Saturday, May 23, 2015

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.21/2.22 Review: They're Only Inhuman


Who’s got two thumbs and didn’t lose part of an arm – not Phil Coulson! In the second season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., titled ‘S.O.S. Parts One and Two’, not only did Coulson lose part of one arm when Mack cut it off to stave off the melted down diviner metal’s attempts to kill him, but Jiaying attempted to take down all of Shield, Ward killed Agent 33 (mistaking her for May), and Cal went to “Tahiti”. And that’s not even the half of what occurred in the jam-packed two-hour season finale Tuesday night.
For all those that were too busy to watch this series finale, there was certainly a lot to be missed. The two hours kicked off with Jiaying manipulating the Inhumans into believing Shield had attacked first, a whole thing she’d masterminded to eradicate the group that could find them wherever they went. Ward and Agent 33 spent most of the two hours torturing Bobbi because she’d been the one to (mostly unknowingly) give up 33’s position that had caused Bakshi to find her. Skye was locked up when she discovered her mother’s true intentions when it came to the only group of people she’d ever felt a kinship to before finding her parents. Bobbi was shot protecting Hunter, Mack decided not to leave Shield when it was infiltrated by the Inhumans, Jiaying killed Raina so she wouldn’t blab which, in effect, caused Skye to discover the truth, Ward decided to become the new head of Hydra to avenge 33’s death, and Jemma was absorbed by the Cree rock in true Marvel fashion (i.e. in the last scene of the episode). Again, that’s not even the half of it.
While there were a couple of things I did find a little farfetched – even for the Marvel Universe – for the most part I found this to be quite a thrilling and entertaining season finale. The writing was beyond superb; the episode really flowed well from one scene until the next. And this double episode just made me love certain characters so much more. When Jemma actually defended what may have occurred in Afterlife it screamed character development. Mack I loved all the way through, and am so happy he’s sticking around; all that snark he was throwing around, and his brilliance in using an axe on the ship rather than a ricocheting gun. And Fitz, of course, I just love because he’s finally become that happy balance between quirky season one-ness, and the deeper, intricate season two character that I really look forward to enjoying through season three. But the real MVP of the episode was Adrianne Palicki’s turn this week as Bobbi Morse. The actress was simply fantastic throughout her entire torture scene, and then taking the bullet meant for Hunter. So many fantastic actors; this ensemble was really just killing it this week.
There were so many intricacies going on this week in this two-hour episode that I loved. When we discovered the true reason Jiaying has been able to heal and live all this time we really saw just how much she is not the benevolent Inhuman we were first lead to believe. The way she was made into an actual monster by the cruelty she had suffered is a terrible thing for her, but her turning against her daughter and nearly killing her in the name of revenge when the man that had pulled her apart was already dead. And it’s just weird that Raina turned out to be good in the end; just goes to show how easy it is to label someone one thing and they can then turn out to be another. Like Cal, who – despite his Jekyll and Hyde ability – turned out to just want to help his daughter and was manipulated by Jiaying into becoming the monster he had become. That’s one thing I love about this show, people aren’t always just one side of the coin.
If I were to really go into detail about every little moment in this episode, I’d likely be sitting here writing this for a couple of hours. Instead, I’ll leave off with a few final thoughts regarding ‘S.O.S Parts One and Two’. Considering it shares the same network as Once Upon A Time, this series has so much better graphics. Also, I found a few moments to be quite shocking. When Bobbi and Ward went toe to toe, I almost thought she’d stabbed him with the nails under her nails. Also, when Gordon teleported behind Fitz, I almost had a mini heart attack because I though Fitz was the one that had been stabbed by that bar, but luckily it ended up being Gordon. And, of course, when Mack cut off Coulson’s arm to save him from the crystal – doesn’t seem real that that would happen.
All in all, it’s going to be a long four or five months until this series comes back next fall. And other than me not being for Jemma and Fitz actually getting together, I’m really not going to have fun waiting for this series to come back. I mean, if Jemma is still alive inside that “rock”. Jemma is still alive, right? And what’s Hydra – or whatever it’ll be called – going to look like with Ward at the helm? Plus, is Lincoln going to be back next season? I would not be all right with it if he isn’t. Will Coulson get a bionic arm replacement? And if Skye’s destined to lead the Inhumans, will we see more of them pop up next season?
My rating: 8.0 out of 10.





Best Lines:
“I’m sorry, May; you’re not welcome here.” – Skye says to her S.O.
“Oh, no, Gonzales would never attack a base unprovoked.” – Jemma rolls her eyes.
“You know I am capable of finishing my own-“ – Hunter starts off. “Sentences? Yes, you are.” – Fitz finishes off.
“Wanna tell me what you’re really doing here?” – Coulson questions Cal’s true intentions.
“There’s a piece Ward doesn’t understand. When I find him, I’m going to kill him.” – May states glibly. “Glad we’re on the same page.” – Hunter agrees.
“Then take her to Hawaii.” – Bobbi tells Ward, regarding Agent 33.
“Peace? I built this community in the middle of no where so we would be left in peace, yet Shield found us.” – Jiaying explains.
“Ugh, I can’t wait to get off this boat.” – Mack states.
“Oh, I think you’re willing to, but want’s a different thing.” – Coulson says to Cal.
“It’s you and me, tremors.” – Mack tells Skye.
“Careful! I’m a married man.” – Cal teases Jemma.
“It’s Gordon?” – Mack confirms. “And you are?” – Gordon asks. “I’m the guy who kills Gordon.” – Mack tells him.
“What the hell took you so long?” – Mack asks. “It’s a big boat, with poor signage.” – Coulson uses an excuse.
“I’m trapped in here; that’s not possible. What’d you do?” – Gordon reacts alarmed. “Science beyotch.” – Fitz explains.
“We’re not bad; we’re misled.” – Lincoln stops May from killing an Inhuman.

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