Between last week’s episode and tonight’s episode of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” the entire world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed. If you haven’t seen Captain America The Winter Soldier yet or read my review of it, and my pregame explanation for tonight’s episode, you might want to do that before reading tonight’s review or even watching tonight’s episode. Marvel has revolutionized the meaning of the term game changer. Everything is changed, and everything is connected. Meet me after the jump for my review of tonight’s episode, “Turn, Turn, Turn.”
Timeline
When last we left the Agents of SHIELD, they were on board The Bus on their way to the Triskelion, when suddenly The Bus changed direction on its own returning to The Hub. There Victoria Hand has given the order to take out everyone on board except for Coulson, he’s hers. The course change interrupted the confrontation between May and Coulson – as in “Who’s flying the plane?”
Also, we know that Jasper Sitwell left last episode to get his Hydra butt handed to him by Captain America, the Falcon, and the Black Widow. Felix Blake was incapacitated. Grant Ward had a good excuse. Do we know where Garrett and Triplett stand yet? Let’s see… things are about to blow up…
Don’t Fear the Reaper
We begin with Garrett airborne and under attack by SHIELD drones. He makes his way to The Bus where he hopes Coulson and friends can help him. Coulson is still playing trust games with his crew. He incapacitates May after she admits that her encrypted line goes right to Nick Fury. Then Coulson tasks Skye with hacking the signal noise blocking most SHIELD communication.
Wresting the weapons systems to his control with Fitz’ help, Coulson takes out the drones and Garrett joins them. Helluva cool dogfight too. Meanwhile it’s feared that Simmons on the ground at The Hub is in trouble. She’s testing Skye’s blood and while Triplett is being helpful, he’s also being very nosy. It’s at this point that Skye interprets the noise signal… “Hydra.”
The Trust Game
At The Hub, Victoria Hand is locking the place down, and hunting for two unaccounted for loose ends, Simmons and Triplett. As we watch the two find out from The Academy that it’s Hydra attacking from within SHIELD, it becomes apparent that writer/producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen are playing us. Triplett is a red herring and on the side of the angels.
On The Bus, the decision is made to release the specialists from the holding cell. Ward falls right into line but Coulson keeps May on a short leash. He has her call Fury on the repaired encrypted line. They are both shocked when the voice on the other end of the line tells them Nick Fury is dead.
Confession and Cargo
Upon landing, The Bus is under heavy fire. While pulling a bullet from May’s arm, that’s when she decides to spill her guys to Coulson. She assembled the team, not him, and she did it under Fury’s orders, all with Coulson in mind in case his resurrection didn’t take. She knew all along, and she did it because she cared about him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the crew is preparing for a direct assault on The Bus. They’re worried that Hydra will get what’s on board – the weather machine, a portal creator, Asgardian weaponry, information on gravitonium and the drug from Tahiti, and a real live 0-8-4 (Skye). None of that would be good.
The Clairvoyant
Victoria Hand shows her hand as her people find Simmons and Triplett. She plays a game, asking them to swear allegiance to Hydra, and when they don’t, reveals that she’s really on their side – SHIELD’s side. Of course, we only have her word for it. Her other words however aren’t very good. She is sure that Coulson is The Clairvoyant, based on all of his insubordination that we have seen for ourselves this season.
Meanwhile, Coulson and Garrett and crew are planning their assault on Hand and her people. We have a sweet moment between Ward and Skye before he takes on about a dozen Hydra agents by himself. This episode has some great sequences like this. In his pep talk however, Garrett trips over events, mentioning things he shouldn’t know. In that moment, Coulson knows John Garrett is The Clairvoyant.
Betrayal
After a pitched combat, during which Fitz proves himself a crack shot and we viewers are left wondering about the disappearing and reappearing handcuffs on both May and Coulson, finally the forces of Victoria Hand show up and apprehend Garrett AKA The Clairvoyant. The ordeal is only over for the moment. SHIELD and Hydra are now at odds and scrambling for a power grab, each taking over different SHIELD installations the world over. Hand and Coulson form a loose alliance as perhaps the highest ranking SHIELD agents left.
Ward goes along with Hand to take Garrett to The Icebox. That’s when the lines are really crossed as Ward shoots Hand and her people to release The Clairvoyant. Da da dum. Well, we know who the real traitor is. I wonder if he meant what he said to Skye now about getting together to talk… or if that had more sinister intentions.
Next, the team reunites and goes underground, literally, and Patton Oswalt guest-stars. Who do you trust?
So, at this point, does it mean the show may need to be renamed Marvel’s “Agents of Hydra” if it is picked up for a second season?