Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returned to TV this week with a little spring in its step. Not only did the show have a successful panel at New York Comic Con this past weekend, but it was also announced that the show was getting picked up for a full season, having maintained generally solid ratings despite competition from other networks.

The biggest complaint many viewers have about the show is the lack of characterization. The show has been relying heavily on some pretty basic archetypes for the agents: Skye is almost a carbon copy of the titular character (with a knack for hacking rather than vampire-butt-kicking) from creator Joss Whedon’s series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Scientists Fitz and Simmons are the show’s Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, complete with complementary names, ludicrous degrees and childlike eagerness that is only matched by Labrador puppies.

However, this episode deepened the characterization a bit by having a relatively simple plot compared to the past few episodes. Rather than the constant action of a human time bomb or a mid-air hostage situation, this episode emphasizes the importance of the relationships between the characters, specifically those of Coulson and the rest of the agents.

The beginning of this week’s episode showcases intriguing visuals. The shots of the matching guards in red masks transporting the briefcases through Stockholm were really striking. The sequence of Akela Amador attacking the guards in the dark subway train was intense and confusing, and was contrasted nicely with the shot of the bright diamonds.

As the team tries to piece together what happened, the episode also took the opportunity to show off stunning sci-fi technology. The awesome future tech used in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is perhaps one of

the show’s greatest strengths. The computer program scanning images from Instagram and Flickr en masse was highly impressive, as, of course, was Akela’s eye camera, which served as the focus (pardon the pun) of the episode.

Beyond the diamond heist plot, the real heart of the episode is that the thief, Akela Amador, was once a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent trained by Coulson. Coulson’s regret about pushing Amador too hard and losing her gives him new – if maybe slightly cliché – motivations this episode beyond simply being the action-hero-slash-father-figure to the rest of his team.

Coulson admits that Amador, whom he believed in, betrayed him, and he’s trying not to make the same mistakes with Skye. The Skye/Coulson scenes are a little ham-fisted, but still a nice change from the

rather flat Coulson of the first few episodes. Skye and Coulson are exhibiting a father/daughter vibe –or more likely forming a Buffy/Giles sort of relationship, which is a nice touch. Watching Coulson put up with rambunctious Skye breaks him out of the serious-agent-slash-goofy-nerd box he’s been pegged in and makes him feel a bit more real.

Skye’s suggestion to give Amador a second chance gives her a little depth as well. She is a little less duplicitous in this episode than the last episode, where she looked as if she were would sell S.H.I.E.L.D. out to the hot rich guy at the drop of a hat.

Agent May, meanwhile, is no longer content with “driving the bus.” She gets a bit more characterization and the most action of the episode, moving beyond just babysitting the jet to seeking out Amador and taking her on.

After breaking up the fight and stunning Amador, there’s a rather touching heart to heart between Coulson and Amador. Amador sounds like a sullen teenager who must fess up to her mistakes in front of her parent, while Coulson takes a tenderer, apologetic tone.

While the last episode showed Skye spying using the earpiece, Ward’s espionage using the backscatter glasses was a fun contrast. The little things, like how he couldn’t look at his hands while swiping an access card or risk exposing that he was acting as a proxy for Akela was the fun sort of intrigue audiences expect from a Marvel-produced TV series.

And, of course, Handler commanding Ward to “seduce him” is the kind of fun you’d expect from any series created by Joss Whedon.

The episode did not end a cleanly as the past several have, though this is probably for the best. With the real Handler still on the loose and the purpose behind Ward’s mission unclear, there might be another overarching plotline to drive the series on in its upcoming episodes.

The “allusions to the mysterious circumstances Coulson’s death” count is now at three. I guess they weren’t going to let all his characterization just sit there without implying a sinister motive behind his transformation.