And so it happened that yet another episode of “Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.” was aired on TV. Awesome! But first – few other bits of info.
First of all – real life here – we appear to have acquired a
couple of pigeons on our balcony. We have no idea of how to get rid of them,
and barely more intentions if we want to in the first place. So far it seems
that the pigeons are roosting there, and not nesting, but I would not bet on
it, so for the moment the pigeons are there to stay.
Second – also real life here – it seems that the scientists
(paleontologists) have decided that Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus are two
different dinosaurs. Leaving aside that the Apatosaurus family accounts for up
to 4 different species, this is really exciting news; it seems that the main different
between the cousins is that the Apatosaurus is the slightly bigger and bulker
dinosaur. Neat.
Third – here we go to TV land – is that the fifth season of
MLP: FIM has begun to air. The season starter concerning the cutie marks was
good – it introduced a new villain into that universe, the Mane 6 weren’t the
ones to save the day, actually – and MLP: FIM in general has changed its tune:
now the villain isn’t bringing chaos and change into Equestria, she – Starlight
Glimmer – is bringing order and monotony instead. Clever move on Hasbro
management, maybe they have experienced some change of their own...
Finally, about the latest “Agents” episode, “Afterlife”. In
this particular episode, several things happened – primarily Skye has arrived
at the titular destination; fortunately, it isn’t what one expects, but rather
some sort of a Shangri-La-like place, where Skye should be able learn how to
use her powers in peace. The catch is that both Raina and Cal are there as well
– let us talk about them for a bit.
It is easy to dislike Raina – all she did had been stirring
up trouble for Skye/Daisy and her coworkers, but conversely she had always been
dominated by someone else (like Cal) and she was always in Skye’s shadows, a
replacement, and not a very good one, perhaps. It is always bad to be
perpetually stuck in second place, and to add an injury to the insult, Skye,
who had never wanted it, has become something of a prototype superhero (agent
Quake from the comic-verse, perhaps?), while Raina, who had been always eager,
has become a chupacabra instead. One could start to feel sympathy for Raina
here, you know?
With Cal it is more straightforward – just like his
comic-verse counterpart, Mr. Hyde, Cal is insane, selfish, and bipolar.
However, Gordon (the grimlock to Raina’s chupacabra) apparently can handle him
well enough, as can Cal’s wife (Skye’s biological mother?). Her character has
just made an appearance, but there is already something of a Fu Manchu vibe
about her, suggesting that there is a snake in Aftermath’s paradise, so to
speak.
Then again, Skye already does not seem to find Aftermath to
her liking – it is too static and quiet for her: she is a woman of action, of
strong ideas and ideals, and the quiet and serene retreat of Aftermath just may
not be the place that she’ll want to stay permanently – though perhaps she
could be persuaded to stay awhile...
And while she stays, Coulson and Hunter are planning to find
and rescue her (and given the universe of “Agents” their attempt will probably
not be misguided). To do that, they will need help – and it comes in the shape
of Deathlok, also known as Mike Petersen. This is really good, for Deathlok was
very important in the previous season, and so far he has proven to be more formidable
than before. That is good, because Coulson and Hunter will also need Grant Ward
to help, and as it was shown in the “Love” episode, Grant has apparently cooled
his ardor for Skye quite a bit, and his parting with Coulson was even worse.
Odds are, this is the sink or swim moment for Grant’s character – he will
either start returning to the good guys’ side and become a proper S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent once more, or will become fully a villain and probably die soon enough
(Simmons, for example, wants to kill him). Considering that “Agents” tend to
provide the unexpected it can go either way.
As for the rest of the team... Fitz and Simmons have made
up, and have smuggled Fury’s toolbox – a vibranium cube – out of the
Playground. Captain Gonzales and his people may be quite competent, (and apparently
they got the numbers on their side too), but so are Fitz and Simmons – they
have come a long way since their naive debut back in S1. They may no longer be
able to talk in synch, as they have done before, but they have become much more
mature as well – Mack, Morse and others will not know what hit them.
But finally we have Melinda May, who has issues of her own –
and since the next episode deals with her back-story, well...let us leave her
for next week as well.
So: Deathlok is back, Coulson is starting to fight back and
to recollect his team, Fitz and Simmons have proved their mettle, Grant may get
a last chance to get his, Skye is going to get rescued whether he wants to or
not, and May will get a special episode about her next week.
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