Topsy-turvy. Retrospective: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - “The Asset”

Season 1, Episode 3

Air Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 8/7c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“You made a hard call. And now I have to make mine.” – Coulson

Coulson Lives

After a secret S.H.I.E.L.D convoy is attacked and Dr. Frank Hall (Ian Hart), the person the agents were assigned to protect, is kidnapped, it’s up to Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team to not only figure out what happened but to find Dr. Hall. Only one problem, the kidnappers are invisible.

The investigation leads Coulson and his team to Ian Quinn (David Conrad), a brilliant scientist and philanthropist who is holding Dr. Hall hostage and forcing him to complete a device that can alter gravity. Coulson knows showing up at Quinn’s front door might cause an international incident, leaving Skye (Chloe Bennet) as the only option to send in using her ties with Rising Tide. Ward (Brett Dalton) is uneasy about this because of Skye’s lack of training, and because he still doesn’t fully trust her.

Who is Skye really working for?

Skye is able to get in and causes a distraction that allows Coulson and Ward to enter Quinn’s lab to rescue Dr. Hall. But it turns out Hall had his own motives for allowing himself to be kidnapped and it puts everyone at risk. Coulson tries to stop Hall but the results are devastating.

I really enjoyed the scene involving the “truth serum” that was used on Ward in the “Pilot” because it has become an ongoing running gag. So I was disappointed when Ward tells Sky there isn’t a truth serum. But that quickly fades when Sky confronts Coulson.

Sky: “Ward said a funny thing. He said you guys don’t have a truth serum.”

Coulson: “Did he. Ward said that?”

Sky: “Yeah.”

Coulson: “Interesting.”

Coulson’s expression during this conversation is priceless because he seems to enjoy toying with Sky over the existence of the serum.

The biggest disappointment I had with the plot of “The Asset” is how familiar it feels. The episode amounts to a retelling of a story that audiences have seen in countless Mission Impossible episodes and other spy shows. Marvel has such a vast universe from which to draw storylines that to use one that feels like you have seen it a dozen times before makes me question the story choices.

The writing, at times, feels unbalanced. Gregg’s portrayal of Coulson has taken him from a bit part in Iron Man to one of the fans’ favorite characters in The Avengers, which is reflective in the writing of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It almost seems like Coulson has his own writing team that makes sure to protect Marvel’s investment in their character. Sadly, the same cannot be said about Leo Fitz (Iain Caestecker) and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), whose unusual behavior is cute at first but after three episodes is wearing thin.

Dr Hall before becoming Graviton.

This brings me to what “The Asset” does right, which is setting up Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’s first supervillain. Dr. Hall has been a part of the Marvel Universe since 1977 and as fans are aware, becomes Graviton, whose ability is to manipulate gravity. How this plays out and how they use Graviton in the future remains to be seen. My hope is that it’s not just a tease but the building of something much bigger.

Three episodes in and there are still a lot of unanswered questions from the “Pilot,” especially Coulson’s death which still hasn’t been fully explained. You can’t kill someone off and then bring them back without having some emotional baggage of some kind. The same goes for Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), who hinted in the “Pilot” at a shadowy past and because of it, wanted to stay out of the action. But that has become another running gag since she keeps ending up in the action.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has been very hit and miss as it tries to find its footing. As much as I enjoy all the references to The Avengers, it is beginning to feel like a crutch. My hope is that by setting up characters like Graviton for future episodes, the writers will be able to create new storylines that stand alone while simultaneously fitting into the Marvel world.

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

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: <Grant> Brett Dalton, <Coulson> Clark Gregg, <Simmons> Elizabeth Henstridge, and <Melinda> 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.