AOS is back. It's been a looong Summer with no Agent Coulson and I gotta say the premiere of season 2 was one of the best episodes yet!
We open on Austria, 1945 to what appears to be Hydra preparing for its next master plan after the death of The Red Skull. The discover of an "obelisk" that may hold the answers to death itself. THEN IN BUST AGENT CARTER AND CAPTAIN AMERICAS OLD WAR BUDDIES!!!! NO WAY! This is already shaping up to be an AMAZING season. They appear to be starting SHIELD. originally known as the SSR. The confiscation of artifacts of great importance to keep them hidden, safe, and out of the wrong hands.
Cut to present day. Those artifacts are now being sought after by SHIELD and HYDRA. Taken by the govt' after the dissemination of SHIELD, I can only assume this season will focus on one, or many of these artifacts as they tie in at the season finally.
One such item is "084". the obelisk we saw in the beginning, recovered by Agent Carter. Its wearabouts are being sold to the highest bidder by crooked gov't agents. SHIELD operative Hartley (Played by Lucy Lawless) goes undercover to obtains its location. Only to be ambushed by an unknown assailant. One who can deflect bullets. As the deal goes south. Skye, agent May and agent Triplett descend from the rafters to back up agent Hartley. Hartley is unaware the SHIELD team has been present but without their help, they would all be dead at the hands of the attacker.
Later we find SHEILD regrouping at "the Playground" the secret SHIELD base manned by Eric Koenig from Season 1. the Playground is now SHIELDS base of operations, and manned by "Billy Koenig".. Eric's twin brother. (Yes, we all feel like a Soap opera twist was thrown at us, but knowing Marvel. The twin brother story might just be a rouse for some creative secret.)
as Fitz tries to cope with his near death, we learn that a fragment f metal recovered from the scene of the botched sale of item 084 has regenerated into a piece of flesh, along with blood. Koenig runs some DNA tests and we learn it belongs to a Carl Creel, (yes that Creel...aka Absorbing man) former agent under the command of Garrett. His death was faked so to secretly work for HYDRA.
As Coulson begins his rebuilding of SHIELD, he investigates item 084, Creel and what it all means for his team. In order to get answers, he send Skye to interrogate Ward, who has been locked in a cell since the end of season 1. Skye attempts to find out more about Creel. Ward explains Creel has the ability to touch an item and absorb its properties into his own cells, this becoming whatever he touches. Pretty cool super power for episode 1. Glad to see Marvel changing its ways and incorporating super powers into episodes as opposed to just agents chasing crooks.
as the team tries to track Creel, They intercept General Talbot. The general in charge of tracking down all SHIELD and HYDRA agents as enemies of the state. Coulson intercepts an order given to Creel to get caught by Talbot in order to be transported to the secret facility believed to also be housing item 084. Coulson attempts to explain this to Talbot but gets nowhere. Its up to SHIELD to get there first and obtain item 084 before Creel does.
After sneaking into the base, agent Hartley discovers item 084. Upon finding it she is attacked by Creel. she grabs the artifact only to have it turn her hand black as she is unable to let go. She screams out in pain as Creel is scared off. The teams split up as they try to escape. Hartley requests her teammate, Hunter, to cut her hand off. She knows the artifact is killing her and he obliges
Coulson's team continues on with its secondary mission...... steal a quinjet. Coulson is overheard explaining why hes given the orders he has. A Quinjet allows the team to go unseen. The risks involved in the mission far outweigh the risks involved if they are not completed.
Cut to the end, we are hit with a HUGE surprise which ill get into later, as well as the death of Hartley. Only Hunter survives as Creel appears in the road after they cut her arm off. Creel kneels down, turns to pavement and their car crashes into him and flips several times. Everyone in the car dies but Hunter as Creel turns his hand to rubber in order to pick up the artifact now attached to Hartley's severed arm
Was it a good Premiere? YOUBETCHA . Here's 4 reasons why
4. Skye
The last we saw Skye she was coming into her own. she was a computer hacking expert but still never given full reign but Coulson. Well season 2 changes all of that. Skye is a bad ass right off the bat. Trained by May now after ward is imprisoned, Skye acts as a seasoned SHIELD agent, complete with a gun!. If this is your first episode of AOS, I can only recommend you go back and see Skye's beginning to know just how far she has come.
3. Ward
After Ward turned out to be HYDRA, he was taken down and held captive by Coulson's team. we get a glimpse of his life since Season 1.... stuck in a cell. hes hairy, hes bleak, and has tried committing suicide many a time. Ward has transformed into a "Hannibal Lecter" type character now. Only being kept around for one purpose.... intel. He knows a lot about Hydra and seems to still have a unique relationship with Skye. Its thrilling to watch their scenes together as ward continuously tries to brainwash her every chance he gets. Only this time Skye is less susceptible to his lies. He still however does have a way to get a point across. I can only wish hes kept around in this fashion. It worked well for Lecter
2.Creel
Creel is one hell of a cool super villain. I don't recal him talking much, if at all, but it doesn't really matter. His power to absorb anything he touches to change his own cells is pretty cool and was handled well. The effects are top notch seeing as it's the season premiere. I only hope the keep it up. Some of the highlights seemed to pay homage to other MARVEL properties plus his comic beginnings. Creel pulls a piece of wood from what looks like an apothecary cabinet. He seems to use his power as a drug. His whole body becomes wood, much like Groot, from Guardians of the Galaxy, as he lies back and gets his high. Later we see soldiers check in on him in a special "clear" glass or plastic cell, akin to the cell used to hold Magneto in the X-Men movies. Creel is able to absorb this material and blend in looking as if he is no longer in his cell. And finally we see Creel grab a chain attached to a large metal ball, as he is known to do in the comics. All the CGI used was top notch and he was a great addition to the AOS universe
1. Fitz
Poor Fitz. He was left for dead by Ward in a container on the ocean floor. He had accepted his death in order to save Simmons, but Simmons managed to pull him to safety. This season we see that he is back. Fitz doesn't seem to be himself, but Simmons is there for him every step of the way. He seems to forget simple things, such as names and struggles to accept it. He's been the "brains" behind Coulson's team, but now there is something wrong with his. we can only assume the oxygen deprivation has had an effect on Fitz. He has become increasingly frustrated with himself. He is supposed to be taking medication but gets angry at it stating its not working. Simmons tries to comfort him. She explains that it will take time and hes almost there. Simmons seems to be the one thing that is saving Fitz from giving up entirely. At the end of the episode we find Coulson talking about his team. He focuses on Fitz and how there is no coming back for him. This all conflicts with what Simmons has been relaying to him the whole episode. Its only then we learn Simmons is gone. She left the team after the events of Season 1. The Simmons we have been seeing has been an imaginary 'Simmons' that Fitz sees who isn't really there. It turns an already great episode on its end. Fitz has now become "mentally" unstable, when he used to be the smartest team member.