“Melinda” finally gives us the answer to why Agent Mae is called the Cavalry and its every bit as fucked up as we’ve been led to believe all this time. The story is perfectly timed to coincide with Jiaying’s reveal to Skye that she is her mother, as the two stories are very much connected. The two things I appreciate most about this show is that they never make us wait long for reveals that we know are coming and everything reconnects in a way that feels intentional and strategically planned. This episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D represents both of those ideas strongly.
It is also brought into focus just how many female characters there are in this show, something that sets “Shield” apart from the rest of the MCU, as the episode focuses on not only Agent Mae but also Skye and Jianying, Raina, Bobbi, and Simmons. While the men of “Shield” are squabbling for power, the women are dealing with change, the past, families, and real, meaty drama. I’ve always enjoyed the show but I’m starting to see it has a really important place in the MCU.
The new mystery being dangled over us is the Theta Protocol: the mystery project Coulson has been working on that not even his team know about, and the reason the other S.H.I.E.L.D decided to take him down. I like that they are giving us a better reason for their mutiny, I just wonder why they didn’t explain this in the first place. Being that we are only a few weeks away from “Avengers: Age of Ultron” I really hope the Theta Protocol is the way they intend to tie things together. I’ve heard that they don’t intend for “S.H.I.E.L.D” to be impacted by the film nearly as much as it was by “Winter Soldier”, but I’ve started to really look forward to the crossovers and I hope it is something satisfying.
“Melinda” shows us the potential danger of the Inhumans abilities, but it also show that their sense of community and legacy makes every effort to ensure they are not dangerous. They collect potentials, teach and take care of them, and seemingly have no agenda against the “normal” world. The Inhumans kind of just want to be left alone. I can imagine some government force labeling them a threat in the future and forcing them out of their sanctuary, or perhaps a splinter faction within that has their own motives; it was clear that Inhumans that look different after Terrigensis have some resentment for those that look the same, as Gordon lashes out at Spark Plug when he pipes up during Raina’s counseling. It will be interesting to see how they respond to S.H.I.E.L.Ds prying eyes and more importantly if they intend to get involves with H.Y.D.R.A.
Positives:
– The events Bahrain are revealed in an especially satisfying way
– Emphasizes female characters
– The potential of Theta Protocol
Negatives:
– “Avengers 2” is coming up and it seems like they might ignore it
– I think its time Raina got over it