TV Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season 2 Episode 12 “Who You Really Are”

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EPISODE 12: "Who You Really Are"

SYNOPSIS:  Coulson and team come to the aid of a confused Lady Sif, who has lost her memory after fighting with a mysterious warrior whose true mission will send shockwaves through S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, Bobbi and Mack continue to hide their true mission from everyone close to them.

BREAKDOWN: (The following column contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don't recommend reading this if you haven't watched this episode).

Now that we have seen what has become of Skye and Raina, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., the team has to deal with a Marvel Cinematic Universe issue in the form of Lady Sif.  The episode opens with Sif emerging from the sea off of Portugal.  With a visible head wound, Sif has no memory of who she is and knocks an unknowing man halfway across the beach.

Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., Skye trains with May and tries to find a way to deal with her changes while Bobbi and Hunter get to bang one out.  Coulson even recruits Mack for a role as a field agent.  They all respond to the report of Sif's sighting in Portugal.  Coulson shows her photos of their last encounter which I think may have been the official stills released by ABC for that episode's premiere.  But, Sif has no idea how she got to Midgard or why. Via a video, they see Sif had battled a being more powerful than she was who dumped her in the water.  This same person is seen accosting a woman asking for her supplies.  He holds some sort of mini-wand in his hand as his skin turns deep blue.

They track the man to the hospital where he needs to repair his nitrogen pumps.  When Bobbi and Skye find him, his skin is entirely blue and engages in a fight with Mockingbird.  Knocking her across the room, the man squares off against Skye.  Prepared to shoot, Skye feels the room begin to shake, her gun crushed in her hand.  A bookshelf knocks her over and the man escapes.  Back on the Bus, Coulson, SIf, and Skye deduce the man is a Kree.  Sif realizes the word she has been sayiing, cava, is actually a Kree word for keys.

Skye confides in Fitz what happened when she was at the hospital, worried she cannot control her actions.  Bobbi and Mack discuss bringing Hunter in on their mysterious plan but Mack says it is too late and too dangerous to do so.  Mack advises Bobbi to push Hunter away as they prepare to pull the trigger on their plan.  Bobbi begrudgingly agrees.  May brings Coulson a map of a town in Portugal called Chavez, which means keys.  Sif realizes that is where she was headed to before she lost her memory and Coulson recognizesthe name from one of Whitehall's stolen SSR files.

At the town, Coulson and the team stumble across the Kree and capture him.  The man claims to be there to help and says he can prove it if they bring him his truncheon, the weapon he used to clear Sif's memories.  They arrive at the destination the Kree was heading for where he restores Sif's memories.  She says she was informed by Heimdall of the Kree on Earth.  He says he was sent to Earth because of Terrigenesis.  He explains that Earth was the lone success of the process.  When the Diviner was activated, the Kree arrived before the Empire could and stop the other devices from being activated  Within the crate, Fitz and Simmons find that all of the Diviners have been taken, possibly back in the 1940s by HYDRA or the SSR.  Simmons also stumbles across Skye's DNA which he covers up as being a simulation he was running.

The Kree say they must find the Diviners and anyone who were changed.  As Skye begins to get anxious, the ground begins to shake.  Coulson asks Skye what is doing it and she admits it is her before shattering the windows behind them.  May pulls her gun and Sif says she will take Skye to Asgard to protect everyone.  The Kree says she must be destroyed but Skye says she can control it.  As May tries to get away with Skye, the Kree attacks Coulson and goes after her.  He takes down Mack and Hunter, but Bobbi gets a second chance aganst him and takes him out.

May helps Skye to focus her emotions to control her new powers.   Sif tries to break through the cell to get to Skye but before she can get in, Skye takes herself out with a knockout dart.  Coulson says this proves she wants to try and control her powers.  Back in her armor, Sif returns to Asgard with the Kree and says they are in danger until they find the Diviners.  Sif then returns via the Bifrost.  Back at S.H.I.E.L.D., the team turn on Fitz for keeping Skye's secret.  Fitz says that she needed to be protected, but Mack says they need to be protected from her.  Skye overhears them and then leaves, locking herself in the brig.

In the stinger scene, Hunter boards the Bus and confronts Mack about his plan with Bobbi.  As Hunter demands to know, Mack puts him in a sleeper hold and knocks him out.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE REFERENCES: When asked about Thor, Sif says she cannot remember but cannot help but smile.  Heimdall and Odin are referenced as are the Kree.

REVIEW:  I was fully prepared for a throwaway episode this week with no direct connection to the main story arc but instead got a well-written hour that not only further explains the Inhumans element to the Marvel Cinematic Universe but also managed to incorporate Lady Sif in an organic manner.  Jaimie Alexander was great to watch, as always, but we also got solid moments from most of the supporting S.H.I.E.L.D. players.  The questions raised her are plentifull for the MCU: Will Asgard play a key role in the INHUMANS film?  Will GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 tie in as well?  How can AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. not have direct tie-ins to Phase Three with the way things are going?  Whatever the case, this series seems to have finally found it's groove which is deeply rooted in being a superhero show rather than what it originally set out to be.

NEXT ON MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.:

Episode 13 "One of Us" (Airs March 17th) – Cal seeks revenge on Coulson by assembling a team of Super Villains to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, May calls on renowned Dr. Andrew Garner (Blair Underwood), her charismatic ex-husband, with a crisis that threatens to tear the team apart.

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