Level 8. Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - “The Hub”

Season 1, Episode 7

Air Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 8/7c on ABC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Trust the system?” – Coulson

Following a daring rescue mission, Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team are called back to the Hub, the nickname for one of S.H.I.E.L.D’s top-secret bases. There, Ward (Brett Dalton) and Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) are given a dangerous assignment while other members of the team are left in the dark. Will the unlikely duo be able to pull off their mission or is there more they are not being told?

I am going to say something I have wanted to say for a very long time … I thoroughly enjoyed “The Hub.” This is the episode I have been waiting for to finally prove Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D not only fits, but belongs in the Marvel Universe.

The kid in me really loves the introduction of the Hub—it has a look that‘s right out of The Avengers but more importantly, it introduces the audience to some of the chain of command at S.H.I.E.L.D. While Coulson and the other agents embrace the various levels of clearance and the rules that go along with them, Skye (Chole Bennet) has a difficult time grasping how agents can go blindly into a mission without knowing all the info.

Simmons: “S.H.I.E.L.D’s whole infrastructure is based on the hierarchy and compartmentalization of intelligence.”

Ward: “Every agent can’t have the intel on every mission. Makes the entire organization vulnerable.”

Assigning Ward and Fitz their own mission works on so many levels. First, you have the obvious, which is putting together brains and brawn. The two make for an interesting team that is very enjoyable to watch, and seeing the ‘brains’ side of the team get them out of a jam more than once is hilarious. But the biggest thing the mission does is separate Fitz and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). From day one, I have not liked how the writers made the two characters inseparable—even combining their names into “Fitz-Simmons.” There had to be other ways to portray their togetherness and also have them do their own thing. We finally see that play out beautifully in “The Hub.” This new independence for both Fitz and Simmons has made them stronger as individual characters and has made me appreciate the dynamic of their unusual relationship even more.

“The Hub” is also one of the funnier Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D episodes as it gives almost every character a chance to get a laugh. Things like:

Fitz getting stuck in the door.
Simmons shooting a superior officer.
Coulson and May (Ming-Na Wen) having a conversation where Coulson does all the talking.
Ward, Fitz and the sandwich.
Fitz and the X-ray wall.

These are just a few of the scenes that had me laughing out loud. The writers seem to be doing fine with the big emotional speech scenes, yet struggle when it comes to simple chit-chat. That seems to have changed with “The Hub” as casual conversations become engaging to listen to and watch.

But, “The Hub” isn’t all fun and games as it presents an interesting debate about the value of life, and the various risks people are willing to take to protect it. It is fascinating to watch as Coulson has to balance his orders and do what is best for his team. The scenes between Coulson and Skye are powerful as some of the conversation mirrors real life conflict going on in our world today.

Coulson: “I didn’t hide anything from you. You don’t have the clearance to know that.”

Skye: “Is that really what S.H.I.E.L.D’s all about? Level fives are more expendable than level eight?”

If you watch the trailer for Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier, you will see a version of S.H.I.E.L.D that up until “The Hub” we haven’t seen yet. For the most part, it has been Coulson and his group looking more like the A-Team flying around doing their thing, rather than behaving like the huge governmental agency S.H.I.E.L.D really is. The other thing the Captain America 2 trailer does is hint at a rift within S.H.I.E.L.D. Watching “The Hub,” I couldn’t help wondering if we are being introduced to the beginning of that rift as more people question what S.H.I.E.L.D’s role is in the world. I think it’s an interesting concept—if that is what they are doing—in building up the pressure internally on the show to have it boil over into Captain America 2, out early next year.

“The Hub” is the most fun I’ve had watching an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It has the right amount of humor, drama, and action. What a fun hour-long ride that not only gives each character a moment to shine, it also lays the groundwork for future story lines.Given how great “The Hub” is, I can only hope future episodes follow its lead.

On a related note, next week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, “The Well,” will involve cleaning up in the aftermath of the events of Thor 2. Having not seen the episode yet, I do not know whether it is important to see the movie before the episode airs.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Hub.” Did you enjoy it as much as I did?

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.