Season 1 of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. set the bar pretty high for movie tie-in episodes: the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D was a pivotal point for the show and the MCU as a whole, and even though the connection between “Agents” and “Age of Ultron” has been downplayed in comparison, my expectations have never-the-less been high. Despite middling reviews and the ever present fear of MCU over saturation (shudder the thought) my anticipation is through the roof and “The Dirty Half Dozen” does much, especially in its final moments, to stoke those fan flames.
Coulson, despite turning himself in, is in a strong position. He basically high roads Gonzales and leverages sense of morality to come back and immediately start calling the shots again. In reality Coulson is less motivated by the notion of rescuing Mike and the other captives and more interested in collective whatever data Hydra has that ties into his “Theta Protocol” and whatever his involvement with the “Age of Ultron”events will turn out to be. Coulson highlights one of the most glaring crutches this show has dramatically when he reminds Mae that everyone has a secret, including, apparently, Gonzales and whatever he is hiding in the hold. The constant promise of new secrets revealed is a cheap thrill as far as I’m concerned and personally I wish more time was spent building out this connected universe rather than trying to “Lost” us all the time. Regardless, the plan is set in motion to take down another Hydra facility and Gonzales and Coulson are, for the time being, on the same side. Gonzales agrees to facilitate the rescue mission because he can’t back down to a good old fashioned Hydra assault, and because he’s hoping Team Coulson is gonna bite it.
Speaking of Team Coulson: Evil Ward is the glue that holds the group together. It was actually funny in that break the tension kind of way, it may have gotten a little too funny for the circumstances but each of their performances kept me bought in despite the way everyone was hamming it up. It was so enjoyable to see the gang back together again now that the dynamics have changed so much. It brought my attention to how quickly this show evolves and how dynamic the MCU is capable of being. There is no status quo for things to resort to every couple years like in comics. The form is too short yet it can continue on indefinitely (Feige claims to have plans for films through 2028). It occurs to me how ideal this format has become for the connected universe super hero genre.
Oh God that oner. There was some incredible choreography that recalled for me “The Raid” and the rapid in-and-out has an uncanny quality to it that is almost like nothing I’ve ever seen. It was the first moment of cinematographic triumph we’ve seen in the series and it gives me high hopes that we’ll see more ingenuity like this in the future.
“The Dirty Half Dozen” is a slow jerk that not only amped me up for the film but delivered a satisfying full circle when the team reunited on a mission. The show has all the same flaws its always had but it also has an indelible charm, a substantial place in the MU, and the occasional hint that it can and will be so much more.
Positives:
– “Call the Avengers” and men of metal
– Simmons fucking killed Bakshi
– Evil Ward is now my favorite
– Dat oner tho
Negatives:
– Petty Mae…
– 2/3 of the episode was arguing about the mission
– Secrets as a plot device