Well, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is slowly coming together, as May is back on board, Jemma has been returned to this planet, and Coulson has both … ok, one hand, on the wheel (sorry, had to say it). With lots of new enemies on the radar this season, and one that we’re not sure about – the ATCU – the team has plenty of work to do – let’s take a look at how they did this week.
SPOILERS AHEAD
First of all, I would like to say, I called it in my “Eight Burning Questions” article from a couple of weeks ago: Campbell and Daisy are officially now a “thing.” But first-things-first, we start with Campbell on the run from the ATCU, who have been hunting all Inhumans as dangerous fugitives since the first episode this season. Campbell finds shelter with an old friend, and he seems safe for the moment – but then the friend hears about Campbell’s Wanted status on TV, and things get bad, quickly. In a heartbreaking moment, Campbell indirectly causes his friend’s death when the man has a heart attack. This spells big trouble for him; now the ATCU has the proof it needs that he is indeed a “dangerous” fugitive.
Help seemingly arrives in the form of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Daisy and Mack – but not so fast, amigo. Coulson makes a tough and controversial decision: to trade Campbell to the ATCU in exchange for them leaving Daisy alone. Campbell is having none of it, and promptly zaps himself away, leaving Daisy in the sights of the ATCU agents. In a last desperate move, Coulson gets Daisy back, but only by promising to work with Price in the future. He has now officially sold his soul to the ATCU, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. vulnerable once again.
For her part, Daisy is definitely not about to hug Coulson in jubilation, even though he saved her. No, she is plenty pissed, and sees his actions as a betrayal. In true Coulson form, he doesn’t help his case when he fails to reveal his reasons – that it was either Campbell or Daisy. Right or wrong, Coulson’s actions are threatening to drive a wedge between not just him and Daisy, but between the human members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhuman members. We shall see if this Human vs. Inhuman binary continues to grow as the season wears on.
Meanwhile, May and Hunter are busy trying to secretly work their way into Ward’s resurrected HYDRA. Hunter meets up with a bloke from his past, who tells him he has to fight his way in – sounds easy enough; as Hunter says, he can take a lot of punishment. Plus, if things go wrong, May can always save him, since she apparently can take out room-fulls of 7-foot dudes without much effort. In the fight, Hunter finds out his “old mate” is not so friendly – he gives Hunter a right good walloping before Hunter finally resorts to some brass knuckles. It’s a close call, but he wins his chance to join HYDRA, and stumbles on, bloody but alive.
It remains to be seen how Hunter and May will get to Ward without being discovered first – but they seem to have a plan. My guess is that Ward knows a lot more about this little covert operation than May and Hunter realize; the big question this season will be whether May finally gets Ward for good, or he slips away again. I am starting to lean towards the former.
Overall, I feel like Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is becoming very much a show of different couples – a phenomenon that happens to a lot of series – rather than one unified story. We have, of course, Jemma and Fitz – the Joanie and Chachi of this series (and I mean that in the most positive way). I find it so interesting to contrast the reaction of Fitz to Jemma’s recent trauma with the way Jemma dealt with Fitz’s near-drowning last season. Jemma’s response last year was so genuine and believable; she avoided him, and seemed to abandon him, but it was more complicated than that. She just wasn’t ready to be serious with Fitz, and she didn’t want him to mistake sympathy for love.
Now, in this season, we see a relationship that has changed and evolved. Both of them are ready for something more, and Fitz’s devotion to Jemma is sweet, but more importantly, it is real. And now Jemma seems to share his devotion, so I can’t wait to see how the show will handle this evolving, and growing, relationship. For example, how will Fitz react to the fact that Jemma wants to RETURN to the alien planet he just got her off of? I’m guessing he won’t be overjoyed.
Then there’s Campbell and Daisy, who finally broke through all the sexual tension and kissed this week. Yes, I am proud that I predicted this right at the start of the season; but honestly, you would have to be as blind as that Gideon guy from last season to not see it coming. Campbell and Daisy got very close last season in Afterlife, and seemed to develop real feelings of friendship. It was a logical progression for them to become something more, and now that it’s Daisy’s turn to help Campbell, they will only get closer.
Finally, this week, you can maybe add Coulson and Price to the “couples watch.” Yes, you heard it here first, folks – I am predicting a love connection for these two in this season (but only for this season). Why? Do the math. She’s drives out to see him in a classic car, very similar to his own 1962 Chevy Corvette, “Lola.” And yes, he notices. They also have clear attraction for each other in their back-and-forth banter. And, they seem to have genuine respect for each other, because they are in the same situation. Trust me folks, it is no accident that they joked about “being on a date” as they talked in that scenic ocean-front rendezvous. Remember where you first heard it, just sayin’.
“A Wanted (Inhu)man” was more like several different shows packed into one Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. package. Of course, you can expect the many disparate plotlines to come together, as they always do, by the end of the season. But right now, we’ll have to get used to keeping track of all of the parts separately. We also didn’t see anything from Lash this week – how he ties into everything will likely be discussed next week. Until then, faithful viewers, keep watching.