Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – “Nothing Personal” Retrospective. On the Run

Season 1, Episode 20

Air Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2014, 8/7c on ABC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“If you were my agents, it wouldn’t be for long.” – Maria Hill

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders)

With Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) still rumored to be dead, May (Ming-Na Wen) seeks out his second-in-command Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) who is currently in Washington, D.C. May wants to know who was behind the T.A.H.I.T.I. project that brought Coulson (Clark Gregg) back to life. May’s concern is since HYDRA has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., could they have some involvement in the reprograming of Coulson’s brain?

As much as I enjoy the Marvel Universe name dropping, this is the first time I felt it worked against the show. One minute, Hill is on the phone with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) talking about the myriad of Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) lawyers who helped her, and the next, she seems completely unable to help Coulson and his team. Throughout “Nothing Personal,” it feels like the writers are dropping Marvel names simply to do it instead of moving the story forward.

Coulson and the remainder of his team try to figure out what happened to Ward (Brett Dalton), Skye (Chloe Bennet), and May. Eventually, they find a message left behind by Skye — “Ward is Hydra.” I really enjoyed Bennet’s performance in “Nothing Personal” and was pleasantly surprised by her range of emotions when her character has to convince Ward she is trying to help him get what he wants while also trying to slow him down without him noticing.

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Coulson (Clark Gregg)

While there are a few things that irked me, at its core “Nothing Personal” is a very entertaining episode. I enjoyed seeing Smulders back in the Marvel Universe and bridging the gap between the movies and the series. Now that Smulders’ other show, How I Met Your Mother, has recently ended its nine season run, will we see more of her in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? I hope so because I like the chemistry between Coulson and Hill.

While the title suggests otherwise, “Nothing Personal” is a very personal episode that deals with the various relationships among the characters and is very well written and performed. Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are forced to process the realization that someone they care about is HYDRA. Skye also feels betrayed both personally and professionally by Ward, and Coulson realizes his behavior has pushed May away.

Ward (Brett Dalton) and Deathlok (J. August Richards)

The episode also has some funny moments, such as when Skye reveals Deathlok (J. August Richards) is on the plane. I laughed at Coulson’s startled look when he realizes this isn’t the best plan. The biggest laugh comes when Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) and his men storm the compound where Coulson and his team have been hiding out. With several guns aimed at them, Coulson asks, “If I come out, will you shoot me, cause then I won’t come out.” There is a humor cloaked in the seriousness Gregg brings to Coulson that makes his scenes so entertaining to watch.

I understand TV shows have a limited budget but the special effects utilized when the car falls from the plane are just awful. Had this been the first time the show had done a skydiving type scene, I would have been more forgiving. In “F.Z.Z.T.” however, Ward went after Simmons who had jumped from the plane. While not movie quality, “F.Z.Z.T.” was much better than what we see in “Nothing Personal.”

Is anyone else curious why death is constantly used as a plot device? Anyone who has seen Captain America: The Winter Soldier knows Fury is alive. Coulson’s team can’t know this because it makes for better writing if they appear more isolated. In “Nothing Personal,” as Hill is leaving, Coulson says, “Say hello to Stark for…oh yeah, never mind. He thinks I’m dead.” This helps explain why Hill can’t go to Pepper about Coulson. It seems like several plot holes are explained away by thinking someone is dead. Hopefully, it will all make more sense when the truth is revealed.

The biggest surprise of “Nothing Personal” comes when May uncovers who was behind project T.A.H.I.T.I. I doubt I was the only one shocked to learn Coulson himself was responsible. While I doubt learning this will change much for Coulson, it still is a stunning development.

Much like the organization S.H.I.E.L.D, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to struggle to find its identity. That’s not to say the episodes are bad, but I wonder how long the show can keep going without having a real direction. Will Fury suddenly appear and reveal he is rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D from the ground up? Or will Coulson and his team end up like the characters on The A-Team — as a group on the run who still takes time to help people? With only two episodes remaining this season, it will be interesting to see the direction the writers take.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Nothing Personal.”

For more on the show, go to http://www.agentsofshield.com/.

Follow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on Twitter, as well as some of the cast: <Ward> Brett Dalton, <Coulson> Clark Gregg, <Simmons> Elizabeth Henstridge, and <May> Ming-Na Wen.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.