S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed – “End of the Beginning”
What is this, a Smashing Pumpkins title?
I’m getting really tired of saying “SHIELD is getting better and better with each episode” so can we start taking that as a given? The bar has been raised, the stories are way better than they were and we’re properly connected to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Also pretty tired of these Young Justice-esque delays between episodes but thankfully, we’ve been promised a 7-episode run all the way to the finale with no breaks, starting with this episode. I’m extremely thankfuly for that. Writing weekly reviews is kinda hard when YOUR SHOW KEEPS TAKING BREAKS!
So hey, that Deathlok costume, huh? Doesn’t look so dumb in motion does it? Especially when they give us a peek at the real Deathlok just beneath the skin! Despite my intial reluctance to the costume, they use Deathlok quite effectively.
They bring in all the named Agents we’ve seen thus far, barring Maria Hill, and formulate a plan to flush out the clairvoyant with a clever plan! They induct Skye as a full Agent of SHIELD and have her come up with the plan. Although Victoria Hand heads off to organise back-up teams and Agent Sitwell is sent off to be a hostage in The Winter Soldier, they manage to find Deathlok and he eventually leads them to Deathlok and eventually Thomas Nash, the Clairvoyant. Nash is played by Brad Dourif and despite playing someone who seemingly suffers from locked-in syndrome, plays Nash as a sinister Hannibal type.
Ward shoots him in cold blood once he starts threatening Skye and is carted off, and the threat appears to be neutralised until the pieces start falling into place, that the Clairvoyant isn’t psychic, he’s an agent of SHIELD. Meanwhile, Fitz uncovers May’s secret hardline to her superiors and reports it to Skye and Coulson and soon a showdown takes place in the cargohold with Coulson convinced that May is working for the Clairvoyant and May probably thinking similar of Fitz. But soon they’re all in the dark as the Bus changes course and the mastermind is revealed to be…
VICTORIA HAND! Now, when she first appeared, I mentioned her not-so-clean-cut reputation from the comics so it makes sense that she’s pulling the strings as well as a part of the defecting SHIELD faction in The Winter Soldier. I have more than a sneaking suspicion that Agent Triplett is also a double-agent and Simmons may be in trouble because of it.
Apparently the stinger for the episode was a scene from The Winter Soldier but I didn’t have that on my version but I’m sure it was good! Fantastic episode and it looks like we’ll be steaming towards the season finale with more fantastic stories!