The lights go out just before S.H.I.E.L.D. goes public.
Warning: Of course SPOILERS are present in this review.
Things got off to a pretty dark start on this weeK’s Agents of SHIELD. That’s because someone turned all the lights off in some major cities with EMP devices. It seems the extremist group calling themselves the “Watch Dogs” are going to be quite a hassle for our heroes at SHIELD and Daisy, as they go to great lengths to eliminate the Inhumans around the world. It was pretty obvious it was the Watch Dogs and not the Inhumans behind the nationwide blackouts that started riots and violence. Even though this episode’s plot wasn’t anything stellar, the blackouts made for quite an intense situation. The Watch Dogs have funding and help from friends in high places. One friend being anti-Inhuman Senator Nadeer (guest star Parminder Nagra) who probably has some very nasty things planned in the near future as she tries to rid the world of powered people. I guess her grudge is understandable after we see that her brother was exposed to the terrigen mist but didn’t survive the transformation process. Still, I don’t like her.
Daisy’s team up to hunt down the Watch Dogs with Robbie was sadly short lived. It sucks Robbie’s brother, Gabe asked her to leave his brother alone, even after she helped save his life from rioters. The exchange between Daisy and Gabe (guest star Lorenzo James Henrie) was pretty well acted. You could understand Gabe was only being protective of his older brother who he feels needs to stay away from bad influences. Since Daisy complied, it will be interesting to see if Robbie tries to reconnect with her at some point. It also makes me anticipate Daisy’s next move. Either way, I need more interaction between the two characters. Their relationship has be the most fascinating aspect of the season, so far.
Simmons and Radcliffe working together to save May from her ghostly infection was less than compelling, but was still an important subplot. I mean, hey, they gotta save May, ya know? That’s because seeing May is distress and out of commission just isn’t as fun as seeing her kick ass. It was an interesting notion that Simmons and Radcliffe’s solution to rid May’s haunted mind was to kill her to stop her brain activity and revive her. It sounded ironic to hear Simmons say they had to kill May. Nothing can kill Agent May. However, they kill May… But of course they bring her back with a defibrillator, even after the EMP causes a power outage in Radcliffe’s lab. Thank goodness for Aida, Radcliffe’s new A.I. that had a power source. May’s revival was a little less than believable but still great, as she was more annoyed and angry to have been put through the ordeal rather than emotional. Typical May. And credit goes to Elizabeth Henstridge’s performance. I knew May would be fine, but Simmon’s panicky attempt to revive May kinda made my heart stop a bit.
The most fun part of the episode was will Coulson, Mack and Fitz traveling to Florida to rescue Yo-Yo and some party goers who were being held hostage by the extremist group. It was cool to see them rely on their skills and stealth since all of their high-tech equipment was affected by the EMP. It also great to see Yo-Yo in action again, using her powers. The fight scene with the agents and the Watch Dogs was awesome, obviously. Mack and Elena’s reunion wasn’t very romantic since he confronted her on account that she has had contact with Daisy. It was quite upsetting to see Elena’s friend react so coldly once it was revealed Elena was an Inhuman. However, it added some subtext to the conflict between humans and inhumans.
Jason O’Mara continues to be a likable presence as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Jeffrey Mace. Yes, this episode revealed the identity of the new director, and he is indeed from the comic book world of Marvel. It’s too
soon to tell how much of his comic book counterpart will be explored, but I sure hope they do dig into the man who is supposed to become the Patriot. I especially would like to know more since I’m not too familiar with character. Well, either way, S.H.I.E.L.D. is back in the public eye, and they mean business.
This was an episode that one could see as filler, but it manages for the most part to feel as important as any significant episode. Plenty of developments happened, and a lot was set in motion for future episodes. The team is back on track and ready to take it to their enemies, while Daisy is back to lone wolf status with the understanding that she’s seen as dangerous. “Uprising” wasn’t particularly a very memorable episode, but it still had plenty of action and suspense to make for another fun hour of TV courtesy of Marvel.
