Ragtag

The gang on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was on their own this week, for what felt like truly the first time -- no Providence. It actually seemed like on-your-own situation in the new season of 24, though a more fun take on it, thanks to this series' established lighter tone. And Triplett's grandfather's trusty spy kit.

There were a few hard "asks" of the audience, such as believing that Cybertek, a company that makes, well, cyber tech, somehow has no computers in its office. Or that there's still good in Ward somewhere, just because he struggled to kill one dog around a decade ago. But get past those things, and it was quite an entertaining episode.

A lot of time was spent on Ward's back story. This served several purposes. First, it continued to add dimension to a character some fans (at least as of Captain America 2) found boring. Second, it served as a message to anyone in the audience who might still be thinking like Fitz -- that somehow Ward was doing all this against his will. This was the explanation of why he has done what he's done. That said, I doubt the show would spend quite so much time on it if it weren't planning to try and redeem him. Yet after dumping Fitz and Simmons in the ocean (adding to his long list of dastardly deeds), and again failing to do anything about Garrett when he had the chance, I think it would be very hard to redeem him. A challenge for the writers, then, in a possible season 2.

Ward's motivations weren't the only ones explored this week. We also got the backstory of Garrett, the "first Deathlok," and how he became disillusioned with Shield to work for Hydra. (I'm tired of typing out the all-caps and periods.) Speaking of disillusionment, it seems as though comeuppance for Garrett might just maaaaybe come from "Flowers" too/instead. She voiced her reasons for getting in on this crazy super-soldier plan, along with her disappointment that Garrett's ultimate reason for doing all this was a selfish one.

As for our heroes? A mix of fun action. Coulson and May acting undercover as mouthpieces for Fitz and Simmons was worth it alone. As I mentioned earlier, the Howling spy kit was a great source of fun too. May's offer to mentor Skye in Hate Fu, another great moment. Really, the episode was just peppered with nice little moments like that. Although the good guys in general may have gotten a little short shrift this week, with so much time spent explaining villain motivations.

Still, it all sets the table nicely for next week's season finale. I give it a B+, and I'm eagerly awaiting next week.