The Clairvoyant. Retrospective: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - “The Bridge”

Season 1, Episode 10

Air Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2013, 8/7c on ABC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“We need you to suit up.” – Coulson

Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team are called in when it is learned that a group of soldiers involved in a daring prison break to free Edison Po (Cullen Douglas) are using Centipede, a device that injects Extremis into the body giving the person super human strength. Realizing his team is no match in a hand-to-hand fight, Coulson calls for the unlikeliest of backups.

I really enjoyed the writers’ reintroduction of Mike Peterson (J. August Richards), who was last seen in the “Pilot.” This isn’t the same angry, combative Mike but rather a hard working Shield agent in training, looking to do good in the world (and in many ways, an entirely new character). Given Coulson and his team’s last encounter with Mike, it’s amusing to watch Coulson have a little fun as he introduces Mike to them.

Coulson: “Mr. Peterson, this is agent Grant Ward. He’s the man who shot you at Union Station. Fitz-Simmons designed the weapon he used, and I think you remember…”

Skye: “Kidnap victim.”

As much as I have expressed the need to kill off someone because the team feels too big at times, the addition of Mike is a good one. He also provides some much needed compassion to the team that I found to be heartfelt and believable. It is apparent he is trying to redeem himself not only for himself, but for his family As well. The chemistry between Richards and the rest of the cast is refreshing as his presence seems to elevate the scenes he is in. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Fitz-Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge and Iain De Caestecker) get him ready for his new uniform. The noticeable, yet subtle, humor the show has been lacking seems to return each time Mike is on screen, and it makes “The Bridge” more entertaining.

One of the problems Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. faces is Coulson has all but become Jesus Christ. Not only because he was killed and somehow rose from the dead but his new status is due to the fan base. They have put his character on a pedestal so high, he is basically worshiped by nerds. (Oh, stop pretending, you know I’m right.) Because of this, Coulson seems to be written differently and with more of a reverence compared to the rest of the characters. But this is not all a bad thing as some of S.H.I.E.L.D’s more touching moments are his one-on-one interactions with the rest of the team, especially Skye (Chloe Bennet) and Mike. I wish that same level of writing had been distributed to the rest of the cast.

My biggest complaint about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D continues to be the time management of the plot. Some storylines seem to drag over several episodes while others are glossed over. The truth behind who Skye’s real mother is happens to be the latest story arc the writers will probably beat like a dead horse while continuing to toy with the audience.

I am convinced there is a sign somewhere in the writers’ room that reads “When in doubt, tease Coulson’s death,” because it seems to be the fallback response for when they run out of ideas. “The Bridge” is a very good episode with a few fun twists but at some point, the writers must have looked up at the sign and suddenly shifted it to be about Coulson’s death.

We get it; Coulson was killed in the battle of New York during The Avengers. Something happened, and now he is alive again. Maybe he’s a clone or a robot or something, but we all know whatever happened wasn’t normal. Yet the writers treat his return from the dead like it is the joke about Pete and Repeat: Pete and Repeat are sitting on a fence, Pete fell off, who is left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat are sitting on a fence, Pete fell off, who is left? Repeat. The endless loop goes on and on until the person listening goes nuts or gets bored. Any excitement or curiousity I once had over what really happened to Coulson has been wiped away by the endless teasing. Not only that, there is no way the real answer surrounding his death can live up to the hype Marvel writers have created.

On an unrelated note, did anyone else notice how many stop signs Coulson seems to ignore while driving his car Lola? Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D agents do not have to follow traffic laws.

Sometimes, having to give an episode a rating drives me nuts because 55 minutes of a good episode can be tarnished by the last five, thus lowering the rating. This is the case with “The Bridge,” which is enjoyable until the writers fall back on old habits. “The Bridge” is also the first two-part episode for the show so my opinion could change depending how part two plays out when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns in January.

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

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.