'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: To the Plane!
Warning: Spoilers ahead for this week’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Simmons is back! All of Fitz’s insanity has paid off, and everybody’s favorite biochemist has returned from… wherever. And even though we knew she was coming back, director Kevin Tancharoen still managed to make it feel like we might lose her for good.
The Plot
Fitz’s Very Bad Idea of assaulting the monolith pays off as they figure out it’s a portal. They go to Professor Randolph (Peter MacNicol) — the Asgardian pretending to be a human from last season — who recognizes the Hebrew on the scroll and leads them to an English castle, where a control room was built for the monolith back in the 19th century. It turns out to be an acoustics-channeling room, and Daisy is able to use her vibrational powers to keep the portal open long enough for Fitz to jump in and pull Simmons back to Earth.
Meanwhile, Ward is reviving Hydra, and he’s brought on his first legacy: Wolfgang von Strucker’s son Alexander, who has just enrolled as a student of May’s ex Andrew.
Simmons Is Back!
There are shows where the mystery of the monolith and Jemma’s absence would have lasted a season or more. Agents isn’t one of those shows, at least not anymore.
There are still plenty of people who were turned off by Season 1, and a big reason for that is they were forced to spin their wheels while waiting for the big Captain America 2 crossover. Hopefully, those people will make their way back in time to see Fitz and Simmons finally go on a date — which, given their social skills, will almost certainly be awkward/wonderful.
Related: Get Caught Up With Our ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Recaps
The Banter Is Back!
When the show fails, almost every time the problem can be traced back to it forgetting to have a sense of humor. It seems almost criminal that they would forget this crucial element; one thing that set both early Marvel comics and Agents co-creator Joss Whedon’s career apart from their competitors is sharp, witty dialogue.
“A sandwich would be nice.” “One night, I tried to hold all the drinks.” “To the plane!” When the quips are flying, it grounds the show and makes the technobabble believable. (Well, quantum harmonic oscillation theory is real, but zero-point energy fields are sci-fi video game jargon.)
Ward Is Back!
It seems like every year, Ward gets cuter and cuter, which just makes his face more and more punchable. Back when he was part of the team, that was a problem, but now it makes him one of the worst/best villains on TV.
May Is Back!
And we get to meet her dad, played by James Hong (aka the old Chinese guy in every TV show/movie you’ve ever seen in your entire life). It’s great to see the domestic side of May, and it’s something we should see more of from the entire team. Coulson making an omelette. Hunter playing an intense game of Balderdash with Bobbi. Ward taking an improv class.
Also, if the image of a tiny Dorothy Hamill-obsessed Agent May doesn’t crack your face with joy, then maybe television just isn’t your thing, because Cavalry on Ice is pure magic.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
