Agents Of SHIELD (Season 2)

Season 2 of Agents Of Shield is a showcase of just how much the series has changed since its humble beginnings. It's dark, serialized, kinda messy, and it takes all of its characters to some really interesting places. 

This is the first season of Agents Of Shield to utilize the "half-arc season" format, with a storyline in the first half of the season and an entirely different one in the second half. The first arc of Season 2 mostly focuses around the fight between Shield and Hydra, and it's pretty great. I really liked seeing Shield try to take down Hydra without further damaging their reputation, and the central mystery about the obelisk and Coulson's sketches are really fascinating. But what really makes this part of the season for me are the myriad of subplots, such as Simmons going undercover at Hydra, Fitz dealing with the damage caused by his sacrifice last season, Ward confronting his ambiguously abusive brother, and May getting to fight an agent that looks exactly like her. All of these storylines weave together super well and really push the characters into unique directions. I love how Skye starts training with May and develops into a genuinely fantastic fighter, Fitz and Simmons's relationship straining is painful to watch, and Ward is probably at his most interesting here. It all culminates in a fantastic midseason finale that really changes the status quo, revealing that Skye and Raina are Inhumans.

Unfortunately, the "Inhuman arc" of Season 2 is a bit more mixed than the first half. Skye's character development is definitely the best part of this part of the season as she learns to control her powers and come into her own, ending the season as Daisy Johnson (aka Quake). It's really hard to watch the rest of SHIELD struggle to figure out how to treat her, but it's also pretty realistic too. I was also surprised at how good the Afterlife stuff was. When I first watched it, I thought it was a bit too slow and fantasy-heavy, but the character work for Skye was really great (Lincoln still sucks though). The Real SHIELD arc, on the other hand, was so much worse than I remembered it being. This was hands down the worst thing about the season, and I can't even begin to explain my issues with it: Why are they called "Real SHIELD" if they're not actually doing anything to protect humanity? Why are they mad that the leader of a spy organization is keeping secrets? Why didn't they do anything in the first half of the season when Coulson was having his visions and actually acting irrationally? The whole conflict felt dragged out and manufactured. Thankfully, though, the season once again manages to end on a fantastic streak of episodes, including a May backstory, Age Of Ultron crossover, and a phenomenal two-part finale.

Season 2 does have a lot of great episodes that aren't entirely focused at the end due to its overall better quality:

A Hen In The Wolf House: I really liked the "Simmons goes undercover" storyline, and A Hen In The Wolf House was a fantastic resolution, with Bobbi Morse making a killer debut as she arrives to save her, which in turn allows for an uncomfortable reunion between her and Fitz. Skye also has a big episode, as she learns what's been going on with Coulson as well as the fact that her father is kind of an awful person.

What They Become: I remember the hype around this episode, all those previews announcing that this midseason finale would be a game-changer. They were so right. Skye's father is Mister Hyde, her name is Daisy, and she and Raina are both Inhumans! It's an outstanding ending that permanently transforms the show, pretty much forever. Not to mention the deaths of Triplett and Whitehall, and many plot threads from the first half of the season getting resolved.

Melinda: This was such a fantastic episode, and not just because the real SHIELD was nowhere in sight. May's backstory was just as good as I had hoped. Not only did she live up to the "Cavalry" stories, but May getting traumatized was an huge punch in the gut. The Afterlife stuff was great too, with three awesome twists revealing that Jiaying is Skye's mom, that the kid May killed was an inhuman, and that Raina's power is future sight.

The Dirty Half Dozen: This was a pretty great tie-in for Age Of Ultron, and one of the last major MCU tie-ins this show would do. I love the idea of the show bringing together the original six for one last mission to take down Hydra, and there's a great tension about whether or not Ward will turn on the team. Not to mention the action is some of the best in the series, especially that Skye long take.

SOS: It's a shame we don't get as many grand two-part finales anymore, just like the best endings of something like Lost or Buffy, SOS feels cinematic. It feels like an "Agents Of SHIELD movie". Every character gets something to do, the action is grand, the plot twists are shocking, and by the end of the finale, the status quo has been dramatically changed. Obviously there's Bobbi and May leaving, Skye going by Daisy, several characters dying, Coulson losing his left arm, and Ward taking over Hydra, but none of that even comes close to the huge cliffhanger of Terrigen getting into the water. 

Overall, Season 2 was a bit of a messy season at points. It had a really strong start, a fantastic end, some great subplots, a stronger sense of serialization, and some amazing plot twists. However, the real SHIELD arc was very poorly-written and did drag down the season a bit for me.

4/5 Stars