This is the third episode since its midseason return and quite honestly to this point SHIELD has been rather ho-hum. The long and short of it is, after Coulson killed Ward on the other dimension. But in the Marvel universe (and in the comic book universe in general), being killed is not necessarily the end. Ward’s body plays host to the Inhuman called Hive. Ward has gone from badass human to something far more threatening. As Hive, Ward gains his strength by feeding off the souls of living human beings. Then there was the unholy alliance between Coulson and General Talbot as ordered by the President. We learn that Talbot’s son was kidnapped and used as a pawn by Malick (Powers Boothe) in order to have Talbot deliver Coulson to Malick. Coulson and the SHIELD team put aside their feelings towards Talbot and save his son. In saving his son, Talbot pledged his allegiance to Coulson who now has a strong ally on his side. This leads to Tuesday night’s “Parting Shots” episode. Warning, spoilers ahead…
As many of you may already know, ABC has green lit a SHIELD spinoff series called Marvel’s Most Wanted. It will feature Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) and Hunter (Nick Blood) as its leads. This episode served as both extension of its current Inhuman storyline that involves an almost cold war type of mistrust between the Russian Government and the Americans especially involving SHIELD. The world believes SHIELD doesn’t exist anymore since the events of Winter Solider. Of course the President (William Sadler) knows the truth but needs to keep Coulson and his team under wraps.
The other aspect of this episode is that it serves as a pilot to the new series by giving closure to Bobbi’s and Hunter’s story with the SHIELD team while giving them a new direction that could lead to bigger and potentially more exciting adventures. Much of “Parting Shots” had Bobbi and Hunter reflecting on their relationship. The exchanges these two have and the scenes they share are some of the very best the series has offered.
I enjoyed the action scenes and as it has become almost the standard, it’s the women (May, Daisy and Bobbi) who shine the most in these scenes. Because Bobbi and Hunter were caught by the Russians and in order to save them from execution as spies and keep the secret of SHIELD safe from the Russians, the President had to disavowed them. Thus ending their relationship as members of SHIELD.
The ending at the bar was both emotional and sad. From every corner of the bar a round of drinks were sent Bobbi and Hunter’s way. It was one final goodbye and salute. The best most emotional came from Mack who probably spent the greatest amount of time with those two. All in all, this was a nice sendoff for the characters of Bobbi and Hunter, as they’ll soon embark on their own adventure in Marvel’s Most Wanted. Not sure how this will work or how they’ll get sucked into a new adventure.
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
