"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Debrief: Episode 102, "0-8-4"

Trill believers, I am back here with your second mission debrief of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Here’s the thing with network shows a lot of time the show can live or die second episode. For me, I was still was entertained and enjoyed the show a lot. You know since this is a recap that comes out the morning after, I have to look at the timelines and Facebook posts and see all the dislike and kneejerk hate to the show already - and it’s only two weeks in. I don’t get it; maybe it’s because I’ve been in cable-TV-drama-land for the last few years and I don’t have a tap on the pulse of what people like in a network action show. Well, let’s stop trying to figure out the Internet and get into this episode, "0-8-4." 

So this episode picks up pretty much soon after the ending of the pilot. Skye is unloading her A-Team/house to take her place on the giant mobile airplane base for the team. During this the two science nerds on the team, Simmons and Fitz, bombard Skye with endless streams of dialogue. All the while, Coulson and Ward are arguing about having Skye on the team. Basically this episode is about team cohesion and working together. Now that the team is a constant bickering mess, the team must go to Peru to investigate the 0-8-4 that Coulson and Skye were told about at the end of the Pilot. Once there, the team goes into an ancient pyramid and find a small piece of technology sticking out of the stone, pulsating energy. Outside Ward and May end up facing off with some military folks, which leads us to seeing more of Ming Na as May be the full-blown heavy of the series, with the nickname The Calvary, which she hates.

Real talk, the way they are building up the May character into being this past beast that was at a desk better be pretty fulfilling, or I’m going to be SALTY.

So back in it, Coulson comes out and settles everything down after seeing an old colleague (maybe flame) of his as the commander of the troops. Suddenly the group is now attacked by rebels to get this crazy Jack Kirby-looking object. The team, along with the soldiers, hatches a plan to get back to the ginormous plane. Shots are fired, people look cool, and most of the people, the important ones at least, make it back to the plane.

On the plane, arguments are had, and Coulson looks all suave as he talks to the commander. At this moment everyone is paired in a male/female dynamic with the exception of May, because she don’t need no sexual tension moments. The commander finally comes out with the betrayal that was clear as day with Coulson expecting it, Ward noticing it, and May getting gasses through the door. The plane is hijacked because the commander wants to take this object that we learn is a weapon commissioned from Hydra back during the good old WWII days, and she wants it to take over Peru.

With the team captured, they bond and figure out how to get out thanks to May and her badassery. Grunt soldiers are defeated, a hole is blown into the plane with weapon, and Skye helps save the plane by fixing the hole with a blowup raft. The day is saved, the team is bonded, and they all trust Skye, and the weapon is rocketed up to space to the SLINGSHOT. At the end we see a troubled Skye as she contacts her old group/current real group The Rising Tide.

See, I don’t know; all that was fun to me. Some judo throws. Ming Na beasting out like Chun Li some more, and pretty decent plot and more Marvel Easter eggs. Also that last scene with Nick Fury was pretty daggone enjoyable. How can you not enjoy Samuel L. Jackson yelling at someone?

Did you know:

-So in the episode it’s revealed that the weapon contains Tesseract energy and gamma radiation. For those ain’t up on it, it was the big time super-duper power source in Captain America: The First Avenger that also ended up in Loki’s hands in The Avengers.

-Also in the comics, the Tesseract is known as the Cosmic Cube.

-This is the second instance of gamma radiation; man, they sure are plugging in a ton of Hulk connections.  

-This also connects to Cap. Remember Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier comes out next year close around when the first season of this show should end.

-The call sign on the team plane with S.H.I.E.L.D. command is 6-1-6. 616 is the universe designation of the main classic Marvel comics universe.