Should you watch it, wiki it, or wait for the recap? Watch it.
An artifact liberated by SHIELD in the 1940s is Hydra’s target, and Coulson’s team must race to retrieve. They’re aided by new Agents Idaho, Hartley, and Lance Hunter. But when a man with the power to absorb the properties of anything he touches is their opponent, will the all that is left of SHIELD be enough to stop him?
“Shadows” is the first episode of the second season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and hence, the season premiere. It features levels up for some of our heroes (May and Skye), level downs for some other heroes (Fitz and Ward), and some additions to the cast (in the form of Lance Hunter, played by Nick Blood).
Well, it answers most of the questions posed by the finale of Season 1, although not very satisfyingly. The fates of the male characters are all messed up, while the female characters have benefited from the in-universe passage of time. Not that I’m complaining – Skye looks fly in her new outfit.
Highlights
Absorbing Man!
Absorbing Man appears! He’s Carl Creel, played by Brian Patrick Wade, and his moniker even gets a shoutout by Agent Hartley. He’s a B-lister (or even C-lister) villain, true, but the fact that we even got a good villain to open the season with is a bonus. Maybe we’ll see some Thor action with the Absorbing Man
Lance Hunter’s characterisation as the mercenary with a heart
So Lance Hunter is introduced as a fairly flat character, a SHIELD agent in it for the money. However once Agent Hartley’s life is threatened, he’s willing to risk life and limb to get her to safety. It sets his character up well – we see that he can be a very loyal friend, but only to people that have earned his trust. On the outside, he’s all business and cash. Works for me. That’s an interesting character right off the bat.
Oh, and he has a British accent. Double points.
Skye’s level up
Skye’s really powered up here – she can fight, and she can hack. She even gets a cool slick leather outfit to represent that she’s not just some new recruit, but a full-fledged SHIELD agent. And she has a fight scene with the Absorbing Man (though it’s a short one). Let’s hope she gets more tech and toys to play with.
Twist on Fitz
I’m not too happy with the direction his character has taken, but I was impressed by the small plot twist regarding Fitz’s fate. Admittedly, I’d have preferred that he was in a coma rather than running around being useless, but I suppose there’s more plot potential this way.
Numerous guest stars – Lucy Lawless and Adrian Pasdar
It is always fun to see Lucy Lawless guest star – in this case, as Agent Hartley. She always brings this sense of confidence that masks a maternal vulnerability. And I liked Xena. Anyway, she adds weight and gravitas to the season premiere by her sheer presence alone. Adrian Pasdar is a but more of an annoyance as General Talbot, but at least he’s not just a talking head anymore – he gets some action and more dialogue.
Letdowns
The male characters are all in bad shape
With Ward locked up, Fitz mentally impaired, and Coulson possibly suffering some side effects from his resurrection, there’s only Lance Hunter who’s whole (but he’s only appeared in this episode). Why so much hate for the guys? It adds to the drama, true, but it seems very skewed to a particular gender.
General Talbot is too much of the stereotypical evil general
He is. He’s meant to be the unwilling ally, but perhaps humanising him more (with more scenes of his daughter and family?) could help take the edge off him and flesh out his character more. Right now he’s really a walking stereotype, and you just know he’s going to order an air strike on them the next they meet.
The ending scene is confusing
Do you know who is the mysterious evil mastermind in the final scene? No? Neither did I. He’s in the very first scene that takes place in the 1940s, but you’re not going to remember that without some sort of refresher in the episode. I had to Wiki and Google this. He’s Daniel Whitehall. You’ll remember his name soon enough, I bet.
“Shadows” is an apt name for a season that focuses on Hydra (since they’ve slunk back into the shadows), and the sheer scope of their organisation sets the season’s objective in place. It also features the big bad of Season 2, Daniel Whitehall, although you’re really not going to notice it this until much later, I’m sure. It’s a very good episode to start the season with.
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