Lashing out.
By Eric Goldman
Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
Damn, guess Hunter really wanted revenge on Ward, huh? Agents of SHIELD ended on an intense note this week, as Hunter essentially chose to sacrifice Andrew in order to take out Ward, despite May pleading with him to step down. It was a well-done moment that nicely subverted expectations where the hero, pushed to the edge, ultimately, usually does the right thing.
In fact, this moment was so big I wish the episode had focused a bit more on Hunter and perhaps spent less time on other storylines, simply because even with May’s scene with Hunter warning him he wasn’t thinking things through, it felt like we needed a bit more build up to this. Still, the decision in and of itself is a huge one – especially if Andrew is really dead. Though not seeing his face before the explosion (we saw a leg and shoes, but not the person’s face) certainly raise some questions.
I’m also pretty sure Andrew’s not dead because so much time was spent on he and May’s relationship issues, and him seeing a side of her he didn’t like, that it feels too early to just take him out. Though I hope their issues stem from something really inconsequential – like she makes too many changes to her orders at a restaurant and it drives him crazy.
We want to hear it.
Andrew confronting Coulson was an interesting moment, as he didn’t like Coulson bringing in a new Inhuman – Alisha, the multiplying woman we met last season — without consulting him. As for Lash, I like finding out he has some sort of specific agenda/mission (“I’m necessary”) leading him to hunt and kill Inhumans. The reveal that he’s got a human alter ego isn’t quite as impactful as it felt like it was meant to be, but we’ll see where it goes and how much they develop a “Who is Lash?” mystery, as it seems they might.
We got a but more insight into Simmons’ state of mind this week and it was appropriately tough hearing she had ultimately given up hope during her time on the alien world. And it’s good to see her confiding in Fitz at the end – albeit after he was on to her wish to go back – even if we need to wait a week to discover what it is she’s going to tell him.
Meanwhile, the flirting with Coulson and Rosalind got a bit more direct – “I like when you get all tough” – and it’s good to see Daisy already noticing the weird vibe.
This was a week where SHIELD perhaps could have benefited from less story-juggling and getting a bit more focused on Hunter’s infiltration of Hydra, leading up to his (appropriately tense) faced to face with Ward, and it inevitably leading to a shootout. Still, what we got worked well and Hunter’s decision was powerful, in terms of showing one of our heroes going to a dark place, where he was willing to let someone he didn’t directly care about — but meant the world to his teammate — die in order to avenge someone he was very tied to.
