So here I was, looking forward to dedicating my upcoming Tuesday nights to keeping up with “Agents of SHIELD,” only to find out that this was the last episode until January 7th. That being said, tonight’s episode threw out a few curve balls that could potentially develop into some pretty engaging stories when the season picks back up next year. It had the ambition of a mid-season finale, and in some ways it succeeded in capturing the urgency of such an episode. However, I couldn’t help but spot a few missed opportunities that could have helped develop some heretofore one-dimensional characters.
Mike? Mike Peterson?
One fairly moderate reveal was the fact that Mike Peterson, the unstable Centipede recruit from the series pilot, was rehabilitated by SHIELD and has been assigned to Coulson’s team. Initially, this was a great move. The last time Coulson’s team met Mike Peterson, he tried to kill them all, which would obviously create some trust issues among the characters. At least, that’s what one would think. SHIELD’s decision to take a character with such a volatile history with pretty much every member of the team and forcing them all to work together could create some awesome drama and trust issues within the team. However, the only one who seems even remotely perturbed by this new development is May, who just avoids him—which isn’t that much of a stretch from how she treats everyone else.
Given the team’s previous experience with SHIELD’s overly classified upper management, the prospect of Peterson’s inclusion on the team—especially since they’ve somehow found a way to circumvent the explosive side effects of the Centipede serum while keeping Peterson’s powers intact—should create some inter-team tension. But it didn’t. The show falls back on the syrupy ideal that Coulson’s team is all about second chances, and Peterson is welcomed by everyone on the team. Unless this is a masterful bit of misdirection, the show’s chance to give its main characters a bit more complexity went right out the window.
The Girl in Yet Another Flower Dress
On the evil side of things, Centipede has upgraded their operation a bit. Raina has succeeded in getting Edison Poe out of prison in the hopes that his tactical know-how and contact with the mysterious, eye-stabbing Clairvoyant will help Centipede take the offensive against those meddling SHIELD agents.
Their first step is to lure our field agents into an abandoned warehouse wherein they are attacked by three juiced-up Centipede soldiers. What follows is a pretty righteous fight scene that shows May, Ward, and Coulson hold their own alongside the super-powered Peterson, eventually taking down one of the Centipede soldiers while the other two escape. Peterson takes a nasty wound to the side, but the team learns that Centipede has substantially increased their game. Their soldier was killed when an implant exploded in his head, thus preventing him from revealing any sensitive information. Apparently, in addition to juicing up their troops, Centipede has them outfitted with all kinds of cybernetic implants that allow them to exert direct control when they need to.
All of this talk of Centipede’s rapidly increasing technology and aggression definitely increases the street cred of this mysterious organization. I expect that this newfound aggression will play a big part in Centipede’s future on the show, which contains all kinds of exciting possibilities. It’s always entertaining to see a well-oiled machine like SHIELD brought low and revealed to be full of flaws.
Ace in the Hole (Here There Be Spoilers)
After their encounter in the warehouse, Coulson and Peterson share some feelings about fatherhood and the vast importance thereof. Coulson urges Peterson to keep in contact with his son Ace, despite the fact that Ace saw his dad go nuclear in the middle of the city. When Peterson calls his son, Raina is there to negotiate a trade—Peterson in exchange for Ace. Centipede wants to figure out how SHIELD was able to stabilize Peterson without continued serum injections.
When they reach the dropoff point, Peterson reveals that—twist!—he was asked to turn Coulson over to Centipede. As the SHIELD team moves in, the entire bridge is blown up as an ominous black helicopter takes off—not before plugging Agent Ward in the chest for good measure. The episode ends with Raina asking Coulson about the moments after he was brought back to life, which must somehow hold the key to the advancement of the Centipede program.
Verdict
The episode had a vague “Empire Strikes Back” feel to it. Centipede has become a serious threat to SHIELD, which opens several new cans of worms for the series. Coulson’s capture will undoubtedly give us some information about this organization, which I am looking forward to. The optimist in me is hoping that a classic Marvel supervillain is at Centipede’s helm—or, as my fellow bot Vagabond Prime posited, an offshoot of the AIM initiative.
It looks like finding a way to rescue Coulson will fall to Peterson, once again creating a wasted opportunity in which the audience doesn’t quite know whether or not Peterson can be trusted. With such a shady past and such shady ties to SHIELD, the dude could be the start of a great double agent storyline. Sadly, I think that ship has passed.
Skye, Skye, Skye. It seems like the storyline involving her parents is a complete afterthought—almost like it’s an idea that the writers are keeping on standby for when their creative well dries up. At this point, they need to either develop that subplot or drop it completely. Every time it comes up, I hope that maybe, just maybe, this time something new will be revealed. But, that hope continues to be dashed, making me take out my frustrations on her character. I don’t want to hate you, Skye. But the longer it takes you to find out who your parents are, the more I will be bugged by your presence.
Since we’ve got almost a month until “Agents of SHIELD” returns with new episodes, now is the time for wild speculation. Will Coulson discover that he’s really one of the Infinity Gems? Will Skye’s parents be Skrulls? Will Rom: Space Knight ever get his own movie? Actually, that’s a good place to stop. Feel free to post any of your own theories, predictions, and/or ideas below!