Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2, Episode 4 Review

After a rocky start for Agents of SHIELD season 2, finally we get back to the great stuff I loved about season 1. We have the return of standalone episodes building up the characters and storyline for the season, while also being an entertaining 45 minute installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Friday nights (or Tuesday nights in the US).
The characters are given a lot more focus this week, with Hunter, Triplett and Mac getting their moments, as well as Fitz having some truly great character moments as he tries to adjust with his brain trauma. The final scene with him and the others sharing a drink was a great moment, and showed how far his character has come since the Pilot last year. While the lack of focus on Skye still feels jarring, with her just about getting a few lines in this episode, its great other characters are getting their moments, even if Koenig and 'real' Simmons appear to have been forgotten about.
The real focus was on the relationship between May and Coulson, exploring some of the humour ("May doesn't like coffee") as well as the darker aspects, with Coulson ordering May to kill him if he becomes like Garrett, despite her best efforts to find another way. This is something that could be built up over multiple seasons, with the edge of Coulson that he could turn at any moment.
Its also great that the mysterious writing on the wall is playing a big part this season, something that the show seemed to be forgetting except for brief lines of dialogue and scenes.
There was a great sense of spy V/S spy this episode, and this is something SHIELD has lacked for quite a while. Its fantastic to see this return to form, and hopefully subsequent episodes will keep this up, especially with Raina given 48 hours to give up the Obelisk... 8/10

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