Turn off the Lights

Agents of SHIELD – Ye Who Enter Here Review

Agents of SHIELD returned from its holiday hiatus this week with "Ye Who Enter Here", and what an episode it was. We got a huge reveal, some interesting foreshadowing, and, of course, more Patton Oswalt. Lots more. We're swimming in Oswalts. Unfortunately, we had to go without more of Skye's Dad, but that's the price you gotta pay for a Skye Dream Sequence. Anyway, let's break this week's episode down: [caption id="attachment_64212" align="aligncenter" width="583"]Screen shot 2014-12-03 at 8.21.06 PM Twenty Five Glorious Minutes of Trying on Hats[/caption]

Plot

Whitehall has finally come to collect Raina, BUT LUCKILY a couple of Koenigs are there to save the day. This spurs May and Skye to lead a team on a mission to extract her from the lawless Mad Maxian hellscape that is Canada. Meanwhile, Coulson leads the others on a search for the city that turns into a pretty straightforward horror movie plot. They all wander into a "supposedly haunted" local far away from civilization and uncover a secret that threatens to destroy them all. It's like The Evil Dead with more robots and less mutilation.

Excuse Me While I Diss This Skye

So Skye is the least interesting character in the show. I mean, the mystery surrounding her birth is interesting, but insofar as to how it ties into the Inhumans storyline. If that ever ends, if the questions are answered, she'd be so boring. Yes, even if she gets Inhuman powers, I think she'd still be pretty dull. The show is filled with so many unique characters that pop, she just comes off too blah. She is better than she was at the beginning of the show, that's true. I'd much rather watch this Skye than that one. At least this one isn't talking about "trolling reddit and facebook" and becomes dead weight most of the time. Most of the time. Her betrayal at the hands of Ward adds a little dimension to her, but since I don't really care too much about her in the first place it's a little hard to care about her relationship troubles. In comparison, I cared about 300% more about what he did to Fitzsimmons than Skye. Screen shot 2014-12-03 at 8.22.50 PM Which presents me with such a conundrum. About halfway into the first season Skye took more of a back seat to all of the other characters. They struck a good balance and the show shot up in quality. It just had to find its legs. That's fine. This episode, however, was pretty Skye heavy. We start in her dream and follow her most of the way through the events of the episode. It takes time away from the much more interesting City storyline. We've waited all season for these kind of revelations and now they're focusing on Skye's uneasy reunion with Ward? Cruel. But... I think this is a sign of things to come. Her dream had her in a flower dress, drawing a parallel between her and Raina. I think this goes beyond the fact that they're both possible Inhumans, Raina seems to have long tried to replace Skye in her father's eyes. They are estranged sisters tied together by destiny. Arrrrgh, how I want to like that much more than I do. It's a good good setup and a cool direction to go, but Skye weighs it down. With another, more interesting version of her, that'd be an amazing story. Right now, it's the mysterious, morally ambiguous Raina versus the awkward-dialog-filled, pandering Skye. It's hard to care. Screen shot 2014-12-03 at 8.24.07 PM However, things aren't hopeless. I trust in this show, I think they can change this character for the better. Skye can be much better, the potential is there. Remember, she's better than she used to be, so what's stopping them from going the whole way? If she does indeed get more screen time in these coming episodes, I hope they use it as an opportunity to flesh out the character. Agents of SHIELD with a strong Skye character? That's the best Agents of SHIELD.

What's the Deal With Mockingbird and Mac?

A few times this episode we're shown Mac and Mockingbird exchanging looks. A hint of romance? Perhaps. This show has strong romance subplots, I wouldn't put it past them. It is the easiest explanation anyway. We've been getting hints the last few episode at something happening with Mockingbird. She may have pushed Bakshi into a suicide attempt to hide her own actions with Hydra. She was a prime candidate for brainwashing and, by her own admission, the subject wouldn't know it had been done. But now what's with Mac? Rumors have exploded across the Internet after the knowing glances seen this episode. The fact that they're Hydra is certainly a theory counted amongst them. However, if they are brainwashed could they even exchange knowing glances? It seems like that'd defeat the purpose of sleeper agents. Screen shot 2014-12-03 at 8.25.38 PM Some have said they could be Agents of SWORD (an agency created to defend mankind against alien threats) secretly keeping tabs on Coulson as he gets closer to the alien artifacts. I suppose it's possible. Joss Whedon did create SWORD during his Astonishing X-Men run and the MCU is gearing up for more and more cosmic elements. Others have guessed that they're secretly working for Fury, keeping tabs on Coulson as he tries to get his footing as Director. Again, it's possible. Bobbi seemed pretty astonished at Coulson's different methods at Directing and Mac seemed really worried about Coulson's mental health for a guy who fixes machines. I dunno. Maybe Fury is running SWORD. Maybe a look is just a look.

Kree-bomb and The Future of SHIELD

So, perhaps the biggest reveal this week was that of the confirmation that the "blue angels" were not those jets you see doing tricks at air shows, but the Kree. The Kree! Oh man. This confirms the Inhumans, right? God I hope so. I can't take much more of this beating around the bush. Just say it already Raina, just say it! [caption id="attachment_64216" align="aligncenter" width="613"]Screen shot 2014-12-03 at 8.26.49 PM "SAAAYY IITT!"[/caption] This reveal seems a bit early to me. I always figured they'd save these big revelations for the end of the season, not the middle of it. This changes things (unless they find away to dance around the subject for a dozen more episodes). Firstly, the mid-season finale is going to be mind blowing. Maybe we'll see the Terrigen inside the Diviner (if that's what's in there) go off. Maybe we'll see Inhumans appear the world over. Maybe we'll just see a local exposure that turns only a select few Inhuman. Secondly, what will be the big developments at the end of the season? Worldwide Terrigen exposure? I don't even know, it's too early to tell. I'll tell you what though, it has got me excited for the possibly of this show. I had assumed Agents of SHIELD was going to be like the neglected little brother of the MCU. It can play with the scraps given off from the movies, but can never progress the MCU on its own. With getting Inhumans out there this early, I think it could be possible to see the beginnings of MCU movies within the show. Which is an amazing idea. Maybe we'll get introduced to characters (Captain Carol Danvers, ambassador from Wakandia, etc) or places. I can't wait.
Rating
8.0
Pros
  • City secrets revealed
  • Fitzsimmons character development
  • A Solid Coulson Speech
Cons
  • Dull Skye Subplot
  • Agents 33 Neglects to Fight May
  • Awkward Koenig and Trip Joke Scene

Comments

Meet the Author

Follow Us