VOD TV review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Episode 21 (Ragtag)
Review Overview
Motivations
7Amusement
8Pre-finale tension
9Neil Brazier | On 27, May 2014
Channelling iconic TV show Lost, this week Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. features Ward flashbacking to how he and Garrett came together, with the former becoming the puppy dog in the latter’s handbag.
This does break up the flow of the penultimate episode somewhat and casts a new actor as Young Ward from “15 years ago”, yet keeps Brett Dalton for “10 years ago” Ward. Strange.
The back story of how Ward came to be part of Hydra doesn’t really appease either; it doesn’t feel like the sort of thing that would turn a man against the world, but then perhaps this is why Ward still has a little empathy (or weakness) for his S.H.I.E.L.D. comrades.
Meanwhile, Reina is getting brought back into the plot, her faith in the Clairvoyant all but diminished. She brings more to the show now than just the girl in the flower dress: she asks the questions we want answered and appears to know something about Skye and her true parentage. Will this be revealed before the end of the season and, if so, will it have the impact to match the incredible turn this show has taken these past few weeks?
As things heat up before the Season 1 finale, Marvel’s show still manages to find some laughs and they all hit the right beat, not feeling in any way forced. Coulson and May try to infiltrate Cybertech while posing as Fitz and Simmons. This brings back happy memories of the train sequence from Episode 13 – T.R.A.C.K.S. – when the agents were pretending to be someone else. Impressively, it’s still funny. (Also be on the lookout for Coulson’s file transfer for another laugh-out-loud moment.)
With only one week left, there are certainly a lot of things to clear up and still new revelations happening. We didn’t perhaps need to know the truth about Garrett and how he is linked to Project Deathlok, but it does provide more attachments to link every strand together, something that was desperately missing from the series’ beginning.
Dramatic, funny and leaving you wanting more; if only Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had been like this from the very start. The finale should be spectacular but with episodes as exciting as they have been, it’s not the right time for the show to end.