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Wow. Finally, after weeks of spinning its wheels on crappy one-off stories, the show brings Centipede back into the mix in a way that both advances plot and character, and raises the stakes on many fronts. A few bits and pieces first: Skye has been looking up a "Katherine Shane," whom Coulson once worked with and Skye thinks could be her mother. Of course, Coulson and May feel the need to keep Skye in the dark, but May takes Skye's head off about being more focused on her parents than on their job, causing Skye to cry and Coulson to… not comfort her. Coulson also lets Ward know he had a girlfriend before he died, a cellist from Portland, but he couldn't go back to her after his return from the dead. I mean, a literal broken heart was enough, am I right?
To start the important stuff, three supersoldiers, presumably the beneficiaries of that idiot magician Chan's blood, break the creepy dude Raina asked to contact the Clairvoyant out of the "Havenworth Federal Penitentiary." We learn the guy is an "Edison Po," a tactics/rapid response expert and known psychopath, and Raina asks Po about the Clairvoyant, but Po tells her the Clairvoyant is having trouble seeing the man she's looking for "and his weaknesses." Raina reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. having them on the run is making maintaining their supersoldiers (i.e. treating their blood so the Extremis won't make them explode) very difficult, so they need a new option. That'll probably mean killing someone, but hopefully not subjecting him to a Smurfy name first. Later, Po reports having spoken with the Clairvoyant, and Raina wonders what he's like. Po basically tells her that he could tell her, but then he'd have to kill her, but that doesn't seem to stop Raina from hoping to work her charms on Po.
To fight Centipede, Coulson brings in Mike Peterson, who you'll remember from the pilot and also Angel. Peterson can now move bulldozers in a single bound, or something, and really wants to prove himself to S.H.I.E.L.D.; however, although it's true that he's been stabilized, the use of his powers is still draining to him, and he also still has the Centipede thingy attached to his forearm, which apparently can't be removed without killing him. In addition, it turns out that being shot with the night-night gun allowed his body to stabilize the Extremis on a permanent basis, so he feels he owes Fitz/Simmons his life and as such doesn't mind Simmons slobbering all over his physique. In investigating Po, Skye discovers that Raina visited him in prison and is able to extract a conversational bit about the Clairvoyant; Peterson also recognizes Raina as the woman who recruited him into Centipede, although I'm not sure how he recognized her given that she's finally ditched the flower dress.
S.H.I.E.L.D. gets a lead on one of the supersoldiers via his sister and a cock-and-bull story about him winning the lottery, they deviously get the sister to contact him and learn he's in Oakland, and off the plane goes. When they get there, Coulson sends a fancy-polymer-wearing Peterson to take the guy on, suspecting he's hanging out at a Centipede lab – but when they get there, all three supersoldiers are lying in wait for them, and worse, one of them absorbs a shot from the night-night gun with no ill effects. The fight goes poorly for a while, but S.H.I.E.L.D. still manages to incapacitate one soldier while the other two flee -- whereupon the first one is terminated using that same device from which S.H.I.E.L.D. saved Akela Amador back in the fourth episode. Seeing an image of Peterson through the guy's eye, Po thinks Peterson -- or is it Coulson? -- is the key to Stage Three, while on the flipside, S.H.I.E.L.D. examines the solder's corpse and realize Centipede was the organization controlling Amador for so many years.
Peterson admits that he hasn't been to see his son Ace since Union Station because of the monstrous way he acted, but Coulson convinces him the way he's acting isn't in the kid's best interests, so Peterson calls his son -- only to hear Raina with him. Raina lets it be known that Centipede will return Ace only in exchange for Peterson himself, on whom they obviously, or so it seems, want to experiment to see how he's managing to cope with the Extremis, and Coulson thinks they have to go along with Centipede's demands -- but Fitz/Simmons devise a non-electronic way of tracking him once the exchange is made. But! It turns out Centipede wants Coulson, not Peterson -- maybe because of his return from the dead? -- and Coulson goes willingly in order to save Ace. Once Ace is safe, though, Peterson runs after Coulson -- but an explosion appears to consume Peterson. On their escape helicopter, Raina confirms that they want to know about the day after Coulson died, and Coulson does not look like he's thrilled about "reliving" that. So Coulson's in enemy hands, Peterson's possibly dead and the team is on their own. After all the crap we've lived through, it could actually be a promising New Year.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!It's a little hard to know how to grade this episode. On the one hand, it gets the much-needed Centipede back in the game, gives us a way in to the mystery of what happened to Coulson (not that there haven't been others the show has ignored.) And it has an excellent mid-season cliffhanger that could lead to some really good stuff. On the other, it's not without its problems (shut up Skye about your parents, shut up May and your perma-scowl, shut up villains who are creepy for no reason), and it feels like the stuff it covers should have happened like five episodes ago. If year the show picks up the pace at which it reveals the macro stuff in its universe and brings the conflict between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Centipede front and center, awesome; if not, yeesh. Still, I'm grading it higher than it probably deserves, because on some level I still do want it to be good. So:
At a maximum security joint -- that a chyron informs us is "Havenworth Federal Penitentiary" -- inmates wander around with lunch trays in hand. But one who is already sitting is our friend whom Raina, the girl with the flower dress, went to see at the end of that sartorially-named episode. Another inmate attempts to join him, but without looking up, our friend -- in his mannered-psycho way of speaking -- informs the guy the seat is taken. Although twice our friend's size, the guy recoils and withdraws when our friend fixes him with a look, and I'd wonder what our friend did to earn such fear if I didn't already know we're going to find out.
Three men blast through the ceiling to drop into the room, and we see a Centipede device on one of their wrists, so even at this point it seems logical to guess that Centipede has indeed successfully harnessed Chan's blood platelets to make their super soldiers viable. Speaking of the super soldiers, they handle the guards quickly as our friend blithely continues eating, like, obviously we're supposed to be impressed with his calm detachment, but if he's not taking any excuse to stop consuming prison food he really must be crazy. As ropes drop in through the hole in the ceiling, the SAG-card-carrying super soldier informs our friend it's time to go, but our friend is all, it's time to go sir, and again, just because the psycho killer who insists on respectful terms in an entertainment staple doesn't mean you need to include it for no reason. I'm pretty sure he could have made the point effectively on the way out of the building. Find a way to explain why he acts the way he does or don't include the quirk. Regardless, the super soldier amends his request to include the honorific, whereupon our friend -- after daintily wiping his mouth with a napkin -- joins the super soldiers in being pulled up out of the room and into the title card.
On the plane, Skye is on her computer when Coulson pops in to tell her they have a mission briefing in a few minutes. He then notices Skye is perusing the file of a "Katherine Shane," and I do wonder whether even in a private database S.H.I.E.L.D. would mark this as an "UNDERCOVER AGENT FILE" so prominently. Maybe at least use initials to fool any hackers? Regardless, Agent Shane was apparently Clearance Level Four (whatever that means) and Coulson gets ever-so-slightly pervy as he says he and Shane "ran a few ops" together in the '90s, and that she was smart and resourceful. Skye, whose interminable search for family has now apparently made her revert to not-quite Pippi Longstocking pigtails, excitedly says that Shane could be her mother. Coulson tries to tell her that even if she were the one who dropped her off, that doesn't mean she's her mother, and when Skye babbles about parameters and the program she wrote to narrow the search, Coulson is still discouraging.
Skye points out that she could get more information without her "internet nanny," so…wait, what? Is the thing restricting her access, or just reporting on her activity? Does she get an electric shock if she hacks too hard? And if the thing is blocking the more sensitive information, does that mean UNDERCOVER AGENT FILES like aren't even protected by a Norton firewall? Get rid of the goddamn thing. Like a lot of things on this show it's outlived its limited usefulness. Coulson isn't ready to remove the bracelet, but he does say he asked May to look into some more files. Skye is taken aback as she says she was hoping to keep her search private (considering she never seems to shut up about it, I'm surprised) but he tells her she can rely on May's discretion. That doesn't take into account the idea that she might have wanted to keep it a secret from May, but they have to get to the meeting so no time to discuss that.
May and Ward are sparring without benefit of protective gear, and after some hard hits on both sides, May connects on a spinning foot sweep that sends Ward to the floor. Some flirtation from Ward ensues that May shuts down quick, and then Coulson calls to them from above to towel down. We don't get any indication of it in this episode but I'm calling it now that he totally knows these two are boning.
Cut to the briefing room, where Coulson shows the team footage from the prison break. Simmons gets way too excited to realize Centipede successfully used Chan's blood to solve their super soldier problem, and Fitz is like, "Calm down, crazy". Coulson goes on that S.H.I.E.L.D. has destroyed two Centipede labs, but they keep popping up. Also, our friend whom the super soldiers broke out is "Edison Po," a former Marine and expert in tactics and rapid response. The meaningless term "off the grid" is used again, but we're told Po reappeared eighteen months ago in a diner in Boston where, as Ward tells us, he stabbed a friend's eyes out. This would explain why people in the prison would give him a wide berth, at least. Although I'm not sure why the big guy even tried to join him, then. Coulson says locating Po and the super soldiers is a top priority, but they'll have help -- someone who can fight fire with fire. An interesting metaphor, to be sure, and Skye asks if it's someone they've worked with before. Coulson responds, "Not exactly." His dialogue makes for good scene endings, but if I were on his team I'd have probably throttled him by now as I yelled for him to stop being such a drama queen and get to the fucking point.
However, if you watch previews then you know who is coming – it's Mike Peterson from the pilot. He is pushing one of those big football training pads across a field…only this pad happens to be attached to a bulldozer. It seems fairly apparent from the angle of the pad that the bulldozer is actually pulling him, or his stunt double, but I can't say I blame them saving money on effects here. Of course, we don't actually see Peterson's face until "he" stops. The camera then lingers on his Centipede accessory for a moment before panning up, whereupon Peterson asks if he beat the time of someone named "Captain America." His trainer tells him he wasn't even close, but Peterson soon has other things to worry about than Marvel superheroes that will never be on this show, as Coulson appears and tells Peterson they need him to suit up. Sounds great… what's the problem?
Well, as they stand by the open plane door, May tells Coulson that "this" is a bad idea, and I know all about her damage but she's really been kind of a pill lately, hasn't she? Not that I think Coulson's schemes can't be pretty harebrained, but propose an alternative instead of knocking down your boss. (I do enjoy the character's badassery, but I'm starting to think Ming-Na Wen isn't the most subtle actor, at least not in this role). Coulson, however, is typically unfazed as he tells May about Skye's quest to ID the agent who dropped her off at the orphanage and warns May Skye may come to her with questions. May's all, "One mistake at a time," like YOU AGREED TO THAT PLAN ALREADY. Jesus. Peterson, dressed in a suit, approaches and affably greets Coulson and May, but May just gives him a dirty look (professional!) before walking off without a word. Whereupon Coulson's like, "Yeah, maybe she's a little pissed about that time you threw her into a wall". Still, though! Peterson earnestly says he realizes "having all this" (I'm not sure if he's merely referring to his powers or to that nonsensical speech he gave at Union Station before the night-night gun shut him up) is a privilege, and trying to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is an attempt by him to do better with his life. Coulson tells him he's happy to give him a second chance, but there won't be a third, and not to be all Skye about it, but he kept it together better than most people when jacked up on Extremis, no?
No. Ward reminds us Peterson was a ticking time bomb, "literally," and while I appreciate you knowing the difference between that and "figuratively," Ward, I'm still not sure Peterson was actually ticking. Fitz sighs that S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ wouldn't have sent Peterson if he weren't stable on the combustion front, but Ward is like, "His attitude was so hostile in Union Station." (Ward, maybe that's because he was literally about to explode!) This conflict feels hopelessly manufactured. Simmons points out that Peterson isn't the first person with a "questionable track record" they've taken in, and Skye's all "HEY NOW" about it. But really, we can see your tracking bracelet again so it's hard to argue, and she even concedes the point before saying that "Mike" is a good guy. Simmons adds that Peterson having been through the Centipede program could be an asset for them, but goes on about how Peterson was a "raging homicidal maniac" – just as Peterson enters the room behind him. Speaking of clichés, Ward's like, "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" His delivery as well as the three kids' "oh shit" faces are all perfectly serviceable, but this is not the original sparkle you expect from a Joss Whedon show.
Coulson sunnily informs Peterson that Ward is the man who shot him at Union Station while Fitz and Simmons designed the weapon used. I have to give Fitz a shout-out for his unsmiling tentative wave, although Simmons' sheepish small smile isn't bad either. Skye is the only one acting halfway normal, although I'm not sure why she thinks she's on such solid ground given that she tried to get Peterson beaten up by a gang of toughs. But Peterson is amused to see she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. after all the smack she talked to him, and Skye admits that guys in suits aren't so bad. Peterson then gets serious as he tells the team he owes them his life, and Ward at least looks like he's willing to entertain the possibility of the sentiment being genuine before Skye babbles a bit and asks after Peterson's son Ace. Peterson says he's still with his sister, and although he thinks Peterson's working construction, he's doing well and is happy. Sensing this is a sad subject, Coulson turns the conversation to business. Skye hasn't had any luck tracking down Po, so Coulson suggests she turn her attention to his time inside the joint before Simmons pipes up that their facial recognition software came up with a match on one of the super soldiers: a "Brian Hayward," who served in Afghanistan for three years. His only living relative is a sister at the University of Ohio, so Coulson tells Ward the two of them will approach her. I guess he's assuming she's heterosexual?
Later, Peterson joins Coulson in the latter's office, and Coulson, who is flipping though some business cards, ruminates on how with all their high-tech gizmos, it's easy to forget about the simple tools of the past. He stops on one card in particular, which seems to belong to a "Dan Filch" of the Ohio State Gaming Commission and is decorated with a festive googly-eyed logo. Coulson then asks what he can do for Peterson, so Peterson is like, "Wouldn't mind knowing what my mission is, hoss". Coulson, however, says that he needs Peterson to undergo some tests first, as he's heard that even though Peterson is stable, using his powers takes a toll on him, so Coulson needs to get clear on Peterson's limits before figuring out how to use him. Well, might as well occupy your time with that, Peterson, since I think most people aboard aren't yet ready to invite you into their Scrabble games.
In the lab, Peterson is saying he needs to consume four times as much food as he used to just to keep his energy up, and after he uses his super-strength the multiple can go up to ten. Simmons isn't completely hearing what he's saying, though, as she's taking measurements with a tape like a tailor would and basically trying not to swoon at how hot she finds him. Fitz comes up and is like, "We have devices that can measure him, Jemma", before telling Peterson they need his stats to create a diagnostic polymer suit that will allow them to monitor his vitals while he's in the field. Fitz, don't let Simmons talk you into saving material in the crotch area. Fitz then gets caught up looking at Peterson's Centipede thingy. Peterson accommodatingly shows it to him while saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. sci-ops tried to take it off him until the realized that doing so would kill him. That was nice of them; it's not like a completely unscrupulous agency wouldn't have considered him expendable. Simmons can't resist asking how S.H.I.E.L.D. stabilized Peterson's Extremis, but Peterson said they didn't -- Fitz and Simmons did. You see, the night-night gun froze him right at the moment he was going to explode, which allowed his body to absorb the serum and stabilize. They look stunned, but…wasn't that kind of the hope when they came up with the plan? Surely they didn't mean for him to be kept unconscious for the rest of his life? Fitz and Simmons both are delighted, but for Simmons that means babbling on about Peterson's body until she realizes she's not using her inside voice; luckily, Peterson is modestly amused by her temporary loss of speech control.
The plane has made it to Ohio, and Coulson and Ward are riding in Lola (my buddy Nick Rheinwald-Jones noted the '60s feel of the scene) as the fact that Hayward's sister is taking a course on women leads to a discussion between Ward and Coulson of same. Coulson confides that he once was involved with a female cellist who lived in Portland (and laughed at his jokes, which I wouldn't take as a given so it's nice he appreciates it), but his death kind of came between them, and although he knows where she is now, the fact that he was gone for months makes him think he missed his chance. Ward speculates she might have understood better if she'd been part of the agency, so it seems reasonable to conclude Ward perhaps would like to be May's exclusive sparring partner, but Coulson tells him that in his experience, that's asking for trouble. I sense that most people who watch that show don't have that much use for Ward, but the ensuing facial expression that makes him look like he just swallowed a bee made me laugh, at least.
Back on the plane, Skye is on her computer when May comes marching up. Skye thanks May for helping out on the investigation into her parents, May gives her the stoniest of looks (she looks like a Gorgon without the snakes). When Skye tries to give her a thumb drive with her research to date on it, May rather nastily points out they are on a mission. Skye replies that she was merely working on her parents while she waited for May, but she summoned her because she found something out about Po. We then cut to the two of them standing in front of a monitor checking out footage of Raina's visit to Po in prison. Skye recalls that Miles told her a woman in a flower dress recruited him to hack S.H.I.E.L.D., and it's good recollection on her part but it only makes me realize I'm even more confused by Raina wearing the flower dress for days on end last time since she's not wearing it in this episode. Sartorial mysteries aside, however, Skye says that although the recording has no audio, she was able to use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lip-reading program to determine one of Po's statements: "The Clairvoyant does not like to be touched." Unsurprisingly, this is gibberish to May, but Peterson appears to tell them Raina's name, as she was also the one who recruited him for Centipede, saying, as ever, that she could change his life. Well, whatever you may think about her sales pitch, it's not a lie in a strict sense.
Speaking of Raina, I should have been more clear -- she is wearing a flower dress this episode, but not the same one, which doesn't clear up the mystery any. Does she only get one color a week? She walks into an open space in a warehouse in which Po is having what seems to be a sumptuous meal (he's even got a fancy decanter full of wine) but all he can do is complain that the steak was overcooked. Again, bro, they practically had to rip the prison food out of your hands… maybe dial back the snooty restaurant critic act? Po gets to his feet, and they walk as Raina tells him they've stabilized the serum and "added the implant," so now they need the Clairvoyant's help in finding the key to Stage Three. Po replies that he's asked already and "the Clairvoyant has trouble seeing the man you're looking for, and his weaknesses." He adds that he doesn't mean to upset Raina, which seems like a very uncharacteristic thing to say for someone who might very well have no problem feasting on human organs. But it allows Raina to show him a photo of Coulson and May and say they're the ones upsetting her, as the S.H.I.E.L.D. team's pursuit has forced them to move operations every few days now for security.
She adds that this is making their "maintenance problems" very challenging, and we see the three super soldiers each hooked up to an IV and some medical equipment, so apparently Chan's blood was not the be-all and end-all in super soldier care. Indeed, according to Raina, her super soldiers are experiencing similar symptoms to those of Peterson -- they're drained after every mission and need "regular injections" and "constant upkeep," which is hard when S.H.I.E.L.D. has them on the run. Po replies that it's time to stop running then. (I'd ask what he means, but his maniacal smile makes me decide I'll just be patient and see how it plays out). We go to commercial, but not before we see a shirtless super soldier with far more Centipede attachments than Peterson has. They go all the way up his arms, and there are even some smaller ones on his trapezius. Well, no wonder he needs so much upkeep!
Coulson has parked Lola on campus and is getting a report from Skye on Raina. Coulson speculates that Raina wants him to train Centipede's super soldiers. He's also referring to the Clairvoyant, and says it's impossible for Centipede to have a psychic since there are none on the index. Aside from Coulson having contractually to ignore the X-Men yet again, given the wondrous beings in the S.H.I.E.L.D.-verse (theoretically, at least; we're not actually seeing many of them) and the fact that Centipede operated for years without ever pinging S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, you'd think Coulson would be wary of making flat statements such as that. All this, however, is an excuse for Skye to bring up Thor again, which I guess makes this a tie-in episode as well?
Meanwhile, on campus, a black-suited Ward accosts the sister "Laura," and although she doesn't forget basic vocabulary or syntax, it's pretty clear she's as into Ward as Simmons was hot for Peterson… until Ward brings up her brother. She asks who Ward is, so he produces the "Dan Filch" card and tells her that Brian won fifty grand in the lottery, but although her mood becomes more congenial again. She tells Ward she and her brother aren't close and she hasn't seen him and doesn't know where he is. Ward asks her to call him if she succeeds in making contact and then rejoins Coulson in the car, saying he's not sure what the point of the lottery story was given that she seemed to see right through it. But Coulson, looking at his S.H.I.E.L.D. iPad, says that was the whole point, and she's "making the call" right now. In Laura's hand, the business card flashes as she reports to Brian, with the result that Coulson immediately traces Brian's location to Oakland. God, does that mean even Centipede's been priced out of San Francisco?
In the plane's interrogation room (I guess after last week they just decided to convert it to a guest bedroom) Peterson is looking at a photo of Ace, so, of course, Skye smells the sentiment like a bloodhound and comes wandering in. Peterson's only too happy to let her look at the picture, but even though he says he got Ace all the Heroes of New York action figures (callback!) for his birthday and that he and Ace "are a team" (double callback!). The maudlin music almost forces him to confess that he hasn't seen him in a while, but thankfully, Coulson interrupts by entering, polymer suit in hand, to say it's time. Peterson declares that he won't let Coulson down, and then we cut to the cargo bay, in which Fitz and Simmons are admiring their handiwork, which does indeed look pretty sleek -- even Ward all but admits he wants one. Peterson enthusiastically thanks Fitz and Simmons before Coulson comes down the stairs and tells them they've traced the cell signal to an abandoned factory about eight miles away. Thinking it's another lab, they plan to go in quietly to gather as much information as possible before the ass-kicking starts, with Coulson and Peterson having one pair, and Ward and May another. Skye pipes up that Centipede is dangerous and as such "Big S.H.I.E.L.D." should be sending in backup, but Coulson fixes Peterson with a meaningful stare as he tells her they already did. I wonder if that suit measures insulin levels, because everyone's have to be critically low after that comment.
The factory is looking suspiciously abandoned, as Simmons can't read any heat signatures besides those of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, although Skye is concerned about a strange electronic signal she's failing to isolate. Coulson has Fitz call Hayward's phone, and when he does, a ringtone sounds from within a cargo container. I thought this was going to mean an explosion, but it's close enough, as the door flies off its hinges and one of the super soldiers appears from within. He then hurls the container at Peterson and Coulson, and Coulson, I'm sure we're all impressed that you know how to assume a defensive fighting position, but I have to think actually getting out of the thing's way would be a superior strategy. Luckily for him, the point is rendered moot when Peterson throws himself into the thing and stops its momentum. Then the battle is joined, with all three super soldiers eventually making an appearance. Ward and May dance to avoid being hit by any crushing blows by one of them, while Coulson takes another down with the night-night gun… but by the guy, whose face temporarily turned purple from the Endotoxin, shakes it off and gets right back up. I don't think that's ever explained, but it can't be good.
Peterson rushes the guy, while Ward flings himself at the second dude and gets taken down, after which May and the guy go at it hammer and tongs and the third dude catches Coulson unawares and knocks him out. May is sent to the floor as well, so for the moment, it's just Peterson left to face the three enemy super soldiers. After they engage, Hayward stabs Peterson in the gut with a nasty-looking weapon. Peterson's vitals light up, as the other two head back after Ward and May. Simmons urgently tells a groggy-but-now-conscious Coulson that between the wound and the exertion, Peterson's vitals are dangerously low. However, after an encouraging look from Coulson, Peterson manages to take Hayward down, but mysteriously, the other two super soldiers run off. Coulson and Peterson stand over Hayward as Coulson asks who's behind Centipede, but after we see them from Hayward's POV, he tearfully promises he won't say anything. It's to no avail, as the kill switch in his eye is activated with a soft click and he dies on the spot. Awesome. That means it was Centipede who was controlling Amador for all those years (unless they got the technology from them, but that seems unlikely.) The camera goes straight into Hayward's dead eye and out the other side -- right to Raina's iPad Of Evil, on which we see the last image Hayward recorded, that of Peterson and Coulson. Raina is surprised to see Peterson and tells Po he was one of their first subjects, and goes on to say that Peterson hasn't been injected with the serum in ages but obviously still has his powers. Po responds, "No. What he has is your key to Stage Three." And all credit to some great sleight of hand: It never occurred to me he was referring to Coulson. It makes me happy when shows pull things off! Really!
Speaking of Amador, back on the plane, Fitz has an X-ray image of her skull up to one of Hayward's and confirms that the devices in each of them were virtually identical. Peterson -- who's definitely looking the worse for wear -- asks if the super soldiers were being coerced just as Amador was. Coulson doesn't really answer him, but I'd say the fact that Centipede killed him so easily suggests they were worried about his loyalty. It does make me wonder why Peterson never got implanted, though. Coulson wonders if the eye feed can be tracked, but Skye says they've upgraded their technology since last time. I'm no tech expert, but…wouldn't the camera also have still to be operational? Coulson is frustrated at the seemingly endless manpower and resources at Centipede's disposal, and Skye adds that they also must have someone with some pretty deep pockets. Coulson tells them he needs to call in to HQ, as this is bigger than they thought, and that's kind of what Skye was trying to tell you when you were busy having your little moment with Peterson, no? It kind of strains credulity for Skye to be the voice of reason when it comes to mission planning, so maybe actually make Coulson anywhere near as good at his job as everyone seems to think he is?
Po rejoins Raina in the car and tells her he spoke with the Clairvoyant, but he won't share the information he provided until the time is right. Raina, showing an actual softer side for the first time, gets a fairly dreamy look on her face as she asks Po to tell her what the Clairvoyant (she does use the pronoun "he") is like. I'm all for having dastardly enough villains on this show, but it's nice when the writers remember to give them a little more depth than the participants in the "Gentlemen, to evil!" toast. Of course, I still have no idea what Centipede ultimately wants, but I'm willing to wait for that for now, although not for long. Po, however, replies that he'll never tell her, and when her face falls, he explains that the last person "who tried to learn these things" got a knife for his trouble. "I don't want to have to do that again, Raina. You have such pretty eyes." Heh. He does, however, offer that he told the Clairvoyant about her, which piques her interest. When he goes on that he spoke at length about her "many virtues," she's gratified (in kind of an infantile way, which is weird but not necessarily problematic) and lightly brushes her finger against his. It's not exactly Ward and May, but proceeding with caution when it comes to Po seems like it's going to be a good idea every time.
Ward is alternating sipping from a beer bottle and holding it up against his tender face when May comes stalking in, as is par for the course this episode. When Ward asks if he can pour her a Scotch, she snits for him never to do "that" again. And I know it's just me here, but Ward's comic timing is perfect as he answers by popping it open and then plaintively being like "Brandy, then?" Hee. May, however, is under the impression that Ward took a punch for her in the fight, but Ward's like, "No, no, no" since May is quicker than he is, it was more important for her to stay on her feet than his. As such, it was a purely tactical decision.
May's anger cools, and Ward assures her that he's "not some recruit who can't separate church from state. I'm on the same page as you." Somewhat playfully, he adds that she shouldn't flatter herself before heading out, and despite his little conversation with Coulson earlier it does seem likely his feelings are under control. I'm not sure I can say the same about May, because when Skye appears and gets her attention, May wastes no time in taking her head off about her search, saying Coulson doesn't want to tell her the truth. She almost goes the whole nine yards and tells her everything, but instead she says that Skye has to decide why she's there. If she can't put aside her personal attachments then, "You. Shouldn't. Be. Here." Given her conversation with Ward, this seems like classic projection, but Skye's too distraught at the words to speculate about why they were uttered, and as she predictably dissolves into a watery mess, we cut to her ripping up the papers she collected on her parents. We then see Coulson watching from the stairs above before she closes the door to her cabin, and he approaches and moves to knock as we hear sobbing, and then thinks better of it. More like Cold-son, am I right? (I'll answer: No.)
Later, Peterson, who's still clutching his stomach in pain, comes in to see Coulson, who tells him he went above and beyond at the warehouse. Hard to disagree; they'd all surely be dead or captured without him. Coulson says he hears from Peterson's S.O. that he trains all the time. Peterson nods that he wants to be the best, but Coulson's like, "That's great and all, but you haven't left the facility once, which means you haven't seen your kid since Union Station?" Peterson flashes back to that time he almost exploded and tells Coulson the last time Ace saw him, and that he was a monster. But Coulson makes the obvious counter that Peterson can hardly fix that image by staying away, as he's seen firsthand the kind of damage such absence can do, which is interesting. Peterson tells Coulson he still wonders if Ace might not be better off without him, but Coulson disagrees before saying when he chose S.H.I.E.L.D., he gave up the idea of a normal family. But with a son already, Peterson needs to give the choice some serious thought. Meaningful character interaction that ties into the plot!
Later, Peterson calls Ace, who's adorably playing with his action figures, and tells him he's going to come home for a bit. Ace is like, "Awesome, you can meet my new friend!" Not to sound completely unsophisticated, but oh shit!! Another excellent twist I did not see coming. Raina takes the phone and is like, "Hey [Peterson], remember when I said I could change your life?" I often make fun of the obvious act breaks on this show, but this particular one is well earned.
With Peterson on hand looking despondent, Coulson informs the team -- over any objections -- that the instructions Centipede gave were very specific, and any deviation might cost Ace his life, so they're going to meet them without support from HQ. Also, there are to be no electronics or comms, but Fitz/Simmons have devised a tracking method based on an odorless scent they'll be able to follow. So if Peterson puts himself into Centipede's power, they'll at least be able to locate him if he stays within a certain radius. Coulson then has one of those dramatic camera push-in moments in which he promises Peterson they'll get Ace back, which would be annoying if I didn't know how sideways this was all going to go.
The meeting place -- per the episode title -- is a closed-for-construction bridge in Long Beach (a little south of Los Angeles, as you can see a sign for the Queen Mary cruise terminal.) As May and Coulson pull up, May asks to be the one to make the exchange, but Coulson tells her Peterson requested him, and he's comfortable with that. Coulson then asks if Ward is in position, and May replies that he is but adds that she doesn't like any of this. Well, May, that might have more meaning if there had been anything in this episode of which you were in favor. Elsewhere, Fitz/Simmons swab Peterson with the tracker thingy, and then Coulson and Peterson walk out onto the bridge, with Ward in sniper position nearby. Raina and one of the super soldiers get out on the other side of the bridge, but there's a fuel truck blocking Ward's view of the place, so he doesn't see the meeting. Which means, of course, that his perch is terrible, but I guess he didn't have too many options. Raina gives Peterson some words about how adorable Ace is before thanking him for holding up his end of the deal -- which, as it turns out, is not the deal Coulson thought it was. You see, as I mentioned before, Raina will only give Ace up in exchange for Coulson, not Peterson, and Peterson apologizes, as he was unwillingly in on this particular game.
Another turn then ensues, as Peterson, already unable to live with his betrayal, darts forward and catches Raina by the neck, telling her he'll trade her life for Ace's. Raina, however, ignores the pressure on her throat and tells him that "sadly" her employer cares no more for her life than Ace's, but if she dies, "his death will be so much worse." Coulson, seeing how this has to go, tells Peterson to release her, and Peterson desperately replies that he would willingly have traded himself, but they only want Coulson. He wonders how he can face Ace if he does this, but Coulson says they talked about this. Did they? Either way, Peterson lets Raina go, and for all her bravado she does seem a little relieved not to be moving on from this life just yet, but after a moment, she regains her equanimity and beckons to the other super soldier. At which point, he lets Ace out of the car and the kid goes running into Peterson's arms. Seeing this, May tells Fitz/Simmons to get ready to activate their comms and tracker, but after Peterson takes Ace toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. side, Raina injects Coulson with some kind of paralytic agent, at which point the super soldiers drag him to the car. Ward tells May he has a shot, but she tells him to stand down for fear of them killing Coulson and calls in to HQ for immediate satellite support. Peterson, for his part, drops Ace off with Skye and heads back to try to rescue Coulson. Then the trucks on the bridge explode. It's a huge conflagration and the agents, in shock, obviously think Peterson's dead. On top of that, when Ward recovers his bearings, he looks back at the Centipede town car, and it also bursts into flame. The team reels at the possibility of Coulson being dead too, but then a chopper lifts into view and escapes through the smoky air…but not before someone on board plugs Ward with a couple rounds, although it looks pretty clear he only gets winged in the arm. Even without his life in jeopardy, though, it's still a good cliffhanger. Where has this show been?
On the helicopter, Coulson has regained consciousness, and Po tells Raina they'll be at their destination in half an hour. Coulson tries to tell Raina that he won't give her what she's looking for, but she disagrees before adding that what they want is simple: "We want you to tell us about the day after you died." Coulson's eyes go wide with fear, unsurprisingly given the nightmares he's been having, and we're out. So the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is on their own, fractured and terrified, Coulson's mystery will finally be revealed (I'm assuming), possibly not to his liking, and Centipede is on the scene to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. It's far from perfect, but there's hope for the New Year.
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. His new film, a documentary on online privacy and the exploitation of personal data called Terms And Conditions May Apply, a New York Times Critics' Pick, is now on iTunes here. You can get news on it from the film's Twitter accountor website, or check out trackoff.us to learn how to protect your privacy. Also, you can email John at couchbaron@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/couchbaron, or check out his blog, "Pull Up A Chair," which he'd just love for you to stop by.