Welcome back to another week of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This particular episode, “Face My Enemy,” was screened at New York Comic Con this past weekend, with a quick walk-on hello from Coulson himself, and the excitement afterwards was ELECTRIFYING! No, wait, the other thing, tepid.
I already thought it was kind of weird that they didn’t screen the forthcoming Mockingbird episode, since that was the most exciting takeaway from their SDCC panel, and after showing us a clunker like “Face My Enemy” I was even more confused. Having Agent May beat up Agent May is a really fun idea (just like it was on Alias), but they kind of forgot to write an episode around it. Why shine a spotlight on that?
In this episode, Coulson and May go undercover to retrieve a 500 year old painting that has alien writing on the back, the same alien writing that Coulson goes into weird fugue states to doodle. (Also, notice that the show is calling it alien writing now? That was never really confirmed, even by the Obelisk, but thanks for giving us that one anyway, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!) Hydra is also looking for it, because they’re always looking for the same things that Coulson is looking for, probably even at the most mundane levels. “Sorry, Agent. I bought the last of the French Dark Roast at this Trader Joe’s. MWA HA HA! Oh, orange line? Thanks. And hail Hydra.”
Anyway, they get the painting, but along the way May fights a Hydra agent who is wearing her face thanks to a slick-looking future tech skin thing. So the show gets to have May ninja-ing herself. Then Coulson insists that she kill him someday. And that’s the episo…wait, what?
Okay, this thing? About Coulson insisting that May kill him when, not if but when, he goes crazy like Garrett is probably what the episode should have been about, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. You could have still had your Miami mansion and your Spy vs Spy and your sweet reminiscing dance scene and your alien painting while making the episode about how Coulson is losing his grip. What if, and I’m just spitballing here because this was a boring episode and I had a lot of time to spitball, Coulson was the agent actually central to the mission, as opposed to May? And what if his alien-writing fugue state got triggered during the mission and May had to extract them both while also getting the painting and also fighting her evil twin?
You don’t even have to stop there! What if, having established how close May and Coulson are in regards to their work history, you establish that May is the only person who can get through to him in his fugue state, but when she tries during the mission he snaps on her and starts going all starry-eyed and kick-punchy like Garrett?
Do you see what I’m getting at here, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? It’s not enough to have Coulson say that May needs to kill him, you have to show that there is a genuine concern behind that. We need to see, as viewers, that things can go wrong with Coulson, because so far we haven’t had any indication of that. Honestly, all we’ve seen is that sometimes he zones out and writes. I do that, too. Surely you’ll have to kill me before I go crazy.
Seeing some real consequences would have also added weight to May’s faith in Coulson. For us it’s easy to sympathize with her stance, but if this episode had portrayed her sticking to her faith in him despite that looking like a really bad idea, then we would have been forced to stick to our faith in the character of Coulson more fiercely. Or maybe we’d have begun disagreeing strenuously with May’s stance, but either way we would have been more engaged as viewers.
All in all, aside from the fight scene with the Mays, this felt like an entirely skippable episode. We don’t end up learning anything further about the alien writing, besides the fact that someone else out there is also doing it, and besides some incremental progress from Fitz—which could have been placed in any episode, really—everything remained status quo.
I probably should have known better. Any episode that opens with Lance Hunter, professional beer drinker, squirming all over some lady on a beach is probably not going to end well.
Thoughts:
- I do love how awful May’s dress was. DO YOU THINK IT WAS SHINY ENOUGH? MAYBE YOU COULD ADD SOME GLITTER TO MAKE IT SHINY.
- Oh, Talbot’s there but he’s not. It’s just the vaguely British Hydra guy pretending to be Talbot. Although that does lead to a fun dialogue when Coulson calls Talbot to say that Hydra just impersonated him.
- Does May say the Spanish equivalent of “I’m the best there is at what I do” during the party? I couldn’t make out everything but she definitely says she’s the best at something.
- Lance got four scenes in this episode! In the second one Trip is visibly antsy in the background, wondering when the season is going to give him anything to do.
- Lance calls his ex-wife a goddess and a hell-beast and this being the Marvel universe he might actually be telling the literal truth.
- Fitz mostly mopes uselessly around the episode (even him fixing The Bus is easy and takes like two seconds) but I did like how he just blurted out that Simmons never reciprocated his feelings. Progress! Adorable progress.
- Beer and feelings make GhostSimmons disappear.
- “Did you punch her in the face?” “I did.”
- May after a faux laughing-and-smiling fit. “My face hurts.”
Chris Lough’s face always hurts.
This episode had Ming-Na Wen in that scanty grey slip tied to a chair. For me, that’s a highlight.
I tend to enjoy this show unless it’s absolutely awful, so I enjoyed the episode, but, yeah, it was pretty boring. I liked the Fitz storyline and liked him “bonding” with the guys at the end, including with Lance Hunter. (Yes I like Lance Hunter, leave me alone, okay? :P)
But the rest was boring. And can I just say, I hate the use of face-masks for impersonating in any spy story? I just hate it because it inevitably becomes ANYONE COULD BE AN IMPOSTER, and that just doesn’t create as interesting plot as you would think. It’s gotten kinda predictable. Hope they don’t pop up again anytime soon.
@1, I was just glad she got out of that dress.
Clark Gregg kept retweeting people who liked it. I guess there’s no accounting for taste.
That was never really confirmed, even by the Obelisk,
Um, it was totally confirmed by that fact that if you got alien(big blue dude, in a tank?) blood, you started writing it.
who is wearing her face thanks to a slick-looking future tech skin thing.
And the deleted scenes from Cap2 tell you that it’s called a “photostatic veil”
I do love how awful May’s dress was. DO YOU THINK IT WAS SHINY ENOUGH? MAYBE YOU COULD ADD SOME GLITTER TO MAKE IT SHINY.
I wore a practically identical dress to my junior prom, and I have never felt more validated. Even if everyone else mocked me ceaselesly for my resemblence to a disco ball.
Oh, Talbot’s there but he’s not.
I knew he was impersonator as soon as he was so nonchalant about Coulson.
On one of the Farscape commentary tracks, someone was talking about how making network television goes. Basically, they are constantly under the gun to get things done faster and cheaper, and sometimes you work with the script you have not the one you want. So whomever was talking (I don’t remember if it was David Kemper or some other director) says that in any given season of 20+ episodes you will have one or two episodes that are Emmy-worthy, one or two episodes that are bad, and then you sort of live or die on whether the rest of the episodes average out to “Just okay” or “Pretty good!”
I don’t know where Agents of SHIELD is going this season, but so far they’re averaging out better than ‘just okay.’ Hopefully things keep getting better.
I liked her dress.
Don’t judge me.
I’ll be the dissenter. Again. I liked the episode because it was funny. Plot advancement is fine (and there was some incremental plot advancement, I notice the end wasn’t mentioned with Whitehall getting to Flowers and demanding the Obelisk) and I suppose there’s a time and a place for dark, angsty brooding (although that’s more Arrow than AoS), but what happened to just enjoying a fun hour of television with characters we like? The episode was chiefly centered around Coulson and May, who are the best characters in the group now that Ming Na Wen actually gets something to do. There were some great lines and the fight between May and 33 was well choreographed.
Look, with 22 episodes in a season, every single episode isn’t going to be a game changer. I didn’t find it boring, though. It was engaging, it moved the plot forward a bit, and it involved good characters doing funny things. How high is the bar supposed to be, exactly?
@5 & 7, Exactly
@6, *fistbump*
I have to disagree with Chris. I thought this was a fun episode and I liked the May-on-May violence. Add to that this episode reveals that Fitz may be getting better, Coulson may be getting worse, and that Lance Hunter may actually be a bit of a ladies man (although that brings up an emphatic: “Really? How?” ).
The character interaction and growth is so much better than last year, and the slightly darker tone adds a little more weight, or “oomph,” to each episode. I also like the reversal from the previous year’s version of SHIELD, where the bad guys call in the back up team and the good guys have to run. Oh, and we’re not just introduced to Agent 33 one week without any type of payoff; we see her again the next week. (Although there is no way that Agent 33 and Agent May have the same body type/measurements so Coulson should have noticed that right away).
(As for the alien writing not being confirmed until now: Chris, we saw that Coulson and Skye (and later Garret) are saved by the “blood” of a big blue guy that looked quite alien. One of the side effects (for Coulson and Garret, anyway) is that they start writing some weird stuff. Not much of a leap to assume the writing/shapes are alien in origin, or at least just call it “alien” writing.)
ETA – I see Aeryl@@.-@ said something similar.
And this episode was about Coulson having May confront the fact that he is getting worse, and that he’s trusting her to take care of him (and SHIELD, as the new director) when necessary. It just may not be necessary right at this moment (so no punching May just yet, despite your spitball scenario) However, Garret’s psychopathic actions are an example of how bad Coulson may get.
It kind of reads as if part of your feelings regarding this episode are linked to the letdown of NYCC screening this episode while you were hoping for the “Mockingbird” episode, which at least you do somewhat allude to in your post.
But personally I thought this continued a string of good episodes. Plus, we got some great fight scenes with Ming-Na Wen fighting herself!
I enjoyed the episode, but could have done with less Agent! Lance! Hunter! Why is he (the character) in the show? Was there a crucial need to fill the “generic boring white male” slot formerly occupied by Ward now that he’s insane and evil (and thus potentially more interesting)? (Obviously, Coulson and Fitz fail to fill the “generic boring white male” slot.)
When May electrocuted NotMay and burned her face, for a second I was like “Maybe she’ll become Madame Masque!” I know the origin story is way off and she’s an Iron Man villain, but that character would totally work on the show.
Also, you know if VagueBrit hadn’t bolted while Coulson was watching the Mays duke it out, Coulson would’ve pulled up a chair and sat, chin in hands, with the biggest grin on his face, enjoying every minute of it.
@10, Lance! Hunter! is there to be made fun of. That’s why no one wants to hear his stories about his ex wife, that’s why he’s constantly interrupted, that’s why he’s getting shot by the team.
His entire purpose is to lampoon the “generic boring white male”
I have two scenarios that give any kind of hope for Agent Shoehorned.
1: his ex turns out to be mockingbird, thus validating his presence on theshow at least a little.
2: he lives up to his ridiculously subtle name and seduces Ward(literally) over to the God side, thud validating both their presence on the show.
Lance! Hunter! is played by Nick! Blood! — that just seems to go together, like “Kam Fong as Chin Ho” in Hawaii Five-O during the good old days. I, too, am wondering when Trip is going to get something interesting to do.
I enjoyed this episode. Might not have been great, but it was good. May’s scenes were all great, especially the scenes at the party where she was working so hard to be witty and personable. (Scenes that definitely had a “True Lies” kind of vibe to them–did anyone else notice that?) The Marvel Universe thrives on not only heroism, but also humor, and it was good to see some of that on display here.
I was surprised to see Talbot being Hydra, and rather happy to see that, in fact, he wasn’t.
Mack finally got something to do in the field–be a chauffeur. Really, Marvel, that’s all you can come up with for the new black character?
Fitz’s scenes were good, and we are beginning to see him regain his mental acuity slowly but surely, in a fairly realistic manner. I’m glad to see him rejoining the team.
One thing I didn’t like was Coulson going all Debbie Downer. It is all right for him to be concerned about the future, but when your main character is one whisker away from being suicidal, it is kind of hard to enjoy what you are watching. His worry about the mystery of his revival was like an albatross around his neck in Season One, and at times dragged down the whole show as well. Hopefully, the writers will not dwell too much on that this season. Coulson is at his best when he is the sardonic joker, going around being quietly competent.
And the final ‘stinger’ scene, along with the previews of the next episode, put a whole LOT of balls into the air. Those who felt there weren’t enough things happening in this episode should like the next one!
@AlanBrown, Yeah, I winced at that scene with Mack. At least they used it to get Mack to bend Coulson’s ear about fixing Lola.
If Coulson wasn’t acting all “We must do what’s best for the team even if its worst for me” he wouldn’t be freaking Coulson.
And yeah next ep looks great.
I’ve got a new bug up my ass that the reason the Senator that’s bankrolling Talbot has a hard on for SHIELD, and it makes sense, but I’ll wait til we get closer, because I don’t think the Senator’s ID is known(hasn’t been posted here)
To elaborate what I’m saying about Lance!Hunter!, it’s much the same thing I said about Ward last season, but Blood plays it much better than Dalton did, which also makes sense, as Ward was faking it the whole time.
Re: Mack playing chauffeur it seemed to me to be semi-purposeful. Much like May’s adopted personality was so nails-on-a-chalkboard “annoying rich person,” having “the help” be a minority seemed like a bit of subtle commentary. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. And using too many “quoted phrases.”
That said, we need a Mack-oriented episode within the next three, IMO.
@16 I think we’ve seen via teasers etc. some inkling (or enough to suspect) that the ominous Senator with deep pockets is Ward’s brother.
As for the commentary that there wasn’t enough plot movement in this one, I can see that being a concern, but I welcomed the character development (and fight scenes) that took up the lion’s share. Moving the overarching plot forward took a back seat to that (though it moved a bit), and I’m ok with that.
So when exactly is Trip going to get to do a job other than “The Guy Who Stands Next to You Grinning and Making Great One Liners.” Seriously, it was at an all time high this time and almost felt like some joke in itself.
Whatever Chris, I liked this episode. :P This isn’t HBO with tight, weaving episodes and time to do all that. This is cable; They have like next to no time to film things, and often you have “fluff” eps that are just fun because of time, budget, actor availablity, no room for re-writes, etcetcetc. They definitely serve a purpose in cool-down time or keeping a light atmosphere, anyway.
Plus, AGENT MAY FOREVER. I may have a small (MASSIVE) crush on Ming-Na’s work. She is amazing.
I also liked her dress. She looked good, it fit the character she was trying to sell, it was eye-catching for her to stand out in a shot, and it let them cover pads they put on her double’s arms (as written by the costume designer on ABC’s site).
I don’t understand your spit-ball idea either. Coulson isn’t getting bad yet. They’re showing he’s a good director, and they aren’t just glossing over the whole “alien blood is dicey” bit. It’s set up, and we don’t yet KNOW if Coulson will go crazypants. It could be a story distraction for later.
@19, BJ Britt is also working on another show, they probably did not have the filming time to get into any in depth action with him, and are doing their best to keep him integrated in the team, even if it is as resident smart ass, until his schedule opens up.
His IMDb page says he’s rumoured for Avengers 2.
Yeah, Ward’s bro is the Senator, Christian/Maynard. I’ve seen both names. I think he’ll be the one responsible for getting Ward loose.
This episode was directed by Mo’s brother, Kevin Tancharoen, who also directed the Mortal Kombat Legacy series on Machinima’s YouTube channel, which explains the increased action sequences(That FACE SLAM). And honestly the mirror face off was right out of a fighting game.
We did notice that the FakeMay was Agent 33 that Whitehall brainwashed last week, right?
Yes, we did. Think Agent 33 may have her brainwashing removed at some point?
I thought the dress looked fine, but I don’t think May wore it well. She looked like an MMA fighter trying to walk in heels. Maybe that was intentional (esential what she is in the episode). She looked awkward to me at the party.
We must be wanting very different things from this show, ’cause I thought this was the best episode so far. Heists! Action! Hi tech! Character development! May versus May! Who cares if it’s a bit slow on the story arc.
The only thing I’d get rid of is Lance Hunter, because every minute he’s on screen is a minute not spent on more interesting characters. Also, they killed Xena to bring him into the group. Just no.
Funny that you mention Alias. For May, the tip off was that she doesn’t like coffee. Francie’s double didn’t know she didn’t like coffee ice cream.
This episode had elemetsI really enjoyed. Awesome action sequence with a face slam! Raina cameo…sweet. Agent May and Coulson showing why they are the best at what they do.. :) I could have used some more action with the rest of the team other than “trapped in the bus” but everything blended well. I like Agent 33 and hope that they brainwashing can be removed and she eventually takes Ward’s spot in lieu of Lance. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents. All in all, this season has me onboard defintely! :) P.S. Yes the dress was horrible…S.H.I.E.L.D. just doesn’t have the budget for Vera Wang anymore :)
The episode was great fun!
May was definitely the highlight.
I guess HYDRA now knows that Coulson is The Director and that May is the Second-In-Command though? Coulson blabbed about that much to Faux-May anyway.
We (my kids and I) play “spot the difference between Hydra and Coulson’s SHIELD” while we watch. So far we’ve got 1) Hydra now has a lot more money, and 2) SHIELD likes to talk about their good intentions. But in terms of tactics and goals, there’s not much difference.
We had fun with this episode though. I have to really disagree with Chris’s spitballing — May seems much more interesting than Coulson, so swapping a focus on him rarely makes sense. Also, if Coulson is so worried that he’s going to turn bad, then his refusal to delegate more authority seems even more ridiculous. But I’ve never thought of Coulson as a “good guy,” maybe because I didn’t read the right comics? But “doing what Coulson says” does not equal “automatic good guy” to me.
He was created for the films (though he’s had minor comics appearances since), so comics reading won’t really make a difference here.