TV Nights: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Week 16

episode: The End of the Beginning
original airdate: 4-1-2014

Thankfully we’ve seen the last multi-week hiatus for this show and it will now be running straight through till the finale and things finally seem to be ramping up to full speed with yet another tie-in episode to a current release movie. Unfortunately, unlike the Thor crossover and like most of this country, I have yet to see the new Captain America movie which I have heard from those who have seen it that there are events happening in some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Facilities at the same time that the show is taking place. But I can say that it doesn’t take much away from the episode. This episode finally brings out the clairvoyant, and while I won’t spoil who it is, I will say that I was right when I thought it would end up being a woman. There’s a few questions answered, still several left unanswered, and all wrapped in a nice mix of action, drama, and tension.

This episode also brings back Bill Paxton and his sidekick Tippett, as well as Deathlok in fully fledged combat mode and yet still held back from going against the team in full force. Skye becomes a fully fledged S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, albeit a level 1 operative obviously, and the conspiracies start getting deeper. The main focus of the episode is following Deathlok in order to catch up to the Clairvoyant, and in several points in the episode there is some great tension as you know that something is up, but you don’t know exactly what. The team is split up into three groups going after three potential targets that could be the Clairvoyant, and they all seem like they are set-ups. Not only that, but during the cliffhanger scene in the last episode, we saw Melinda May talking to an unknown person on a secret encrypted line. There’s plenty seeds of doubt planted throughout the team, as it’s not just May’s secret that is found out, but Ward has a dramatic moment that casts doubt on his character, but also starts bringing his feelings towards Skye out into the open during the one part of the episode I wasn’t fully on board with. While we still don’t know who May was talking to, it seems to be pretty clear who the Clairvoyant actually is and the cliffhanger ends on a great note setting things up for what I hope to be another great episode, as this was once again one of the best episodes of the season. Until next time, this has been Bubbawheat for Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights.