Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Recap: That Makes the Two of Us

The episode is a cross between a spy story and an action heist, as Coulson (Clark Gregg) and May go undercover at a gala while searching for a religious painting. On the back, there are more of the markings Coulson has been making on the walls, so there's likely a larger connection between Coulson and the artwork. So Coulson and May go undercover as husband and wife, and it's always fun when a genre series gives us the inevitable episode where the stoic, hardened stick-in-the-mud is forced to loosen up, or at least pretend to. And it's no different here, as we get an episode where May is allowed to be somewhat silly, in service of the mission. However, in much the same way salt can really bring out the flavor in some dishes, the silliness at the start of the episode makes her emotional moments at the end all the more affecting. May is an effective agent, but she's not someone who really fits in with other people, which is why her relationship with Coulson is so important. He gets her, and their relationship is one of the emotional anchors of this series. In a lot of ways, this was an episode about fitting in, both in the literal sense (with HYDRA operatives using a special mask to take on the faces of Talbot and May) and the figurative sense (Fitz struggle to fit back into the team without Simmons around, while May tries to get Coulson to believe there's hope for his recovery, since his death would leave her in charge of a team where she no longer fits nearly as well). Ultimately, "Face My Enemy" illustrates that Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D can still do fun, adventurous episodes, without having to completely sacrifice the darker, more serious tone Season 2 has adopted.

Credit: ABC

In trying to get a lead on the painting, May has to do an uncharacteristic amount of smiling, dancing, laughing, flirting, and other un-May-like things. But there's also an undercurrent of danger, as Talbot (Adrian Pasdar) is at the gala, and he's got his eye on Coulson. What follows is a spy story in which it's revealed that this "Talbot" is actually Sunil Bakshi (Simon Kassianides), the left-hand man of Dr. Whitehall. He's wearing a mask cut from a special holographic material that allows the wearer to assume the face of another person. This becomes a major element of the episode, as the newly-turned Agent 33 is able to subdue May, with Bakshi's help, and assume her identity. The story is interesting enough in isolation, but what works best about it is that it builds to a genuinely exhilarating climax. When May is able to escape from Bakshi and confront Agent 33, it leads to what is easily the best fight sequence this show has ever done, with May squaring off against 33-as-May. The fight choreography here was very fluid, but also quite visceral. That's not to say it was necessarily the most realistic brawl I've seen on TV, but it did have this energy to it that made it feel less like two actresses remembering their blocking, and more two characters in a heated battle trying to actually hurt one another.

Credit: ABC

The fight had a ton of great spots, particularly one big moment towards the end where May leaps over Agent 33, grabs her head, and slams it on the coffee table on the way down. Words don't really do justice to how absolutely stunning that moment was, and it led right into the finish, as Agent 33's hubris gets the better of her. She has May beaten, but takes the time to gloat about how the biggest positive of killing May is that she'll no longer have to keep pretending to be her. However, as May notes, before killing Agent 33 using the frayed wires Bakshi had used as an improvised torture device, if 33 were really anything like her, she wouldn't do so much damn talking. This was a fight scene with so many "hell yeah!" moments that I couldn't help but cheer. And it's intercut with several other significant moments to create an exhilarating tapestry, with Coulson chasing after Bakshi to recover the painting, and Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Hunter (Nick Blood) working to prevent an explosion on the Bus caused by sabotage, as a mysterious device spreads a virus through the Bus's electrical system, causing things to start exploding left and right. It's an action climax that's worthy of a lesser Marvel movie, which I guess is sort of damning the show with faint praise, although I don't intend it to come across that way. This was genuinely great stuff, and showed flashes of the blockbuster this show can occasionally be when there's a good enough story to support it. And that story exists here, particularly thanks to the character arcs with May and Fitz.

Credit: ABC

As we know from his hallucinations of Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), Fitz isn't exactly doing all that well, psychologically. Although the Simmons hallucination, which is basically just his subconscious, is encouraging him to go out and make friends with the new members of the S.H.I.E.L.D team, Fitz just can't bring himself to do it. As he admits to "Simmons," he just doesn't feel he belongs with this team anymore, particularly now that Simmons has left. Of course, working with Hunter to stop the Bus from exploding brings him into the fold, and he ends up sharing a beer with Hunter and Mack (Henry Simmons), where we learn that Fitz is under the impression that Simmons left because he confessed his feelings for her. It's not exactly all that surprising to learn that Fitz harbored feelings for Simmons, nor is it all that shocking that he admitted as much, although it is kind of heartbreaking to learn that he thinks Simmons' departure was his doing, especially since the Fitz of old would have looked into her ulterior motives for leaving. Hell, the old Fitz probably would have joined HYDRA with her, just so she wouldn't have to do the mission alone. It illustrates just how badly Ward messed Fitz up. It's not just that he's less effective at his job, but he's also doubting himself now too, as a scientist and as a person worthy of being shown affection. He seems as surprised as anyone that Hunter offers him a beer, and he's even more shocked when Hunter says that anyone choosing to pass on Fitz is missing out. It's downright touching, especially when we see that by making new friends and fitting back in with this new S.H.I.E.L.D team, the Simmons hallucination disappears.

Credit: ABC

Yet it's not as clean a resolution for May. Coulson is still worried that the alien DNA will twist him into a psychopath like Garrett, so he needs May to promise him that she'll put a bullet in his head when the time comes. But she pointedly refuses, revealing that she's planned a contingency in case Coulson begins to turn. She's packed a bag and has arranged for him to stay in a secret, isolated hiding spot overseas, where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone in his Garrett-like condition. But this isn't good enough for Coulson, who explains that being kept in isolation won't change what's happened to him. He'll still be living on, and he'll still be every bit as evil as Garrett was, so he needs May to promise that she'll follow orders and do what's best for S.H.I.E.L.D. Her eyes fill, and it becomes apparent that she has no choice to agree, especially since Coulson has appealed to May's rigid sense of structure. Framing it as a favor gives May the choice to refuse Coulson's request, but by framing it as an order from the director of S.H.I.E.L.D to a subordinate gives May no choice at all. I sincerely doubt they're going to kill Coulson off, since this would technically be death #2 for him. That said, I'm interested in seeing how they work their way out of this situation. Presumably, it would have something to do with the markings Coulson has been making, which look like some sort of crude map.

The nature of the markings is one of many mysteries this season has, but those mysteries work because they're rooted in character. Here, the question of the markings is linked to May's worry over Coulson's well-being. She doesn't want Coulson to die, and she doesn't want to have to lead the S.H.I.E.L.D. team without him. Because she just doesn't fit in as well without him there. He's her anchor, and vice-versa. So they're going to have to solve this puzzle sooner rather than later if they want to cure Coulson. They're also going to have to work faster if they want to stop Whitehall, who blackmails Raina (Ruth Negga) in the post-credits scene by placing a device on her hand that will slowly kill her unless she delivers the obelisk to him within 48 hours. What is the obelisk and why does Whitehall want it? Hell if I know. However, what I do know is that "Face My Enemy" was a fun, substantial hour of television that continues the upward trajectory of Season 2 for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm looking forward to next week's episode, and seeing where all this is headed.