Note: There will be spoilers here to discuss the events of the episode.
Recap
This episode picks up where we ended last week with the SHIELD mercs. Hunter seems to be showing some loyalty. He tells May to go after Creel and not worry about him since he's stuck in the wrecked vehicle. This results in Hunter getting captured by the Army. May gets Creel in her sights but Coulson orders her back. He wants to know who Creel is working for. With Hunter captured, Coulson now has to be concerned he'll talk and reveal their location.
Now that they have a quinjet, they need to reverse-engineer the cloaking tech to apply it to the Bus (their giant air transport). Fitz arrives and struggles to put together a coherent thought. Hunter is taken to Talbot, who wants him to give up Coulson. Talbot calls Coulson a vigilante. He says there's a senator with deep pockets that wants them. Hunter asks for two million plus proper burials for his two partners.
We get some more character development. Skye tries getting Coulson to let her help May get Creel. Coulson won't budge. Skye feels that with her recent training, she should be out in the field and mentions that Coulson shouldn't be trying to carry the entire load by himself. In the lab, Fitz is still seeing Simmons. He gets a hold of Creel's report and DNA and Simmons convinces him to try to solve the problem of dealing with him.
As for Creel, he's supposed to meet someone. Creel absorbed the obelisk and is having a hard time containing it. We saw the lethal affects last episode. Hunter arrives at their headquarters in a fancy car. He has 48 hours to turn over Coulson. Hunter says he just wants Creel and to help his partners' families. He's kind of open with Coulson but it's still unclear whether or not he can be trusted.
Fitz and 'Simmons' are working on stopping Creel. Mack, another agent, is in the lab when Fitz is talking to Simmons. With the others in the lab hesitant to talk to Fitz, Mack could prove useful in Fitz's recover. At the same time, Skye is packing up Izzy's belongings. Hunter tries warning her not to get attached to anyone and that S.H.I.E.L.D. Is just a job.
Creel is having trouble absorbing other things. Creel is infected. His Hydra contact calls to set up a second drop pick up. As Creel goes outside, Reina, the "girl in the flower dress" arrives and wants to offer Creel something. She wants the obelisk for herself and has a rare and powerful element for Creel. He takes it by force and threatens her, allowing her to live as payment for his new acquisition.
Reina then contacts Coulson and makes it clear she is not working for Hydra. She says she doesn't want what they want. She says that Garrett was enlightened when he took the serum that both Coulson and Skye used. Reina tricked Creel into taking an item with a tracker.
In the labe, Fitz keeps saying, "I didn't solve this today." They look through his old files. This brings up the idea that perhaps he may have already solved the problem in how to deal with a situation like Creel long ago.
Now able to track Creel, the agents go out to find him. As Creel is about to make an exchange with his Hydra contact, Hunter turns on the Agents. He goes after Creel but is outmatched. Coulson saves him using a device based on Fitz's idea. It appears to be the end of Creel as he freezes up like the other victims that have touched the obelisk.
Coulson still offers a place for Hunter despite he turned on them. Coulson says he needs agents in the field that will do what needs to be done. Since he didn't follow through with Talbot, his only other choice is to join up. When Skye talks to him later, she thinks Coulson is keeping something from her. She thinks it's more than just keeping important secrets from her. She's worried something might actually be wrong with him. May then tells him it's been too long since his last "episode." She knows he's due for another one and Coulson admits he's been fighting it. In a trance of sorts, he carves the alien symbols on the wall as May watches and documents it all.
Reina brings the obelisk to Skye's dad. He makes her touch it. It doesn't kill her but lights up instead. He wants his daughter and he'll tell show them what it's all about.
Coulson meets Talbot. Says he'll make a deal with him. He turns over Creel. They're keeping him in stasis since it's possible he could still revert to normal. Says they'll keep dropping off stuff while Talbot gets promotions. Making a nice show of what they have in terms of artillery, Coulson is able to get his message to Talbot and walk away.
Thoughts
There might not be as much action as the first episode of the season but the show is still moving in a positive direction. We're seeing the characters continue to evolve and are being fleshed out more. Adding more characters like Hunter and Mack will help the show have a bigger feel, despite the fact that Coulson is still rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mack has some technical know-how but clearly looks like he could hold his own in the field. He adds to the show by having some outside perspective. He's smart but not as smart as Fitz or Simmons. By bringing up the fact that Simmons left, that might be the key to opening up Fitz's eyes to his condition. He's more than just another labcoat agent walking around.
We don't see any sign of Daniel Whitehall in this episode and that's a good thing. With Kyle MacLachlan as Skye's father, there's no telling what his true motives are. Having more than one possible nemesis to deal with will give the show more to stand up against.
The show really feels like it's finding it's place. We're seeing the characters grow and are showing signs of being capable of doing more. With a tease in the previews for more on Simmons, we have something to look forward to as the battle against Hydra continues.
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