Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: 2×19 “The Dirty Half Dozen”

If Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is saving the best for last, we all better buckle up in the next two weeks based on the sheer intensity of this week’s emotional, action-packed thrill ride.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — When Coulson (Clark Gregg) surrenders, he has Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) exactly in the frame of mind Coulson wants—curious. Armed with information from Ward (Brett Dalton) about Dr. List’s (Henry Goodman) secret arctic base for experimenting on powered people, Coulson proposes a trade of opening the Toolbox in exchange for help rescuing Mike Peterson (J. August Richards) and destroying the Hydra base. The mission is a go and Coulson, Ward, May (Ming-Na Wen), Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) all prepare to depart though no one is thrilled with Ward being involved.

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Meanwhile, Raina (Ruth Negga) convinces Skye (Chloe Bennet) she must join S.H.I.E.L.D. to rescue Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) from the same base and when Gordon (Jamie Harris) zaps Skye to the Bus, the original team is tenuously back together. The group narrowly escapes death reaching the Hydra facility, but things really get intense once inside. With Hydra agents at every turn and vengeance against Ward on the minds of FitzSimmons, things get heated in a hurry. Can hidden agendas and mistrust be put aside long enough for the team to rescue friends and disable the air defenses before S.H.I.E.L.D. launches a strike to destroy the base? With danger everywhere, chances are high not everyone will make it out intact once the dust settles from this week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

May doesn’t believe he holds the title, but by focusing on the right priorities Coulson is more and more proving to be a true Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The opening Gonzales and Coulson confrontation was as interesting in what went unspoken as what was said aloud. Gonzales is still focused on stopping powered people and Coulson at any cost and that’s making him short-sighted. Coulson has his faults as well, but he’s still got his eye on the real enemy—Hydra. Why is Gonzales so fixated on opposing Coulson at every turn? And what secret does Gonzales have in the hold of his ship that Coulson is “willing” to look past in order for them to work together?

We know those answers will come, but as the two bantered, it became clear that Coulson is still doing the job S.H.I.E.L.D. was always meant to do by protecting the world while Gonzales seems afraid to take action without a vote. At some point a Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stands alone. Coulson understands that well, but Gonzales appears unwilling. What he does appear willing to do is sacrifice Coulson’s team to secure powered people. That didn’t set well with Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki).

“If you didn’t want me to go, then why did you vote to allow it?” ~ Bobbi

“Because Coulson’s only using his own people. Figured it was worth the risk.” ~ Gonzales

“Those are SHIELD agents going on that mission, Robert.” ~ Bobbi

“I’m aware of that, Agent Morse. We’re fighting a war with an enemy that is without honor. Sometimes, we make sacrifices for the greater good.” ~ Gonzales

Bobbi wasn’t comfortable with the idea that Coulson’s team was expendable and neither were we. That’s not who Bobbi is. She’s loyal to those that have been loyal to her. Understanding why that would bother her is good character development. She’s been crafted well enough we understand her. She’s conflicted between Gonzales and Coulson and every sideways glance from Palicki has shown us that the further it goes, the more doubt Bobbi has in Gonzales.

Where Coulson and Gonzales knocked heads with little emotion between them, Coulson’s confrontations with May were very personal. Both have held their cards close at times as a part of the job, but as Coulson continues to fly solo, he’s slowly losing the trust of May. Who can blame her? He’s lied about something enormous in Theta Protocol. While we can believe he may have valid reasons, he’s not exactly been doing things that have endeared him to May.

As the two discussed Andrew’s (Blair Underwood) involvement with Coulson’s alien writing impulses, it was clear that May has taken the secrets he’s hidden from her very personally, but Coulson had a point—she’s had her own secrets as well. We have to admit, Coulson not telling May the true nature of his mission to the Hydra base later didn’t help his cause at all. At some point he’s going to have to trust her and come clean or risk losing May completely. A S.H.I.E.L.D. Director has his secrets, but in the case of May, Coulson may need to let her in on those secrets because when the chips are down, he could use her unwavering support.

What there can be of redemption and forgiveness.

If some people don’t have it in them to be forgiven, there are some that do. Mack (Henry Simmons) and Hunter (Nick Blood) could have had a very different conversation. In fact, careful writing and acting led us to believe they just might, but forgiveness starts with one person understanding the other. Deep down, Mack is a good person. So is Hunter. They each have their ideals and their priorities and Mack made a tough call that put Hunter in the middle. Perhaps this first conversation after all that has past was the start of them repairing trust. But real trust may be a long time coming. In fact, Bobbi’s forgiveness from Hunter may take much longer.

Ward’s redemption on the other hand was a completely different story. The debriefing scene at the holo table was amazingly well done. Nothing Ward could have said would have made it less awkward. Not in a room full of people that he betrayed, tried to kill or both and who all wanted to kill him. Noting there was an elephant on the plane was an understatement. Five people staring him down didn’t help. But it was Fitz that hit the nail on the head.

“We were a team and a family, and you betrayed us!” ~ Fitz

That entire sequence was amazing. Everyone got their say and their digs, but Ward was still warped about his priorities. He failed miserably at an apology because it was still all about him and not about the people he’s hurt. That’s the part he’s missing and perhaps he realizes it’s a part he can’t seem to fix. That might be why he left Kara (Maya Stojan) in Coulson’s care at the end. He knew he couldn’t repair parts of himself that were flawed to the core. Coulson however seemed to have the most insightful solution at the end of the debrief.

“And, Ward, just no more talking…to people.” ~ Coulson

If there was any redemption for Ward it was in his final plea to Coulson to take care of Kara. Ward was right, the team would never forgive him, but in that moment a small part of Coulson may have. Some part of Ward always was good and it was likely that part of him that cared for Kara. But some part of him has always been flawed and he can’t see the lines between the two.

Leaving Kara to better hands may be the one thing he could have done to make others believe there’s still good in him. Kara may not see it, but hopefully there’s a heart-to-heart conversation ahead between her and Coulson where she will. Ward didn’t abandon her because he’s bad. He left her with better people because he believes he’s bad for her and that’s a sign there’s hope for him yet.

Give the writing team credit. They’ve done an outstanding job keeping the core of characters intact regardless of what they’ve been through.

Raina has changed dramatically, but she’s still the same scheming creature she’s always been. Skye has changed as well, but she is still a good person and is always working to save those she cares about. Her insistence in helping Lincoln, nudged by Raina’s manipulation, showed both characters as they always have been.

“Lincoln’s in a dark room with two doctors. They’re cutting into him. You find him. You’re the only one who can save him.” ~ Raina

“You have to take me.” ~ Skye

“I promised Jiaying I wouldn’t use my gift.” ~ Gordon

“You need permission to save a friend?” ~ Raina

“Last time I went back for Lincoln, Hydra almost captured me. How will this be any different?” ~ Gordon

“Because where you take Skye is a long way from Hydra.” ~ Raina

That’s subtle manipulation at its finest and that’s a gift Raina had long before anything else about her changed. In the end, she was right. Skye was the person that could revive Lincoln, but that’s also the danger of Raina’s power if she truly can see the future. She veils her lies and deceit in a cover of truth. She always has and likely always will. Jiaying (Dichen Lachman) is starting to see that and ironically it’s Cal (Kyle MacLachlan) that may be able to help keep Raina in check.

Skye’s advice to Jiaying didn’t go unheard. She now realizes Cal is more dangerous in the world than he his in the confines of Afterlife. There’s a part of him that desperately wants his family back at any cost and Jiaying knows that’s the one thing that calms him the most. He still has an uncontrollable childlike nature about him, but the conversation between he and Jiaying about Raina was probably the most honest and mature they’ve shared.

She realizes Raina is already a threat and Cal was completely straight in his response. Raina is manipulative, deceitful and dangerous. She would likely not have been selected for the transformation had she gone the normal route. Jiaying would not have allowed it. But what to do now that Raina has? She hasn’t changed on the inside and we’ve already seen that ultimately may spell trouble ahead.

Other characters showed apparent changes, but we aren’t so convinced. Fitz and Simmons were posturing, but did they really have it in them to commit murder and kill Ward? Fitz seemed reluctant, but Jemma was serious, especially with the assist from a splinter bomb. We’ll hand it her, she had much more gumption than we thought by actually attempting to take Ward out.

Could Jemma have lived with herself if she’d succeeded? Something tells us that despite her strong talk, she would have suffered. Will Bakshi’s (Simon Kassianides) death trouble her soul? We don’t know, but Ward said the most damning thing he could have—he was disappointed in her. That was a blow coming from him. He sees her as changed, but we aren’t so certain and at her core she may have trouble coming to terms the events of the Hydra base. We also know we’re going to miss Simon Kassianides. Bakshi was enormously fun to despise. Kassianides will be missed so we’ll be rooting for a evil-er twin to show up at some point so we can see him again.

FINAL VERDICT: As loyalties and agendas are put to the test on all sides, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered some of the best visual effects, stunt work and genuine emotions of the season.

After so much betrayal and bad blood between two sides of S.H.I.E.L.D. and rogue agents Grant Ward and Kara, we all wondered how everyone could ever possibly end up in the same room again, much less consider working together. Leave it to Hydra to suppress at least some tensions and help that happen. Granted, no one got off the hook easily. Grant Ward wasn’t given a pass and we were thrilled to see it. His apology would have felt just as empty to us as it did the team and that’s exactly the way it should be. He was right about one thing. The perception will always be that some people just don’t deserve forgiveness and Ward may have burned bridges he can never rebuild even if he’s genuinely trying to do the right thing.

For not letting things go easily, we applaud the writing team. Brent Fletcher and Drew Z. Greenberg had a tall order in scripting this episode. They had to find that right balance between humor, tension and some genuine emotion that felt awkward with Ward and not with others. That wasn’t easy given that this group has been torn apart by more betrayals and trials than anyone should be force to face. We’ll give Fletcher and Greenberg credit. They pulled off a tight, intelligent script that made for a thrill-ride of an episode while hitting all the right emotional notes. A little dash of nostalgia mixed in with a sprinkle of empathy and heavy doses of ire and mistrust made this episode one to remember.

Bravo to Director Kevin Tancharoen for bringing together one of the most thrilling and enjoyable episodes in what has been a season full of them. Seeing the team tenuously back together with enough tension to cut with a knife was a thrill and watching Coulson and Gonzales go head to head with secrets on both sides made the stakes even higher. Huge kudos go to Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Kolpack and Kevin Lingenfelser for orchestrating a thrilling demise for our beloved Bus. If she had to go, that was an fitting and gut-wrenching visual spectacle for it to happen that left pucker marks on the couch by those watching.

Speaking of thrills, can we just take a moment to appreciate how amazingly good Skye’s gun-fu sequence was in the middle of the Hydra base infiltration? Credit for that sequence goes to Kevin Tancharoen for inspiration, Stunt Coordinator Tanner Gill and according to Chloe Bennet via Twitter, Matt Williams, for helping train her and execute that entire piece. Last but not least, a tip of the hat must go to Director of Photography Feliks Parnell and team for capturing that amazing moment all in a single continuous shot. That’s incredible planning, work and execution by everyone that ended up producing a level of bad-assery that left everyone watching giddy. Twitter lit up with praise after that scene ended.

This team has been through the emotional ringer, but we suspect that this is just the beginning of the turmoil with three episodes left for the season. Living through the sacrifice of the Bus and watching Skye drop every Hydra agent in her path all made for one hell of ride, but the moments of emotional gratification hit home. We never thought we’d genuinely feel for Ward again with any level of affection, but this episode managed to redeem him at least to us on a small scale. No doubt he loves Kara and truly believes she’s in better hands with Coulson. Despite everyone’s reservations, that wasn’t lost on us as an audience. We have no idea where that may take him or any of the rest of this team in the future, but we do know this—we’re now pumped with the lead in to Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron and we don’t plan to miss a minute of the remaining episodes this season!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Our daughter. Oops. Quake’s outta the bag.
• That’s no dream Raina. Are you gonna help or use it for your own gain?
• What’s in the hold Gonzales? Answer is in the box, in a room, in a bus, in a plane on a ship. lol #DrSeuss
• Is that Strucker’s lab? Last time we saw that it had Wanda and Petro in it. Hmm..
• I do miss him. I kinda liked hating him too. lol @reeddiamond
• Did you happen to tell Kara how WELL you knew her? Umm..
• Hydra removed his WHAT???
• Hunter had to pull me off him. lol
• Since when did you become a high ranking officer of #TeamGonzales? I don’t like Mom & Dad spatting.
• Sometimes we make sacrifices for the greater good. I feel SO much better now. Ugg.
• This is great! We finally got the team back together. Why do both feel good AND scared to death?
• He’s like Candyman. Pretty much.
• We all made mistakes. You THINK?
• I’m still happy I shot you.  Should have aimed for the face. Yeah. THAT was much better!
• No, nada, nope, don’t think so, of course not & hell to the NO. Clear? Can they rebuild what they once had?
• Oh hell NO. They did NOT just .. d;fajksfaoiwe! Grr. -.-
• It’s okay. There are many copies. lol @edwardjolmos I can’t believe they blew up another one of our ships…. uuuuuggghhhhh….So Say We All…
• S.H.I.E.L.D. 616. #ComicbookHomage
• Be careful Jemma. Awe shit.
• Arg! I HATE scalpels.
• HOLY SHIT! Skye just went FULL #JohnWick on their asses!
• Not enough good left inside me. Dammit. Now I have feels.
• Spoiler Alert. That look on Gonzales’s face? Priceless.
• AHHHHH!!!! #AgeOfUltron
• Metal men will destroy our cities and our world will be changed forever.
• @MarkKolpack How in the world do you guys deliver such astounding VFX EVERY week of this show?? #Stunning!
• Absolutely FLOORED. That was incredible. Tension, emotion, redemption & Skye is 100% badass with & without her powers!