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

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 2, Episode 10 “What They Become” (B-)

After a strong start to the season, this episode was a bit of a mess since it charged into the mythology full-throttle and made a very important and not entirely believable character changes happen. It’s a questionable move to head into a four-month hiatus with most of your characters trapped inside tunnels and caves that have just collapsed, but this show has been pretty bold for the second half of its life so far. Probably the most monumental moment of this episode was the long-awaited reunion of Skye and her father, who we now know is named Cal. Though at first he seemed a bit too crazy, it became clear that he was motivated by good, and it didn’t take long for Skye to call him dad, even if it was only to stop him from killing Coulson. The current head of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasted no time in shooting Whitehall, which was strange given how many enemies they’ve left standing and what mysteries still remain unsolved. Ward revealed himself to be loyal to Skye and Agent 33, who may now too be for hire, and it will be intriguing to see where they end up now that Hydra as an institution is crumbling. That’s not the only thing that’s crumbling, and poor Trip was just trying to be a hero and save Skye. Instead, she managed to be reborn in some way, as did Raina, it appears, while Trip turned to stone and disintegrated. The tragic aftermath of all this is sure to play out dramatically in March when the show returns after yielding its timeslot to “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” and then we’ll get to deal with this freaky man with no ones and what ominous threat he represents.