (and pearls of wisdom). I loved watching her infiltrate Quinn’s party and ultimately disarm him (mentally and physically). Suffice to say, I’m quite excited to see her further evolve throughout the season. She really is the main reason I’m tuning in at the moment.
A show’s only as good as its villains, and that’s particularly true where superhero stories are concerned. Ian Quinn was nothing special – a run-of-the-mill sleazebag, but there’s greater potential with Dr. Franklin Hall. Apparently the good doctor eventually turns into one of the most notorious Marvel supervillian, Graviton (as evidenced by the final shot of his hand rising). Can that please happen soon? Because Quinn and Hall were below-average antagonists. At least Reyes displayed some spunk last week.
It was pretty cool to see Caulson out in the field with Ward. In fact, the senior agent played a big part in the episode’s climax when he managed to take out the nutty professor by shooting the ground out from under him thus rendering him a “catalyst”. Sadly, it wasn’t the most thrilling of plotlines, although we did get further hints of Caulson’s rebirth mystery as he noticed his loss of muscle memory. Hmm…
Bits & Fitz
– The teaser had some fantastic CGI with the Shield trucker witnessing two cars being sucked into the air before his gigantic truck suffers a similar fate. Seriously it was almost blockbuster-ish in scope.
– I enjoyed the running banter between Skye and Ward over the truth serum. I’m pretty sure the fact that he babbled about his grandma means it DOES exist.
– Ian Quinn is played by none other than David Conrad. He starred in Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt a couple of years back. I watched it for quite a while before it got tedious (and mindbogglingly repetitive).
– Skye’s hilarious escape: jumping into the pool like a two-year old. Yep, she’s adorable.
– Well they sure fixed the plane fast. I can’t complain, but it’s too unrealistic even for this show.
– Melinda was extremely useless this week. But I guess it was necessary to get her to finally admit that she wants to start going out into the field again. Maybe she can stop grumbling and start properly kicking ass from now on.
Marvelous Quips
Ward: Every field agent has a defining moment when you have to make the hard call – when you dedicate yourself to this or curl up in a ball and run.
Skye: How can you run if you’re curled up in a ball?
Skye: He needs help – they could be torturing him. Or worse, making him do strength training.
Caulson: You forget, I saw plenty of action with The Avengers.
Melinda: And you died.
Simmons: Saying his name REPEATEDLY does not increase productivity.
Bodyguard: Kid’s got balls.
Skye: Thanks but, yuck.
Conclusion
A solid albeit unspectacular outing. More mythology please.
Nad Rating
B