Recap and Review of Agents of SHIELD Episode 310: Maveth

After the non-stop adventure of last week’s episode of Agents of SHIELD, it is hard to imagine that this week packs in much more, as we see what is happening on strange planets, see the Inhuman Secret Warriors, and get an ultimate SHIELD and Hydra showdown in this week’s Agents of SHIELD episode 310: Maveth!

[divider] Recap of Agents of SHIELD Episode 310: Maveth [/divider]

On the planet, Ward and Fitz trade blows and barbs, with Ward threatening Simmons being tortured if they don’t return and Fitz telling Ward that the only reason he was sent through the portal was that he is expendable.

As they are escalating, they find a monument that looks just like Hydra’s logo. Eventually, using the information Simmons had collected, Fitz drops into Will’s bunker, introduces himself and tries to convince Ward to use him as a guide to find the evil thing they are supposed to bring back. Eventually, Ward comes around, but not before first taunting Fitz. Will is hurt from saving Simmons but they start out looking for “It”.

They discover that in addition to the portal, there are Inhuman cells from the ATCU on-site. They then lay out the whole plan: get Fitz and Simmons, close the portal, take out Hydra, and save the Inhumans. But interim director Mack says that the only way it can work is if they do it quietly, with no guns.

Using underground aqueducts (evidently the medieval castle had excellent blueprints available on the web), they infiltrate underneath, while May, Joey, Lincoln and Daisy take a frontal assault.

Unconscious Coulson is having a deep subconscious dream where Rosalind tells him it is time for him to get up, as he awakens on the strange world, with him calling it Tatooine.

Fitz tells Will the real scoop of what is happening, of the evil nature of Hydra and they start to work on a gameplan, with Will faking the directions and leading them into the canyon.

Jemma has managed to escape her captors inside and discovers the Inhumans, who Malick earlier called a gift for the Big Bad, saying he needs an army. Jemma’s first discovery is Andrew, aka Lash! And after some discussion, Jemma lets Lash out, who quickly takes down several Hydra agents.

Meanwhile, Coulson is hunting, looking for Fitz. Ward then pontificates on the Inhumans and the world, espousing a change or die theory. And then Will quietly confirms to Fitz that they are standing in the middle of the no-fly zone. Will then takes out a couple Hydra guys in the sandstorm. Ward then realizes it and as he is hunting them Coulson shows up, taking out 2 agents before taking Ward captive.

The Inhuman Secret Warriors made it into the base but the gunfire draws others, even though Joey morphed the bullets into harmless things. Jemma has made a break and finds May, who pauses when she hears Lash is here but decides that the most important thing is to stick to the plan.

The whole team then assembles like they are the Avengers or something but May then goes off book and goes looking for Lash, who it appears is killing all the captive Inhumans. There is then a debate about whether or not the portal should be open, as Jemma explains how she felt around the big Evil, who she thinks is the one who desolated the planet.

Ward then talks about his experiences and the changes he has experienced, like a full on creepy evangelist, saying everything is a part of a grand plan now. Coulson then finds Will and Fitz and they discover there is less than 15 minutes until the portal opens. Will and Fitz are talking some more, when they discover an ancient city. And then “Will” goes all super-villain speech mode, revealing that the real Will died saving Jemma and he is the big evil masquerading as Will.

May returns confirming that Lash has killed all the Inhumans and as Hydra comes down, Mack makes the decision to stay, not wanting everyone to die all at once. Daisy says that she is staying both because they have become awesome partners and she can keep the portal open. The others are given orders to bomb the the place to pieces if Hydra comes through or they can’t close the portal.

Fitz is bravely fighting “Will” but is about to die, when Coulson shoots “Will” but Ward then takes out Coulson. As the portal starts to open, Fitz is trying to take down “Will” who is walking zombie-like towards the portal. Coulson finally has had enough and beats Ward down. Fitz then takes the flare gun and lights up “Will”. Coulson then crushes Ward’s chest with his bionic hand, drops the hand next to Ward like a mic drop, then heads to the portal with Fitz.

The portal has only been held open by Daisy and Mack. Daisy passes out and Mack gives the order to May to take the castle down. And after a long beat, everyone is reunited, as Mack has managed to save everyone.

Lincoln and Daisy make out, May gives Coulson a hug, and Jemma realizes that Will didn’t make it and runs into Fitz’s arms. But…Fitz and Coulson have a stare at each other and Coulson doesn’t look quite right.

And the tag scene? Dead Ward aka the Big Evil made it through the portal and is about to be reunited with Malick!

[divider] Review of Agents of SHIELD Episode 310: Maveth [/divider]

So, what about this episode? First, it gets a solid 8 out of 10. Last week was so fast paced that this week felt a little slower, especially in the way it cut rapidly between all the different scenes. Some thoughts?

1. What planet was that? With one city, I would have thought it was the Inhumans place of origin. With the backstory of multiple cities, this one opens all kinds of things.
2. This certainly cleared up the Fitz, Jemma and Will triangle, which is a good thing. Let her mourn and then move forward into the best scientist couple in the Marvel Universe. (And it you talk about Reed Richards, I am going to remind you of the terrible movie of this summer.)
3. Mack as director was awesome. Seriously, it is awesome to see how they moved him from a mechanic who loved xbox games a year ago to where this character is now.
4. Joey is my new favorite. He and Hunter seem to be there just for comedic beats but it really works, (I thought the best joke was Joey searching for the words to describe his powers and having to be bailed out by Morse.)
5. Lash is loose!
6. I have genuinely conflicting emotions on Ward. At this point, he is moving into a more and more powerful position. And how much of “Ward” is left? I am sure the character and his agents are pumped that he is staying on the show but I can’t see him surviving the end of this season.
7. And, my most controversial take of the episode: I HATE Coulson killing Ward. It isn’t the heroic thing. The Coulson I know and love idolized Captain America, collected his trading cards. And while Coulson has had many experiences since then, this action moves him into a place where I don’t like the character. What makes superheroes heroes is not doing what their enemies would do and then justifying it.