Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Bouncing Back (3x11)

Not bad! Really, this episode did more to get me excited for the rest of the season, rather than actually keeping me focused in and of itself. There's a lot to talk about, so let's get started!

Cons:

Like I said, there is a lot to talk about. Like... maybe too much. The plot threads included in this episode were numerous. We followed Daisy, Mack, Lincoln, Bobbi and Hunter as they found a new Inhuman for their team, we checked in with Fitz and Simmons and their relationship, we saw Coulson meet with the President about the status of S.H.I.E.L.D. moving forward, and we also watched as Coulson tried to damage Malick's enterprise as much as possible. We saw the Inhuman thing inhabiting Ward's body begin to heal, and we dealt with Coulson's grief over Rosalind, and his guilt over killing Ward. In short, there was just a ton of stuff to cover here. The Coulson stuff could have been its own episode, separate from the stuff with Daisy and the Inhumans. I felt like I barely had time to breathe after getting all this new information.

On top of that, the idea of the Inhuman team is moving at a glacial pace. We finally get somebody new, and I loved her, but then by the end of the episode Daisy was telling the new girl Elena, and also our old friend Joey Gutierrez, to go back home and be ready to be called back in when needed. Already, this fledgling group of Inhumans is scattering to the winds. That's sort of disappointing, because last season's finale really made it seem like this season was all about ramping up the Inhuman team.

I'm still not a fan of dead Ward, even if Brett Dalton is doing a good job of portraying the creepy Inhuman otherworldly creature. I just wish there could be some other more creative way to portray this force, rather than hosting it in a human body. And I'm still not over the fact that Ward is actually dead. There was so much more we could have done with him.

Pros:

In the main plot, we got Daisy, Mack, Bobbi, Hunter, and Lincoln tracking down a new Inhuman threat. This woman, Elena "Yo Yo" Rodriguez, can move at ridiculously fast speeds for a short radius, and then sling-shot back to her starting position. She kidnaps Mack, but Daisy and the others come in and save him, bringing her in as well. It's then that they learn that she's not a bad person - she's actually been stealing weapons from the police to stop them from using them on innocent people. These corrupt cops, one of them with a Medusa-like power to temporarily paralyze people, kidnap Bobbi and Hunter. The team goes in, and with Elena's help, rescues them. Elena decides to go back home and help out her community, but she's officially part of Daisy's team all the same.

There were a lot of things to like about this plot thread. I liked seeing all these young people work together, and especially seeing Daisy take the lead. Elena is a really cool character. Her power is awesome and we got to see some pretty cool action scenes with her and Daisy using their powers to rescue the others. I want her to stick around!

The language barrier was interesting, because it turns out Elena doesn't know much English. Joey translates for everybody else, since he speaks Spanish fluently. I liked seeing that obstacle overcome, because it's the kind of thing you don't often see in TV shows. Usually, everybody in the whole world conveniently speaks English, especially characters with a big role to play.

Mack and Elena had a bit of an attraction going on. I loved the part where Mack talked to Elena about his faith, and how he relied on it to make the right choice. Elena believes that her powers are a gift from God, and that she must use them to help people. That's a lovely connection, and I'd love to see more development of it.

Bobbi and Hunter were pretty secondary this week, but I did love the brief moment where they both talked about their lack of special powers. Hunter said he tried to activate any latent Inhuman-ness inside him with a fish oil pill, and was bitterly disappointed when it didn't work. Bobbi says she's thought about it too. It was just a little throw-away moment, but I hope we can see some more exploration of this in future. I don't want there to be a divide between those with powers and those without in the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, but it could be interesting to explore these jealousies and differences.

Daisy and Lincoln worked well together, and even shared another kiss towards the end of the episode. They aren't my favorite couple on the show, but I like that Lincoln is becoming more and more part of the team. Maybe some more focus on the two of them would help me to understand them as a couple. I'm interested enough to want to become more interested, if that makes sense.

Meanwhile, in the other major plot thread, of the week, Coulson is trying to figure out what Malick is up to. Using the miraculously still alive Werner Von Strucker, Coulson finds out how to get to a secure line and reach Malick himself. He then takes the opportunity to trace Malick's phone line and deliver a crippling blow to Malick's enterprise. His company's stock falls dramatically and Malick is left scrambling to retreat away from the public eye. Obviously it's not enough to take him out altogether, but it's a start, and Coulson enjoys his first bit of revenge for Rosalind's death.

Malick continues to be a pretty legitimate threat, as he operates more as the spider at the center of a web than as an individual who needs to be taken out. The scenes with the Ward-Monster thing were, as I mentioned before, only good insofar as the acting at the makeup on Ward were very well done. I'm not a fan of the concept, but the execution is great. Brett Dalton looks pretty disgusting, which I'm sure was quite difficult to accomplish.

Also, Coulson meets with the President and learns that S.H.I.E.L.D. will continue operating in secret, without the government's overt approval. Instead, a new director of the ATCU will be assigned, and will be the figurehead, while Coulson gives the real orders. Who does the President pick? General Talbot. This is going to be hilarious. Talbot and Coulson have never gotten along particularly well, but at the same time there is a sort of odd mutual respect there. I liked the fact that we have a bit of a clearer understanding of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s official position. Also, the scene with the president was pretty great. He was talking about all the chaos he's had to put up with from the press, and mentions specifically that "Fox News won't shut up." Nice! You tell 'em, ABC.

May was barely in this episode at all, which made me sad, but she did have one brief moment at the end with Coulson that was great. The two of them look at Coulson's brand new hand, which looks almost as real as an actual hand. Coulson is struggling with the guilt over what happened on the alien planet, specifically the fact that he killed Ward, up close and personal. Even though it was Ward, a character deserving of no particular consideration, it's still a struggle to think of Coulson ending a life like that. And Ward was somebody he truly felt a sense of camaraderie with, before the truth came out. That's got to be so hard to deal with. May sums up how he must be feeling with a simple phrase: "you joined the cavalry." She too knows what it is to kill somebody and be unable to get out from under that guilt. It was a simple moment, but it easily explained their relationship and shared experiences. More May and Coulson scenes, please!

Lastly, there's Fitz and Simmons. They barely had any screen time at all, but we can see from their brief interactions that things are strained. They are behaving professionally with one another, but nothing more. In the end, Simmons tells Fitz that she misses him, and that there's all this stuff between them, about their kiss and about Will. Fitz has been harboring a lot of guilt over killing Will, but Simmons tells him that what he did was kill a monster. Will was already dead. They decide to start over, going back to a relationship between two people who are about to change each other's lives. They "introduce" themselves, and give us an adorable handshake and fist bump.

I'm so happy that the two of them are having honest conversations about how they feel. These two are so close and love each other so much that no amount of trauma could separate them for long. It might not be an easy journey toward finding true happiness, but they've both just reaffirmed that they want to put in the effort. This idea of a reset obviously won't be taken literally, as so much has changed between them over the years. But it does give the opportunity for a return to some of the light-hearted Fitzsimmons banter of days gone by. I'm hopeful for what comes next!

Yikes, my reviews for this show always end up so long. There's just so much happening all at once! That can be both a good and a bad thing. Suffice it to say, I'm definitely interested to see where we go from here.

7.5/10