Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Episode 17: Melinda
This was a really good episode. I like the combination of tension building and revelations about various characters. It seems as though the writers of this show are trying to finally cut through the smoke and get down to the nitty gritty. They’re clearing up pretty much everything about these characters. This episode was focused on the mysterious and beautiful Agent Melinda May (How does she still look the same as she did the the Street Fighter movie? I don’t think she ages).
A couple of episodes back we were introduced to her ex-husband Dr. Drew Garner. He was an interesting character, but he wasn’t anywhere near as serious or dangerous as May. They didn’t really clarify the reason for their split, but it was pretty clear that it was more about May than Drew. We had heard tales of “The Calvary” and mentions of Bahrain, but no details.
This episode brought a lot of clarity to the Calvary business by showing us exactly what happened in Bahrain. It was even more interesting to see how it connected to the larger events at hand. Jiaying, in the midst of training Skye, revealed to her that she is her mother. We thought Cal was avenging her death, but he was really avenging her mutilation. She was torn to pieces by Whitehall and Cal put her back together so she survived, albeit with scars.
The flashbacks of May’s past connected with a story Jiaying told about the dangers of her people living without guidance. There was once a female inhuman who stole Terrigen Crystals for her daughter. She and her daughter caused mass psychosis and the only way to stop more lives from being lost, was for May to kill both the woman and the child. Killing a child changed May forever and that’s why she didn’t want to work in the field anymore at the beginning of the series. That’s also why she left Drew, as they were working on having children when she left for that mission.
Skye has finally found her family and is learning to come to grips with her powers. There was even a nice scene of Skye having dinner with both Cal and Jiaying. Another scene that led to something interesting: the discovery of Raina’s gift. She’s apparently a precog.
Fitz is still very much a genius. He was able to spot the tail the “Real S.H.I.E.L.D.” (I really hate typing S.H.I.E.L.D.) put on him and open Fury’s Tool Box. With his ability to do so he was able to call Coulson and next week I’m sure we’ll be seeing him reunite with his leader and Lance Hunter. This is getting better and better and I can see the finale being mind blowing.
Related articles across the web
Jonathan Thomas Jones is a speculative fiction author and founder of geekhavenreviews.com. He has been passionate about all things geek for his entire life. See more about him at jonathanthomasjones.com and follow him on twitter @jtgloryjones.
