What an amazing episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. this week as well as one of the greatest midseason finales that we've ever gotten in a comic book television series in general. I really enjoyed the science-fiction heavy angle within the planet wandering scenes as well as the continuation of the magnificently inserted Hydra lore of the previous episodes. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has begun this amazing story arc into the cosmic angle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I've been loving every second of it especially when they utilize it to make Hydra a more intriguing villain for the future.
There's just something fascinating about this alien planet's mystery and its connection to Hydra's creation that really got me invested into this specific story arc of the series. What made me smile the most is the Hydra logo being shown as this ancient statue or shrine in the middle of a canyon. This was arguably the greatest scene (visually and artistically speaking) that I've ever seen on the show so far. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing an entire episode focusing on what happened to this planet as well as the species that lived there before. This creature that Hydra has praised over the years is becoming more and more interesting which actually makes me realize how insignificant Lash might up end up being as the Season 3 villain that we anticipated. Although, I won't completely throw him under the bus just yet.
Stepping off the planet for a second, I really enjoyed the SHIELD infiltrating Hydra portion of the episode which was action packed and fun to watch overall. Although a little brief, it was great to see Daisy's Inhuman squadron utilizing their powers to take down Hydra forces. This is something that I'm almost certain will be more present and frequent in upcoming episodes, so I couldn't complain too much about how short these scenes were. Either way, I'm really excited to see these guys in action and hope that the team will expand even more down the line. Perhaps in the season finale, someone mentions the title "Secret Warriors" when talking about an operation involving Daisy's group. I can see the internet blowing up now after a major comic book reveal like that.
As far as villains go, I honestly didn't know what to think regarding Lash roaming around in the world now as I've never really been a fan of the character (although I do like the Andrew character on his own). The only thing that this puts in motion is the fact that we now know what May's continuing story will entail as it'll most likely focus on her hunting him down all over again. My issues with Lash's character really boils down to the fact that I've always found him to be a visually and written-wise dull villain who's only good aspect was his connection to May's development as a character.
In a sense, you can say that Lash is actually a great character for supporting other story arcs, but that would be the nice way of saying that he simply doesn't work on his own as an individual entity of interest. However, we do finally get the debut of this new powerful villain (which we'll simply call "Hydra's God" just for this review) and although I am truly excited to see where this goes, I hope it won't present itself as as just "Zombie Ward" for the remaining of the season. That would be beyond a colossal waste of potential and downright lazy in some aspects.
Speaking of our favorite double agent, Ward's death scene was a fulfilling and satisfying end for the character and a nice way to seal off the Coulson revenge plot point. I was beginning to get a little nervous that Coulson would continue on as being this emotional character on a revenge mission without the writers realizing that they've placed their most important leader figure down a terrible path for a bit too long.
It's great to see characters of high professionalism show their inner selves at times, but it can also seem a little embarrassing to see a beloved and respected leader of an organization come across as a rookie with anger issues. So, I'm happy to see that they brought some form of closure to his story and it was definitely great to see Ward finally bite the bullet (or get his chest caved in with an artificial hand I suppose).
There were so many things going on in this episode and I was surprised to see that the writers managed to shove of it all in without making things feel cluttered. With a significant character death as well as a major character reveal, I simply cannot wait to see what's in store for us once the show makes its big return next year. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has officially proven itself to be more than just an Avengers spin-off and more of an entertaining and fascinating individual series that can successfully live in its own space. This is one of those episodes that hits that message across very strongly and I can finally tell people who have stopped watching it during its first season, "You've been missing out big time".
Episode Rating: 10/10
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