‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 1.21 “Ragtag”

‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Episode 1.21 “Ragtag” (8 out of 10) Created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen; Starring Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton; Tuesdays on ABC.

With Coulson and friends operating out of a cheap motel instead of the high tech flying fortress that they’re used to, there’s no mistake that they’re in some uncharted territory. This “fish out of water” dynamic is one of the best things to happen to the show. It has given the team the opportunity to see how effectively they can work together without all of the fancy SHIELD infrastructure that they’ve come to rely on.  Spoilers will be happening, so consider yourself warned.

Cybertek and the Deathlok Project

After Garrett was revealed to be the Clairvoyant, I was under the impression that we had seen all of the skeletons that were hanging in the rogue agent’s closet. However, after May and Coulson don nerdy disguises to infiltrate Cybertek, they learn that Garrett was actually the “subject zero” of the Deathlok project, the audience learns that Garrett is not operating with all of his original parts.

Garrett’s little secret effectively ties the events of the first season together.  Centipede, Cybertek, the Clairvoyant—Garrett has been using each of these entities in an effort to figure out how Coulson was resurrected in order to prolong his own life. It’s not the most original of supervillain motivations, but it happens to work pretty well in the context of the series. Notwithstanding the storytelling elements that Garrett’s cybernetic implants adds to the show, it’s a nice nod to Garrett’s character in the comic books (he was given cybernetic enhancements after Elektra kicked his ass—though he used them for good instead of evil).

Despite Garrett’s supervillainy tying the various storylines of season one together, there were a few details on the evil side that didn’t quite add up for me. The most notable of these details was the fact that Reyna was able to whip up a synthetic version of the compound that kept Coulson and Skye alive after a few blood tests and some pleasant conversation. Though we’re not sure if it works or not—I’m holding out on a hunch that she’s sabotaged the whole thing because her faith in the Clairvoyant was shattered when she found out the truth—the fact that she was able to replicate something that did not come from this planet in a few hours seemed a bit suspect. Now that I’m done bitching, did anyone else notice how Reyna’s serum made Garrett get all glowy like Aldritch Killian’s AIM goons from “Iron Man 3?” That was pretty sweet.

Ward Has Issues

In a stark departure from the show’s forward-moving narrative structure, tonight’s episode went all “Lost” on us as we were treated to some crucial scenes that set up Ward’s codependent relationship with Garrett. Overall, I thought these flashbacks helped solidify why Ward became a HYDRA mole, but my hackles were rankled once again to see the show take another step in creating sympathy for Ward. Yes, Garrett is evil for emotionally manipulating young Ward into becoming his lackey, but it doesn’t change the fact that Ward chose to do many bad things on his own. Do we feel sympathy for Sullivan in “The Departed” because he was manipulated by Costello at a young age? Hell to the no. It’s no different with Ward. I’m hoping that Ward’s decision to jettison Jemma and Fitz—who, inexplicably, has decided to remain optimistic about Ward—into the ocean was the final indicator that there’s no coming back for the guy. 

Verdict

Though the drama on the villain’s side of things was a little flawed, the good guys had some fine moments tonight. Seeing Coulson geek out when Trip breaks open a suitcase containing some of his Howlin’ Commando grandfather’s WWII Stark tech was classic. Not only did revisiting this side of Coulson hearken back to the character that was established in the other Marvel films, but it created this great dichotomy that found our ronin SHIELD agents fighting against the technologically superior but morally bankrupt HYDRA with humble weapons that were created when SHIELD was still pure. 

One more episode to go this season, friends! What are your predictions for the season finale? Let us know in the comments section, and we’ll see you next week–I hear Director Fury himself is supposed to make an appearance.