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

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 1, Episode 21 “Ragtag” (B)

As a standalone hour, this episode was actually relatively decent, but my greater problem with the show stems from the irreversible turn it took a few weeks ago. I’m truly curious about whether Ward was always intended to be a bad guy, because everything leading up to what happened in that first Hydra-focused episode contradicts everything we know about him now. But there’s little to be done about that at this point, and so it’s up to the show to back it up going forward. Starting with a flashback to a young Ward being sprung from jail by a scenery-chewing Garrett was helpful in establishing who this character is supposed to be. Contrasting that with Fitz’s eternal belief that Ward was being controlled in the same way that Mike was made his betrayal sting all the more. On the lighter side, it was fun to see Coulson and May do their best Fitz-Simmons impressions while utilizing Captain America-era technology that Coulson and Triplett were so excited about. Against my every expectation, ABC has in fact renewed this show for a second season, along with a new WWII-set series, “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” starring Hayley Atwell. I guess season two is happening after all, so what takes shape in the finale is going to have a lasting impact. I don’t know if that means that Ward survives and somehow becomes a hero again, or if Triplett joins the team full-time, or if S.H.I.E.L.D. comes back together in a coherent way. I’m sure the finale will provide some answers.