Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 episodes 12-13 review - The Inside Man/Parting Shots

The Inside Man

And here’s an ace for your sleeve, and here’s an ace for your sleeve and here’s an ace for… NO, you’re getting one! YOU ALWAYS GET ONE!

So, in this week’s Agents of SHIELD, Coulson partners up with Talbot in an effort to find out if there are HYDRA agents in an urgent meeting to consider what to do with inhumans but in a game where everyone is one step ahead, it turns out things are not as they seem

So… spoilers, Talbot’s son was kidnapped and he double-crosses Coulson to Mallick. I really should’ve seen this coming. I praise that Talbot isn’t HYDRA and my ability to make terrible predictions comes back again as it turns out he’s been blackmailed by HYDRA. The story is mostly setup for things to come to a head later down the line. Mallick needs new inhumans so he co-opts the meeting to provide a “sanctuary” for them

Also in the episode we have Carl ‘Crusher’ Kreel, I think we last saw him in Daredevil, if you even remember since he was not a major player last season, lasting only the first few episodes. He isn’t well trusted by Hunter. If you remember he killed at least one of his friend. Yeah… apparently he was brainwashed by HYDRA. He’s Talbot’s ace in the hole, looking for his kidnapped son that Mallick brought along with him… for some reason.

Oh, there are some really cool moments. They’ve really done a good job with May’s badassness that we really didn’t need to see her catching up with and rescuing the kid, we just need to know that she did it

Back at base is where things get weird, you remember how Carl could hold the diviner, I would forgive you if you forgot that, it was a while back now. But apparently his blood is immune to the effects of the terragin crystal, and theoretically his blood could be used to make a vaccine to stop anyone converting to inhumans.

Skye Daisy was quite incredibly hostile towards the idea and whilst the show probably does need a voice of opposition, Daisy was not the person I would’ve gone with, especially since she’d spent so long without powers and it took a lot of getting used to. They made a valid point about Lash but Daisy seemed to ignore it.

Now, after being the moral character last week, we see now that Lincoln also has some penned up rage and has more trouble controlling the battle inside him than Daisy does. Seriously, show, reveal something Lincoln’s past, I’m dying here! Well, not really but…

Rating 8/10

Parting Shots

So, Bobbi and Hunter are off to form their own little spinoff, and this episode does do a good job of sending them off… for the most part

So, the team find Mallick in Russia, as they prepare to create the Inhuman State, but it has powerful opposition from the President of Russia and events begin to escalate when one of the generals inside the compound turns out to be an inhuman.

Look, for the most part, I like this episode, it’s just one or too nags, specifically regarding the ending that really, really bug me, but I’ll get to that in a moment, but I do wish to praise the episode on aspects.

It really did give us a decent sendoff to the characters. Their life and choices, for better and for ill are very much front and centre this episode. I do like the fact that neither of them broke under interrogation, it’s a testament to their loyalty and the sacrifices they make for the team.

Speaking of which; May finally has it out with Hunter over leaving her husband to die over shooting Ward. Honestly, I think if it were the reverse, she would’ve done the same thing, so I’m not entirely buying this conflict but hypocritical anger can happen.

So… Let’s get to the problem with this episode. So after the events of the episode Bobbi and Hunter are being held at I presume the Kremlin, I don’t believe it’s stated. So they want one of them to confess to the crime and that was an act of War by America. Except the President of Russia is fully aware that those two killed people making an attempt on his life, and really just wants to use them to cover it up… So why have them down as secret agents, say it was a terrorist attack!

And then Coulson shows up, tries to create a very obvious escape attempt (when the cameras went down he should’ve been removed immediately) and even though they persuade him not to, he humiliates the President in front of them and somehow secures their release

WHAT?! First of all, what did releasing them accomplish? Second, why did the President even come, what was his purpose? Third, why can’t they be agents again?

Seriously, that ending is really freaking dumb, a really disappointing way to finish what is for the most part a strong ending.

Rating 6.5/10

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