TV Show Review

TV Review: AGENTS Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Episode 2.12: Who You Really Are [ABC]

Jaimie Alexander Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Who You Really Are

ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Who You Really Are TV Show ReviewAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 2, episode 12, ‘Who You Really Are,’ let the cat out of the bag in a mercifully early fashion, so that we could get on to Skye (Chloe Bennet) dealing with her powers, rather than concealing them, then ultimately using them. In the meantime, however, it also allowed for some more MJU poaching – this time drawing from the Thor franchise, and Guardians of the Galaxy, simultaneously.

The Thor component came by way of Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), losing her memories – as a consequence of losing a fight – here, on Earth. The Guardians tie-in came in the form of the victor – but more on him later. Director Coulson (Clark Gregg) & co. spent much of the episode trying to piece together her mission, and the identity/ purpose of her opponent, while Skye & Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) continued their efforts to keep ahead of xenophobic sentiments, from within the team. Throw in the great mystery of the season, shaping up to be Bobbi & Mack’s (Adrianne Palicki, Henry Simmons) big secret, and there was plenty of undercurrent to go with the main story’s flow.

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Hanging around her big-screen cast-mates is a good way to make guys like me forget just how imposing a figure Jaimie Alexander strikes; so I appreciate the sense of scale she brings to the show. I mean this not just in terms of her size, but in terms of the series’ place, in the grand scheme of things – a fact Lady Sif may have inadvertently alluded to, with her remark about universal tides (i.e. don’t mess with whatever the likes of Jeph Loeb & Kevin Feige have in mind). Throw in the fact that the whole culture clash thing still works, and another Asgardian visit was a welcomed distraction.

Using Sif to draw instant association to Thor’s hammer (in the form of her opponent’s sparky truncheon) was a neat trick; but a blue guy (in disguise), with a Ronan sized attitude, and a mini-gavel, looking into recently “changed” persons, gave the game away, quick.

The change in Skye hadn’t gone completely unnoticed (beyond Fitz). Agent May (Ming-Na Wen) knew that she was holding back, over something; but if she had any sense for the full story, she probably wouldn’t have taken the “release your anger” route, during their combat training session. By the time Skye finally lost it, publicly, May was the first on the ball; but that left herself, Coulson, and Fitz, scrambling to keep the pieces together.

Our gassed-flesh toned blue friend, Vin-Tak (Eddie McClintock), turned out to be a Kree, on a mission that was bad for Skye’s health; but this came out just around the time Skye did, so Vin-Tak’s mission became taking out Skye, specifically. Worse, Sif having her memory restored only resulted in an alignment of Asgard & Kree protocols, regarding Skye.

Bobbi acquitted herself quite well, against Vin-Tak – considering their first encounter, and him having gotten the better of Sif – but no Agent was about to take down the Shield Maiden. Fortunately (for May, I guess), a noble deed, on Skye’s part, gave Sif reason to reconsider. With Vin-Tak recollectively neutered, the catalyst, to the episode’s big reveal, took themselves out of the equation; but there were plenty of jagged pieces left to go over.

It didn’t take much for “mutant hunter” Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) to figure out that Fitz had lied to her, and that one, passing look between them, in the midst of the action, lasted forever. Hunter’s (Nick Blood) earlier sentiments, about how his officially joining the team would simplify his relationship with Bobbi, was foreshadow enough; but regard for what Bobbi & Mack considered “real backup” (in the face of an Asgardian/ Kree team-up) was the final element to spur a confrontation, over their secret. Unfortunately for Hunter, either cockiness, or his history with Mack, got in the way of a simple principle: never let the person you’re confronting walk up on you, during the response.

The Skye reveal amounted to progress in progress. As tough as it will be, for Coulson & May to hold the family together, there will be some heavy lifting, by Fitz & Skye, if Fitz’s initial rebuking, by team mates like Mack – and as witnessed by Skye – was any indication. It would be kind of hard to put things back the way they were, for the group (I’d say impossible, in Hunter’s case), so we should be getting more answers, than puzzles, before too long. More detail on the Mack-Bobbi would be a good place to start; but there remains a whole underworld of Inhumanity to explore… options are good to have.

Leave your thoughts on this review below, in the comments section. For more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reviews, photos, videos, and information, visit our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Page, subscribe to us by Email, follow us on TwitterTumblrGoogle+, or “like” us on Facebook.

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Sam Joseph

Sam is an Avid consumer/observer of Geek culture, and collector of Fanboy media from earliest memory. Armchair sociologist and futurist. Honest critic with satirical if not absurdist­­ wit with some experience in comics/ animation production.
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