Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Recap: Trust No One

Far more so than its Thor: The Dark World tie-in, this week's Captain America: The Winter Soldier crossover episode relies heavily on viewers having seen the movie. I suppose, in a broad, general sense, you don't need to be familiar with the Captain America film series in order to understand certain elements of the plot, such as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dismantling, or the resurgence of HYDRA, or how the destruction of the villainous organization tied directly into the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D. after World War II. But it could lead to minor feelings of disorientation as the story goes on, and implications as to the fate of Nick Fury, Captain America, and S.H.I.E.L.D. itself are referenced. But even then, "Turn, Turn, Turn" mostly works because it's a more cinematic episode than any the show has done so far, and the central story of drawing out the mole among the S.H.I.E.L.D. ranks makes for some genuinely fascinating drama. And it all culminates in a twist that, while telegraphed in the final few moments before it happens, is probably the biggest reveal the show has done yet. For that alone, "Turn, Turn, Turn" is an episode worth going out of your way to see.

Credit: ABC

Of course, I still feel the success of this episode will ultimately rest upon whether "Turn, Turn, Turn" is a true turning point for the series, or merely a stopgap on the return to the status quo. Let's break down why this was a game-changer, and let's do it in short order. It all starts when S.H.I.E.L.D. drones are sent after Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton), as it becomes immediately apparent that the organization has been overtaken by The Clairvoyant. It doesn't take Skye (Chloe Bennet) very long to decode an encrypted message sent out across S.H.I.E.L.D. as a call-to-arms for fellow traitors. It's from this message that she discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been taken over by HYDRA, the organization Captain America dismantled after World War II, but which has resurfaced after seven decades by infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. at its highest levels. This would be enough of a reveal to make the episode interesting in its own right, but the ante is upped considerably by the introduction of a whodunnit, of sorts. Coulson (Clark Gregg) doesn't trust May (Ming-Na Wen), nor does he trust Agent Hand (Saffron Burrows). However, we inevitably learn that Hand isn't The Clairvoyant, nor is she working with Hydra. In fact, she's one of the few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Hub who hasn't been turned, revealing to Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Agent Triplett (B.J. Britt) that she has a very limited circle of confidantes at the moment. Hell, she can't even trust Director Fury on account of his being dead.

Credit: ABC

I mean, sure, we all know they can't really have killed off Nick Fury, but the revelation that HYDRA has had S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most famous figurehead assassinated ups the stakes for the episode, as it gives the impression that no one is off limits. And, for the most part, the episode sticks to that ideology. Hand and Coulson both believe the other to be The Clairvoyant, which makes for some effective tension as the episode rolls on and everybody becomes shadier. May insists that the reason for her dedicated line, as well as all the secrecy, is because she's been tasked with reporting on Coulson's post-resurrection progress to Director Fury. In short, she took Coulson's death incredibly hard, and agreed to Fury's proposal because of how much he means to her. She stops just short of confessing feelings for him, although Coulson isn't moved, opting to have May handcuffed throughout their mission through The Hub to rescue the trapped Simmons and Triplett. However, their conversation isn't the only instance in which feelings come to light: Ward (Brett Dalton) all but confesses his feelings for Skye, asking her to get a drink with him after the mission is completed. Surprisingly, I found this far more effective than I thought I would have even a week ago. Skye doesn't simply melt into Ward's arms, nor does she just let his guarded nature slide. She takes him to task for playing the "Emotional Guardedness" card all while having an ongoing affair with May, and resents the implied expectation that she'll sleep with him too. Naturally, Ward isn't really implying he wants just sex -- in fact, he outright states he just wants to talk. And so Skye, fearing this might be the last time they see each other, plants a kiss on Ward. While it isn't exactly passionate, it sort of works, in its own "action-movie romance" kind of way.

Credit: ABC

Speaking of action movies and stuff that works in this episode, the action is really top-notch. It's all held together by what is basically the best action setpiece the show has done so far, as Ward ducks into a hall of The Hub and clears the area of compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers. It's an excellently-choreographed spectacle that highlights just how effective Ward is at his job. Maybe it strains credulity a bit for him to be flipping around off pipes and clotheslining guys so hard they do backflips, but it makes for some seriously fun TV. Also excellent, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents against The Clairvoyant and his cronies. The Clairvoyant is, naturally, revealed to be Garrett (and the realization of that fact as it comes across Coulson's face is a wonderful moment from Clark Gregg), leading to an all-out brawl with Coulson, May, and a frightened Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), who gets in on the fray by shooting one of May's assailants. May is her usual, badass self, doling out headscissors like it's no big deal, while Coulson holds his own with Garrett, using a disruptor to get the upperhand and finally bring him to justice. Ward, of course, is devastated to learn that his former mentor is the guy they've been hunting this entire time. In fact, he's so incensed by it that he demands to be allowed to come with Agent Hand and two other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they escort Garrett by aircraft to "The Fridge," a prison facility. However, by this point, the show still had one more bullet in its chamber...

Credit: ABC

Onboard the plane, Hand offers Ward the opportunity to exact vengeance on Garrett, not just for his betrayal but for tricking him into shooting an innocent man who hadn't really been "The Clairvoyant." Hand, who'd just made amends with Coulson after revealing that they're the two highest-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents left now that everyone else is either a traitor or dead, becomes a perfect target for what's to come: Ward takes his gun...and shoots the two escorting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the head, and then unloads a rain of bullets into Hand, adding a few extra while she's on the ground, for good measure. Ward has turned on S.H.I.E.L.D., if he was ever really with them to begin with. And now? Coulson is the highest-ranking authority in S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization in complete, borderline unsalvageable disarray. It's an effective twist in isolation, although the success of this narrative direction depends largely on how genuine this alleged betrayal is. I don't really think a show like this has the guts to actually make Ward a bad guy through and through, so I could imagine this being some kind of feint or misdirect engineered by Coulson and Ward (who share a knowing look before Ward boards the plane to escort Garrett), in order to figure out what HYDRA's endgame is, and who else might be a part of the organization. But the alternative would, honestly, be far more interesting. Ward has never been the most charismatic character, and so a villain role actually suits him quite well, to say nothing of the conflict it would create among the team. I don't expect Ward's betrayal is sincere (although I suppose the presence of blood on the corpses means Ward didn't shoot them with "icers" or "Night Night Gun" tech), but for now, this is one of the more fascinating developments so far. I'm actually excited to see how it all plays out.

Credit: ABC

"Turn, Turn, Turn" is an action movie for TV audiences, but also a bit of a whodunnit, all culminating in a parade of surprisingly effective twists. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is continuing to illustrate that it's much more than the sum of its parts. If anything, as the series heads into the endgame of the season, it's showing that it isn't messing around when it comes to the big developments, and the bigger action setpieces. This simply feels like a more complete show now, and that's definitely encouraging as we find ourselves closer to the season finale.