“Nothing Personal”
Directed by Billy Gierhart
Written by Paul Zbyszewski & DJ Doyle
Skye and Ward reexamine their relationship, the team puts the clues together and try to come to terms about Ward’s betrayal, all while May finds the truth behind Project TAHITI.
The episode opens with Agent Hill on the phone with Pepper Potts talking about the obvious tails she has surrounding her. Suddenly, all of these tails are knocked out, and Hill is on high alert. Clearly, May’s Mom’s intel was on the money. They have a conversation about Tahiti. Fury’s words on the matter are “I buried that intel when I didn’t bury Coulson.” With that Rubickian mind bender May takes her leave.
The team are at the secret Canadian station trying to figure out what happened. They have video of May leaving, the bus leaving with Skye and Ward, but all of the other cameras and surveillance has been cut off. FitzSimmons leaving the thinking room to go make pancakes. Coulson and Triplett are analyzying the situation. Right when Coulson realizes a wolf might have been in their midst Simmons screams. While on their way to pancakes FitzSimmons each find an important clue. Fitz dechiphers “WARD IS HYDRA” to mean that Ward is Hydra. Simmons finds Koenig’s body and realizes that it means someone is dead.
Skye is taking Ward to a diner in LA. They are both saying all sorts of things that have double meanings. Ward won’t let Skye out of his sight. But, he meant it in a nice way, Honest. They get to the diner and Skye insists on taking a long time to hack so she can get some ice cream. She’s having a difficult time controlling her nerves, but she covers by telling stories of Mike Peterson and how they sat at the same table.
Fitz is totally flipping out. His mancrush on Ward means that there is no way he can be Hydra, and Triplett will never replace him. Simmons’ calm autopsy leaves no doubt who did the crime. Coulson sends Fitz out to focus his anger on getting the station to work again. His ninja powers come through, with the power back on Skye’s location is shown. Also. Coulson sees a gun in a drawer. That must be important. They have plenty of time to go save Skye! Looks like this week’s episode is only going to be 30 minutes long… Cue cheering! RECORD SCREECH. Oh wait. The army is there. Colonel Talbot comes through the doors and after some witty repartee with Coulson we find out Hill is who lead them there.
A shocked mourner sees May climbing out of a dug up grave site. He looks down and see an empty coffin and a headstone for Coulson. It turns out Fury is quite literal with his puzzles, and a flash drive about Project TAHITI was in Coulson’s casket.
While Talbot interogates the others Hill is giving Coulson the “What are you going to do after you graduate speech?” But, Coulson is too focused on Ward and Skye to worry about that. Hill quickly comes to his side when she realizes that Ward is Hydra. (She vetted him!) Coulson unbuttons his jacket, and you just know fun ass kicking is about to happen. They fight, and Coulson grabs the important gun and stuns the army guys.
Back at the diner the service is horrible. Not only is the hacking not done, but no dessert is in sight. Ward is nervous about the cops, and getting the data off of the hard drive. And, Skye is just pissed. She goes into this venonmous stream of dialog that puts everything she is thinking about Ward into his mouth towards Garrett. Until finally, she shows his picture featured on the screen and the police start coming over to take them in. She tries to warn them that he is armed, but he quickly breaks free, while she escapes the diner and tries to be arrested. Ward kills the arresting officers coming after her telling her she doesn’t understand. Skye escapes in a cop car, GTA style. Unfortuantely, a block away Deathlok flies onto the scene.
Ward tries to get the info from the drive from her, but Skye consistently refuses. He claims that he has feelings for her, and everything he did wasn’t personal, but for the mission. Skye needs to throw up, and isn’t willing to hack. Deathlok comes in and shoots Ward with a heart attack bullet. That convinces Skye to give out the information.
Ward is about to fly away when Trip and Hill show up. Hill and Ward trade barbs for awhile, until Ward flies away. While the insults were being thrown from plane to plane Coulson climbs on the bus. He goes to free Skye and they go to take on Ward and get the plane back, until Coulson finds out that Deathlok is there. They hurry to leave the plane, and succeed in pleasing everyone on this message board by flying away in Lola. Then the entire season’s FX budget was blown in 25 seconds, followed up by the cheesiest joke on TV in decades.
Back at a hotel with a pool Hill spends more time convincing Coulson that SHIELD no longer exists. Coulson hasn’t accepted the fact, yet. He seems to be getting closer, but he’s not quite there. Fitz is on edge; he needs Simmons to tell him that she isn’t Hydra. If it turns out she IS Hydra I think it is clear he will go on a murderous rampage that would make even the Hulk flinch.
May has returned with the Project TAHITI video for Coulson. It’s a video message that Coulson sent to Fury before he died. Huh.
Very fun episode. I’m a bit disappointed that Skye didn’t say “Shit no. Let him die!” when confronted with Ward’s heart attack. But, I guess that doesn’t really fit her character that well. I thought the visceral scene between Skye and Ward at the diner was excellently written and performed outrageously well. I’m usually not very impressed by Skye’s acting, but I thought she really nailed it in that scene. In fact, I liked the whole plotline of her playing Ward. It made her character a lot more interesting, especially since they showed her dropping her guard, but thinking quickly on her feet to come up with why. Another plus was that Ward had some great evil scenery chewing on the bus. Also. It’s hard to top Coulson’s reaction to seeing himself on the video at the end.
I don’t know what is going to happen with Ward. They are clearly setting up some dissension between him and Deathlok. It’s also clear that he’s alliance is to the Garrett, and the mission, and not so much Hydra. I guess it is a possibility they will try to make him redeem himself, but the bodycount grows continuously, so the only kind of redemption he can hope for is a deathbed one.
Favorite parts and lines:
[ul]
[li]I have to mention it again. I loved Coulson’s reaction to his own video.[/li][li]Fun scene among Trip, Skye and Coulson over junk food and working.[/li][li]Hill’s cameo this episode was much better and more interesting than the one earlier in the season. She talked a bit more about her new job with Stark.[/li][li]The grave is dug up and the coffin is empty. I think it is a good thing Fury is on the run, or there might be some Avengers with questions about a certain inspiring death.[/li][li]“Who or what is a Man Thing?”[/li][li]“I should have knocked on wood just then.”[/li][li]Deathlok to Ward “It wasn’t personal.”[/li][li]I made fun of that valet scene with Lola. But, I’m not too proud to admit that I laughed out loud. As silly as it was.[/li][/ul]