REVIEW: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. "BOOM"
Oh thank goodness they didn’t prove me wrong. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I was partially writing words expecting the episodes to get better this month. And the despite the not-so-subtle title “BOOM” there was enough bright points to officially consider this episode an improvement. How ironic that it also comes from a story that seems to borrow a lot from previous episodes, but it works. That’s all that counts.
First of all, there’s the revelation of the woman behind AIDA’s design, a woman named Agnes. That’s fine and great and all, especially if it gives a chance for Mallory Jansen to use her real accent, but I can’t help but think back to season three. Think about it, Coulson finds someone from his enemy’s past to find a way to hunt him down to avenge a woman Coulson cares about deeply. Considering that plotline grated me a little more than a year ago, I can’t say I enjoyed it again this time involving a brain tumor.
However, I give them credit for making me care more where it counted, despite the storyline. Giving a sad backstory to Agnes as well as a sad ending (more on that later) gives a more touching atmosphere on the whole thing. And I can totally buy people being wanting to avenge Melinda May rather than a potential traitor, not to mention the fact that Coulson is not kill-friendly anymore. It’s almost insulting now that I think about it though. What, a guest star is worth a murderous hunt but not a main character who’s been through hell?
Besides that most obvious comparison that even the episode references, there were more subtle aspects that brought back an older version of SHIELD, thankfully in a more positive way. Explosions! Effects! Deaths that actually mean something! Normally, I have to wait near the end of the season for that, but the less stuffed SHIELD still had time to surprise me.
For example, we now have the surprising death of Senator Nadeer, who was supposed to be our antagonist. I’ll miss the clear evilness of her character but not enough to not appreciate the grandiose of her death by explosive Inhuman. I know this raises a ton of questions on how this Inhuman gene works namely how it affected her brother but not her, but again I don’t care. Like Daisy mentioned, I don’t really miss her, and I was never going to anyway.
The faceoff against the Watchdog-turned-Nitro Inhuman was also an interesting twist that I felt captured an early villain-of-the-week style, especially since the climax focused on it. Plus, I’m a fan of those old-school trapping, fighting, and outsmarting a villain rather than just coming in a blowing stuff up. If they can’t short him out, then they just wear him out. It’s a relatable plan that comes right at the last minute constructed by Daisy and FitzSimmons. When was the last time that happened?
I also have to give a small reference to Daisy in this episode. She was at the center of the action, so that’s one thing, but the whole thing felt a bit like foreshadowing. Daisy being in Coulson’s office giving orders to an agent. Daisy facing off against the Inhuman before Mace can provide a distraction for them. I already get that Daisy’s cooler than Mace, but I don’t think they could have spelled the note that DAISY WILL BE SHIELD DIRECTOR anymore than that. And this was the show that literally joked about her being a director in the comics.
Beyond that, there are a few new developments despite the bland Russian leader motivation. They got Mace, and they still have May. Agnes is technically (?) dead, but now there’s this new thing called the Framework. Is it a virtual world or just a fancy new name for the thing that May was in this whole time? All I know is Agents of SHIELD: Framework wouldn’t be a bad title, so now that is officially my newest theory. Also, they have to bring May back into the story somehow.
Is there way to describe the level below season finale and “Spacetime”? Because that’s where this episode probably lies after having the guts to kill a character already. It’s definitely worth a recommendation, especially to someone who hasn’t had the plot ruined by the lesser version in season three. I hope for this to continue, but I know there are only so many explosions and satisfying deaths a season can have. Now that I’ve said it, that’s a pretty sick rush.
