Much like Doctor Who's "Hell Bent," "Maveth" wasn't exactly the mind-blowing, game-changing midseason finale to SHIELD's fantastic third season I was hyped up for, and this was all for one big reason that I will elaborate on soon. Despite this, "Maveth" is still another great episode, and makes me excited for what the show has up its sleeve when it returns in March.
"Maveth" wastes no time in setup, since all the setup was done last week. It dives right into the fray while also reminding us on what's going on. Ward and Fitz have arrived on Maveth, Coulson's unconscious after skydiving(!) into the portal, Simmons is still Malick's prisoner, and the rest of the team is preparing to retake the castle.
The scenes on Maveth were the ones with the best material and the most intense atmosphere. Ward has to find IT, and the clock is ticking, not just for him, but for Coulson and Fitz too. Ward and Fitz had some great dialogue and had one of the episode's best moments, where Fitz tries and fails to kill Ward as the episode begins.
Will's return also led to some good bonding moments moments between him and Fitz, which were ultimately dashed when Will was revealed to have been killed and possessed by IT just after Simmons' rescue. Ouch. It was a cool, yet tragic, twist. But it looks like Will won't be coming back, since Fitz torches his body with a flare gun. It made me kind of question what the point of the character was besides being a romantic foil for Simmons and a host for IT.
Coulson took a bit of a back seat this week, but that didn't stop him from having some cool moments of his own. Of course, there was his "I'll be damned. Tatooine," quip upon seeing Maveth's multiple moons, but his big, or should I say killer, moment was when he finally took his vengeance on Ward. Coulson crushes his chest in with his robo-hand and promptly removes it and tosses it beside Ward's body. It was a somber moment, not just because of Coulson's act, but also because, well, Ward just died.
And it made sense. I mentioned last week that his story seemed to be wrapping up, and it did in "Maveth." Sort of. The big cliffhanger we're left with is that Ward's corpse is IT's new host and has found a way back to Earth. Yeah, dark. This what "ruined" the episode for me, and when I say "ruined," I just mean "slightly dampened." I didn't say anything about it in my last review, but, at the time, I was thinking that the only way Ward could continue being an interesting character after this would be what did end up happening here: becoming the new host for IT. It was still exciting to see it realized, but the impact the writers probably wanted it to have on me wasn't really there because, frankly, I knew it was happening when we saw IT's spirit-thingy escape Will's burning body. That being said, I'm really interested to seeing the SHIELD team's reaction to being haunted by what is pretty much the ghost of Ward.
The action involving the rest of the SHIELD crew, and the newly-formed Secret Warriors, was good fun. Joey finally got to see some action and we got to see him use his newly-honed powers. That bit where he melted those speeding bullets. So cool, huh? I also liked the moment where he was at a loss for words as to what the proper name of his powers is.
Director Mack was a badass. Look at him givin' orders and inspiring speeches. The character's come a long way since he was introduced at the start of Season 2 as the team's mechanic. Also seeing how strong the bond between him and Daisy has become, and her insisting she stay behind and help him, was great payoff.
Other Thoughts:
- Simmons' sharp stick makes a comeback!
- The HYDRA monument on Maveth looked pretty sweet. Who built it and how, though?
- Andrew/Lash's scene felt kind of out of place, but he proved to be a big help to the team. His story, and the question of where his allegiances now lie, should be very intriguing.
- Those names of the Inhumans Andrew killed: Are they names with any significance in the comics. Experts, get to it!
- Oh yeah, apparently Lincoln and Daisy are a thing, which is odd because we haven't gotten much that makes there romance make sense story-wise.
- That knowing look between Coulson and Fitz at the end. Awesome.
- If I were the head writer of this show, instead of having Ward be IT's new host, I would reveal that one of those four team members (Coulson, Fitz, Daisy, or Mack) is the new host, and then leave it ambiguous as to which one. There's a cliffhanger.
- So IT is called "Death" throughout the episode and referred to as a "she." Will this end up being the Death character that will most likely play a big role in the MCU's near future? I'd say there's a good chance.
"Maveth" wasn't the nail-biter and game-changer that last season's winter finale, "What They Become," was, but still ended the first half of SHIELD'S third season on a strong and satisfying note and set up some dark things to come.
Rating: 8.6/10 plans gone to rubbish
Hello again, 3 month hiatus. Missed you.
To keep us MCU devotees occupied in the meantime, Agent Carter's second season starts up on the 19th of January. Should be a blast.
Noah
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