S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed – “Girl in the Flower Dress”
Mutants, mysteries and mutiny. Damn this series is getting good.
Girl in the Flower Dress is where Agents of SHIELD really hits its stride. A mysterious woman, Raina, approaches a pyrokinetic street magician and offers him a shot at greatness while the team deal with the traitor in their midst.
Yes, I said mutant earlier and Chan Ho Yin, aka Scorch, is that mutant. He’s never outright said to be (because Fox owns the rights) but given that his powers are never explicitly explained and that he shares the codename with an Asian pyrokinetic mutant in the comics, it’s safe to assume that he is too. Also, we’re getting two mutants joining the Avengers in the next movie so that’s another thing of note.
Scorch is taken in by Raina, the titular Girl in the Flower Dress, to a testing facility for the mysterious Project Centipede. They plan on using his ability to stabilize their Extremis cocktail to stop folks going boom. Insidious. I’ve gotta say that this is what I want from this show. More powers, more evil plots!
Skye is found out to be the one who leaked information to her scumbag ex-boyfriend who then sold the information that allowed Chan to be targeted. The team is naturally pissed to find that their friend has betrayed them but she’s soon helping them out again. In a move that I liked, she isn’t instantly kicked off the team only to return a few episodes later redeemed. She’ll be punished for her actions but throughout the episodes, you see how she’s changed her stance on SHIELD and considers the team to be good people, even her friends. Her reasons for joining the team in the first place are the true revelation as Coulson gives her one shot to tell the truth and she does. Her origins are a mystery and the only information she can find about her parents lead to a redacted file with the SHIELD logo. Coulson is ready to help but she’s betrayed their trust and she’ll have to earn it back, donning the high-tech bracelet Coulson also slapped on Skye’s scumbag ex before abandoning his arse in Hong Kong. I’ll be interested to see how the relationships continue to play out next week.
Coulson Watch is a twofer as early in the episode he admits to having an excess of “energy he needs to burn off” when confronted about getting up early by May and quickly follows that up with the hint of previous relationship between the two. Granted, it’s mostly Melinda May hinting that they “sparred” before. There’s also a little bit where Coulson actively admits that he’s changed since his “near” death experience.
The stinger reveals Raina talking to a man in prison who supposedly knows a clairvoyant. Who this guy is, who the clairvoyant is and how they figure into the Centipede organisation’s plans is all very mysterious.
Overall, an immensely enjoyable episode and more in line with what I expect of this show.