'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: Lash's Identity Is Revealed... and It's Closer Than You Think
Warning: Spoilers ahead for this week’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has fixed one very important thing that has improved its storytelling tenfold: pacing. In the first season, Lash’s secret would have been dragged out for a dozen episodes, and the reveal would have been anticlimactic; this season, it took barely two. What they are successfully dragging out are the complicated and delightful relationships — Fitz and Simmons, Bobbi and Hunter, Coulson and Rosalind. They’re couples that feel organic rather than contrived (see: any couple involving Skye/Daisy).
The Plot
Andrew is being wheeled into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s operating room after a close call with an exploding bodega. Alexander (aka Baby Von Strucker) also escaped the blast and is now on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra for botching the attempt on Andrew’s life. He goes to Gideon Malick (Powers Boothe, reprising his role from the first Avengers movie), who turns him over to Ward. May and Bobbi track him down, but Hydra gets to him first.
Daisy, Mack, and Hunter suspect Banks (Andrew Howard) of being Lash while Rosalind reveals to Coulson what the A.T.C.U. is doing with their Inhumans. Oh, and Andrew is Lash.
Andrew is Lash!
The thing about dragging out a secret is that, eventually, you either have to give enough clues that most everybody’s figured it out already, or the answer is so out of left field, there’s no emotional impact when it’s revealed.
We met Lash in Episode 1 and established his power; we find out he has a human form in Episode 4, so now everybody is a suspect; and now, in Episode 6, we find out that he’s actually the team’s emotional anchor and May — who was about ready to strangle Hunter for putting Andrew in harm’s way — must now contend with the emotional trauma of divorcing a guy, only to reconcile, lose him again, get him back again, then find out he’s an eight-foot tall Inhuman serial killer. You know, the classic American love story.
How Bobbi Got her Groove Back
If Agents was 50 minutes of Quake, Mockingbird, and The Cavalry kicking ass and ten minutes of plot, it would be a perfect show. As it is, Bobbi and May got two great fight scenes in, and Bobbi shook off the rust by taking out an enormous Hydra dude with “experience” — aka an electrified pool.
Coulsalind
There are those who would dismiss the value of light and witty banter, but those people are dummies. An action show without witty banter is just a glorified boxing match with explosions. Witty banter is the only thing that makes a will-they-won’t-they relationship work, and sometimes can elevate it to a work of art.
Coulson and Rosalind have stone faces that would make the dudes on Mount Rushmore break down crying, but the juxtaposition of their taciturn, spy-boss personas is so wonderfully undercut by their flirty back-and-forth that if Agents was 50 minutes of them arguing about who gets to see whose base and ten minutes of plot, it would be a perfect show.
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“It Looks Like a Horror Movie”
Of course, that doesn’t make the A.T.C.U.’s policy of turning every Inhuman it runs across into a creepy Jell-O mold any less awful. Rosalind’s justification that they’re just putting them into stasis until a “cure” can be found sounds legit, but anyone who’s seen The Matrix should be suspicious that somebody’s planning to use people like batteries.
Assorted Thoughts
* If you were to look at this cast full of young and beautiful people, who would have thought that the most engrossing romantic relationship would be between two folks over 40? Okay fine, everybody who ships Coulson and May, but besides those people…
* Tiny Asian Women Kicking Ass should be a Netflix category.
* Fitz is researching Will’s background. Do you think he’ll find anything? The way they ended the scene with him suspiciously scanning articles sure makes it seem like he will.
* So — was the break-in at Rosalind’s place a ruse? Either to keep Coulson from her base, or to woo him with DJ’s Burgers? Or is there yet another party about to complicate this Inhuman situation?
* Stir-crazy Hunter driving Daisy and Mack up the wall is great comic relief; they should be put together more often.
* Andrew is Lash!
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
