Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is back and its bigger and badder than ever. Season 3 of the Marvel adventure kicked off Tuesday September 29th, and it hit the ground running. Without too much ado lets take a look at “Laws of Nature.“
RECAP
A man named Joey Gutierrez is having a really bad day. For reasons unknown to him everything he touches is either liquifying or disintegrates. Good thing Daisy Johnson is on the case because apparently a new player is in the game and this unknown black ops team is making new Inhumans disappear and their team has Joey surrounded. Luckily, S.H.I.E.L.D. has managed to secure some new toys including a flying cargo box. That’s right we are saving people one shipping container at a time.
Back at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ we discover a very different S.H.I.E.L.D. from the rag tag bunch refugees of the fall of mother S.H.I.E.L.D.. Once again S.H.I.E.L.D. is restored to is the crisp, clinical S.H.I.E.L.D. we have all grown to love. S.H.I.E.L.D. is once again taking their cue from the inside of an Apple store and everything is shiny, digital, and futuristic.
Daisy (that’s right no more Skye, she is owning her birth identity) has a new hair cut, a new suit, and a new mission helping all the newly found Inhumans adjust to their new lives as social pariahs and wanted criminals. For Joey, our newly discovered Inhuman it is a rough adjustment. Granted, it would be bad enough waking up unable to touch, well anything, only to discover you are now also forced to go off the grid and can’t have any contact with your old life. When Joey’s denial turn physical we are quickly show that Daisy has really seemed to master her powers. I assume that the new suit is the reward for becoming an earthquake inducing super-agent, you know, like a black belt in karate.
During conversations between Daisy and Joey and Bobbi and Coulson we learn that it appears that Inhuman abilities are being awakened due to susceptible individuals ingesting terrigen laced fish oil supplements. Luckily, unlike the terrigen crystals themselves, the fish-oil supplements have no effect on the human population- for no good reason at all other than killing a bunch of humans to further your plot is probably a big buzzkill.
Back in the lab, Bobbi and Coulson are discussing the latest research on the monolith, you know the one that basically ate Simmons. Its been locked in a room since that occurrence but Bobbi has been putting her science background to good use helping Fitz track down any and all leads that could potentially see to the return of Simmons.
Speaking of Fitz, he is halfway round the world in Morocco chasing down leads. A cab driver warns Fitz that his current destination is dangerous and that he shouldn’t go in alone. Fitz shrugs this off and approaches two middle men, asking in lousy Arabic to be taken to Yousef Hadad.
Eventually the middlemen oblige but not before shoving a bag over poor Fitz’s head. Once in front of Hadad, he offers the man a trade, a briefcase full of splinter bombs for a 1000 year old parchment in Hadad’s possession that may be the key to understanding the monolith. He also gives an impressive emotional monologue and upon pressing from Hadad admits that he loves the girl he is going to this much trouble for. Scored one for Fitzsimmons shippers.
The two parties make the trade and when Hadad goes to fiddle with one of the splinter boys Fitz snags the parchment and does a runner.
At HQ, Bobbi has managed to find some information on the mystery woman which appears to be in charge of the mysterious black ops unit hunting Inhumans. It turns out that the woman has had numerous identities and take the same Metro train from a DC location every few days.
Coulson and Hunter take this opportunity to try and intercept the woman only to walk straight into a trap. Having subdued the two, the woman introduces herself as Rosalind and it’s very apparent that she is a woman in the loop. So, much so that she even knows about Tahiti.
Rosalind demands to know where Coulson is hiding the Inhumans.
Meanwhile, Daisy and Mack have traveled to a hospital to visit Lincoln to ask for his help in training Joey to control his powers. Lincoln feeling betrayed by his upbringing refuses. Stating that the knowledge he was provided was a curse and a lie and that he is now trying to build a normal life, Lincoln refuses to help, stating that he and Daisy should just let their heritage die.
Back on the metro, Rosalind informs Coulson that the altered humans are a threat and that she has been tasked with neutralizing that threat. So, imagine Coulson’s surprise when Rosalind accuses Coulson of leaving a trail of bodies and sheltering others. Especially because well, Coulson had pretty much been of the opinion that Rosalind was the one killing Inhumans. Coulson confirms that he isn’t dropping bodies, and Rosalind confirms that she isn’t dropping bodies, leading them to the slow realization that there must be another party in play.
Mack unimpressed with Lincoln’s attitude problem starts throwing his weight around only to be met with resistance from the Inhuman, the lights begin to flicker and Daisy suggests that he cool down. Lincoln looks worried and informs the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that he isn’t causing the disturbance. The hospital lights continue to flicker and a trail of screams lead the three to a big scary monster hunting Inhumans and burning holes in the chests of anyone who opposes. It is a lovely introduction Lash.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents and Lincoln square off against the spiny giants in an epic battle that ends with Lash’s escape.
On the Metro Coulson and Rosalind both find their cells ringing at the same time. When on of Rosalind’s agents move to retrieve his phone Coulson uses the opportunity to free himself from custody and he and Hunter make a run for it.
Daisy, Lincoln and Mack pursue Lash through the hospital and through combining powers managed to get a drop on the spiny bloke. Literally, Daisy and Lincoln create a whole in the ground and Lash falls through. But all the chaos has attracted the authorities who are authorized to use lethal force on our empowered heroes. Daisy demands Lincoln come with her and Mack where they can protect him. Lincoln refuses stating his life is in ruins and running the opposite direction, Mack stops Daisy from pursuing.
On the lighter side of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hunter has spent the entire episode avoiding Bobbi, refusing to talk to her and work with her. We are meant to believe that they had some major falling out, when the truth is that Hunter is a stickler for tradition and it is bad luck to see the bride on their wedding day. That’s right apparently Hunter and Bobbi are looking to take a second crack at matrimony. Bobbi states that she asked for her wedding ring back from Hunter because she paid for it not in some grand gesture. Hunter however, will not take no for an answer, be it marriage or the fact that he is determined to hunt down Ward and Hydra for payback for what he did to Bobbi.
Mack interrupts this tender moment to state that President Ellis (remember that guy, you know the one hanging from a crane in the Iron Patriot suit in Iron Man 3?) is giving a briefing in regards to the new “super” threat. He states that in reaction to the events in New York, London, and Sokovia (you know, Avengers, Thor 2, and Avengers: Age of Ultron) he has created a task force called the Advance Threat Containment Unit to intervene now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still pretty much defunct in the eyes of the government.
While watching the state of the union Coulson’s computer finished running a trace on the terrigen dispersal and it is apparent that the terrigen is basically everywhere. Guess it’s a good thing it isn’t still deadly.
Fitz finally makes an appearance in the lab and Coulson finally takes a moment to corner the good doctor calling out his fevered search for Simmons and explaining that it may be time for Fitz to accept that Simmons may be gone and it was time to accept that.
Fitz refuses to accept that stating that the parchment was going to tell him exactly what the monolith is. Imagine his disappointment when the parchments is only one Hebrew word: death.
Coulson informs Fitz that he is going to Sheffield to tell Simmon’s family that she is MIA presumed dead and that it was time for them all to accept that Simmons is gone, that Coulson has lost his hand, and that Agent May has taken off on vacation (explaining her conspicuous lack of being in this episode). Although a nice speech, Fitz isn’t buying it. Instead, he choses to storm the monolith chamber gun blazing, literally, as he blows away the locks on the containment chamber and then starts hollering at the stone. It is absolutely gutting.
But worry not we can’t end on such a sour note. Our episode ends with our Jemma looking the worse for wear and running from something, in a vast desert landscape that is mighty blue, which in itself seems like a clue to her whereabouts.
MY TWO CENTS
Woohoo S.H.I.E.L.D.. It has been a long summer with two pleasant Marvel movies in the mix but for someone like me that just left me missing my weekly encounters with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
We have a new phrase for describing individuals receiving new crazy powers ‘a biomorphic event’. This episode came heavy with a lot of jargon and glitz showing a radical shift in tone and appearance giving us a show which more closely resembles its first season than the season it’s following.
I am so happy that our man Fitz has shown a remarkable recovery from his previous brain injury. As much as I loved that plot line and think it was important not only to the character and the tone of the show it left the terribly talented Iain De Caestecker with little to do. The character’s new mission to save Agent Simmons has opened up new avenues in which we can once again get to see “Fitz in the Field” which provided some of the most delightful moments of the first season.
There is quite a bit going on in this episode we have the introduction to Joey Gutierrez who will hopefully play a larger role in upcoming events. We have a new group of potential allies and a potential new villain if it turns out that lash is not contracted with Hydra.
The real out of left field event was the last few minutes of the episode and has led me to the wild speculation that Jemma is trapped on the Blue Area of the Moon. The Earth-like enviroment that was originally discovered by the Fantastic Four, but since Marvel doesn’t own the film rights to F4 maybe we should describe it as the area where Phoenix and the X-Men were locked in a trial by combat with the Shi’ar Imperial Guard- oh wait. Ok, let’s just call it that place where the Skulls started their little eugenics program pitting the Kree verses the Cotati in a battle for which race was superior. Whatever the backstory they chose for S.H.I.E.L.D. I think one could argue that based on the landscape and the excessive use of azure Simmons is probably stuck on the moon… with Steve. Sorry, forgive my Eddie Izzard moment
I remain a little disappointed at the absence of Agent May, one because she is my favorite character, and two because she has been such a driving force in the S.H.I.E.L.D. story play that to have her be completely absent in the season premiere only to be explained away by being on vacation seems strange to me. I just hope that this means we are gearing up for some true May greatness.
One minor plot bunny that is weighing heavy on my mind is Bobbi telling Joey that there are no reported fatalities, and yet the teaser clearly showed a half charred body standing in a kitchen. So, no one else noticed the half a man? Bigger question, if Joey liquifies metal why is there a half charred body? But I digress.
Hope you enjoyed this episode and hope to see you back here again next week for another review of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
