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

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Season 2, Episode 13 “One of Us” (B-)

I praised another episode that aired this same night, the latest installment of “The Flash,” for achieving so much in a single hour. This show, on the other hand, was far too ambitious in this episode, introducing a handful of new characters and piling on the action to a point of self-destructing way too early. The two most notable cast additions are portrayed by the most notable actors, which is hardly a surprise. Drea de Matteo, who I would never have expected to appear on this show, is Karla, a woman on the index with especially sharp nails, and Blair Underwood, a better fit for this show’s universe, is May’s ex-husband and someone who may actually be able to help Skye keep her newfound powers in check. Apparently, Skye did quite a lot of damage to herself bottling everything up, but it would have made a lot more sense if she had in fact acted to protect everyone on the football field since this was yet another human victory over superhumans without much explanation. And then we have the enormous bombshell that Mack is actually working for the real S.H.I.E.L.D, hence his abduction of Hunter, but that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I’ve stuck with this show through other uncertain and unpredictable times, and I’m hopeful that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m just not sure. As has tended to be the problem with this show, there’s a whole lot going on and I just don’t know how much support or depth there really is behind the curtain.