S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed: “Paradise Lost”
“All is not lost, the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and the courage never to submit or yield.” – John Milton
Paradise Lost is an odd duck — balancing the progression of plot while taking a healthy amount of time to explore the mysteries behind the Malick family. It’s all good stuff it just feels… wedged together because the writers couldn’t really put it anywhere else.
On the plus side, Mack’s back! Yaaaay, now we get to hear his dulcet, bass-y bitching again! He doesn’t get much to do on the mission of the day; infiltrating a HYDRA compound and extracting Giyera. I gotta say that the fight between Ming-Na Wen and Mark Dacascos is a treat; mainly because it’s a Salty Bet-level fight between Chun-Li from Street Fighter: The Movie and Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat: Legacy!
Speaking of reunions, Lincoln and Daisy peel off from the main group in search of James, a would-be Inhuman who was banished by Jiaying for stealing from Afterlife’s archives. Why do I bring up this seeming no-name, one-shot character? Because it’s not the first time Luke Mitchell (Lincoln) and Axle Whitehead (James) have worked together. While Axle might be well known to American audiences for his role in Shameless; I know them both from their tenure co-starring on Australian soap opera Home and Away. Axle dials up his accent to 11, which sounds ridiculous but it’s nice to see two mates working together again.
Over in the house that HYDRA built, HiveWard is making himself at home in Malick’s house, his daughter being especially enamoured with their guest. After the revelation of his true form, HiveWard taunts Gideon with a ghost from his past; his brother whom had been manipulated into being a sacrifice for the monolith. It’s cool to see Brett Dalton flex his acting chops as he switches personalities before going full villain and killing Gideon’s daughter with a kiss, firmly putting the old dog in his place.
Giyera breaks free aboard Zephyr One and runs amok, taking down the team and hijacking the bus with his abilities. May manages to send out a distress beacon but with most of the team onboard, who can she turn to? Who else but the team she has been putting together since the start of the season; The Secret Warriors! Yoooooo!
As serviceable as Paradise Lost is, the thought of a full house of Inhumans cowboying up to save SHIELD has got me hype so I’ll see you guys next week when The Team assembles!