Season 1, Episode 11
Air Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2014, 8/7c on ABC
Rating:
“We want you to tell us about the day after you died.” – Raina
“The Magical Place” begins with a chase in a skyscraper to capture a mysterious alien artifact dealer named Vanchat (Aiden Turner). What makes the chase enjoyable is this is one of the few times we have seen the agents collectively working as a team, utilizing each of their skill sets to flawlessly pull off a mission. It is obvious Coulson’s abduction is the driving force that brings them together.
The rift between Skye (Chloe Bennet) and the S.H.I.E.L.D leadership continues as Agent Hand questions Skye’s value on the team. With May’s (Min-Na Wen) blessing, Hand kicks Skye off the team and orders her to be debriefed after confiscating her computer. Before that can happen, though, Ward, Fitz (Ian De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) arrange for her to get away.
Meanwhile, Coulson is hooked up to a mind-probing machine as Centipede group member Edison Po (Cullen Douglas) interrogates him about the mystery surrounding his death. All Coulson remembers is waking up in Tahiti next to a beautiful woman and being served drinks as he relaxes.
Once freed, Coulson pays a surprise visit to Dr Streiten (Ron Glass), who reveals to Coulson the real story behind his death and the lengths Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) went to in order to bring him back.
So what works?
May’s betrayal of Skye is no surprise given their seemingly rocky past. What I did not see coming, though, is the twist as to why she did it after being confronted by Grant:
May: “All I did was tell Hand the truth. Skye’s no use to us on this plane.”
Ward: “How can you say that?”
May: “She’s not. Not with all these agents here, over her shoulder, monitoring her every move.”
Ward: “You wanted her off the plane?”
May: “Outside the system, that’s how Skye works best…You don’t have to assume the worst of me.”
I really enjoyed how the writers set up that situation because I too found myself assuming the worst of May. It also allowed Skye to blow off some steam by dressing as and pretending to be May
For a show that is basically built around Coulson, seeing him almost on the sidelines was nice; it allowed the other characters to step up while also showing the degrees they go to in order to bring him back.
On to what didn’t work.
As a kid, did your parents ever tell you, for weeks on end, they were going to take you to the water park and when the day finally arrived, it turned out to be the Slip ‘n Slide your parents set up in the back yard? Sure, and much like a Slip ‘n Slide, “The Magical Place” is fun but isn’t the water park we were promised. While a few of the details pertaining to Coulson’s death present interesting story lines for some of the characters in the future, you still can’t help but feel let down by the writers and the studios. Fans were given all kinds of promises regarding answers but in the end, they were given what can only be described as a non-answer that does not fit the months of hype surrounding this episode.
On a related note, how powerful would that scene in the car have been if it were Nick Fury in the front seat explaining his actions instead of Dr Streiten?
What do you think? Is this really the answer or will more mysteries be unlocked as Coulson digs deeper into the events surrounding his death? Leave a comment or tweet me at @StaffaRoadTrip.
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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Photos: © 2013-14 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Staffa
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