Episode Title: “End of the Beginning”
Writer: Paul Zbyszewski
Director: Bobby Roth
Previously on “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”:
“End of the Beginning” seems to have found the way to make “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” work as a TV show. Whenever the actual agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show up in the story, this series finally demonstrates the potential that we were promised from the beginning.
This episode brings back nearly every prominent S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that we’ve met this season, including Agent Blake (Titus Welliver), Agent Sitwell (Maximiliano Hernandez) Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), John Garrett (Bill Paxton), Antoine Triplett (B.J. Britt) and even Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the tag scene, although that appeared to be lifted directly Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This would have been the perfect time to grab Jackson for another special cameo appearance. As much as I enjoyed that preview scene, just a few minutes of original content with Nick Fury could have solidified the link between this show and the new Marvel sequel.
But the important thing is that “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” finally has some direction and two primary villains of its own: Mike Peterson aka Deathlok (J. August Richards) and the Clairvoyant; whom we meet in this episode. Or do we? The ending suggests that the Clairvoyant is someone that we’ve met before.
There are full spoilers ahead for “End of the Beginning,” so if you missed last night’s episode of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” then you should probably skip this review or else you’ll have to drive Agent Blake to the hospital.
The story opens with Deathlok attacking Garrett and Triplett in a S.H.I.E.L.D. safe house before they manage to repel him. More than that, Garrett and Triplett actually seemed like they were ready for Deathlok. They’re competent agents; which is exactly what this show needs.
Paxton’s take on Garrett is so engaging that Marvel should immediately sign him as a series regular. I actually broached that subject with executive producer Jeffrey Bell during the PaleyFest, and he replied that Paxton “is a big movie star and we’re glad that we have him for six episodes.” Actually, Paxton was a big movie star, but his most recent leading roles have been on television. There’s no excuse to let him go if Paxton is up for a larger role on this series.
Giving Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) a purpose beyond his own resurrection has also helped give “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” some life. In most episodes, Coulson practically has to carry the show by himself because the supporting cast hasn’t been developed into fully realized characters. Even in this episode, the primary characters are proving to be the show’s biggest weakness.
Take Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) for example. After his ordeal with Lorelei (Elena Satine) in the previous episode, Ward seems to have accepted the idea that he’s in love with Skye (Chloe Bennet) and he seems to linger over her when she receives her promotion to a Level 1 agent. And when the team finally comes face-to-face with the Clairvoyant, Ward shoots and kills the man in cold blood after he threatens Skye’s life.
Normally, I’d applaud when someone on this show does something hardcore. But it felt nonsensical in that context. The supposed Clairvoyant, Thomas Nash (Brad Dourif) was helpless and in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody when Ward decided to blow him away. I don’t see how Ward can even continue to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. after that. This show is going to have to jump through some serious hoops to explain why he’s still around, assuming that there is still a S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Captain America sequel.
As much as I’ve enjoyed J. August Richards on this show, Deathlok was undercut a few times and made to look weak. While the opening scene built up Garrett and Triplett, it made Deathlok seem less effective when he had to flee after just a few moments. There was also no reason for Deathlok to not kill Agent Blake unless Mike Peterson was resisting his programming, but there was no indication of that. The scene played as if Deathlok intended to kill Blake and simply failed to do so.
Although, I have to say that I loved the X-ray view of Deathlok that greatly resembled his comic book counterpart. This episode also had the correct way to utilize Agents Leo Fitz (Ian De Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge): get them to use their gadgets in service of the primary agents and then get them out of the field. Fitz and Simmons are good supporting characters, but they don’t belong on the frontlines.
It’s barely touched upon in this episode, but Simmons and Triplett are back at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters when something shady goes down… which we don’t actually get to see. In the meantime, the conclusion once again plays out on the Bus (I am so sick of this airplane as the primary location of the show). Basically, Coulson’s paranoia goes into cartoonish overdrive as he suspects both Ward and Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) of working with the real Clairvoyant, whom Skye deduces is someone within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
After the last episode’s reveal, May’s betrayal of sorts is out in the open after Fitz stumbles upon her secret hardline connection to someone else (probably Fury); which destroys Coulson’s trust in her. It’s hard to get invested in that after such a shaky buildup. There weren’t very many ramifications when Skye betrayed the team earlier this season, so why should we believe that things will be any different for May?
The conclusion finds the Bus taken over remotely by S.H.I.E.L.D. as Hand orders the execution of everyone onboard except for Coulson himself… whom she wants to kill personally. Victoria Hand is the Clairvoyant?! I don’t know how I feel about that. Hand does have the gravitas to be a good villain and she is someone that the show has already introduced. But I was hoping that the Clairvoyant was a certain Asgardian whom Coulson had run into before.
Still, it’s a good cliffhanger ending and this was one of the most exciting episodes of the series. All things considered, “End of the Beginning” was the best “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has been since the pilot.
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is almost a real show now. Let’s see if it can build on this.
