Polar Vortex. Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - “Seeds”

Season 1, Episode 12

Air Date: Tuesday, January 14, 2014, 8/7c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“When we started this, I warned you that you might not like what we learn.” – Coulson.

Ward (Brett Dalton), Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), and Skye (Chloe Bennet) head to the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy to find out who or what is behind a series of attacks on the students. Meanwhile, May (Ming-Na Wen) and Coulson (Clark Gregg) fly to Mexico City to track down a lead about Skye’s past; but will she like what they find?

For far too long, the writers have used the mystery behind Coulson’s death as a crutch and with the weak explanation behind his demise in “The Magical Place,” it seems like the handcuffs have been removed. Without the aid of the mystery for the writers to fall back on, I worried whether the show would fall flat or spread its wings and take flight. Thankfully, it appears to be the latter as “Seeds” gives us the most enjoyable, well-rounded episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. yet.

Donnie Gill (Dylan Minnette) AKA Blizzard

From the writing to the acting, “Seeds” works on every level, including several references Marvel fans will notice and appreciate—things like the S.H.I.E.L.D wall of Valor, the mention of Captain America’s sidekick Bucky Barnes, and the introduction of Donnie Gill (Dylan Minnette), a student at the Academy who later becomes the marvel super villain Blizzard. While these things are minor and maybe missed by casual viewers, they enhance the experience for long time fans while also expanding the Marvel TV/Movie universe.

In the field, May and Ward are the ones who get things done. I enjoyed how the writers use the return to the academy to change up the hierarchy of the team. Too many times, audiences have seen shows where the jock returns to his old school pretending he is still the big man on campus. But at this academy, Fitz and Simmons are the superstars and it is fun to see Ward not only understand that but respect it and them for it.

Skye: “Look at them, the popular kids. Who knew?”

Ward: “I did.”

Fitz takes on a mentoring role as he finds himself relating to Donnie, a loner at school, but more importantly, it gives Fitz a chance to show he is more than a bumbling scientist. I really liked how the writers wrote this episode, giving Fitz a chance to come out from behind Simmons’ shadow. De Caestecker’s scenes are written with the care that is usually reserved for scenes with Coulson. By the end of “Seeds,” I found myself having a new respect for Fitz.

I was disappointed by the non-definitive answer provided in “The Magical Place,” but in the end, the issue for Coulson isn’t how but what they did after the S.H.I.E.L.D doctors reprogrammed his brain to forget the pain and agony it caused and replaced it with happy thoughts of Tahiti. “Seeds” deals with the emotional aftermath of finding out the truth and sets up some major moral conflict within himself as the man who always does things by the book is forced to question orders versus a person’s right or need to know the truth.

May: “What’s in that file, it’s the truth.”

Coulson: “Says who?”

May: “Director Fury.”

Coulson: “If I hadn’t asked, he would have kept it from me;.kept me from knowing.”

May: “And now that you know, you feel better? Put it away.”

In Mexico City, May and Coulson learn shocking news about Skye’s past and the many S.H.I.E.L.D agents who have lost their lives protecting a secret unknown to even her. Coulson finds himself in a difficult position of deciding whether to tell Skye the truth.

Ever since his appearance in Iron Man, Coulson has been a fan favorite due, in large part, to Gregg’s performance. He brings humanity to Coulson that the audience easily relates to.

“…. The world is full of evil and lies and pain and death. And you can’t hide from it you can only face it. The question is when you do, how do you respond? Who do you become?”

Between the moral complexities, humor, special effects, action, and Marvel references, “Seeds” is the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D episode I have been longing for. For a series that has been spotty at best, I can only hope this is the start of something great.

What do you think about Skye’s secret and how it will impact the team? Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Seeds.”

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.