Melinda is an odd horse, pulling double-duty of continuing the Inhuman story of Skye and focusing on May’s past and her current investigation. I don’t know what it is about this episode but I am completely ambivalent towards it. Maybe it’s because I’m coming off the best 13 episodes of superhero television I’ve watched in a very long time (aka THE FUCKMOTHERING DAREDEVIL) or that the story is chugging along at a steady/sluggish pace and I just want MORE to happen…

In the present, May is put in charge of the Playground and is running an investigation into Coulson’s clandestine Theta Protocol, which the ‘Real’ SHIELD know about but May has had no knowledge of. Clearly, Coulson’s up to some shady bullshit and Mack believes its to do with hiding powered people but whatever his agenda, we know Coulson is doing it for good reasons. Right?

In the past we learn of May’s infamous mission to Bahrain where she earned the title “The Cavalry”. They throw in a mother/daughter Inhuman tag team to keep the story relevant (I guess) but it’s quite interest to see the dichotomy between her past and present selves. Her charming home life with Andrew, her cheerier outlook and her compassion are on full display and we get to witness all of that stripped away from her by an ultimately forgettable encounter (from out perspective) with a nobody character (though the little girl’s reveal as the creepy fear monger is quite cool).

Over with Skye; her new guide, Jiaying, is helping her “hear” the vibrational frequencies and tunes in on a mountain and causes an avalanche and later creates a continuous tone with wine glasses, showing her focus increasing tremendously shortly before she shatters all the glasses. This leads to a little more about her trust issues and her time at St. Agnes (the orphanage Matt Murdock also spent time in) and laments that she doesn’t even know her birthday, only for Jiaying to tell her the truth and reveal both Skye’s birthdate and that she is Jiaying’s daughter. It’s not a bad resolution all together, and solid reasoning is given as to why their connection should remain secret (tying into May’s plot nicely). Jiaying pleads with Skye to give her father some small measure of time for at least tracking her down and leading her to her heritage, but this “happy” family reunion is quite disturbing as Lincoln walks in and realises this is what Raina saw in her nightmares, revealing her power to be precognition.

Stinger catches up with Fitz, who is being tailed by SHIELD and has holed himself up in a dinner bathroom and activates the Toolbox, gaining contact with Hunter. He admits that he’s in trouble but still wants to join up with them and Hunter offers some reassurance like a supportive dad. Clearly he’s been taking lessons from Coulson.

So yeah, Melinda is a fine episode but I need the show to give itself another, much needed, kick up the arse as we head into Age of Ultron. Come back next week for THE DUMBEST title for an episode to date with The Frenemy of My Enemy. Hngh.

Afterlife is kind of a weird title, and the in-universe explanation is just as ropey to be honest but otherwise a brilliant episode that gives a better look at the Tomorrow People Inhumans and the Coulson’s fight back against the ‘Real’ SHIELD.

After drinks at the bar, Coulson and Hunter head to the retreat and spend most of the episode bonding and being fun guys before they attempt to steal a Quinjet from the ‘Real’ SHIELD. I love that Hunter, while being totally loyal to Coulson, has no problem voicing his concerns at Coulson’s plans. Nick Blood has rocketed to the best new cast addition since Mack turned out to be a filthy traitor. But the biggest thing to take from this C-plot is…

DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH! DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH! Mike ‘The Terminator’ Peterson! He never said he’d be back but I always hoped and he’s rocking some brand new armour and even Agent status under Coulson. This was a fantastic return and a much needed boost since the situation’s been pretty dire and there’s only so much Coulson-puppy kicking you can take before you get turned off of the show, right?

Over with the Tomorrow People Inhumans, sorry, I can’t help it! Skye is recovering at the Inhuman’s super-secret base cared for by Lincoln. The reason for the Tomorrow People mix-ups is because Luke Mitchell is another TP alumni, the others joining the CW’s DC shows and this Inhuman safe haven has some very Tomorrow People vibes, with the voiceless extras and the teleporting in and out, the only real difference is that this place is much swankier than a disused subway station. Much more sunlight and Japanese archways.

Luke Mitchell is a fantastic actor and I’m not referring to his stint in TP, I know him from Australian soap opera Home & Away, where he played the charming, good hearted and extremely attractive Romeo (Fun Fact: after 4 years as a regular cast member, he suffered the indignity of dying OFF-SCREEN of skin cancer. Woof.) Tangent aside, he brings all of the same good looks and charm to this role but with his shiny new American accent.

There’s shady goings-on at the safe haven, not so subtly hidden by Lincoln and Skye eventually loses her temper and storms into the forbidden hut of mystery to find Raina and the two trade barbs (geddit?) until Skye’s new trainer enters the room…

WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK! I really did not expect to see Dichen Lachman to return as Jiayang, Skye’s mother. She’s a little scarred up, hinting that she healed after being disected by Whitehall, adding a healing factor to her longevity. We also check in on Cal, who isn’t handling confinement too well and even less so when he realises that Skye is near. He seemed very unsurprised to see his wife alive again so maybe he knew all along? I hope they address that in the future.

Meanhile, the ‘Real’ SHIELD has it‘s agenda flag flying; Gonzales, Mack and Bobbi all seem to be trying their best to recruit May, Fitz and Simmons, respectively. Just being “SHIELD Agents” isn’t enough for our team and that’s what Gonzales and his stooges don’t seem to grasp. This isn’t loyalty to a cause or to a badge, this is family. A dysfunctional, arse-kicking family and what Gonzales has doesn’t compare. Fitz and Simmons, while at odds with each other, would still have each other’s ba–

Oh, well FUCK ME then! No wonder Fitz is leaving! Oh yeah, you read that right. Utterly disgusted by Jemma’s actions and the general douchery of ‘Real’ SHIELD, Fitz packs his bags and leaves…

SWERVE! The stinger reveals that Simmons swapped out the real Toolbox for a fake and now Fitz is on his way to Coulson with it and his favourite sandwich. Finally, there’s some hope for the team!

Afterlife is a brilliant episode that really gives the show a kick in the arse. Multiple reveals and further mysteries mean I’ll be interested in seeing where the show goes as opposed to going through the motions and basically watching just to continue these reviews. What did you guys think? Let me know in the comments and we’ll be back next week for the secret of The Cavalry in Melinda.

The mid-season finale is upon us, SHIELD fans, and while I wondered if this would live up to the prospective hype of The Bridge last season and it knocks it out of the park!

Mack’s missing, Skye’s been kidnapped, Hydra is digging into the city and shit’s generally fucked. In the midst of all this tension, we get some nice bits of humour and levity, particularly from Hunter.

Kyle MacLachlan is on fine form, whether acting like the nervous father meeting his daughter for the first time, the grieving widow or the vengeful monster. It’s a testament to his acting chops that he goes through all these stages in 20mins and it feels organic for the character. We finally get his name, which is Cal, and I can stop calling him The Doctor. He loses control after Coulson kills Whitehall, robbing him of his revenge and proceeds to beat Coulson like an egg until Skye threatens to kill him/calls him dad. He reluctantly leaves but not before revealing her name; Daisy.

Ward continues to play the nutty sociopath we all love to hate. His actions are more on the side of heroic this episode but Raina is quick to call out his reasons and Whitehall takes advantage of that. Not only that, the audience gets some delicious catharsis when Skye is set free and proceeds to empty a clip into Ward’s ass. He survives, thanks to some padding and Agent 33’s assistance, and he lives to hopefully return as a smug cock one day.

Meat and potatoes of the episode is clearly the revelation of… stuff. But first, a moment of silence for Trip. Exposed to an alien mist, Triplett slowly carbonised like many other victims of the diviner and crumbled to dust in front of Skye. Yes, it’s a shame a character played by a black actor died but, really, Trip wasn’t getting anymore character development or screen time than Koenig and was way less interesting so why not bump him off? On the plus side, it appears Mack regained control of himself after the whole incident.

And finally, the main course. The Inhuman Awakening. Once inside the underground city, Skye and Raina (along with Trip) get trapped in a stone chamber, which opens to reveal a Terrigen crystal and the two women proceed to be enveloped by cocoons after being exposed to the Terrigen mists. Trip dies and the two emerge, Raina transformed into something all the more beastial while Skye appears unchanged, until the sight of her friend reduced to ashes causes her to tense and the room and surface above tremble violently.

Daisy Johnson stands revealed as the Inhuman Agent of SHIELD; Quake. It’s fantastic to see our first super-powered female human in the MCU is a character we’ve seen develop over the course of two seasons and I’m all in favour of the Inhuman storyline developing through TV in the lead up to the movie. Post credits scene reveals yet another Inhuman, a seemingly blind man, with another diviner. YOOOOOOO!

As expected, the Inhuman plotline advances and so much more can be made of the actions and events of this episode! A flawless episode of SHIELD and I can only hope those repercussions are felt when we return in Spring! See you then!