The third episode of the show’s third season, titled, “A Wanted (Inhu)man,” answered a lot of questions and left us asking more that we didn’t even know we needed to ask. There were a few major plots going on in this episode, so, for the sake of clarity, I’ll be breaking down the episode by the various story lines.
May and Hunter on the Hunt for Ward
One of the more interesting parts of this season, so far, is the interesting pairings that we’re seeing. May and Hunter are working together and share an unexpected and welcome chemistry. Also, May has an awesome sense of style and taste in music, doesn’t she? Together, they head to Massachusetts, and meet an old friend of Hunter’s named Spud (Daniel Feuerriegel). They’re meeting him and using him as a contact on their hunt for Ward. It’s obvious that both May and Hunter have their reasons for wanting to go after Ward, but the question is this: How far are they willing to go to get to him?
From there, May and Hunter enter a fight club looking for Spud, and eventually, Hunter enters the fight to duke it out against his former buddy. It’s a brutal brawl, and considering Hunter has quickly become one of my favorite characters, it’s not fun seeing him get so beat up and bloody. It’s here when I realize just how far he is willing to go to exact his revenge on Ward for hurting Bobbi. Hunter uses his brass knuckles and seemingly kills Spud. Meanwhile, three rather large men whose intentions seem rather obvious take May to another room. May proceeds to beat them up, of course, and utters the funniest line of the episode when she says, “How about I do you a favor and not tell anyone that a tiny, little, Asian woman kicked your ass?” If you’re wondering if May has gotten rusty while she’s been on the driving range with her dad, she hasn’t.
100% Bad@ss. 💪🙌🙌 #AgentsofSHIELDhttps://t.co/qYkUeqN5ad
— Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (@AgentsofSHIELD) October 14, 2015
The end of May and Ward’s episode arc leads Hunter to Hydra – he’s working and fighting his way up the ranks to get to Ward.
Lincoln is Having the Worst Day, Ever
Lincoln’s episode arc involves him on the run from the ATCU after they issue an all-points-bulletin on him and release his photos and identity to the press labeling him an “alien threat.” Lincoln is nervous, scared, and we see him in extreme desperation, but Lincoln finds solace and comfort with his friend, John (Daniel Roebuck). After John sees Lincoln’s image on the news, he calls the authorities, and when Lincoln tries to leave John’s apartment, he accidentally kills John. This day just keeps getting worse and worse for our inhuman friend. Side note: we see more of the MCU continuity when John sees Lincoln on the WHIH Newscast – the same news organization that appears in various MCU properties.
One of the highlights of the episode are the more tender moments between Daisy and Lincoln because they understand each other. Lincoln says that he’s the person the ATCU says he is, but Daisy tries to convince him otherwise when she says, “You are not cursed…I know, because you taught me that I wasn’t. You convinced me that I had purpose.” I love the hope and conviction that’s present in Daisy. She’s evolved not only into a superhero, but a compassionate and capable agent as well. Daisy and Lincoln share a kiss, but are interrupted when Mack enters the room with the ATCU saying that they’re turning Lincoln over to them under Coulson’s orders. Lincoln escapes by using his powers to distract the ATCU agents. The agents are well aware of Daisy and her abilities and want to take her in. Coulson convinces Price to tell her agents to stand down, however.
A Tale of Two Directors
Another highlight of the episode are the scenes involving Constance Zimmer’s Rosalind Price and Director Coulson. Price is the antithesis of Coulson. Where Coulson is warm, compassionate, and kind, Price is cold, ruthless, and cunning. Price agrees to meet with Coulson at the beach, and she drives up in a super slick car, one that Coulson can’t keep his eyes off of. “Eyes up here,” Price says, in one of her more charming moments. Price has evidence that Coulson has an inhuman on his team. Coulson makes a deal with Price: in exchange for Price keeping quiet about Daisy, he allows the ATCU to take Lincoln, and volunteers himself to serve as some sort of liaison with the ATCU – possibly giving them information, advice, and resources when hunting inhumans.
Be Still, our FitzSimmons Hearts
The most tragic character arc in this episode involves our two favorite geniuses, Fitz and Simmons. Simmons is struggling with a wicked case of PTSD, and Fitz is doing everything he can to help her out. At the end of season one, Fitz gets a severe brain injury and their potential romantic relationship gets put on hold due to his recovery. At the end of season two, Fitz seems finally ready to profess his love for Simmons and invites her to dinner only for Simmons to get sucked up into the Kree stone, disappearing for months. Now that she’s back and they can finally be together, she’s suffering with her PTSD and is dealing with acclimating herself again to normality – no more being hunted by whatever was hunting her. Now, a vibrating cell phone triggers a memory and causes her to have a panic attack.
The post-credit scene shows Simmons in the lab testing the remains of the Kree stone, when Agent Morse comes in and assures her that everything is fine by telling her that the portal won’t open again. “But, it has to,” Simmons, says, “I have to go back.”
What an ending! I think the biggest difference between this season and previous seasons is that the show is becoming much more character-driven, rather than story-driven. Season three is keeping up with the sense of urgency that it started with in the season premier, and by the looks of the preview for the next episode, it seems that the urgency is set to continue to snowball. Threats, both human and inhunman, are becoming more and more real for our agents. What are your thoughts about tonight’s episode? Why does Simmons need to go back through the portal? Where is Lincoln? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
“Devils You Know” – Having reluctantly agreed to share information with Rosalind and the ATCU, Coulson and the team go in search for the Inhuman who is killing off other Inhumans, and May feels that Hunter’s mission to take down Ward is getting too personal, on “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.