Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: 3×08 “Many Heads, One Tale”

Opening the heart and trusting completely leaves one vulnerable. As a deeper, darker purpose emerges behind the ATCU, that vulnerability of the heart may make or break everyone.

CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD IN OUR DETAILED REVIEW

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — After agreeing to let the ATCU put Andrew (Blair Underwood) in stasis until a cure is found, Coulson (Clark Gregg) invites Rosalind Price (Constance Zimmer) for a tour of the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base as a show of good faith. Unknown to her, Coulson has a completely different agenda than just a social call. Using Andrew’s containment chamber as a digital trojan horse to gain access to their systems, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. is tasked with finding out what the ATCU is up to once and for all. Led by Daisy (Chloe Bennet) and Mack (Henry Simmons), a covert team of Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Hunter (Nick Blood) infiltrate the base while May (Ming-Na Wen) and Lincoln (Luke Mitchell) stand by to extract them.

RELATED | Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: 3×07 “Chaos Theory”

Meanwhile, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) reach an emotional boiling point as he goes above and beyond connect the dots behind the portal’s history. As the team digs deeper within the ATCU the truth is more shocking than they imagined. Not only is the ATCU not working on a cure, they are liberally spreading Terrigen to create as many new Inhumans as possible. When the truth surfaces of Gideon Malick’s (Powers Boothe) involvement in the ATCU as a Hydra operative it becomes clear that despite a harsh grilling by Coulson, Price has been duped as well. Unknown to everyone, Malick has much bigger plans than just the downfall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and despite his efforts to rid himself of the resilient Ward (Brett Dalton), the younger man might prove profoundly useful in plans that could determine the fate of the entire planet this week on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

If cleaved in two by a god, can a heart ever truly heal?

Phil Coulson certainly has valid trust issues. Can anyone blame him? After all, he’s been through a lot. Sentient life from of other worlds, cosmic powers beyond imagination, and even Norse gods can change a person’s perspective just a bit. Especially if you’ve been killed by one of those gods and then resurrected by alien technology against your will. Add in the betrayal of S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hydra and a second faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Coulson has mountainous reasons to keep people at arm’s length.

So from the beginning the ATCU must have felt more like a threat than anything else. Rosalind Price has put up a good face and played her cards extremely well. But there’s an honesty that’s come through from Constance Zimmer that can’t be denied. Either Price deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of innocence, or she’s genuinely been in the dark as much as anyone. For what it’s worth, we’ve been in the camp for the latter since we first met Rosalind, but that’s mostly based on our gut reaction and nothing concrete.

As the visit to S.H.I.E.L.D. turned aggressively sour and Coulson began to grill Price for the truth, we couldn’t help but feel conflicted. Clark Gregg was perfect in his intensity. He made us uncomfortable with our choice to ever believe in Price. On the other hand, her unflinching stance toward Coulson’s brutal questioning dug right to the heart and we couldn’t help but think in places that she was right. Coulson was incapable of trust, caring or anything normal.

“You were stabbed through the heart. You must derive sadistic pleasure in doing the same to others.” ~ Price

Zimmer’s perfect responses and subtle clues made us continue to want to believe in her. As the conversation intensified we honestly were on the fence. Who was right? Was Coulson being rudely harsh? Had Price fooled us all along? As much as we believed in Coulson, something about Price wouldn’t let us completely turn on her. As the realization that Gideon Malick may have played her from the beginning hit home, it highlighted just how well both actors portrayed this incredibly difficult sequence.

Both characters stood their ground. Good or bad, right or wrong, neither backed down until an unexpected truth surfaced. A truth that Zimmer made us believe. She had been played, but a much deeper truth still lingered. Was she ultimately right about Coulson? How does a heart heal after so much betrayal? Can he ever really trust anything or anyone again? We don’t know, but we certainly hope that the writing team takes full advantage of this conversation later to dig deeper into Coulson’s psyche and find answers that everyone, including him, may want to know.

We’ve waited for this moment for a LONG time. What now?

Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker have delivered powerful performances every week and they didn’t disappoint as they brought us something FitzSimmons shippers have wanted from nearly the beginning. Even with the limited screen time that an ensemble cast, with a much larger serialized plot requires, the clash of wills between these two and its ultimate culmination in not one, but two kisses, just about stole the show. In an episode so tightly packed with incredible moments for so many, his kiss and hers both stood out.

But more than just the kisses made this moment. The stalwart and noble effort by him to help rescue Will has both endeared us to Fitz and driven us crazy. We’ve wanted to see him fight for Simmon. As she bombarded him with her own frustrations we couldn’t help but wonder if she wanted the same. So often characters come to such moments and we’re left wondering how the “kissed” feels about the “kisser” as things play out. But Writer’s DJ Doyle and Jed Whedon didn’t leave us hanging. When she returned the gesture, neither side had to wonder, but even if she hadn’t her words made it clear that some part of her wanted him to fight for them as well.

“You think I didn’t look for dirt on him? I did. And there’s nothing. I can’t hate him. He’s great. Why else would you fall for him? He did everything right.” ~ Fitz

“And you dove through a hole in the universe for me!” ~ Simmons

“We’re cursed.” ~ Fitz

“Fitz, is that what I think it is?” ~ Simmons

Content not settle for just letting this moment linger, the writing team didn’t let it. Would the Hydra connection to Will’s patch have been made had Fitz not thrown caution to the wind and went for it knocking the book to the floor? It’s hard to say, but we love that the moment unlocked something bigger than these two. They may have emotional issues to work through—big ones even—but that all still takes place in a much more complex story.

While one could chalk that up to a convenient plot twist designed to distract us or keep things on task toward the larger story, there’s also the intelligent suggestion that the cosmos may have a larger plan for these two. We like to think it’s the latter and can’t say enough good things about how well Henstridge and De Caestecker made their conflict and emotional spike work on screen in the process. Our only question now is, where do things go from here?

If you can’t kill them, put them to work.

Anyone who thinks Grant Ward needs a redemption arc needs to revisit this episode from time to time to see just how good a villain he really is. We don’t think Ward is showing off for S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra or anyone else. He’s simply being himself and that little glimmering wink just before he blasts out of the plane shows just how much he loves it. It also likely shows just how much Brett Dalton loves playing the bad guy everyone loves and hates all at the same time.

Dalton was at his sarcastic and sadistic best in this episode. Just ask the lovely flight attendant from the not-so-friendly Hydra Air. From his beat-down of Hydra thugs left to kill him to his crafty interrogation and journey afterward, Dalton was evil with a whistle and a smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seats, and keep your seat belts fastened. You may experience some turbulence coming up. Don’t be alarmed. That’s just your pilot diving to equalize cabin pressure before you freeze to death. Oh, and, uh–from all of us here at Hydra, thanks for flying the friendly skies.” ~ Ward

Can we just stop for a moment and relish just how much fun it is for Ward to be bad? Dalton hasn’t gotten enough screen time this season, but he made up for it by making every second count in this episode. From his sarcastic quips to his intelligent maneuvering around Malick’s every move to stop him, Dalton was impressively fun to watch. His sparing with Powers Boothe as Malick was the stuff that makes for great entertainment.

“I know you want revenge, to cut the head off of S.H.I.E.L.D., to watch it writhe. I’ll help you do that.” ~ Malick

“And in return?” ~ Ward

“You’ll help me learn how S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to achieve something with the portal that Hydra, in thousands of years, has never been able to accomplish.” ~ Malick

“And what is that?” ~ Ward

“They brought someone back.” ~ Malick

As the second encounter with Malick brought nearly every story line for the season together, we couldn’t help but admire just how well the writing team tied everything in a neat bow with Ward as catalyst. His actions brought the larger mythology connecting Hydra to the monolith and the Inhumans to light. We now know mini portals exist and we know Fitz will likely need one to bring Will home. On the flip side, this will also put Fitz and Simmons right back into Ward’s cross hairs. That’s an encounter we both loathe and look forward to seeing.

Ward isn’t one to be cast off lightly and Gideon Malick was smart to welcome him. If nothing else, Malick should probably keep one eye on Ward at all times. There may be a larger agenda to return an impressively powerful Inhuman to Earth, but Ward still only wants one thing—the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and demise of Coulson. Fitz and Simmons are now a means to that end and that should make for some intense conflict ahead.

FINAL VERDICT: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is humming on all cylinders as it barrel’s toward the mid-season finale. Emotions overflowed, surprising reveals left us overwhelmed, and multiple stories all came together perfectly. This is exactly how an ensemble cast can shine.

If it seems like there hasn’t been a wasted second in the last few episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., that’s because for the most part there hasn’t been any. Quite honestly with such a dynamic and talented cast, this show can’t afford for moments to be wasted, but the good news is that the writing team knows what they have and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is clicking in just about every way possible because of it.

While we touched on details surrounding the dynamic confrontation between Coulson and Price, the cat and mouse game of Ward and Malick, and the emotional surge between Fitz and Simmons, so much more happened in this episode that deserves equal time. In fact, not a second was wasted and that truly is how every episode should be. With an abundance of both laughs and charged emotions this entire hour flew past with ease. That’s a huge credit to Writers Jed Whedon and DJ Doyle for constructing such a flawless script and Director Garry A. Brown molded it into a spectacular story.

Nick Blood and Adrianne Palicki were both exceptional in their undercover roles, but the introduction of Bobbi’s enhanced batons with a new telekinetic Inhuman (Mark Dacascos) was incredibly fun to watch. If that wasn’t enough, May’s heartfelt apology to Lincoln was both moving and surprising. Her foundation has been shaken and that will give one pause to re-evaluate life—though we’re still not sure how Lincoln didn’t vomit all over the cockpit after that liftoff. And the deeper connection between Hydra, the Inhumans and Ward’s confrontation of Andrew brings so many threads into one.

All the characters and elements that have felt somewhat separate are starting to come together with the larger mythology of Hydra as the background. A deep history between the Inhumans and Hydra dating back centuries is a fascinating take that changes what we know about Hydra and its roots. If an organization has survived that long perhaps they have every right to assume that no matter how many times a head is cut off, two will emerge to take its place.

A Hydra that old could change the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe in a much broader way than is seen in just this show. With the upcoming Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and additional adventures for The Avengers and Inhumans ahead, we now have a much deeper history from which new stories can emerge. The possibilities are nearly endless and we can’t wait to see what happens as S.H.I.E.L.D. clashes with a renewed Hydra, now on the precipice of destiny, in the coming weeks on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Grant Ward is ten times the bad guy he ever was as a good guy. #JustSayin
• I WANT to trust Rosalind. I just don’t trust anyone outside of SHIELD. And some people IN it. :/
• Temper much Fitz?
• Awkward image of Will at the wrong time. 🙁
• The Ram’s head? If this is Wolfram and Hart, it really IS all connected!
• Planning takes the fun out of it. lol I’m not sure about this relationship, but who couldn’t fall for Daisy?
• Meanwhile, the rest of you will have to go behind her back. Always with the plan that Phil.
• And yes we noticed they kept framing Mack with the Ax on the wall. These two are connected more deeply than ever.
• Gotta incorporate what you love into your work. Ward is one twisted dude.
• Mack working the service desk. lol
• Could Bobbi and Hunter look MORE like they don’t belong together in this scene?
• I love the shared technobabble between Daisy and Hunter. That’s genius.
• Ashley Madison. Well if “Dane” can do that .. well he’s our man! lol
• Library research. I’m having a Buffy moment!
• Okay, that wink on the plan was exactly the smug villain that we love in Ward!
• Hunter as a hacker, hilarious. The slowest typing hacker in history? Priceless! 😉
• Stuck in a small plane with a pissed off May? Not a good situation. And I’d have thrown up at that departure. lol #HerFault
• We’re cursed. What a beautiful, tragic and emotional moment. Man that hurt.
• What is Malick’s plan here with Andrew?
• That’s a lot of boxes in the freezer.
• What the hell are you doing Phil? Wow. Harsh treatment Phil. Don’t let her off the hook.
• I get the feeling Rosalind might be in the dark here. This is rough to watch.
• Woah. The baton upgrade is badass Bobbi! You’re gonna need it against that Sith dude. o:
• Glad nobody was parked in those spots! Oops.
• Hydra. We’re much, much older than that. Oh wow. I like where this mythology is going.
• Mini monolith!
• They brought someone back. This is seriously genius plot work to bring all these elements together.
• May thinks I’m a monster, but you actually become one. I guess we know her type. Wow. That smarts. :/