"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Recap: "Purpose in the Machine"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Well, after that breathtaking and action packed season premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I wasn't quite sure what to expect last night. This is a show that always tends to surprise you with a new way to tell the story week after week and episode two was no exception. Instead of an hour packed to the gills with explosions and action, this story was a little more low key, but equally as entertaining.

Not to mention in many ways "Purpose in the Machine" helped set up another big plot line to deal with this season while at the same time the plot worked hard toward putting our fractured team back together and while it basically served as the foil to the season premiere, keeping the action on the back burner, I was still captivated none the less because of the touching moments between our beloved team and the fury that the episode managed to elicit thanks to the jackass that is Grant Ward.  

In fact last night's plot was pretty simple. Coulson, Bobbi and Fitz enlist the help of an Asgardian who has been on earth for centuries to figure out how to get the Kree Portal to open and potentially save Jemma from whatever world the damn thing deposited her on. While they do that, we finally find out where May is hiding since Hunter tries to bring her back into the fold to help bring down Ward. Turns out she's been taking care of her father (played by super awesome veteran actor James Hong) after a car accident and after much debate internally she joins Hunter to find Ward...who is steadily rebuilding Hydra at a frightening pace. While that hunt goes on, Daisy and Mack join Coulson in England where Daisy figures out how to use her powers to open the portal and in the process...they save Jemma. 

Yes, that was undoubtedly the first non complex plot of the show in years, and yet somehow they managed to keep this episode tense and fast paced. For one, there was an incredible sense of urgency to rescue Jemma and dude, Fitz is a badass jumping into the portal to save Simmons. I mean, if that's not love, I dunno what is. Not to mention, the return of Hydra is one that made me squirm in my seat because they are being rebuilt in Ward's image which means we can forget about the sense of duty and purpose this organization used to have, it's about to become a ruthless and brutal organization and that's just terrifying.  

But what I loved most about last night, was the push to get the team back together by any means possible. In many ways, this was the episode that truly addressed the fallout and losses for Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. from last year. They're a team on the edge, and it's clear there's only a handful of them left. So to see that kind of push to get everyone back together, including May was a wonderful thing and they're gonna need it. The fact that Ward found Baron Von Strucker's creepy and psychotic son is not a good thing and while Hydra may not be quite what it used to be...we all know Ward is putting the band back together for one thing...to exact revenge upon S.H.I.E.L.D., and the stage is now set for that showdown. Until next time. 

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