'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 10 'Maveth' Mid-Season Finale Review

Non Spoiler Review- A very solid episode to this season but not quite as epic in feel and scale as last week or how grand a midseason finale should be. I can say this was probably one of the best episodes of the series and was very satisfied by all of the twists and turns this episode and can't wait to see what the repercussions when the series come back in March and I'm also thrilled for the second season of 'Agent Carter'.

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Ward lives- The big cliffhanger twist at the end of the episode revealed that Ward lives. However it's not quite what many expect as it's not exactly Ward who survived. The creature (Inhuman) from Maveth (I believe that's what the planet is being referred to but I'm not quite sure due to the context of how it is referred to in the episode) managed to take Ward's body as a host as that is revealed to be one of it's powers in the episode when it's revealed Will is dead and being possessed by the creature. I'm curious to learn more about this creature as what it's intentions are and what it's called as i currently have no idea what to refer to it as. 

2. Coulson kills Ward- A huge moment came when Coulson and Ward have their confrontation and Coulson kills Ward pressing his metallic hand on Ward's chest. I think it wa s very symbolic that Coulson removes his hand after killing Ward as it shows he feels somewhat guilty for his actions. However we now know that Ward isn't quite dead but is being inhabited by the creature (still don't know what to call it). I wonder how Coulson will react to seeing that Ward is technically still living. 

3. Fitz stops the creature- Another big moment came when Fitz quarreled with Will (who was possessed by the creature) and inevitably had to kill Will with a flare gun to stop the creature from getting to the portal. I thought this was very interesting given the tension between the two because of the love triangle with Simmons. Although technically Will was already dead and his body was being controlled.

4. Assault on Hydra- I really liked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assault on Hydra in the episode and thought ti allowed for some great action to coincide with the drama occurring on Maveth. 

5. Secret Warriors- It was great to see the Secret Warriors in action this episode and one moment that was definitely the coolest of the episode was when Joey melted the bullets being fired at Daisy when he jumped in the way to save her. He then proceeds declaring himself to be bullet proof, which is very cool and true in a sense.

6. Lash Unleashed- Another interesting tidbit was when May discovers what Andrew did to the Inhumans Hydra had captured at the facility and now Lash has escaped and is certainly a huge threat for the team again. I was saddened by this because it means that those were potential recruits to join the Secret Warriors that no longer have the chance. This scene also gave May an emotional moment and I'm curious to see how she will handle seeing Andrew again when he inevitably returns.

7. Daisy stays behind with Mack- A moment I really liked was when Daisy decided to stay behind with Mack when he orders everyone to leave as it showed just how close the two of them are now as friends and how Daisy didn't want to leave till Fitz and Coulson are retrieved.

8. "I'll be damned. Tatooine."- One of the best lines of the episode was a great timely 'Star War's reference when Coulson sees the two suns and says "I'll be damned. Tatooine.".

9. Repercussions of the events of the episode?- I think the ending of the episode revealed there will certainly be repuscssions for the events that occurred this episode. In particular I think Ward's "death" may become a weight for Coulson's soul. I think that the team may be alarmed if they learn of how Coulson killed Ward. I also think Coulson may become anxious when he discovers Ward is technically alive. 

10. Ancient City on Maveth?- This episode also revealed an ancient alien city that I suspect may be tied to the Kree but the creature is clearly knowledgable about it and was there to see it as hinted at by his conversation with Fitz. 

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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 3 Episode 3 'A Wanted (Inhu)man' Review

Non Spoiler Review- Another thrilling episode of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' that had many great moments and developments. I'm very excited to see where this will direct the remainder of the season but was very impressed with the episode as a whole. The story was very interesting and there were some compelling character development for Lincoln, Simmons, and a few other characters. 

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

Highlights of the episode 

1. Simmons says she needs to go back- The big cliffhanger was when Simmons was looking at the broken pieces of the monolith and Bobbi asks her why she's doing so and that it's broken and then Simmons says she needs to go back there. I thought this was very interesting because the experience obviously traumatized her and seems to have some effect on her senses, etc. I wonder why she would want to possibly go back if the experience was so traumatic. 

2. Fitz-Simmons date- We finally saw Fitz and Simmons go on the date that was discussed during the Season Two finale and I found it very interesting that Fitz kept the reservation the entire time Simmons was gone. It was nice to see Fitz and Simmons finally go on this date and transition from being amazing friends to a more romantic relationship. 

3. Coulson makes a deal with Rosalind- One of the most fun scenes to watch this episode was the banter between Coulson and Rosalind. I liked that Coulson values Daisy so much that he was willing to sacrifice his knowledge to helping this other organization and informing them what he knows about Inhumans, etc to keep her out of the organization's hands. 

4. Lance Hunter infiltrates Hydra- I am really enjoying the Lance Hunter subplot where he's tracking down Hydra and wants to join their ranks from the bottom to get to Ward. I can't wait to see this arc pay off later down the season or in the spinoff that is being discussed with Bobbi and Hunter. 

5. Simmons readjusts- Simmons was severely affected by that planet or wherever she was and it definitely took a toll on her. She seems to be very sensitive in regards to hearing because vibrations really seem to irritate her and so I'm curious to learn more about what happened to her on that planet. 

6 Coulson keeps Daisy in the dark- Coulson kept Daisy in the dark and almost traded Lincoln's life to keep Daisy. It was very interesting to see how this affected Daisy as she would have rather been included and known about his plan. 

7. Lincoln on the run- The main plot of the episode was seeing Lincoln on the run from this government organization and seeing him having to turn to one of his only friends. And then having his friend betray him and watching the effect it had on Lincoln that he accidentally killed his friend while trying to protect himself. The effect all this had on him both emotionally and psychologically which was very interesting to see and added significant depth to his character. 

8. Agent May's fight scene- May was given one major fight scene that was very awesome to see and one of the best action scenes of the episode, if not the season. It was great to see May back in action after her being slightly sidelined the previous two episodes. 

9. Daisy and Lincoln?- A very surprising aspect of the episode was when Daisy and Lincoln kissed as this seemed  somewhat come out of nowhere as they previously appeared to be close friends but I guess they'll continue to grow closer and probably become involved romantically. 

10. Mack and Daisy play Halo- One little part of the episode I enjoyed was towards the end when Daisy and mack play Halo together which was kinda funny and really alleviated the tension to an extent. 

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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 15 'One Door Closes' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode was the best episode of the series yet. It provides answers to many questions, and is one of the most action-packed episodes of 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' and everyone in the cast delivers a great performance.

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

Highlights of the episode 

1. Gordon takes Skye- At the end of the episode Skye unleashes her powers on a S.H.I.E.L.D. taskforce sent to retrieve her. She is then distraught and calls for Gordon to help her and he teleports her to the Inhuman base. I'm excited to learn more about this group of Inhumans, etc.

2. Skye loses control- When Skye loses control she accidentally kills an agent. I enjoyed the visual effects used for this as it is done in low motion and you can see the vibrations. It is also revealed Skye doesn't control seismic activity but actually controls vibrations.

3. Lance Hunter officially joins S.H.I.E.L.D.- At the very end of the episode we see Coulson at what I assume is a bar in Tahiti and Lance Hunter joins him and signs his name on a napkin. He then tells Coulson that is his contract and that he wants to join Coulson. I can't wait to see the two of them try to take on the other S.H.I.E.L.D. next episode.

4. S.H.I.E.L.D. vs. S.H.I.E.L.D.- In the episode the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D" infiltrates Coulson's base and takes over. It seems as though this is the foundation for 'Captain America Civil War' as it has two opposing factions of S.H.I.E.L.D. fighting over their different perspectives and the two factions disagree about superhumans.

 

5. Banner built the cabin- Skye discovers a giant fist that is later confirmed as the Hulk's when she removes a board. IT is also confirmed that Banner was the one that constructed the cabin but I find it odd that it is a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility made by Banner.

6. Fits-Simmons- It seems as thought Fitz-Simmons are reunited as best friends or whatever they were by the shock of the two S.H.I.E.L.D. factions. They are even referred to as Fitz-Simmons throughout the episode. I hope to see their relationship repair itself in the future episodes.

7. The "Real S.H.I.E.L.D." is born- There is a series of flashbacks in this episode that go back to the day SHIELD fell and the "Real S.H.I.E.L.D." is born. It was interesting to see the ideals that formed this new S.H.I.E.L.D.



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'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Season 2 Episode 11 'Aftershocks' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode brought the season back with a bang. It maintained the high quality episodes this second season has had so far, and proved why the show is vital to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  

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

Highlights of the episode

1. Fitz helps out Skye/Daisey- Throughout the episode Daisey is kept in quarantine because the team thinks that the terrigenesis is a virus and don't understand quite how the terrigen crystal worked. Fit comes to the realization that Skye is the one who caused the earthquake when she becomes nervous and everything is destroyed in the room by seismic tremors. It seems as though he will turn on her but swaps her new blood sample with her old one so the results would matcha and the team would release her from quarantine. Fitz tells her it will be their secret, I liked this episode because it revealed that Fitz somewhat understands her because he doesn't want her to feel different and outcast as he did following the loss of oxygen to his brain. 

2. Heads of Hydra are cut off- It was fun to watch Coulson dupe Hydra into assassinating each other, but he obviously didn't remember their motto that two more shall take it's place. Also the man seen with Baron Von Strucker makes a cameo and Baron Von Strucker is even name dropped. I hope Strucker appears on the show at some point because we have seen very little of him and Hydra needs some strong leadership.

 3. Inhumans- We learn more about the man with no eyes we saw during the midseason finale. His name is Gordon and he can teleport after terrigenesis. At the end of the episode he rescues Reina and calls her beautiful which is odd given her change in appearance but mirrors what Skye's mom told him in a flashback. I'm curious to learn where he is taking her and how many other Inhumans he is working with but I'm sure these questions will be answered by the end of the season.

 4. An interesting flashback- The flashback I discussed a little above shows Gordon as a child who just experienced terrigenesis and seems lost and confused because he is blind and can teleport which is a very strange combination of changes. Skye's mother comforts him in the flashback and it is revealed she had a hand in guiding children through terrigenesis.

5. Reina's new form revealed- The revelation of Reina's new appearance was interesting and I think it is ironic given her fascination with flowers because roses have an inner beauty and thorns. This is somewhat supported when Gordon tells her "Hello beautiful" which is similar to what Skye's mother did to comfort him in the flashback and possibly shows that she has an inner power that will be revealed to be beautiful. However she really reminded me of one of the mutants from an X-Men film who I can't recall the name of. 

6. Mack and Bobbi continue scheming- So it seems that Mack and Bobbi are both still working together on some secret plot and I am very interested in learning more about it. I wonder who they are really working for given they were looking for Fury's toolbox.

7. Trip is mourned- I felt they managed to settle the aftermath of Tripp's death perfectly because each of the team was affected and they each handled it in their own way. I can tell nothing will be the same for the team after.

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