The Hub

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered a pretty solid episode this week. Though I didn't have much interest in the larger view inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, there was a lot of great character material this week. And it was mostly generated by pairing all those characters off in interesting ways.

The mission team of Fitz and Ward made for some strong storytelling, particularly coming on the heels of last week's episode in which Fitz felt upstaged by Ward. This is the sort of character driven plotting that I've been hoping the show would edge toward, and it was punctuated with plenty of nice comedic moments. From Fitz's clever handling of the Russians to the argument over the world's "most dangerous sandwich," the two made an excellent team... all the more enjoyable in that they were actually effective in their mission.

Nearly as entertaining was the pairing of Skye and Simmons. Where Fitz rose to the occasion during his time in the field, Simmons' hilarious ineptitude delivered the best laughs of the episode. But the subplot was also a good vehicle for Skye, when she chose the good of the team over digging into her own past.

Lastly, there was the pairing of Coulson and May. Though the character of May remains stubbornly stoic, this episode found better ways to use that than we've seen before. It played for good laughs during May's tai chi practice and Coulson's "conversation" with her, and it played for good drama in the final scene, in which the two of them seemed to take a big step away from the company line they'd been toeing.

Momentum in the series really seemed to be building this week. I just hope that they don't lose it again next week when they air the big Thor 2 crossover episode. As long as the characters don't get lost in the shuffle of the story being told, it could work out well.