Shield 9A first contact mission reveals some secrets from May’s past…

We’ve had some focus on Fitz, Simmons and Ward; there’s been far too much about Skye; and the mysteries surrounding Coulson are clearly going to be a long-term plot strand for this series. It’s about time that the spotlight was turned on “the Cavalry”, aka Melinda May, whose primary role has been flying the plane, occasionally kicking ass, and coming out with cryptic hints about her shared past with Coulson. That past becomes the centre of an episode-long gag, in which Fitz and Simmons try to prank Skye – the final gag, while incredibly childish, works well mainly because of who sets it up – which tells us quite a bit about the relationship between May and Coulson.

This is all wrapped within an episode about someone who appears to be a mutant (not, of course, that Agents of SHIELD can mention something that turns up in the Fox-owned X-Men!), but who is in fact being haunted by someone whose motives are not at all what they appear to be. She herself thinks she’s plagued by demons, which, frankly, is just as possible in a Marvel tale, but isn’t the case here.

The pacing of the show is better than some weeks, and there are some genuine surprises along the way; let’s hope SHIELD can maintain this sort of level.

Verdict: The penultimate episode before the Christmas break continues the emphasis on characterisation which the show was previously lacking. 7/10

Paul Simpson

 

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