Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.18 Review: Who's Working With Who?

If last night’s episode of Agents of SHIELD wasn’t exciting enough for you, you’re probably watching the wrong show. It really is as simple as that because I loved the episode, entitled ‘The Frenemy of My Enemy’. Coulson, Mike Peterson, Fitz, and Hunter went after Ward. Skye maneuvered her way into a trip with Cal – which didn’t end up being as one way for her monster doctor of a father as was intended. May (hopefully) seemingly showed her allegiances, just as Simmons continued to display her own. Bakshi returned and went against (Did he?) the team that’d had him brainwashed. Ward and Skye reunited – albeit briefly. And Lincoln and Mike Peterson were kidnapped by Hydra – yes, they are still around.

There’s just so much about this episode that I really enjoyed. Maybe it’s just from a self-professed TV addict’s perspective, but ‘The Frenemy of My Enemy’ hit many storytelling spots in just the right compelling way. Giving just a taste of Ward and Skye (for all those still hoping that that comes to fruition, despite their antagonistic relationship) was perfect to keep people at the edge of their seats waiting for an honest interaction. Bobbi’s questioning of why the “real” Shield is so gung ho about tracking down Coulson when Hydra is still out there perfectly put into play what many viewers are wondering about this new/old agency. Just the way each piece (or in this case character) adds a layer to this series that when they’re all connected together in the right setting (i.e. this episode) it makes for some tantalizing storytelling.

I’d just like to take a minute (or, really, a paragraph) and toss around a few questions regarding certain aspects of this episode that are bouncing around in my head, and also written down in my notes. If Hydra was able to fix on Gordon’s location when he “jumped” from one point to another, does that mean he is the one responsible for them finding all the powered people? Why is May all of a sudden all bothered by the notion that Coulson has kept secrets? Can it really be linked to the traumatizing events of the last episode? It feels a little lacking if it is. What is Ward and Agent 33’s – excuse me, Kara – end game? Am I the only one not all right with Ward and Kara? Did Ward honestly think it was okay for him to ask Fitz how he was doing? Does Hydra want Gordon, Skye, or just powered people in general? If Ethan was the one dead in the body bag near the beginning of this episode, does the fact that he had yet to transform (that is, go through the mist) have anything to do with Hydra’s inability to find whatever they’re looking for in his genes? When is Ward going to find out what happened to Skye? Is Hydra going to find the powered people’s location if they are tracking Gordon? He does go there an awful lot for them to not find it. And, finally, are Lincoln and Mike going to be dissected? Or, perhaps, just Lincoln? I would really not be okay with that. I’m a sucker for a good love triangle (one that does not dominate the story), and I think Skye, Lincoln, and Ward could be that. Of course, that won’t happen if Lincoln dies. Plus, I like Luke Mitchell’s character, and would like to see him stick around a while. Whew, that was a long paragraph, moving on.

Now, to the casual viewer this series may not be all that great; I know at least one person that has given up on this show after (to me) mild disappointment. But this series has really picked up it’s storytelling since the first season, and season two is screaming to me that this show is just starting to get really good. Although a spin off series (possibly starring Bobbi and Hunter) is being thrown around, the ratings for this show aren’t nearly as good as they should be to secure a definitive third season. So, that being said, I implore all those not watching this show, and/or all those that have given up on this series to jump back on that horse, get yourself settled in, and just enjoy the ride. I mean, I watch a fair bit of TV (at the moment, roughly around twenty hours a week), and not all of that is TV gold, so – in my opinion – when I say something is good, it’s usually worth a watch. This show is good, it’s first season wasn’t bad, but season two is good, and I expect if it were to get a third season it would only get better. But, I guess, if you’re not looking for good television, there’s always reality TV.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Hey, baby.” – Ward answers the phone, thinking it’s Kara. “Hey, sweetie. Why don’t you drop by? Love to catch up.” – Coulson replies, obviously not Kara.

“At least I have my winning personality.” – Mike Peterson states, after Kara tells him there aren’t any more face modulator things.

“Sometimes, as a leader, I have to do things I’d rather not do.” – Jiaying explains to Skye.

“Honestly, I don’t care what’s in it; the only thing I know is Coulson was just trying to protect Skye.” – Simmons says to May.

“Does it matter? You’ve got a cyborg on board with rockets in his arms.” – Ward wonders if three armed men are really much trouble. “He’s not a cyborg, he’s a Shield agent… with rockets on his arms.” – Coulson corrects.

“This is about Skye.” – Ward clues in to what Coulson is after that he needs Hydra for.

“The Skye who shot you three times?” – Kara asks Ward. “Four.” – Ward amends.

“I’m a friend of Skye’s.” – Mike explains. “Sure, and I’m the Hulk.” – Lincoln responds – which took me a second to remember the Hulk actually exists in this universe.

“I had her. Damnit, I had her.” – Coulson murmurs dejectedly. (And an awe moment for the surrogate father-daughter relationship they have.)

“We’re outmanned, outgunned, and our only back up is Fitz.” – Ward describes the situation at hand, feeling not too encouraged by where they stand.

“Take me to your leader.” – Coulson raises his hands to Bobbi and Mack.

Agent Carter 1.07 Review: Trust is Truth

For all those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Marvel’s Agent Carter, entitled ‘SNAFU’, now would be the time to do so before proceeding ahead. This is not a spoiler free review. I repeat, there will be spoilers ahead. Read ahead at your own discretion.

Speaking as – or at least writing as – someone that doesn’t quite favour the forties and basically anything set in that decade, this series has really grown on me. The first few episodes were somewhat weak, as Peggy really only attempts to get Howard Stark’s stolen weapons back in order to clear his name, I’ve really found that the last two or three episodes have really helped to make me see this series as a contender – and not just something that has temporarily taken the place of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. These characters have really grown into people, rather than one-dimensional character traits. Chad Michael Murray’s character Thompson has evolved from a chauvinistic man that didn’t believe a woman could be his equal, into a man struggling with guilt that doesn’t quite know how to deal with it. Likewise, James D’Arcy’s Edwin Jarvis has slowly shifted into a man who cares about not only defending Howard Stark, but also an honest friend of Peggy Carter, so much so that he would forge a confession from his aforementioned employer. Real people feeling real things and acting in ways real people would in dire circumstances.

Getting back specifically to this week’s episode, I have to express how much I enjoyed the opening sequence. Hayley Atwell has continued to exceed expectations as Peggy Carter, particularly in playing the only character that felt developed from the beginning – although perhaps that was because she was stepping into a character she’d already been able to get to know. The opening scene between Carter, Thompson, Sousa, and Dooley was quite wonderful. I loved the intricacies of it; Enver Gjokaj reactive skills when Carter figuratively slapped him when she told Sousa he’d held her on a pedestal, or Thompson basically begging her to confess so he wouldn’t have to effectively torture it out of her, and of course Atwell’s performance throughout. This was possibly the strongest opening this series has had to date, and it honestly makes me wish the ratings were stronger than they are.

This show started off, at least for me, as a filler until Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned, but now I’m hoping to get more out of this than just that. Perhaps even something along the same lines next year if both are given another season. That way this show could help bridge the gap between the S.S.R. and the beginning of S.H.I.E.L.D. There could even be a couple of Easter eggs for how Hydra are able to worm their way into the new order. Honestly, there could be a litany of creative ideas to keep this series running in brief eight – ten episode runs. But maybe that’s just my opinion.

All of the intricacies of this series are beginning to work really well, just as the series winds down its first season. The acting quality has grown incredibly, the snappy dialogue isn’t as cheesy as it started off, and the colouring scheme is just so brilliant the forties are beginning to grow on me. I really loved that Thompson was right in not trusting Dr. Ivchenko, and how good Dottie has been deceptively. The only thing I really had issues with this week – and the same goes for last week – is how ridiculous the whole hypnotizing angle was. I get that it served the story, but I don’t really feel that it was organic to what was going on. Sure, a lot of ridiculous things are possible in this world, but it just doesn’t sit right how easy it was for the doctor. Maybe it just wasn’t acted or laid out as well as it could’ve been.

Alas, I leave you with two final comments. One is that I greatly hope – once again – for a second season in order to see more of these phenomenal characters, including Lyndsy Fonseca’s Angie Martinelli, who was sadly not in this week’s episode. The other is that, while there was a lot of great dialogue this week, I can only include so much in my favourite lines, so unfortunately the whole table-mirror bit was not included, nor is the bit where Peggy expresses how she is overlooked or that she wanted to protect Steve. But make no mistake, if I wanted to pause this episode fifty different times, they would be included.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I’ve got a dozen guys in there wish they could play the game half as good as you.” – Dooley says to Carter.

“To you, I’m a stray kitten left on your doorstep to be protected. The secretary turned damsel in distress. The girl on the pedestal transformed into some daft whore.” – Carter explains to Dooley, Thompson, and Sousa, respectively.

“For the record, I find you repulsive.” – Dooley tells Mr. Jarvis.

“Have you ever been hanged, Mr. Jarvis?” – Carter asks. “I can’t say that I have; no.” – Mr. Jarvis responds. “It is quite unpleasant.” – Carter states.

“Well, as long as you saw it too.” – Thompson responds to Mr. Jarvis’s attempts to corroborate Carter’s statement.

Teen Wolf 4.12 Review: Who Wants to be the Baddest Monster?

If only Teen Wolf aired on Tuesday’s; then it really could’ve boasted a full moon on a full moon. Alas, the series does not, but the season four finale did air Monday night, titled ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, and it had so much going on, it encroached on Wolf Watch, going a whole fifteen minutes over its allotted hour. Normally I wouldn’t mind that, but it did mean I missed out on fifteen minutes of the after show, which just so happened to have ballooned up to a forty-five minute episode. It’d have been nice to have gotten a head’s up on that, but I relent.

This week’s season finale felt more or less like this season has felt, iffy on a hole with it’s season long arc, but nonetheless still good. Compared to 3B’s season finale it was unimpressive, but the writing on this season has been so back and forth and all over the place, I wasn’t altogether that surprised. I mean, the benefactor issue gets fixed last week, and then we have to deal with Peter again, really? He is interesting as a villain, but I really enjoyed having him pop up every now and again with his quippy little one-liners, and having make another 180 and go back to being evil Peter just felt like a devolution. Besides, the way the actor had been playing him most of this season – without the knowledge of Peter’s “true” intent – didn’t feel like it was leading toward this. And what’s the point in killing Scott anyway, when you can’t become an Alpha by stealing from a True Alpha?

As always, I adored Stiles this week – he’s continuously unmistakably fantastic. Loved the face he gave Derek when the latter was explaining to Liam what the “talisman” was. (Side note: is anyone worried that the use of mantras predicts Liam leaving Scott’s pack for the docile one?) It was really great seeing Stiles discussing with his dad everything that was going on with Scott and Kira in Mexico, and him having to go there because there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do for the pack (read: weird family, a la Buffy), particularly being Scott’s best friend. Despite his ferocity for the sardonic sense of humour, I really feel like Stiles, in this moment, shines as a young adult because he really has his priorities straight and understands responsibility. Speaking of responsibility, absolutely adored at the end when Sheriff Stilinski cuffs Stiles to the desk – perfect punishment.

One thing I do have to commend this week is the use of sound. The eeriness when Kira wakes up to her open cage and calls out for Scott thinking it was his doing (No, sweetie, it’s not Scott. Don’t you watch horror movies?) devoid of any other music or sounds other than what would be natural to that environment was absolutely perfect. Also, the final song of episode I greatly enjoyed.

Speaking of technical aspects, there’s also the ever-enjoyable cinematography I need to take note of. Despite a few choice close ups at the end – I’m looking at you Kate and Argent – that didn’t really give the actors a lot of good light, most of the filming was done quite well, including the shot of Peter skidding to a stop with his shocked face in regards to his nephew. The CGI-ing, though, or whatever it was, towards the end of the fight between Peter and Scott when Scott’s stopping all of Peter’s punches, was kind of terrible, but otherwise it wasn’t too bad.

In other respects to the episode, I may be one of the only people that don’t really care of Braeden and Derek. I mean, yay for Derek and his discovery of a non-homicidal – at least not yet – girlfriend, but much like how Stiles and Malia started, these two felt like they were just kind of haphazardly thrown together. For the most part, I didn’t even feel like those tears were real for the loss of someone she cared about (read: cared about, not loved, so many goddamned shows throw the word love around too much without believability).

A couple other final things to mention – one being the fact that Liam was the one that brought Scott out of his Berserker state. Okay, sure they have that commonality of worrying whether they’re monsters, and Liam finally got the hang of that this week (and whoa was that ever quick), but I would’ve hoped that at least Stiles would be the one to get through to him. Maybe it had to be a werewolf, and maybe that werewolf just happened to have to be Liam because he’s Scott’s Beta, but I don’t know, I was just a bit bewildered at this when it happened – although maybe it was just the acting. Also, thank God Derek is still alive, and how cool is it that we’re going to get to delve into the whole werewolf myth – hopefully – next season with Derek’s complete transformation. I bet his mama would be proud. And, finally, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, and I’m going to keep on saying it: I adore Coach; he is absolutely fantastic, and possibly my favourite adult on this show.

All in all, this episode, much like its season, was unimpressive and a bit too discombobulated. Individually this season’s episodes have been good, but they haven’t quite meshed well. Then again that’s how this series seems to be. It’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs, goods and bads, and the stories are just interesting and well enough done that it keeps me interested and coming back. Plus, who doesn’t need a guilty pleasure show stock full of drama and otherworldly nonsense to keep them going through their average day?

My rating: 7.5 out of 10 – this season: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I can keep you from going.” – Sheriff Stilinski tells his son. “I’d find a way.” – Stiles replies. “I can throw you in a cell.” – his father volleys back. “I’d still find a way.” – Stiles states, full of conviction. (Awe, Stiles all loyal.)

“Okay, okay, great. Do I get a fun?” – Stiles asks his father, after he agrees for them to both go down to Mexico together. “No.” – Stilinski exclaims.

“I’m not okay with that.” – Braeden says to Derek, upon realizing he knows he’s going to die. “I am.” – Derek replies, simply. (A simply beautiful line at that, and so much behind those two words.)

“If everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going.” – Peter states.

“You, you were dead.” – Kate mutters, shocked. “No, I was evolving; something you will never do.” – Derek corrects, after changing full form back to human shape.

“Okay, I believe you.” – Coach says. “Really?” – Liam replies incredulously. “Absolutely not.” – Coach shoots back.

Oh, and a friendly reminder, don’t stand between Lydia and her friends, she’s getting mighty handy with a bat.

Outlander 1.06 Review: The Truth of the Matter

The latest episode of Outlander aired Saturday night, entitled ‘The Garrison Commander’, and boy was it chock-full of fun (she writes sarcastically) – and oh so enlightening. This was the first episode I had the pleasure of viewing going into it with knowledge of what was to come, having just surpassed the storytelling of the TV series two days prior reading the book. Nonetheless, it was still quite enjoyable, and not just because it shook things up a bit by differing from the book in where certain events were placed timeline wise. Having continued further in the book, though, let me just tell you; I’m looking forward to the next episode even more.

Anyways, getting back to this episode, I found myself enjoying the momentum of this TV series, in respects to the book. The way they’ve laid out certain conversations (i.e. how she’s informed of Jamie’s second whipping) and gotten to certain moments (Claire not being taken to Inverness, but actually needing to be handed over to the dubious Black Jack Randall for “questioning”) works much more efficiently with regards to the medium of TV than how it was plotted out in the first novel. The showrunners and writers seem quite capable with the material they were given from the books, and properly translating that onto the screen.

So, basically this week we learned just how terrible a person Jack Randall is, by way of his flashing back on the flogging of Jamie some years prior, as well as his brief beating of Claire to elicit the truth out of her. This is the pivotal moment when Claire truly realizes just how great a departure this Randall is of her dear – unborn – husband and is able to see him as more of the villain of the piece – at least in my belief. We also discovered, in order to not be handed over to Randall and the English Red Coats, Claire must wed a Scot – none other than the beautiful (despite/in spite of his back) Jamie *insert correct last name here*. This led to what is probably my favourite part of this episode; the conversation between Claire and Jamie at the end.

In regards to other aspects of the episode, I would just like to raise my hand now and say that I, for one, enjoy the voice-overs by the ever-lovely Caitriona Balfe (Claire). I really don’t understand why everyone is all up in a tizzy about the voice-overs; I honestly believe they help us delve into the mind of Ms. Claire Beauchamp. Also, I would like to commend all those involved in the flogging scene, other than some slightly unrealistic skin flap, it was quite well done. Speaking for myself, I liked the real look of the streaming blood, and the way they filmed the scene with Sam Heughan (Jamie) slipping all over the place. This was quite a pivotal moment for this season, and not only to demonstrate Randall’s monstrous qualities, but to establish Jamie’s character as well. To go through all that pain, and not to cry out or be broken by it – quite remarkable.

 All in all, this was a very well put together episode. This certainly marked the point where the momentum of the series begins moving much more fluidly, and shed a great deal of light on our leading characters. I absolutely adored getting to see more of the Scottish countryside, and particularly liked that stream marked as something liars may not drink from and expect to be able to lie without consequence. The pieces of this series certainly appear to be coming together quite well as this point, and I look forward to the last two episodes before the split season break.

My rating: 7.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“The truth carries a weight that no lie can counterfeit.” – Randall explains to Claire.

“I believe that a part of you lives still.” – Claire remarks. “It would be pretty to think so.” – Randall replies.

“Doesn’t it bother you that… that I’m not a virgin.” – Claire inquires. “Well, uh, no. So long as it doesna bother you that… I am. … I reckon one of us should ken what they’re doing.” – Jamie responds.