May gets a signal that the cargo bay is depressurizing, and as Fitz wakes up he sees Simmons standing at the edge, ready to jump.  He tries to stop her, but she leaps, sacrificing herself for the safety of the crew.  In his anguish he looks at the rats and sees that the third rat actually is not dead at all and was just stunned by the much weaker electrical blast.  He loads up the antiserum and grabs a parachute, but before he can leap to the rescue Ward snatches it from him and dives after Simmons.  He catches up to her in the air and delivers the antiserum, grabs her and pulls the parachute as a much weaker electrical blast dispels the virus from her.

Back aboard the Bus, Coulson is truly happy both Simmons and Ward are alive, but is furious that she jumped out of the plane.  Not only did they not want to lose her, but he had to go to a lot of trouble to fish them back out of the water.  He appreciates what she did, however.  The two leave Coulson’s office and Simmons thanks Ward for playing the hero and saving her.  Ward does an accurate impression of FitzSimmons doing and impression of him, much to Simmons’ amusement.  When Skye sees her she runs over to give her a big hug, catching Simmons by surprise but she’s obviously touched.

May confronts Coulson about his tests, and he reveals that his results are back and he’s “perfectly normal.  A little high on the iron, but you don’t have to start calling me Iron Man.”  I seriously expected a rimshot after that (intentionally) lame joke.  Coulson confesses that he ordered the tests, not his doctor, and that “I don’t feel fine, I feel different”.  May tells him to take off his shirt, but get your mind out of the gutter because it’s not what you think.  She points out the scar that Loki left him with, saying that everyone who has been through something like that comes out changed.  The scar is a reminder that there’s no going back, only moving forward.  “You feel different because you are different,” she tells him.

Fitz is busy trying to explain to Simmons that he would have jumped after her, but the straps on the parachute were confusing and Ward got there first.  She shushes him and reminds him that he was the only one who risked his life to join her in the lab.  “You’re the hero,” she tells him, and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

After the credits, we see the Bus parked in the middle of the desert at the “sandbox”, dropping off the Chitauri helmet.  Blake is there and he chides Coulson for his lame use of the “bad connection” trick, reminding him that others were listening in on his conversation.  If Coulson isn’t careful, his attitude for doing his own thing might result in them taking away his crew.  “I’d like to see them try,” Coulson says with a smile.  Blake is surprised by this new Coulson, but Coulson seems to be starting to come to terms with the changes in himself.

Tonight’s episode gave us a solid, stand-alone mystery that still tied in to the larger context of the show’s universe.  Eventually they’ll have to stop having every new mysterious encounter linked to one of the films, but for now it makes sense to use those links as a window for viewers to see the sorts of threats that SHIELD is facing.  Tonight was a more emotional side of the show than we’ve seen before, and had some of the best acting of the season.  It was great to get a better look into Fitz and Simmons, and to see some humanity among the technobabble.  I liked seeing the depth of their relationship, as well as their reliance on each other despite the squabbling.  They’re starting to stand out more as individuals, which is a big step in the right direction for the show.

In the past three episodes we’ve gotten big leaps for the show in terms of emotional impact, overarching mythology and a darker style of storytelling.  I really feel like Agents of SHIELD is starting to find its footing.  While it may not appeal to everyone, I think the show has been getting progressively better each week.  It’s the kind of trend that makes me excited for next week and optimistic about the show’s prospects going forward.

  S.H.I.E.L.D. Thoughts

So while the past three weeks have upped the ante on emotion, mythology and darkness (for lack of a better word), next week seems to be upping the action.  It looks from the preview like Ward and Fitz are sent on a mission, presumably with Fitz doing something technical and Ward blowing stuff up.  Whatever mission they’re on, it’s not cleared for Level 7 personnel, only for those Level 8 or above.  I like the partnering of Ward and Fitz, as anything that allows the cast to interact beyond Ward and Skye or Coulson and everyone is a good thing.

How awesome was Clark Gregg this week?  The scene where he described his near (or actual) death experience was seriously fantastic, and he continues to show why he’s the right choice to carry a series.  He can be quippy and fun but also stern and threatening, but in moments like this he’s just so human.  I get the sense that of all SHIELD agents, he’s the one who genuinely cares the most about the people they’re trying to save.  It was a well written scene and a stellar performance from Gregg.

If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to plug an article I wrote last week about Agents of SHIELD that you might have missed.  It was in response to a piece in Entertainment Weekly about “How to fix SHIELD”, which I found to be not only misinformed but also of poor attitude.  I don’t think that SHIELD needs fixing, just patience, and I definitely think it has a place on TV.  Expectations are a difficult thing for any show to manage, and I can’t remember another show that came in with more preconceptions than SHIELD.  I’m obviously loving the show, and if you’d like to hear more of my reasons why, click on over to the article.

Each week we learn a little more about Coulson and his resurrection.  While we didn’t get any new information this week, I feel like the fact that his test results came back as normal indicates that he’s most likely human.  That doesn’t mean that he’s not a clone or wasn’t resurrected using some sort of magic or alien technology, but I feel like if he were a Life Model Decoy or an android or something it would have shown in his tests.  Of course, it’s entirely possible that he’s being lied to by whoever produced his results, so I guess it’s too soon to rule anything out.

Leaving the question of “how” aside, I like that we’re already beginning to see how Coulson is dealing with this life changing event.  I like that he’s already skeptical about his existence, and is struggling to find a way to reconcile the changes he feels in himself.  The whole mystery of his resurrection is for nothing if it doesn’t lead to new and interesting character arcs, and I feel like they’re already sewing the seeds of how Coulson will respond to any revelations.  I love that May has become his support system, as she clearly knows him better than anyone else, and perhaps even knows the truth.  Her advice about accepting the change he feels was both logical and heartfelt, and I’m really enjoying their relationship.

Did you think Simmons was going to die when she jumped out of the plane?  I thought it was pretty unlikely, but in the back of my head I know that this show is produced by Joss Whedon, who is an expert at killing characters when we least expect it (and usually when it’s most painful).  It’s far too early to start killing off characters, but the last episode showed us that our crew is not always going to “win” every week, as they were unable to save their target.  That sense of “anything can happen” combined with Joss Whedon at the helm means that no one is ever safe.  And saves can’t get much more last second than Ward’s was tonight.

What did you think of “F.Z.Z.T.”?  Is the title an acronym for something, or just the sound electricity makes?  Did you like the added emotion of the story and the performances?  Could Clark Gregg be any better?  Were you happy to see more of Fitz and Simmons as individuals this week?  Are you looking forward to seeing Ward and Fitz together next week?  How about the Thor: The Dark World tie-in episode the week after that?  Let me know in the comments!