Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: 2×16 “Afterlife”

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. just keeps the good episodes, writing and stories rolling. Everyone here seems to be the good guys. So who can we really trust?

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — When Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Hunter (Nick Blood) reach The Retreat only to find Skye (Chloe Bennet) gone and devastation in her wake, things look bleak for S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye is equally worried about her friends as she is introduced to the Inhuman way station known as Afterlife by her transitioner and healer Lincoln (Luke Mitchell). Encouraging her to see the change as a gift, Lincoln confirms that the change is permanent. When Skye discovers Raina (Ruth Negga) is also being transitioned nearby, the confrontation nearly turns deadly. Raina has brought Skye nothing but heartache and grief. Meanwhile, Gonzales (Edward James Olmos), in an attempt to unlock the Cube’s secrets, enlists the help of Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge).

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Adamant in his support of Coulson, Fitz plans to leave, but not before learning Simmons has agreed to help with the Cube, albeit in perplexing ways. Gonzales, undeterred, focuses toward getting May (Ming-Na Wen) to help locate Coulson. When Coulson is captured and subsequently escapes, Gonzales makes a surprising, final offer to May in order to help bring Coulson to reason. Will May a take leadership role within the new S.H.I.E.L.D.? Can both sides begin to understand they are fighting common enemies? Has unwarranted attention from Cal’s (Kyle MacLachlan) reckless intervention put Skye in danger from the Inhuman elders? Surprise reveals, clever deceptions and endless questions give us plenty to explore in this episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Skye is the limit, but is trouble ahead?

Luke Mitchell was a good addition. We don’t know how long Lincoln will be around but he certainly had a very natural feel about him. In fact, from about their second scene on, both Mitchell and Bennet had a natural rhythm between them. Their chemistry gelled fairly quick. Granted, Lincoln wasn’t telling Skye the entire truth so we’re still not sure if we can trust him, but the good rapport between Mitchell and Bennet was enjoyable to watch.

As her transitioner, Lincoln was a perfect introduction to the Inhuman world. Lincoln seems eager to encourage Skye to accept her change, even showing his own power to gain her trust. Lifting her from the ground was a fun moment. Any bit of awkward between the two actors or characters seemed gone at that point. We have to admit, that’s a cool way to sweep a girl off her feet. Skye’s looks toward him weren’t lost on us.

As if the confrontation with Cal wasn’t unsettling enough, Gordon’s (Jamie Harris) message that Skye’s fate may be sealed was even more disturbing. We have no idea how Jamie Harris performs as well as he does with prosthetics, but he’s done a masterful job of it. Good writing and Harris’s continued good performance has helped develop Gordon into a well-rounded character and that’s all you can ask. But what danger is ahead for Skye?

“Why? Why can’t I see her?” ~ Cal

“Because you have no self-control. Your lack of discipline has risked everything that we have built. You have not only sealed your fate, but the fate of your daughter, as well.” ~ Gordon

Skye’s confrontation with Raina was one we could feel coming. Gordon dodging Skye’s inquiry about Raina’s quarters seemed to make it inevitable. It was good to see Ruth Negga on screen again. The new Raina is certainly one with issues and Negga let those show through the makeup and prosthetics. What we didn’t see coming was Jiaying (Dichen Lachman).

Wait, what? Skye’s mom survived? There’s a story behind that. It would also seem Skye needs to make an unbiased decision about staying without knowing her mother is alive. Dichen Lachman is always a joy. She’s got an otherworldly presence about her that makes playing an Inhuman perfect. We loved seeing her again and look forward to that inevitable and emotional moment when Skye learns who Jiaying really is. Chloe Bennet has shown she’s up to that moment and we’re looking forward to seeing it.

S.H.I.E.L.D. vs S.H.I.E.L.D. is getting tense. Shouldn’t everyone be on the same side?

If everyone believes they are in the right, wouldn’t it be natural for everyone to have doubts about betraying each other on both sides of the S.H.I.E.L.D. vs S.H.I.E.L.D. equation? Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) was adamant in defending Skye and Coulson to Gonzales and Mack (Henry Simmons). That seems natural given that Bobbi has spent enough time with all of them to know they are good people. Others, especially Gonzales, seem blinded by Coulson’s alien influence, but even Coulson has legitimately questioned that. He’s wise enough to question all the angles—something Gonzales doesn’t seem to be doing.

Gonzales’s myopic view was most evident in his first exchange with May in her cell. He’s got a beef with Skye, or anyone with powers for that matter, but May’s speech certainly got Bobbi’s attention. Palicki has shown both sides of Bobbi equally well. She’s clearly torn, but until something shakes her faith completely in one side or the other, she’s the kind of character that would seem to ride things out though May is making her think.

“Tell me Agent May. Are you loyal to Coulson or to S.H.I.E.L.D.?” ~ Gonzales

“They are the same.” ~ May
…
“We were pursuing Hydra because that’s our job. It’s what we should all be doing right now instead of wasting our time on some witch hunt!” ~ May

The entire sequence was fantastic editing. Jumping between May and Gonzales to Bobbi and Mack helped solidify everyone’s position. The only glitch was May’s last line. Why did she say Coulson is the one man you can never put down? Did May have a specific reason to say that? If not, it seemed a touch hoaky.

But as strong as all the alliances, divides and questions were throughout, Gonzales and May shared the most powerful moment in their second encounter. After Gonzales slides May a gun and offers her a choice to shoot him or join the Board to help end S.H.I.E.L.D.’s internal struggle, Edward James Olmos earned his paycheck and then some with his best moment of the series so far in a monologue over Fitz’s departure.

“This is not about Coulson. It’s not about me. It’s not about anyone on this ship. It’s about S.H.I.E.L.D. We cannot afford to be enemies to each other when there are new threats out there waiting for the moment we are at our weakest. A house built on shifting sand will fall. And without a strong and united foundation, S.H.I.E.L.D. will fall again. I’m asking you to help us defend her, Agent May. Take a seat on our board.” ~ Gonzales

Can we see that trick again? It gave us the good feels.

Hunter has grown on us tremendously since the reveal of the real S.H.I.E.L.D. He’d almost gotten a bit whiny in his difficulties with Bobbi, but Nick Blood has been stellar since Hunter reunited with Coulson. His loyalty to Coulson is admirable. Hunter’s shock of Gordon taking Cal and Raina was a hilarious aside, but there was a fantastic overall buddy-cop feel to Coulson and Hunter on the lam.

We loved these two getting some one-on-one time. They play well off of one another and made for a fun episode. The card trick deception was outstanding writing and visual effects. The only odd moment was the two incognito as S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.0 agents. That sequence felt a bit goofy, but it certainly made for a dramatic entrance by Mike Peterson, a.k.a. Deathlok (J. August Richards). We’d have loved to see a bit more personality from Mike, but it was still fun to bring back a fan favorite dating back to the beginning.

While Hunter and Coulson were working deception on the outside, Fitz and Simmons were doing a little of the same on the inside. Perhaps Gonzales really should have brought cupcakes. Fitz and Simmons wanted nothing do to with him and their loyalty to Coulson showed. But as they hit a philosophical divide over breaking into the cube, it seemed like we were poised to watch another heartbreak between these two. That’s where great performances by Henstridge and De Caestecker made clever writing work in their favor.

“Can’t any of you see what you’ve done? You’ve destroyed a man’s life, and for what? ‘Cause of fear ’cause of fear of what’s inside a little black box. Well, I don’t believe in fear. I believe in trust, and I’m shocked that you would do this. You knew this would drive me away. You may as well have packed my bags yourself. You want me to leave, don’t you, Jemma?” ~ Fitz

“If we work for S.H.I.E.L.D., we have a duty to carry out our responsibilities. So perhaps it’s best if you do.” ~ Simmons

As the emotional goodbye took hold and we watched Fitz step away, it clicked that the card trick and Jiaying’s identity weren’t the only deceptions of this episode. A clever secondary conversation was taking place in front of everyone. It seems ironic that keeping S.H.I.E.L.D. together only served to break FitzSimmons apart, but splitting S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to be the event that could bring them back together again. We do love seeing them work together. It took something on the outside for us to see a glimpse of the FitzSimmons we’ve missed, but a smile by De Caestecker and a proscuitto and mozzarella sandwich with a hint of pesto aioli were worth the wait.

FINAL VERDICT: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is setting up for a fantastic season finale. We can just feel it. With enormous story lines converging and ties to the larger MCU brewing this show just keeps hitting us with great episodes and fantastic stories.

The good vibe between Skye and Lincoln makes the possible endgame all the more scary. Were Skye’s gloves the reason Gordon finally made his move? When Lincoln mentioned the glove’s inhibitors slowed Skye’s healing process we wondered. Do the gloves pose a new threat to Inhumans? Does humanity finally have a way of inhibiting their power? That would be an interesting twist. Especially if The Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksliver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are revealed to be Inhumans, creating a possible tie to Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Either way, the mounting story lines in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are still laying groundwork for larger elements of the MCU to come. We’ve been impressed with the ambitious themes, relationships and character interactions that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has tackled this year and the complexity only grew in this episode. Freed from the difficulties that held it back early in it’s first season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has done what any good series should—push and explore new territory for characters we love while entertaining us with intense and fun episodes each week.

Writer Craig Titley handled Skye’s introduction to Afterlife quite well and weaved in excellent surprise appearances from both Deathlok and Jiaying for reasons that served the story and not just to provide shock value. Crisp dialogue between Bennet and Mitchell helped set a good tone for the episode that had its laughs with Coulson and Hunter but landed in a very serious place between Gonzales and May. A few curious lines seemed out of place, but overall the writing was solid as ever. The monologue for Gonzales was especially good and showed that both sides of the S.H.I.E.L.D. debate have similar ideals, just a lack of trust.

Director Kevin Hooks had a distinct challenge of showing us a completely new environment in Afterlife and helping to establish what that place will be like from here on out. The result could only be called a clear success. Afterlife has our curiosity piqued. He also captured good performances from Bennet and Gonzales, who each formed an emotional anchor to both sides of S.H.I.E.L.D. in their own way.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. feels like it’s ramping up to a monumental finale in a few weeks that may have us talking all summer long. Two S.H.I.E.L.D. organizations can’t last forever and it would seem the stakes are mounting for Skye and the Inhumans that Cal may have endangered through his reckless search for his daughter. We were stoked at the surprise return of Jiaying and Deathlok. Both look poised to help shape the way the season ends. We are loving the interactions, the connections and the character arcs and see potential for even more on the horizon. We can’t wait and we’ll be watching again next week to find out where Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. goes next!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Uh oh. Nobody tell Cal Coulson is on a used car lot. lol
• Tiger’s been loose for a while now. Bad boy Coulson struts his used car stuff! lol
• Nice to meet you Lincoln!
• I’ll start packing my things. You should have brought cupcakes. I love them both [FitzSimmons] even more now.
• Seriously? I wasn’t gone a week. Lot happens dude. Keep up. lol
• Are you loyal to Coulson or to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Damn right they’re the same.
• There are very few people in this world I’d throw down with. You’re one of them. My Hunter affection meter is soaring. Well, no
• going back to High School Skye. #GraduationIsPermanent
• I invited them. Did Coulson have a few more shots after Hunter passed out?
• Now that’s a hell of a way to sweep a girl off her feet Lincoln.
• One agent coming? And who would that be?
• We had the better hand. I’ll say. That was cool as hell.
• Wait? What? Who said anything about sealing fates for everybody? #NotGood
• Getting back on the ground isn’t hard at all. #Gravity It’s living through it that counts.
• I think that magic trick was better than the cards Fitz.
• Back up is badass!
• Any five year old can warm up a pool.
• Holy mother of .. woah .. o.O!!!
• Is Skye gonna get sent to her room now without kale?
• You’ve got ONE trump card Jiaying. Play that one .. and she stays.
• Oh hell. There went the lanyard. That’s big. Any bets the “real” box is with Fitz?
• Who knew a sandwich could make us feel so good! Wow. Our little Jemma is growing up! #LyingLikeABoss