Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Face My Enemy
Henry A. Otero
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Seeing Miami, my home town, on television never gets old. South Beach certainly gave Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 4 a different flavor.
The miracle painting was in high demand and there was lots of face switching going on. Plus Coulson and May dancing was priceless.
Fitz came out of his shell and finally proved his worth, bonding with the new team.
What did you guys think of the opening moments of "Face My Enemy" on South Beach? Yup that's really what Miami looks like pretty much year round. I've traveled all over the world, but there's truly no place like home.
So Hunter's proving to be a pretty smooth operator. Yet the word modest does not exist in his vocabulary. I wasn't sure how to feel about the character to be honest, but after this week's episode I like him a bit more.
Everyone cleaned up nice, Mac, May and even Coulson was unrecognizable without a tie. The exchange between Mac and Coulson about Lola was fun. I miss Lola, the writers need to bring her back soon. Hey at least she was mentioned. How amazing did Ming-Na look in that dress byt he way?
The dancing and scoping out the area made for a fun sequence. May had a couple of great one-liners like "my face hurts." I thought it was interesting that Coulson is keeping these major secrets from his team. The hand tremors and true nature of this particular mission. Has he forgotten how pissed he was that Fury kept him in the dark like that in the past?
The fact he wants a plan in case he goes the way of Garrett means he's still thinking clearly. Is there a reason he can control the GH.325?
Skye researching the alien writing is eventually going to blow up in his face. She trusts him, but only so much and I can see Ward exploiting that.
Imposter-Talbot threatens to blow their cover so Coulson and May make their move. Amazing to hear Ming-Na speak Spanish, good job too! Skye's line "she just said more words than I've heard in a year" was hilarious. Season 2 Skye rocks!
Laser grids. Why is it always laser grids?
Coulson
Were you expecting May to walk right through the laser grids? I wasn't but it was fun to hear her say "they already know we're here."
Talbot contacting HYDRA was a surprise too. Of course we soon find out he's not Talbot at all, but it was a nice way to set it up. Now we know HYDRA is not only aware of the alien writing, but they're trying to decode it as well. I mean, Garrett knew but he was on a personal mission in order to stay alive. Perhaps I missed something, it just wasn't clear how much HYDRA knew about the writing until this week.
Bakshi (as Talbot) catches up with Coulson and May. The conversation seemed a tad strange, as Talbot wouldn't work with S.H.I.E.L.D.
I know there's writing on the back of that painting. The government wouldn't have sent me down here if we didn't. Phil, you're the only one who can help me figure out what that writing is. It's what you do. Why don't we help each other out?
Talbot
It was great to hear Coulson didn't trust Talbot either and sent May ahead to check things out. The HYDRA folders tip May off and she springs into action. If she was on reconnaissance, the level headed thing to do would be report back to Coulson. Naturally, we'd miss the excellent May against May fight scene that was the highlight of the episode. Come to think of it, this was a very May-centric installment and I loved seeing Ming-Na shine.
The fact Coulson revealed delicate information to Agent 33, when he thought she was Agent May, tells us HYDRA's coming for him soon. I mentioned that in last week's review for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 3.
The B-story involving Fitz worked well I thought. It's helped us as an audience bond with the newbies while the characters bond with each other. Of course, at the top Fitz is still the odd man out. The banter about exes was hilarious and it's pretty clear by now Hunter's wife was a "demonic hell beast." Mac rolling his eyes at the mention of Hunter's ex-wife was a trip. Yeah it's getting old mate.
I liked imaginary-Simmons encouraging Fitz to join in. The fact he was aware of her was an important step in his recovery. Of course, when she finally vanishes at the end it's a sign that perhaps our old Fitz is on his way back. I'm ready for that, aren't you?
Fitz: So I don't have an ex, but there was this girl that I like and I told her how I felt. But she doesn't feel the same way as I do, so she left.
Hunter: Her loss then mate. From what I can see she's missing out.
By the time HYDRA troops arrived Coulson and May had taken off with the painting. We learn from Coulson the painting was indeed 500 years old but the writing was new. So there's someone like Coulson out there somewhere. Any theories on who it might be?
While it was nice to hear May had a contingency plan for Coulson's possible break down, we know he's not going anywhere. I think this serves more to show her loyalty and love for Phil Coulson than anything else. Still "hard choices are coming" according to Coulson. Will May be able to do what must be done or is she too close to the situation?
I wondered how long it would be before HYDRA came looking for the obelisk. Daniel Whitehall, himself, confronting Raina means they want it bad. She's got 48 hours to comply. Do you think she will turn to Coulson for help? Are Raina's days numbered?
Did “Face My Enemy” keep up the momentum established in Season 2 so far? What did you think of Agent May this week? Is there a connection between the obelisk and the painting? You're up S.H.I.E.L.D. fanatics, hit the comments below and share your thoughts on Episode 4. Keep an eye out for our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. round table coming later this week!
Need to catch up? Don't forget you can watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. online right here via TV Fanatic.
