[8.2/10] Holy crap, that was pretty intense for an episode of Shield. I know the show stepped up a notch in terms of having mature themes and the like with the move to Fridays, but I tend to think of crushed skulls and slit throats as the realm of Twin Peaks and Dexter much more than my live action but cartoony little superhero show.
But AoS went whole hog this time out. In one corner, you had FitzSimmons being tortured by Ruby in order to make the particle infusion chamber or whatever. Then you had Ruby going through mental and physical torture while being infused with the gravitonium (which, apparently didn’t give her super acting abilities since her squawks were pretty unconvincing). Then you had her crushing the head of Strucker Jr. by accident, which was a pretty shocking image in and of itself. And then you had Yo-Yo bursting in and taking her out when Daisy and Hale were trying to talk her down.
That’s a lot. I appreciate the tragedy of Ruby being raised for this but not prepared to handle it, while Hale has to watch her suffer, and Daisy knowing the struggle of what it’s like to have powers that you feel you can’t control while needing someone who won’t give up on you. I also like Yo-Yo having been traumatized by seeing her future self and thinking she’s saved the planet by killing “the destroyer of worlds.” Everyone’s motivation is set up well in the scene.
Then on the other side of the episode, you have Talbot having gone full Manchurian Candidate and taking Robin hostage. That’s its own kind of intensity, and the stand-off between Talbot and Coulson is well done. Particular kudos are owed to Adrian Pasdar, who totally nails being out of sorts and unsure of himself and feeling out of control. While a bit predictable, the scene where Talbot turns the gun on himself is harrowing because you feel for this man who wants to do right but isn’t in charge of his own mind anymore. Pasdar sells the hell out of that, and while an easy out, Coulslon using the “you will comply” stuff to help Pasdar and then using the good ol’ icer is a nice way to resolve the situation.
Last but not least, you have a couple of pretty cute scenes between Coulson, Mack, and Deke, where each reveals that they’re hardly experts on relationships, while Deke tries amusingly outdated (er...future-dated) methods to woo Daisy.
Overall, a strong episode that pulls the trigger on some big time stuff the show’s set up in this arc, and doesn't shy away from serious themes and intense images in the process.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2018-05-17T02:13:34Z
[8.2/10] Holy crap, that was pretty intense for an episode of Shield. I know the show stepped up a notch in terms of having mature themes and the like with the move to Fridays, but I tend to think of crushed skulls and slit throats as the realm of Twin Peaks and Dexter much more than my live action but cartoony little superhero show.
But AoS went whole hog this time out. In one corner, you had FitzSimmons being tortured by Ruby in order to make the particle infusion chamber or whatever. Then you had Ruby going through mental and physical torture while being infused with the gravitonium (which, apparently didn’t give her super acting abilities since her squawks were pretty unconvincing). Then you had her crushing the head of Strucker Jr. by accident, which was a pretty shocking image in and of itself. And then you had Yo-Yo bursting in and taking her out when Daisy and Hale were trying to talk her down.
That’s a lot. I appreciate the tragedy of Ruby being raised for this but not prepared to handle it, while Hale has to watch her suffer, and Daisy knowing the struggle of what it’s like to have powers that you feel you can’t control while needing someone who won’t give up on you. I also like Yo-Yo having been traumatized by seeing her future self and thinking she’s saved the planet by killing “the destroyer of worlds.” Everyone’s motivation is set up well in the scene.
Then on the other side of the episode, you have Talbot having gone full Manchurian Candidate and taking Robin hostage. That’s its own kind of intensity, and the stand-off between Talbot and Coulson is well done. Particular kudos are owed to Adrian Pasdar, who totally nails being out of sorts and unsure of himself and feeling out of control. While a bit predictable, the scene where Talbot turns the gun on himself is harrowing because you feel for this man who wants to do right but isn’t in charge of his own mind anymore. Pasdar sells the hell out of that, and while an easy out, Coulslon using the “you will comply” stuff to help Pasdar and then using the good ol’ icer is a nice way to resolve the situation.
Last but not least, you have a couple of pretty cute scenes between Coulson, Mack, and Deke, where each reveals that they’re hardly experts on relationships, while Deke tries amusingly outdated (er...future-dated) methods to woo Daisy.
Overall, a strong episode that pulls the trigger on some big time stuff the show’s set up in this arc, and doesn't shy away from serious themes and intense images in the process.