Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 5, Episode 7 Review

Given how serialised Agents of SHIELD has been over the last four seasons, its difficult not to repeat oneself in these episode-by-episode reviews, but I'd once again like to talk about Kasius and Sinara, because "Together or Not At All" is a brilliant and compelling look at the dynamic between the two, so much so that it's virtually a B-plot, and even so features very little interaction between the two. In fact, correct me if I'm wrong but the two only share two scenes together in the episode, at least in terms of interaction. Their dynamic is very interesting in part because the writers have done such a wonderful job at characterising them, and making them much more compelling characters than one could've possibly thought with Kree overlords. 

With 90% of the Kree in this show and in Guardians of the Galaxy all being male, Sinara represents a rarity in being a female member of a very hyper-masculine species who prioritise war and violence, choosing to demonstrate strength above all else. Yet both Kasius and Sinara have none of those attributes. As opposed to thundering down corridors and smashing their way through people, Sinara opts instead to walk gracefully down corridors, and execute people in a clean and efficient fashion. 

Kasius isn't really violent at all, and his perhaps more effeminate nature makes the conflict between him and his family all the more interesting. He's a character of intelligence who looks at beauty, and his lack of overt masculinity makes him a target of ridicule from both his family and whole species, a trait many can perhaps relate to. Kasius isn't necessarily a good guy doing the wrong thing, but a bad guy who has to deal with similar personal conflicts to us, as viewers, making him quite a compelling character. His reliance on Sinara is interesting, as the two clearly greatly admire each other, and care for one another too. Sinara almost seems gleeful as she waits for Kasius to murder his brother, seeming to have manipulated events to push him further, to demonstrate not to her or even to his brother but to himself that yes, he is a Kree warrior deep down, he's just not a blundering, thundering, hyper-masculine brawler. And that makes the two one of the best antagonists Marvel has ever captured in film and TV. Sure, they're perhaps not in the same league as Fisk or Kilgrave, or even Loki or Killmonger, but they're really great characters in their own right.

Otherwise, I feel like the A-plot was more of a runaround this time out, with Fitz, Simmons and Daisy all escaping their Kree pursuers, meeting up with Deke and Coulson and company and travelling up to the surface - leaving Mack and Yo-yo behind with Flint to keep everyone on the station safe. And sadly May and Enoch were relegated to a C-plot - one which looks to be explored in more depth next time...

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