TV Review: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 7

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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EPISODE 7: "The Writing on the Wall"

SYNOPSIS:  The team discovers murder victims with the alien glyphs on them that Coulson’s been etching. All of Coulson's secrets and lies come to a head

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

At the close of the previous episode of AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., we met a man covered with tattoos of the alien glyphs that haunt Agent Coulson.  This week's episode starts with that same man, Carver (Brian Van Holt) as he meets a woman and appears to murder her based on their connected fate via the glyphs.  The producers have teased Coulson's affliction long enough, so hopefully this means we are finally learning who or what saved the life of the man who brought The Avengers together.

The torture of carving the glyphs is coming for frequently for Coulson and Skye is no closer to solving what they lead to or what they mean.  Skye gives a nice summary of how everything on this show is connected: Ward has info about Skye's father who happens to have the Obelisk which is connected to the GH serum flowing through both Coulson and Skye's veins.  Coulson looks beat, more than usual, and yet he cannot stop carving the mysterious symbols.  The pair investigate Carver's victim, whom Coulson recognizes as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. In her apartment, they find numerous paintings of the glyphs titled "A Magical Place".

Simmons autopsies the victim and discovers she also had the GH serum in her body and questions whether Coulson or Skye have had the compulsion to etch the symbols, which they deny.  Wondering how they will discover what is going on, Coulson reveals a room housing the same device that Raina hooked him up to last season when we learned about what Tahiti really was.  Coulson, as the man in charge of the T.A.H.I.T.I. Project, volunteers to go back into the machine to try and figure out what is going on with the glyphs.

Coulson flashes back to The Guesthouse, where he reviews a folder and meets the murdered woman, Agent Stevens. We also see six other patients all being released after being given the GH serum but not before beginning to make the glyphs.  One of the victims appears to be Carver who doesn't have the same reaction.  Coulson demands the program be shut down due to the side effects.  The program doctor says the transfer from the blue alien host may be bringing memories with it and she suggests a memory wipe as a way to fight the compulsive behavior.  As he begins to break down, Coulson begins to provide names and addresses for the victims.

The other hanging plot from last time is Ward's escape as Coulson exchanged him with Ward's brother.  The team is hunting Ward as the Senator covers up his escape to limit those trying to find the former HYDRA operative.  Ward wires himself to a vest of C4 to avoid being recaptured despite Triplett and then Bobbi Morse trying to take him down.  He jumps between busses in Atlanta and then on the way to Boston, trying to escape his brother and Coulson's team, unaware that Lance Hunter is onboard the Boston bus with him.

Hunter follows Ward to a Boston bar where he meets HYDRA's Mr. Bakshi and signals May and Triplett to engage.  Meanwhile, Coulson comes out of the brain machine somewhat violently and May orders Skye to lock him down.  But, as Coulson is apt to do despite being Director, he feels the need to stop Carver himself and locks Skye in Ward's old cell.  Coulson follows down one of the former TAHITI paitents and holds him at gunpoint for answers surrounding the glyphs only to be knocked out by Sebastian (aka Carver).  When he comes to, Coulson is tied up as Sebastian approaches with a knife hin hand.  We now know he has been killing the others to try and solve the map mystery of the glyphs.

A nice action setpiece, the new norm on this series, wraps up the episode as Bakshi is now in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, possibly with ulterior motives, and Coulson now knowing what the purpose of the glyphs was: directions to a mysterious alien city which could be the INHUMANS connected metropolis of Attilan.  The stinger sequence gives us Ward shaving his season-long beard.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE REFERENCES:

Simmons references her friend Micro. This is a reference to Microchip, a character from The Punisher.

Obviously, the Kree alien makes a return appearance which connects to GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, but the vague references to the mysterious alien city may be pointing towards the announced INHUMANS movie.

BEST LINE:

"You guys have nothing in common unless you have some Enya albums you have been hiding." – Skye

COOLEST SCENE:

Coulson's latest trip into the mind machine yields a series of disturbing visions about TAHITI and the effect the project had on the various S.H.I.E.L.D. agents affected at The Guesthouse.  Very trippy editing made the sequence all the more unsettling.

DO WE (REALLY) KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO COULSON YET?  OR WHAT SKYE'S ABILITIES ARE?

It seems we now know that both Coulson and Skye, as a part of the GH serum in their bodies, are becoming something more than human. Or, should we say INHUMAN?

EPISODE CLEARANCE LEVEL: 7/10

The finally revealed truth behind the symbols as being directions toward what is likely Attilan means that Skye and Coulson are more tha likely going to be revealed to be the first Inhumans as the show could be a long teaser for the announced Phase Three film that will serve as the MCU equivalent of mutants.  The GH serum/Kree infused blood will allow Marvel to explain away why there are no X-Men in this universe by not even needing mutants of any kind.

This was a psychologically thrilling episode and a very strong showcase for Clark Gregg as an actor.  I am still not sold on Ward as a main character for the series, but I am intrigued to see what will become of his apparent need to protect and help Skye.  A good episode that answered as many questions as it asked.

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

Episode 8 "The Things We Bury" (Airs November 18th) – Coulson and team find themselves in an epic face-off against Hydra to uncover an ancient secret, while Ward kidnaps his brother, Senator Christian Ward, for a violent trip down memory lane.  Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) returns.

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