This week Cal is heavily featured as he takes Skye on a tour of the “old haunts” where he would have liked to have raised her. I particularly enjoy his manic, child-like approach to things and watching Skye squirm and look for a moment to escape throughout the episode added some welcome tension and served to remind us that Cal has a hair trigger and may snap at any moment. Skye plans her escape carefully, as she was allowed to leave only to ensure that Cal would not become an danger to himself or others when he discovered he would not be allowed to come back. Jiaying expresses that the people he may hurt are not her concern, this sentiment is reminiscent of the way Magneto feels about humans and I am suddenly very aware of how necessary a meta-human race is in the MCU and the applications that the Inhumans may have in the future. They are obviously replacing the X-Men and I don’t see any problem with that at all.
The uneasy alliance between Ward and Coulson was a lot of fun too, and the added tension that Fitz and Deathlok brought to the dynamic made for a few great scenes. Ward, like the rest of HYDRA, is an expert at deception and yet he is so god damn charming you want to believe he is going to do the right thing. Agent 33 was relegated to victimhood in this episode and I found that to be regrettable, especially after last weeks female-centric episode.
Now with just one more episode before “Avengers: Age of Ultron” it seems clear the tie in will be Zucker and his experiments on meta-humans. Whether we see the man or just get a peek into the experiments he has been doing is unclear, but what I would really like to see is the strike against HYDRA that the twin S.H.I.E.L.Ds are about to make having an impact in the film. We’ve seen plenty flow down from the movies to the shows, but nothing referenced or acknowledged on the big screen. It would go along way for me and show a really deep connection and commitment for the continuity of this universe.
The Good:
– Ward and Cal; I’d watch a spin-off buddy cop show with these guys
– Finally seeing how everything is going to play into “Avengers 2”
– Inhumans becoming a respectable replacement for X-Men
The Bad:
– Agent Mae loyal to the truth over Coulson?
– Coulson thinking Ward would go for a memory wipe?
– Agent 33 just a helpless girl
4/5