Mayday. Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - “Repairs”

Season 1, Episode 9

Air Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2013, 8/7c on ABC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“So much for the welcome wagon.” – Coulson

When Hannah (Laura Seay) begins exhibiting telekinetic powers following a laboratory accident, Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his agents are sent in to investigate. Is Hannah really the one behind the mysterious happenings that seem to take place around her, or is something or someone else behind them?

With the start of the holiday season, television shows usually go on hiatus or air episodes that are more filler than anything else. Unfortunately, such is the case with this week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While not a bad episode, “Repairs” does, at times, feel like the writers and cast are dialing it in, leaving me to wonder how different this show would be with a new set of writers.

First, we need to address the May (Ming-Na Wen)/Ward (Brett Dalton) tryst as “Repairs” picks up the morning following “The Well” where we last saw the two agents enter a hotel room together. Whoever had the bright idea to take the two robotic cardboard characters and make them an item should be fired. The writers want you to feel an emotional connection for these two that simply isn’t there. Heck, I would rather see Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) hooking up with Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) because at least that would be interesting. Frankly, I don’t think the writers do a good job when it comes to writing romantic or emotional scenes and I wish they would simply avoid the subject.

Speaking of Fitz-Simmons, I admit they have grown on me, especially since they have shown the most development over the last several episodes, and the same is true in “Repairs.” I found the whole prank story line entertaining and for once, wish the bit had been played up more. How fun would it have been to have a series of pranks that kept escalating until the final, poorly-timed last prank close to the end of the episode.

For some reason, the writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D like to tease about the past, especially when it comes to things like Coulson’s death. But the other thing the writers like to tease is May’s past and the events that changed her. It’s interesting to watch because the story keeps evolving as various characters tell their version of what they heard. Yet, even after Coulson sets the record straight, it still feels unresolved; there is obviously more to the story. Can’t someone give us a straight answer?

I do, however, enjoy how the writers set up the introduction of Hannah as a telekinetic who cannot control her powers. I found myself feeling sorry for her as her life seems to crumble around her. It’s an odd feeling given that guest stars on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tend to be more lackluster and bland. The way Hannah’s storyline is handled makes it refreshing to see a plot twist and still be surprised about it. I guess it’s somewhat ironic that the first super powered guest star to trigger any real emotion from me turns out not to have any super powers; thus, we most likely won’t see Hannah again.

The twist also helps shift the dark tone of “Repairs” up a notch but I think the writrers could have done an even better job with this. This is the second time this season that the S.H.I.E.L.D plane was brought down but unlike “0-8-4,” I never felt like there was real danger as far as the plane spiraling down from the sky. The same cannot be said about Tobias’ (Robert Baker) attack on the agents as he is able to vanish while in the process of attacking. I found the fight scene in “Repairs” to be quite engaging, as well as visually fun to watch.

While things end on a positive note, I found myself wanting more. Things could have been expanded on and explained better. The writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D do great when injecting pieces of the Marvel universe into an episode, and from a visual and technological point of view, the show is great. The one thing it continues to lack, however, is strong character development. Skye (Chole Bennet), in particular, seems to be a character that the writers have no clue what to do with and often is relegated to the background.

On paper, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D should be a great show, especially since it already has an established fan base. Despite “Repairs” being an overall enjoyable episode the series still fails to fire on all cylinders. Nor has the show been able to maintain what little success it has enjoyed so far. How much longer will fans put up with hit and miss episodes before they give up?

On a side note, on behalf of the entire YEC crew, I would like to wish our readers a Happy Thanksgiving, and a happy and healthy Chanukkah to our Jewish readers.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Repairs.”

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.

Like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D on Facebook.

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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.