Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Purpose in the Machine (3x02)

!!!! I was not expected this to happen so soon! For the most part, I loved this episode. Truly loved it. My fangirl heart is very happy. But my critic's brain does have a few things to talk about before the gushing begins. Let's get to it.

Cons:

I can't believe I'm saying this, but there's a part of me that's disappointed that Simmons is back already. I was thrilled to see her, but in a sick, masochistic way I was looking forward to the buildup, and the angst, and Fitz's deteriorating mental state as he continued to desperately search for his lost love. As amazing as it was to see the daring rescue, I'm starting to wonder why we even had that detour in the first place, if Simmons was destined to return so quickly. I guess we'll have to wait and see how the Monolith fits in with the rest of the season. If it doesn't play a role, then I'll be a tad disappointed.

There was one other moment in the episode that didn't do much for me. So, we see Ward working to weed out the weakness in Hydra, looking for those who are as ruthless as he. He finds this kid whose dad was an important Hydra official before he died. The kid turns out to be plenty evil enough, as he kills a man who was interrogating him. Ward wants to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D., and he does so by placing this kid, Werner von Strucker, in Dr. Andrew Garner's psychology class in college. At the end of the episode, we see an "unidentified" college kid asking to join Andrew's glass, and then the camera zooms out all dramatically, like we're supposed to be totally surprised that it's Werner. That was a really silly technique. I mean, who else was it going to be?

But honestly. How could I not love this episode?

Pros:

As mentioned, we got to check in with Ward in this episode. God, I hate that guy. I'm just so happy that he's a total villain. A redemption arc is nowhere in sight, and I'm thrilled. He's appropriately ruthless, almost campy in his villainy. I'm excited to see him create a new Hydra, because he's certainly a worthy villain for our heroes.

We also got to see May again. Yay! She has been helping her aging father, who was in a car accident. She claims to be out of S.H.I.E.L.D. for good, but she can't really convince herself of that. Hunter, it turns out, is on a mission to track down Ward and take him out for good. Coulson has given his blessing, but doesn't want the details. Hunter goes to find May, and ask for her help in taking down Ward. Hunter and May teaming up isn't something I ever would have known to ask for, but now that we're getting it, I'm pretty excited. They're very different people, but they're both total bad asses. I'd love to see the two of them take down Ward.

Meanwhile, Daisy is getting more and more anxious to develop her team of Inhumans. The only problem is, every time she finds somebody, Coulson makes Andrew come in and assess the new Inhuman's mental state. Andrew always says they need more time to adjust. Daisy is getting impatient. She wants Gutierrez to join the team, but Andrew predictably says he's not ready. I love this slowly developing plot thread. Andrew tells Daisy that she's developing into a leader, and he's worried about how she's handling it. Daisy is going to be a great leader, but she's still new at it. I also love the partnership between Mack and Daisy, as the two of them head the effort to create this new team.

Of course, the bulk of the episode is all about our darling Fitz and his efforts to get Simmons back. First of all, I love that Fitzsimmons got the A-plot. That doesn't happen very often. We learn that the Monolith sometimes liquidates and re-solidifies, like it did when it swallowed Simmons, and that this process happens randomly, with no discernible pattern. So when Fitz opens up that container and starts pounding on it, he's definitely risking his life. The rest of the team has to run and pull him away, and close up the Monolith. Just in time, too, as it liquidates right after they close it up. Fitz's desperation is so painful/amazing to witness. He insists that he won't give up.

Fitz figures out, because of sand that ended up on him from the Monolith, that the Monolith acts as a portal. From here, the team gets help from the Asgardian, Randolph, who knows more about portals between worlds than almost anybody else. From there, they find a machine that can open the portal and control it. Daisy has to use her Quake powers to get the right frequency and open it, which nearly kills her. Fitz jumps into the liquidated Monolith, finds Simmons, and pulls them both out again. Yes! Fitz is beyond dedicated to Simmons. He's obsessed. He would have died for her without hesitation. In fact, he already almost did when they were trapped underwater together. As somebody who's shipped Fitzsimmons from the first second I saw them onscreen together, this stuff is golden.

I absolutely loved the whole sequence when the team was helping to save Simmons. Daisy was so brave and strong. Mack and Bobbi were there to help hold the machine in place, and Fitz... Fitz didn't even freakin' hesitate. When they're back from the alien planet, they just hold on to each other, and Fitz gets this big grin on his face. He's just so, so happy to have Simmons back. It was amazing to see how much all of these people would do for Simmons.

And then of course there's Simmons, panicked, waking up and thinking she was still in danger. When she realized where she was, she got out of bed and lay down with her head in Fitz's lap - Fitz was sitting on the floor by her bed, refusing to leave her side. Okay so that is too adorable for words. Never getting over these two. Now that they've both been through such traumatic near-death experiences, they're going to be even more protective of each other. I can't wait to watch that.

There was a really adorable moment that I have to mention - Andrew calls May to tell her that Simmons is alive. May tells Hunter, as the two of them are getting ready to start hunting for Ward. Hunter's reaction is one of the most adorable things I've ever seen. He says - "are you serious? She's alive?! Fitz, you absolute beauty!" Hunter has never been my favorite character, but he is rather endearing himself to me this season.

It was cool to see Randolph. The guy is as smarmy as ever, but at least he was helpful. I love alliances of convenience when they're done right, and this was a good example of that. Plus, Randolph brought a lot of comic relief to the episode, which I appreciated.

So, between May and Hunter's quest to track down Ward, Daisy's continuing effort to create a team of Inhumans, and Simmons' recovery from her ordeal, there's a lot of interesting stuff coming down the pipes. I can't wait!

8/10