Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (S2E6) Review: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back

The Agents of what used to be a massive organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. sure don't get a lot of breaks in life. However, although the crux of the episode centers on more trouble for what's left of Nick Fury's spy agency, there's some breakthrough news to come for these guys and gals secretly protecting the world. But first, they have to deal with the fact that HYDRA just framed them for an attack on the United Nations.


Not exactly a small scenario to get out of, but the group goes on a mission to find out who exactly is behind the weaponry and what the ultimate game plan is. This leads to an episode heavy on sleuthing, though a bit lighter on some of the impressive character moments that have marked the season. Luckily, there's still some of that here, some of which deals with one of the shows best characters, Mockingbird. Her storyline, dealing with her ex-husband Lance Hunter on a mission, could have been eye-rolling, but it's entertaining thanks to some humorous moments playing off their super-spy abilities (they both shoot a dude at the same time), though the growth they have at the end feels a bit forced.

Despite how awesome she, this is sadly not The Mockingbird Show. In fact, Grant Ward is actually the person the episode mainly centers around, which would have sent me screaming for the hills a year ago, when the characters blandness inspired one of The AV Clubs more inspired memes (well howdy there "Remorseful McPrisonbeard"). But his use this season as as informant for HYDRA has given way to some interesting moments, and I've been especially curious as to why he's so obsessed with Skye. We don't get much clarification on that specific matter, but we do get to finally meet his brother, Christian Ward.

I was actually impressed with how well the episode handled the duality of Christian and Grant; one of the episodes more pivotal scenes involves cutting back and forth between them discussing the other sibling, and how much of a monster the other brother is. I'm not 100% sure whose telling the truth, just because one can never tell whose truly good or bad in this show. Add in an nicely angry scene with Grasnt and Couslon, and a story centered on Grant turned out to be...GASP....alright. I wish a bit more development had been given to Grant prior to this episode to make it have more of an impact, but it still managed to fare well for itself.

The rest of the episode was comprised of some more fun action (Mockingbird and Melinda May were particularly fun to watch in the finale) and an ending that finally had the public realizing S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA are separate organizations. This is actually quite a monumental moment, considering the events of The Winter Soldier, and I'm interested to see what kind of aspect it has on the show going forward. They may be more chummy with the U.S. military now, but as Grant's escape and those alien symbols prove, there's still plenty of problems for the team to deal with.