The first half of the season left us with Agent Coulson having murdered Ward in the name of both fulfilling the mission and gaining payback for the death of Rosalind Price.  Little does he know, that killing didn’t quite take, and Ward/Hive is likely to emerge as a massive threat by season’s end.  In the meantime, though, Coulson continues his personal war with Gideon Malick, and things are only getting more and more intense.

 

 

Much like several instances during the first half of the season, the emergence of new Inhumans means sending Daisy’s team to investigate and hopefully recruit.  In this case, the Inhuman is Elena “Yo-Yo”  Rodriguez (aka Slingshot), a speedster with abilities not unlike Quicksilver, except she always “bounces back” to her original position.  Weapons theft turns out to be part of an overall community crusader-type agenda over the course of the episode.

 

Naturally, the police in the area are corrupt, and they also have an Inhuman working for them, one that can essentially freeze someone in place with a glance.  While this particular Inhuman was ultimately overcome, he is recruited by Malick, who wants to pull together a team of his own.  Call it the Brotherhood of Evil Inhumans, perhaps.  Yo-Yo doesn’t immediately join up with Daisy’s “secret warriors”, but it seems like a given that she will return.

 

 

Meanwhile, Coulson is given official control of SHIELD from the president himself, albeit privately. It’s a duty that he has been willing to shoulder, but seems a bit heavier after his encounter with Ward on the other side of the portal.  At least Coulson has the self-awareness to question his actions and choices, and Agent May at his side to help him navigate some of the psychological effects.  When she said that he was now one of the cavalry, that spoke volumes; it was also a nice bit of payoff for those who have been fans from the start.

 

For all the hand-wringing, Coulson still makes one hell of a call by taking Werner von Strucker to the TAHITI facility and forcing him through an endless loop of trauma, all to gather intel on Malick.  Possibly justified, but it does point to the fact that SHIELD has the capability and will to push the boundaries when it comes to interrogation.  It makes perfect sense that some characters would take issue with the notion, though I question if Lincoln was the right choice, given how bland he tends to be.

 

 

Of course, any episode this season wouldn’t be complete without progression in the FitzSimmons relationship.  Fitz feels like he let Simmons down by failing to save Will, which could have easily led to yet another gap for them to bridge, if it hadn’t been for Simmons making the move to stop the song and dance.  Which continues to make me nervous; whenever a couple is relatively established on a Whedon-related series, it’s a constant target for angst.

 

Things aren’t going to get easier, especially with Ward becoming a growing threat within Malick’s grasp and Talbot being appointed as the new head of ATCU.  Coulson and Talbot love to argue, after all.  Meanwhile, Mack is taking on more and more of a leadership role, possibly in preparation for Bobbi and Hunter to move on to their own potential spinoff in the near future.