Action and Deathlok! These are the things we like to see on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and tonight's episode definitely delivered. Welcome to the "End of the Beginning," folks. Spoilers if you haven't watched the episode!
The last new episode of SHIELD left off with the reveal that Melinda May's reporting information to someone through a secret secure line from the plane. But who? I wish I could say that we got our answer at the end of the episode, but I'm pretty sure we got more questions. But let's start from the beginning, as Coulson and his team worked with Victoria Hand, John Garrett, Triplett and Blake to track down the Clairvoyant. And the plan they used came from Skye, on Coulson's referral.
Skye's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent! That was made official tonight before Skye was permitted to lay out her double-blind plan, which had the agents teamed up and risking an ambush as they attempted to track down the mysterious Clairvoyant. This resulted in May and Blake crossing paths with Deathlok, who was fitted with a cool arm cuff thing that gives him missile launching abilities. I'm sure there are more technical terms for his weaponry but as far as I can tell, this guy's being turned into the Terminator, complete with computer vision that allows him to lock on target.
Mike Peterson seems to think there's nothing left of his human self, but based on the way he reacted when Blake brought up his son, I'm thinking there's more humanity in him than he wants to admit. Maybe seeing the exposed metal behind his forehead wound has him thinking he's essentially a machine. And Skye's view of him suggests that a lot has been done to Mike. But I still think there's enough left of him to come back from all of this if whoever's pulling his strings is finally captured.
Deathlok led all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. people to a man they all assumed was the Clairvoyant. The man -- Thomas Nash -- was confined to a wheelchair and communicating through a computer. All of his surveillance equipment did seem to indicate that he was the man in charge. Because when you find a guy in a secret lair with command center equipment, he must be the big cheese, right? But even as we watched that scene play out, I questioned why they were all assuming that the man sitting in the chair was the person speaking to them. I mean, how do they really know? I set that question aside as the Clairvoyant talked to Coulson about being broken and then went on to talk about Skye would die giving them what they wanted. That prompted Ward to pull the trigger, silencing the voice just as the Clairvoyant was saying "No matter where I go or what you do to me, I will always..."
Always what?! Be watching? Love you? Be your girl, Forrest?
We'll never know what the end of that sentence was.
Ward was quarantined on the plane while the higher-ups decided what to do about him. Skye went to see him and he basically admitted that he killed Nash to keep Skye (and the rest of the team, but let's face it, mostly Skye) safe.
Coulson and Skye eventually figured out that the things the Clairvoyant knew about them came from information in their files and psych profiles. This person isn't psychic, they just have access to S.H.I.E.L.D. data, which means they're an agent. At first, Coulson thought it was Ward. Or at the very least, that Ward was receiving orders from someone. He confronted Ward to find out who ordered him to kill Nash. In fairness, it was a smart theory and for a moment, I really wondered if maybe Ward's perceived feelings for Skye was actually a cover and a bit of misdirection for us. And then Fitz discovered May's secret line and all hell broke loose.
Fitz cut the line just as May was trying to transmit some information. She went after him and for a second, it seemed like she was trying to kill him, firing a couple of rounds directly at him, but hitting bullet-proof glass instead. She told Coulson the gun was an icer. She wasn't trying to kill him. Maybe just incapacitate him? Coulson's gun was real, and he was demanding answers.
Maybe I'm a total sucker but I believe May has an actual explanation for all of this. I don't think she's evil, at the very least. But she's obviously keeping something from her team, and it may be connected to Victoria Hand and/or the Clairvoyant.
The episode ended with the plane making a sudden, sharp turn. May says she's not the one controlling the plane. So who is? It appears Victoria Hand's behind the plane's abrupt detour, but is it being flown remotely or is someone on the plane flying it? In which case, who? I'm leaning toward the the remote theory, since Hand was last scene giving the order to take out everyone on board when the plane touched down. Then again, maybe she's prepared to kill her mole, which I don't think is May. It could be. I don't know.
Is Victoria Hand the Clairvoyant or working with the Clairvoyant? Or does she have her own agenda? Is the Clairvoyant on the plane? Who's May reporting to? Is Ward actually shady? Because now I can't shake the feeling that maybe this all-American boy nice-guy act is really just an act.
Moving on to bigger and more immediate matters. Captain America: The Winter Soldier was teased near the end of the hour. We hear the movie is amazing and that clip certainly did a nice job of teasing the action! Nick Fury car chase!
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