SHIELD Exposed shieldfeat

Published on October 16th, 2014 | by Sharp-O

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S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed: “Face My Enemy”

Oooooh, I see what they did with the title now. Very clever.
Face My Enemy is a solid caper episode, where SHIELD attempt to steal a painting that survived a church fire that inexplicably has alien writing on it. They are thwarted in their plans by Hydra but ultimately win the day. Like I said, solid episode and as such, there’s not a lot to talk about but I’ll muddle through.

tumblr_ndib3f8FJh1spvliso6_1280Coulson and May share the spotlight for most of the episode, with Clark Gregg and Ming-Na Wen obviously having a ton of fun with old-school spy shenanigans. Fun cover stories, dancing, laser grids, the works! They even have cuff-links and sparkly dresses! Coulson and May are having fun but also taking time to talk about Coulson’s worsening condition and how he wants to be killed if he becomes like Garrett. It shows the connection these two share and their close friendship. The usually affable Coulson is dead serious with his wishes and the usually pragmatic May shows concern and compassion for her friend. It’s a nice change of pace.

tumblr_ndi1oqQu5d1s66zfno3_500 tumblr_ndi1oqQu5d1s66zfno4_500Ming-Na Wen has lots of butt-kicking to do towards the end of the episode that is simply astonishing to watch. General Talbot swipes the painting from under the team’s noses but offers to let them have a look at it. May goes to check it out and see if the offer is legit but finds the freshly brainwashed Agent 33 and Sunil Bakshi from Hydra, the latter impersonating Talbot thanks to a Photostatic Veil, the digital face swap gadget Black Widow used in The Winter Soldier. May gets knocked out and replaced by 33 with another Veil. Slyness ensues but Coulson catches on and socks 33 in the jaw, just as May breaks free. Thus ensues a three minute long brawl between two Agent Mays, 33 in a slinky dress and the real May in nothing but a lace slip. To quote another Whedon property: “I’ll be in my bunk.”

tumblr_ndi92cR89t1qhbkwzo1_500The fight is very impress though! Between slight CGI work, stunt doubles and the most impressive fight choreography I’ve seen since last season’s finale, it’s an absolute delight to watch. It’s quick, brutal and ends on a fantastic finisher.

tumblr_ndi6dz8Zjg1sk2xoko2_500 tumblr_ndi6dz8Zjg1sk2xoko3_500Fitz also gets plenty of development. He’s made a new friend but is still struggling with team dynamics but when the Bus is compromised, he collars Hunter to be his hands as they rewire the plane before it explodes thanks to a Hydra virus. Hunter later buys him a beer and Hunter, Mack and Fitz share some bro-bonding time, Fitz opening up about his unrequited feelings for Simmons. It’s a great moment which brings Fitz back into the fold and even show that Hunter can be a good guy when not being insufferable to the others. The newer characters have been doing a great job and I’m glad to see them helping Fitz while the Season 1 guys are busy with their own shit.

Next week sees the introduction of a new character that everyone is excited to see so we’ll see what happends when you put A Hen in the Wolf House.

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