Agents of SHIELD - The Writing on the Wall

I guess it must feel nice that someone understands you.

As the title suggests, the plot surrounding Coulson's alien-blood hypergraphia comes to a head in this episode, as murder victims begin to show up with the symbols carved into their bodies. The trail leads Coulson to the TAHITI trial group, and a final revelation as to the nature of the images (which, huzzah, actually involves the reason why Coulson needs to carve on a plastered wall rather than just buying a tin of whiteboard paint and a box of thirty dry wipe markers.)

It a bit of an Identity Crisis moment, and it works as well as it does because Coulson is not the Justice League. It makes sense for him to have made the harsh call if it was the only means to prevent further suffering in those under his care. Also, because the decision itself isn't intrinsically stupid. Enough spoilers have leaked that, while I don't know which of the Marvel Universe's 'lost' cities is represented, I could find out easily enough, but the reveal is nicely done.

"Do nothing; just observe? Oh, why am I not surprised?"

In the subplot I want to die, Ward is all cool and shit, spotting every one of his tails and thrashing HYDRA too. I get that he needs to be a credible fugitive, but they could have done that without having to have Triplett, Morse and Hunter all look like chumps.

Okay, I can live with Hunter looking like a chump.

I originally figured that Morse deliberately made a rookie error to make Ward believe that he'd slipped the chain, but later scenes throw that interpretation in favour of more Morse and Hunter bickering. I joked about the set up becoming more like the A Team, but that might be overrating the persistent competence of the scene.

In character moments, Simmons is clearly a bit jealous of Mac, and Mac's response to the writing establishes him as the one sane man in nuSHIELD. Well, maybe Triplett; I'd know if he ever got to say or do anything*.

The series is building up to its mid-season finale in about three weeks (Channel 4 time,) and now has a clear goal and something to work towards. If no-one is left bleeding out or turning to Obelisk ash on the stones of Wundagor (or whichever one it is) across the season break, I reckon they aren't really trying. Of course, it's a foregone that we'll have a Ward/Skye/Skye's father confrontation of some sort, but maybe they'll make it not suck.

* Yes, I am labouring this point. No, I won't stop until they do.