'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 9 'Closure' Review

Non Spoiler Review- A very thrilling episode with the atmosphere of a midseason finale or a larger scale episode with plenty of twists, drama, and action. This episode followed up nicely to the last episode, which I still consider to be one of the best of the series, and I can say this episode is up among the best episodes of the series as well. If this is just the buildup to next week's midseason finale, then I'm very excited to see just how grand the midseason finale will be and I think that it will definitely hold up in comparison. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1, Coulson dives in the portal after Ward- The episode ends with a huge cliffhanger. Hydra opens another portal and Ward takes some Hydra soldiers and Fitz through the portal with him. Coulson in his pursuit of vengence is so determined to get Ward that he jumps out of his quintet and lands in the portal to take out Ward since he had a clear shot at the portal from the quintet. 

2, Secret Warriors- This episode finally gets the first team of Secret Warriors together, which will consist of Joey, lincoln and Daisy. I've been waiting for this since the season's benign since it was heavily teased before the season came out. I liked how they built up to the formation of the team but it's slightly underwhelming that it only has three meters as of now so hopefully new Inhumans will be introduced that can join the Secret Warriors soon. 

3. Ward kills Rosalind- The biggest twist of the episode came in the opening scene, which seems very normal at first with Rosalind and Coulson on a date eating burgers. Then suddenly Rosalind is shot in the neck and begins to bleed out. Coulson can do nothing but sit there and watch Rosalind die unfortunately. Several blocks away Ward pulls his eye away from the sight of his sniper rifle. He then calls Coulson telling him he now knows what it feels like to lose someone he loves. I thought this was a very tragic character death, especially since viewers just got the opportunity to start to learn more about Rosalind and I liked the character especially in her scenes with Coulson as the two worked well together and had great chemistry onscreen. 

4. Coulson's hunt for Ward- Despite being saddened by Rosalind's sudden death I did like how it fueled Coulson's arc this episode. This episode saw a new side to Coulson where he was very vengeful and out for Ward's blood. I thought this was  a great direction for Coulson's character and thought it certainly was one of my favorite aspects of this episode. 

5. Fitz agrees to help Hydra to save Simmons- I always have enjoyed Fitz Simmons moments and this moment is no exception. Fitz and Simmons are captured by Hydra due to the fact that they've been to the planet and back and know more about how to use the portal, etc. They are separated and each questioned and tortured in different ways, Simmons physically and Fitz mentally. Fitz didn't want Simmons to be harmed so he offers to help Hydra in exchange for her safety. I liked how they had a small moment before Fitz was forced to enter the portal. I hope Fitz returns from the planet as he is one of my favorite characters. 

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 8 'Many Heads, One Tale' Review

Non Spoiler Review- I can say this was without a doubt the best episode of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' This episode also spreads it's focus amongst all of the characters giving the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. team their own character moments, some awesome action scenes, and some insane reveals. I really enjoyed this episode and hope that the next episode will follow the upward trend in terms of quality. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. It's All Connected- This episode revealed a lot and so many connections are made between story arcs and plot points that seemed unrelated. First of all, the organization that was trying to teleport people to the other planet has been revealed to have been Hydra all along. It's also cemented that Gideon Malick was on the World Security Council in 'The Avengers' as I mentioned a few reviews ago and that he is a head of Hydra. I liked this tie-in as it makes sense that he would have been the council member to suggest nuking New York if he was indeed a member of Hydra. He is also revealed to be the head of the ATCU's science division and has been doing things in secret behind the scenes that I will discuss in one of my other highlights below. I enjoyed all of these reveals and how it tied everything together nicely. 

2. Hydra's grand plan- This episode also gave us a Hydra history lesson revealing that Hydra goes back further than the Red Skull, that they’re much, much older. Malick pulls out a container with a small stone that he says has been passed down for hundreds of generations. He says it was cut from a larger monolith and that it’s a portal to another word. Malick tells Ward that thousands of years ago an Inhuman was born on this planet that was destined to rule it. It was sent through the portal to a distant planet. Hydra was founded with the sole purpose of bringing the Inhuman back. This Inhuman was banished to the planet that Simmons was on earlier this season and I believe it's the same person as the the mysterious figure that was on the planet with Will and Simons. Hydra has taken different shapes. The Entity has been given different names. They send men through the portal to serve it, and now they’re building an army for it when the creature returns. It's revealed that the ATCU's science division has been administering fish oil pills to people in hopes of creating more Inhumans so that the Entity can lead them. Malick says they’re very close. Malick offers to help Ward get revenge, but S.H.I.E.L.D. brought someone back through the portal, and he needs to know how. This was a huge reveal and I can't wait to see this plan take shape. 

3. FitzSimmons- A huge moment in this episode featured Fitz and Simmons finally talking to each other about how awkward things are and admitting their feelings to each other. She says she’s mad at herself for roping him into to this. She wishes he’d be angry. He finally breaks and says that he is. They have it out over how much time they lost because they were too afraid to say anything and how "the cosmos don't want them to be together". Fitz asks if she loves Will. She says yes. They argue some more until finally Fitz kisses her. She kisses him back. Fitz says they’re cursed and backs away. So things have been further complicated and I'm curious to see where their relationship will go this season as she obviously cares for both of them but I think Fitz has a slight edge because of how Simmons says no one else would have gone through a portal to save her. I really hope to see this relationship happen as I'll admit I'm rooting for the two because of how they just seem perfect together and just should be together. 

4. Coulson seeks the truth about the ATCU- The episode also features a talk between Coulson and Rosalind where he shows her around the base and locks her in a containment unit with him saying he will let her out when he believes he can trust her. In the midst of this the rest of the team is infiltrating the ATCU facility and learn some disturbing things that are revealed to be orchestrated by Gideon Malick. Coulson asks Rosalind about them and she says she was unaware and tells him that Gideon Malick is in charge of that subsection and reveals she was never lying to Coulson. She says he must let her go to help extract Bobbi and Hunter because they are in danger. The two then work together and seem to have forgiven one another. However, I'm curious how this will affect their romantic relationship as it strengthened their working relationship and their trust in one another but I just have a feeling it will slightly harm their romantic relationship. 

5. Bobbi's new batons- The scene where Bobbi and Hunter are infiltrating the ATCU facility allowed for great action and some levity through some hilarious moments. One really cool moment was seeing Bobbi use her new batons that she can call back to her through magnets. This was reminiscent to me of Captain America's arm magnet that allowed him to call back his shield in 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron'. I really enjoyed this new gadget and hope to see it utilized in future action scenes in new innovative ways. 

6. Ward- Grant Ward was really menacing yet slick in this episode. I liked the lengths he went to to get inside Strucker's safe and loved the line that he had prerecorded when he jumps out of the plane that will presumably crash "From all of us here at Hydra, thanks for flying the friendly skies."I also enjoyed his action sequence at the beginning of the episode as it was really cool to watch and lead into a interesting interrogation scene. I can't wait to see Ward fight the team in the next episode based on what is shown in the promo. 

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 6 'Among Us Hide...' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Another terrific episode of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'. I love that I live in a day and age where there aren't only really top notch comic book television series and movies but that these television shows manage to only get better with each and every episode. I was very impressed with this week's episode and very shocked by the major plot twist/reveal this week and I can't wait to see next week's episode. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Andrew is Lash?!?!?- The major reveal in this episode was that Andrew is Lash. I was also surprised to learn he's self aware of what he does as Lash and so it's not like a "werewolf" or Hulk situation where he isn't in control of himself. I was very surprised by this because I figured it was a possibility but a very slim one at best. I'm curious to see what his plans are and why he's targeting Inhumans.

2. Bobbi back in the field- This episode also saw Bobbi back in the field and she was a highlight because it was awesome to see her fight alongside May and she was incredible int he fight scene against Ward's lacky where she electrocuted him in a pool using her batons. I can't wait to see her in more action scenes as it's always enjoyable to see her and May in action.

3. Daisy and S.H.I.E.L.D. snoop around- I liked this for many reasons. First of all, it allowed for some hilarious moments when Hunter couldn't control his anger and did something irrational and it worked. I also liked seeing these three spying on the ACTU and learning more about what they're up to. I liked that Daisy is now concerned because she thinks Coulson approves of how the ACTU is  handling the Inhumans. I also really liked the new drone made by Fitz and especially liked the cloaking feature as well as Daisy's line where she says Fitz told her it's not ready but she uses it anyway as that was hilarious and one of my favorite jokes of the episode. 

4. Coulson and Rosalind- Coulson and Rosalind are once again a highlight because these two characters have such great chemistry in their scenes together and really are quite enjoyable to watch quip at one another. I also liked learning more about Rosalind and her motives as well as the tidbit she may have a crush on Coulson. 

5. Who is the man who is contacts Ward?- The man that contacts Ward was last seen in 'The Avengers' as a member of the World Security Council and for some reason he wasn't on the council in 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'. I always assumed it was something related to a scheduling conflict but I believe it may be a part of his character and something we will learn about as the show continues since he seems to be slightly neutral between Hydra and SHIELD. Ward also mentions that the old Hydra leaders were afraid of him so I wonder why that would be as well as what he will ask Ward to help him with since he said to remember his tip next time. 

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 4 'Devils You Know' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Week after week, 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' continues to improve and this week's episode was among the best in my opinion. I liked how this episode handled multiple arcs at once dealing with several characters and balancing them all very well. Overall, a great episode and I can't wait to see it expanded upon with next week's episode which will reveal what happened to Simmons on the other planet. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Simmons opens up to Fitz- Throughout the episode Fitz learns more about Simmon's intentions and at the end of the episode he confronts her about it and just as she's about to explain why she needs to go back the episode ended. I can't wait to learn what happened to her on the planet and why she feels the need to go back to the planet. 

2. Tough decision- Lance Hunter finally meets Ward within Hydra and immediately tries to kill Ward and when Hydra is about to overcome him, May comes as back up, This allows Ward to show he has Andrew under surveillance and will kill him unless May and Hunter leave. May is unsure of how to react but Lance doesn't give it any thought and immediately tries to chase down Ward managing to shoot him in the shoulder. This however has repercussions as Werner Von Strucker and Hydra kill Andrew and burn the building was in. I was very sad to see Andrew killed off and I'm curious to see if this will create tension between Lance and May. 

3. Lash- S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ACTU finally decide to hunt down Lash chasing leads that take them to a new Inhuman who whelps Lash track down Inhumans and the ACTU sedates him to take him to their facility. Mack and Daisy demand to come along and on the way they are attacked by Lash who ends up killing the Inhuman but spares everyone else even Daisy, which seems odd given it seems he is after Inhumans. I must say Lash looks much better than he did in the season premiere as he looks very menacing. As he kills the Inhuman and walks away he morphs into a human or at least that s what we see rom Daisy's perspective based on his shadow so I'm curious to learn more about Lash and what his powers and motivations are in regards to his hunt. 

4. Hunter goes after Ward- As I discussed earlier, Hunter finally goes after Ward but fails in his attempt to kill him. This allows Ward to escape and I'm curious to see what Hunter's plan will be now that he can't infiltrate Hydra from the inside anymore.

5. Coulson and Rosalind cooperate- The scenes between Coulson and Rosalind are always great due to the witty banter between the two and it was interesting to see their organizations cooperate with one another. I'm excited to learn more about the ACTU and see how long the cooperation between the two will last. 

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 2 'Purpose In The Machine' Review

Non Spoiler Review- A terrific episode to follow off of last week's strong season premiere. This episode was very strong and I quite enjoyed it. Once again Fitz is highlighted as well as a few other side subplots that I also enjoyed. I liked everything but this episode and can't wait till next week's episode. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Fitz saves Simmons- It was very reassuring to see Fitz finally rescue Simmons but it appears that whatever happened to her has definitely affected her and she appears to have some kind of PTSD or is definitely worried about something from that other planet or whatever that place was. 

2. New Hydra- I really liked how the show is handling this new Hydra that Ward is piecing back together along with the connection to Strucker that was planted in the episode by introducing Strucker's son. I'm very interested to see what Ward has planned for this new Hydra and what their mission will be. 

3. May's "vacation"- We learned that May has been watching her father because he was in a car accident and so she's concerned Ward is targeting people close to the team so May decides to help out Hunter in looking for Ward and the new Hydra. I can't wait to see that arc fleshed out further. 

4. Daisy is the key- Daisy was able to keep the Monolith open when Fitz was trying to reach Simmons through vibrations but it seemed to strain on her. So I think that the monolith is somehow connected to the Kree and maybe the portal only opens for Inhumans.

5. Secret Warriors- Daisy is not giving up on Secret Wars even though Andrew seems to think Joey isn't quite ready. I always like seeing him evaluate the team and thought his evaluation of Daisy and Coulson was very accurate. At the end of the episode we see him approached by Strucker's son so he is probably a target of Hydra.

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 1 'Laws of Nature' Review

Non Spoiler Review-  As I have stated in my Season 2 reviews of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' the series had a rocky start but towards the end of the first season found its footing and went into Season 2 guns blazing. I can say that I liked this premiere episode even more than the Season 2 premiere which I loved. This episode brought the viewer's up to speed on what has occurred between the Season 2 finale and now, answered some major cliffhanger questions to last season all while retaining a few mysteries that should be resolved throughout the season. Overall, I think it was certainly a solid season premiere and probably the best one I've reviewed so far!

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode 

1. Simmons' location- We don't know exactly where Simmons is but we can tell that she is not on Earth possibly on another planet, in another realm, the possibilites are endless. I can't wait to learn more about where the Monolith sent her but it seems as though it will be a major subplot for the first half of the season at least. But something interesting to note was that Simmons seemed to be running from something so there must be other life on the planet, or where ever she is.

2. Fitz searches for clues about Simmons- Fitz is one of my favorite characters on the show and his emotional scenes manage to always make me empathize for him. He really manages to always shines in these emotional moments particularly a very powerful one at the end of the episode that will probably break almost every viewer's heart. I hope to see even more scenes of this caliber from Fitz and I love the development he's gone through throughout the show.

3. S.H.I.E.L.D. Inhuman retrieval system- I tried to compile as much as I could in here in relation to what S.H.I.E.L.D. is now up to and their new gadgets and toys, etc. The coolest of which is the new Bus called the Zephyr One that looks amazing and is pictured above. It really resembles a massive quintet to me and I think it's visually stunning.  S.H.I.E.L.D. also has these cool rooms with jets that contain inhuman and help contain their powers. It was also great to see Daisy in action with much more control of her abilities.

4. Coulson's new hand- I like Coulson's new hand because it is simple yet elegant. He seems to have multiple hands to switch out of or at least that's what I gathered from the episode so maybe we'll see one with some special gadgets.

5. Hunter is looking for Ward- Hunter is trying to find Ward to avenge what he did to Bobbi I'm guessing although it wasn't quite made clear what effect Bobbi had from her injuries. As all that was spoken in relation to it was that Bobbi wasn't ready to go back in the field. But I'm very interested in this subplot and if the rumors of a Mockingbird/ Lance Hunter spinoff are true, I would like to see this storyline in that spinoff.

6. MCU references-  This episode had quite a few MCU references with nods to essentially every major event over Phase 2 and 'The Avengers'. These were mainly featured in a speech given by President Ellis (who you may recognize from 'Iron Man 3') that included him referring to incidents in New York ('The Avengers'), London ('Thor: The Dark World'), Washington D.C. ('Captain America: The Winter Soldier'), and Sokovia ('Avengers: Age Of Ultron'). The events at Pym tech ('Ant-Man') were also mentioned by Coulson and Sokovia was name dropped a few more times. It's always fun to catch easter eggs like this and it certainly adds to the experience of watching the show.

7. Lash?- My one complaint of the episode is how ridiculous Lash looks. The quills look silly as well as the make up and you can really tell the show sacrificed his appearance to use it's budget in other ways. I hope they work to fix this if at all possible by possibly modifying his look.

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D' Season 2 Episode 21 and 22 'SOS Part 1' and 'SOS Part 2' Season Finale Review

Non Spoiler Review- Definitely the best episodes of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' as of yet with plenty of plot twists, surprises, and awesome moments. After this finale, I immediately wanted Season 3 and can't wait to see the show return. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the finale 

1. Cal saves Daisy by killing her mother- One of the series' most powerful and emotional moments was when Cal chose to kill Jiaying to save Skye. This showed that Jiayang was the monster the entire time and was a defining step for Cal to progress as a character. 

2. Enhanced team- At the end of the episode Coulson speaks to Skye regarding a new team of enhanced agents that he wants Skye to lead. I'm curious to see what kind of enhanced will be on the team and who will join the series. I'm quite excited to see an enhanced team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. 

3. Coulson loses an arm- When Coulson, Fitz, and Mack confront Gordon they are fighting to protect the terrigen crystals in place and when one almost falls Coulson catches it. Mack then chops off Coulson's arm to save Coulson. I didn;t see this coming and I wonder if Coulson will be given a cybernetic arm or mechanical arm. 

4. Simmons absorbed- The very end of the episode ends on a huge cliffhanger as Simmons is looking at the artifact they have possession over when it swallows her and returns to it's normal shape. I'm very interested and curious to learn what this is and what it does, etc. I anicipate learning of Simmon's fate. 

5. Worldwide terrigenesis- The terrigen crystals that fall off of the aircraft carrier dissolve in the ocean and are then absorbed by fish which are then turned into fish oil, etc. So I think worldwide terrigenesis will happen to many people who use fish oil pills. This will likely result in many deaths and more inhumans.

6. Ward forming a team- After Ward escapes from Shield's rescue mission he goes to a bar and looks at a picture of Agent 33 mourning her death at his hands accidentally. He is approached by Hydra agents and he then kills one of the men and tell the others they work for him and they all shout "Hail Hydra". I wonder if this means Ward will become a head of Hydra, a new villain or what will become of him but I do enjoy his character when he is evil.

7. Fitz-Simmons- There are a few great Fitz-Simmons moments throughout the episode where Simmons basically admits she has feelings for Fitz and at the end Fitz asks her on a date. I really enjoy these two characters and hope to see their relationship further explored next season.

8. Mister Hyde- We finally see Cal transform into Mister Hyde after taking some of his serum. It wasn't that much of a visual transformation but he enhanced his strength for sure. I'm glad that they finally showed that Cal is indeed his comic book counterpart Mister Hyde which they have teased all season long. 

9. Character Deaths- Many characters die in this episode including Gordon, Jiaying, and reina. I was very surprised to see Reina killed off given that she has been in the series since the beginning but unfortunately she meets her demise at the hands of Jiaying. Gordon is accidentally killed as he teleports into Fitz's pipe killing himself. I was not expecting the finale to kill off as many characters as it did but it makes up for the lack of characters staying dead in the MCU.

10. War between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Inhumans- The major plot of the finale is that Jiaying was orchestrating this war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Inhumans. It was interesting to see the groups fight one another and what kind of tactics both groups resorted to.