Wednesday, 12 October 2016

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Review: “Uprising”

Dark, darker, yet darker
(This review contains spoilers!)

          S.H.I.E.L.D juggled multiple storylines at once this week, tying together Coulson’s latest mission, May’s illness, and whatever Daisy’s trying to do right now (find a new Hot Topic probably) by shutting off the power in several major cities. The Watch Dogs are still sticking around, this time using an EMP to kill the electricity, while at the same time masquerading as Inhumans trying to abolish the Sokovia Accords.

          Now that the Inhumans have been thrust into the spotlight, there comes the very obvious concern of Inhuman rights, and the fear normal people will obviously have of a race more powerful than they. The Watch Dogs’ plan worked so well because people don’t fully trust the Inhumans yet, so they were quick to attack them as soon as they threatened their way of life.

          S.H.I.E.L.D downplayed the ghosts n’ goblins magic this week, with no Robbie going full-on Ghost Rider, no spirits of vengeance, and only a brief cameo by Radcliffe’s robot (although she was later used for a deus-ex machina). Instead we were able to see more of the fantastic espionage elements that made Seasons 2 and 3 so great. This was helped by some excellent cinematography. The final battle scene with the lights flickering on and off was such a great idea, and offered a fun and exciting conclusion to the blackout.

          My one major gripe with the episode was that it was blatantly obvious May was going to survive. Even after Radcliffe suggested literally restarting her brain by killing her and bringing her back, and even after the power went out, she was clearly in no danger. While major characters have been killed off on S.H.I.E.L.D before, they’ve always been in landmark finale episodes. I doubt we’d see one of the leading roles die in Episode 3 of a season, as shocking as that may be.

          The most entertaining part of the episode was easily Coulson, Fitz, and Mack on their mission to rescue Yo-Yo and destroy the EMP. There were lots of fun character moments, such as Coulson lamenting he seems to be the only one who hasn’t seen Ghost Rider in person yet, his robot hand getting stuck on the steering wheel, and Mack and Yo-Yo’s relationship, which is always fun to explore.

          I’m glad S.H.I.E.L.D has found its footing again. Despite a certain few of the major overarcing storylines not being to my taste this season, it’s nice that we can still have some fun Season 3 style action and spy segments. And with the organization back in the spotlight once more, I’m sure there’s lot more action still to come.

FINAL SCORE
8/10

Great

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