We’ve made it to our fifth episode of SHIELD, and I think it’s safe to say that the plot has thickened.  Tonight’s episode gave us some major character developments and background information, a peak into the season’s potential “Big Bad”, a continuation of plot points from earlier in the season and some internal conflict within the group.  The darker and more mature tone from last week continued this week, but instead of detached eyeballs and severed hands we got some good old sex.  And, perhaps biggest of all, the show returned to the issue of superpowers, something that will be key for the show if it wants to be a success.  But let’s take it from the top!

Tonight’s episode, “Girl in the Flower Dress” (written by Brent Fletcher) tells the story of Chan, a street magician in Hong Kong who puts on a good show which is derided by the crowd.  They criticise his tricks, pointing out how they’re done and leaving his tip jar empty.  He grows frustrated, and holds out his hand, where there suddenly appears a ball of flame.  He throws it at one of the critics, and it explodes in a flash before him, shocking the crowd.  Chan is applauded by the titular girl in the flower dress, who introduces herself as Raina and asks to see the trick again.

After some convincing, Chan takes Raina back to his apartment, which is tiny and cluttered, and has Houdini posters on the walls.  Over a beer, Raina questions Chan on his powers, which she calls a “gift”.  He’s been able to create and control fire for several years, but has restrained from showing his ability to the world, despite wanting to show people what he can really do.  He says it’s “real magic”, and that it must have happened to him for a reason, and Raina agrees that he has been chosen.  She tells him to close his eyes, and when he reopens them he sees two men in fireproof suits, who attack and eventually subdue him.

Meanwhile on the Bus, Ward and Skye are engrossed in an epic contest, playing the board game Battleship.  Ward says it’s a break from their more intense training, as Skye soundly kicks his ass, despite his affinity for war games.  He even compliments her on the work she’s been doing, earning a sarcastic reply of, “Did it physically hurt you to do that?  Do you need an icepack?”  Coulson and May watch with interest, as May observes that Coulson was up extra early this morning.  He seems to have some energy to burn, and May offers to set up the sparring mat so they can go a few rounds, like they used to back in the day.

Things are interrupted when the Bus gets word of Chan’s disappearance.  It seems he was on “The Index” a SHIELD list of superpowered individuals.  Coulson claims the list is there to help SHIELD protect these people, but Skye isn’t buying it, wondering whether SHIELD uses some kind of body probe to keep track of these people.  They Skype with Chan’s “case agent”, Quan (guest star Tzi Ma, who some of you will know from Rush Hour), who mentions their “index agreement” and informs the Bus that Chan was kidnapped.  He tells the group that Chan’s existence was leaked to the public by the Rising Tide, who hacked into SHIELD’s system again.

This doesn’t sit well with Coulson, who suspects Skye and wants more of an explanation than simply that the Rising Tide is a huge organization which she was just a small part of.  Ward backs her up, however, saying that he doesn’t think Skye would betray them in that way.  Chan wakes up in a comfy bed, where Raina greets him.  She tells him that her group wants to help boost his powers.  She even gives him a nickname, “Scorch”, though Chan tells her that he doesn’t want to be a superhero.  He just wants to show the world what he can do.

Skye sets about tracing the hack that gained access to Chan’s file, while FitzSimmons spouts off technobabble about what she’s doing, of which Coulson and Ward understand nothing.  She tracks the data to Austin, Texas and gives them a face and name to go along with the hack, and Coulson tells May to set a course.  (May says, “Just did,” in a way that makes me feel like she can control the Bus with her mind.)

Ward stakes out the hacker, Miles, but isn’t subtle enough, because Miles runs for it before hopping in his car and driving away.  Coulson gives chase in the slick SHIELD SUV, but the car chase doesn’t last long.  Miles taps a command on his smartphone, and the traffic lights change and cause a gridlock that lets him get away.  He gets back to his apartment to find Skye waiting for him.  She tipped him off that SHIELD was coming, but is pissed that he hacked them considering that she’s been working from the inside.  But before they can get into too much of a fight over it they decide their time would be better spent on sex.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Skye’s putting her underwear back on and hiding a memory card in her bra.  It’s an eye candy scene for viewers of all orientations, but we get a better sense of their relationship in spite of that.  Their relationship goes back a ways, and Miles wants to know what it’s like being in the “belly of the beast”.  Skye confesses that it’s actually pretty “unbeastly”, but refuses to give him inside info on SHIELD.  It’s clear that while she has feelings for and a history with him, she’s already developed a loyalty to SHIELD.  As she searches for her top, she opens the bedroom door to see Melinda May standing there holding it out to her, angrily telling Skye to get dressed.

Coulson is furious at this betrayal, at Skye maintaining her Rising Tide contacts and tipping off the suspect and compromising their mission.  She’s upset that she hurt her friends, and seems genuine when she tells Coulson that she’s really sorry, but he coldly replies, “Noted.”  Fitz is sad that Skye betrayed them, but Simmons is surprisingly understanding.  She’s obviously hurt too, but she understands Skye’s history with Miles must be a heavy conflict for Skye.  Coulson lectures Skye on the cost of complete freedom of information, that Chan’s life now hangs in the balance because of Miles’s ideals, and that he was right to have May follow Skye based on his suspicions of her dual loyalty.

The crew tears Miles’s apartment apart, leading him to ask if they’re “gonna destroy all my stuff?”  “Yes,” Coulson replies, simply, and they handcuff Miles and bring him back to the Bus.  Ward also binds Skye’s hands, giving her a look that conveys how hurt he is, and Simmons helpfully tells Skye that she missed a button when she was getting dressed before they head back to the plane.

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