What I’m Watching: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.LD: Season 1, Episode 20 “Nothing Personal” (B)

I’m happy to report that this show continues to improve from its franchise-induced state, and this episode even showed signs of having the potential to be a truly great series, something that it never quite lives up to even in its best moments. This installment productively utilized its two familiar TV guest stars to propel its story forward and to frame it within a governmental and military context. Adrian Pasdar was seen briefly in a previous episode and now Colonel Talbot was right in the middle of the action, leading the charge into the secret base to arrest Coulson and his team on charges of being suspected Hydra agents. Fortunately, Cobie Smulders’ Agent Maria Hill was also there, and despite an icy run-in with May and some initial uncertainties, she proved to be a formidable ally for the team, going toe-to-toe in verbal combat with Ward while factoring greatly into the physical mission. Seeing Coulson appear in the hangar of the bus triumphantly before the show cut to commercial was a glimmer of excitement, and to me the strongest indication of what this show could be like if it was more consistent and less concerned with so-so special effects of cars falling through the sky. I also liked the scene in which Skye passive-aggressively chewed Ward out before revealing that she was the one who called the cops on him, ending her takedown with “Hail Hydra.” The cat was let out of the bag quickly, and though both Ward and Skye still clearly care for each other in some capacity, the lines have been drawn. Fitz is starting to freak out, and I’m sure that the season’s final two episodes will be action-packed and game-changing in an irreversible way.