Granted, that’s pretty much how it goes in the source material with the Superhero Registration Act and a team of Secret Avengers being established and with SHIELD acting in concert with the government, they are being forced to put all their cards on the table but it’s obvious that Coulson is Team Cap and will be skirting the line as much as possible.

Hive continues his nefarious plans of turning humans into Inhumans by targeting the Watchdogs. Shout-out to Axle Whitehead being an awesome Hellfire and being a great henchman. When this is all over, I hope he sticks around – both because I like the character and because I’m a fan of the actor.

One sequence I do love is Lincoln fully becoming an Agent of SHIELD by executing an amazing feint. He knew Daisy was setting him up and instead of Lincoln being met by Hive; Hive is met by Lash. Fuck yes, this is a great way to get Lash involved in the plot again aaaaaand he’s gone. Yeah, we couldn’t have a credible threat to Hive stick around when it’s the team that needs to solve the problem! Still, Andrew’s last act is to free Daisy and return her home and that’s a heroic sacrifice.

The end-scene keeps the Mack/Yo-Yo ship sailing strong until she hands off her crucifix to him. This is such a red herring. It’s so obvious and telegraphed that the show wants to think Mack is going to be on the Quinjet in space that it can’t possibly be him. I’d actually be surprised (and very disappointed) if it actually was him.

This week was an interesting episode and now that Hive has some semblance of an army (hurray for generic Inhuman goons!) we’ll see how the team deals with that in the two-part season finale next week in Absolution and Ascension.

This is it, boys and girls, the moment we’ve been waiting for; the Agents of SHIELD tie-in to Age of Ultron and it does a cracking job of establishing the playing field ahead of the May 1st US opening and even from my perspective, having seen the movie, it answers a major question I had and even does some clever nods to whet your appetite.

How does the episode hold up on it’s own merits? Pretty damn well! After all the infighting and set up for Coulson’s return as the head of SHIELD, this episode goes a long way in showing why Coulson was chosen and why his team is beloved while Gonzales and his team are mistrusted.

So hey, Coulson’s got the band back together, including Skye! Raina’s premonitions prove useful as she gives Skye the motivation and incentive to rescue Lincoln, reuniting her with the team just as they’re setting off. I love that the episode takes the time to address the fact that Ward betrayed EVERYONE and is a monster but, fair play to Brett Dalton, Ward comes off as quite repentant but there really is no forgiving him, as Ward himself admits later.

During the rescue mission, Skye has an awesome single shot fight scene that brings to mind the awesome hallway sequence in Daredevil. Chloe Bennet appears to be doing all the stunt work too which is astounding.

Another cool moment is Simmons trying to kill Ward with a Splinter Bomb. Fully deserved but Ward’s response is just PERFECT. Simmons has changed, we’ve seen it and certainly not for the better. It’s just so satisfying to having the psychopathic Judas say it to her and be disappointed. Loved it!

The mission is a success, Lincoln and Mike are rescued, Ward is in the wind and Gonzales finally gets his grubby mitts on the unlocked Toolbox, only for Coulson to sandbag his accomplishment and strut off triumphantly to chat with Maria Hill about the location of Loki’s staff! This was an awesome little detail that answered my question from Age of Ultron. We also get an idea of what the Theta Protocol is because it involves The Avengers. I think I know what it is but I’ll wait ‘til next week to see if I’m right and to avoid spoilers.

Overall, a fantastic episode in it’s own right that is made better by it’s connection to the larger MCU.