Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Well (1x08)

This was supposed to a tie-in to Thor: The Dark World. It wasn't. Really, this episode had nothing to do with the movie. Nothing at all. There was a brief mention of cleanup at the beginning, and Thor was brought up numerous times. Asgard ended up playing an important role, actually. But in terms of his actual relationship to Thor: The Dark World? Yeah, not so much. I suppose I'm harping on this because they really built it up like it was going to be a companion to the movie. However, even setting that stuff aside, I think there was a lot about this episode that made it weaker than the previous few. Two weeks ago, the episode focused on Simmons. Last week, we got to take a closer look at Fitz. This week, it's Ward's turn. Here's the plot!

While cleaning up after the events of the Thor movie, the team comes across a problem involving an Asgardian Berserker Staff, which infects anyone who touches it with extreme anger and extreme strength. The staff, according to Norse myth, has been split into three pieces and hidden around the world by a particular Berserker warrior who wanted to stay on earth. One part of the staff has been found by some sort of weird Norse radical group, and they are going around proclaiming themselves gods. The team goes to Spain to speak to Professor Elliot Randolf, and there they find the second piece of the staff. When Ward touches it, he gains the strength and anger that it bestows upon the holder. This really messes him up, and he continually gets flashbacks of a traumatizing incident from his childhood. This incident involves a well, hence the title, and it seems as if his little brother has been thrown down by his older brother, and Ward is trying to help. The flashbacks are a bit vague, and the whole story is never revealed to us.

The crazy Norse group manages to steal the second piece of the staff from Elliot Randolf, and then the team decides to question Randolf - turns out, he's not who he says he is. In fact, he's an Asgardian. He's the Asgardian who stayed behind and hid the three pieces of the staff in the first place! He tells them that the last piece of the staff is in Ireland. However, when the team arrives, the crazy Norse group has beaten them to it! Jakob, one of their leaders, stabs Randolf with a part of the staff and nearly kills him. Coulson and Fitzsimmons try to save him, while Ward fights off Jakob and his other men. When it looks like Ward is too weak to finish the job, May steps up. She combines all three pieces of the staff and wields it, destroying the bad guys as she does so. Coulson suggests that Elliot Randolf relocate and start his life over again, so he can continue living in precious anonymity.

The very end of the episode shows Coulson having a dream about Tahiti, which seems oddly too good to be true...

Alright, so what did I think of the plot? Honestly, in basic structure I have no real problems with it. I mentioned before that it doesn't really tie in to the Thor movie, but that wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't advertised it so much. As it was, it was a basic episode with a lot of fun ridiculousness and a few really great twists. For example, I had no idea that Elliot Randolf was an Asgardian. They really got me with that! And the moment at the end where May kicked ass... well, yeah, May always kicks ass, but this time the implication was that it was really personally difficult for her, and she prevailed anyway. I liked that. I also liked, oddly, the moment at the end, where were get Ward going into May's room, with the strong suggestion that they're about to have sex. That certainly adds an unanticipated dynamic to the group.

But despite the fact that the premise itself held up okay, there were a lot of internal problems with this episode. Do you realize that of our six main characters, four of them have semi-mysterious back stories? We've got whatever the hell is happening with Skye's S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent dead mother, then we've got Ward's crappy childhood with his brother and a well and something I don't know... we've got whatever is going on with Coulson and Tahiti, and then there's also May, and whatever exactly went down with that whole Cavalry business. Now, there's nothing wrong with secrets. Truly. However, secrets need to have a point. There has to be a very good reason to withhold this much information from the audience, and that reason cannot simply be shock value. So, I'm getting a bit concerned about all these mysteries piling up.

Most specifically, I found the stuff with Ward in this episode to be very disconcerting. I can think of no good reason why we shouldn’t know the full story about his brothers and the well. There is virtually nothing to be gained by keeping the suspense here, especially since we have several much more interesting mysteries going on at the same time. Ward’s character had a few really lovely moments in this episode, however, such as when he talked with a very frightened Simmons at the beginning, and coached her through a difficult moment. Since Ward’s character started off as such a cliché, I am glad to see them attempt to nuance him a little bit as we move forward. However, as of yet, I don’t think they’ve quite succeeded.

Simmons had a tiny little subplot, wherein she refused to answer the phone when her parents called her, due to her not wanting to talk about her near death. By the end of the episode, she realizes she has to step up and take responsibility. She answers the phone and starts talking to her dad. There’s nothing really special here, but I’m glad that they didn’t drop Jemma’s development just because her life isn’t in immediate peril. If they can continue teasing out the threads of her character, we’ll get a really good and complex person. Some of the other characters haven’t quite made it there, either, but I’m beginning to feel more optimistic.

Despite the fact that this episode had a decent premise, and despite the fact that they’re trying to nuance their characters, I was ultimately rather unhappy. Mostly, I think it goes back to the mystery thing I was harping on earlier. What’s the point of keeping all of this information from us? I feel bad, because I don’t know exactly how I would improve this show from what we’re being given. All I know is that it isn't up to the standards of Whedon’s other work, or even some of the other work in the Marvel Universe.

6.5/10