Eye Spy

I finally got around to last Tuesday's new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and found it worth the wait; I thought it was the best episode they've had so far. Perhaps in retrospect, we'll be able to look back on this episode as the moment the show "started to get good?"

Character development was still a bit light in this episode, but still moving in the right direction. The sparring between Coulson and May seemed to work a little better this time out, particularly with Skye commenting about being in the middle of "Mommy and Daddy" fighting. The continuing thread of "what happened to Coulson?" was also particularly intriguing this week.

But I think what worked best was character involvement this week. By that, I mean that this felt like the first time that every one of the characters had a reasonably important role in the story. Coulson and May got to argue opposite ends of the Amadour problem. Skye and Ward got to team up for a particularly fun heist. And Fitz-Simmons had a brush with danger in the field before their entertaining surgery on Amadour in the final act.

In a way, this was the sort of "ripples in the pond" episode that has worked very well on past Joss Whedon shows; bring in an outside character, and then see how our mains react to them. They got about halfway there this time. In addition to the conflict between Coulson and May, we certainly got Skye's take on what it felt like to be offered a "second chance." But the more introspective character examination ended there; it all seemed "just another mission" for Ward, and Fitz-Simmons' role in the plot, while entertaining, didn't reveal much of who they really are.

Still, the show is starting to find its own special blend of "Alias, if it were done with Joss Whedon's sensibilities," and that's a show I could definitely look forward to each week.