TV REVIEW: FTN reviews Agents of SHIELD S01E17 “Turn, Turn, Turn”

WARNING!!!!: Spoilers will come not only for this episode but also for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, you have been warned. Hail Hydra!!!!

If you saw The Winter Soldier you knew something big was going to happen in this episode, especially when the writers revealed this episode WOULD be connected to what happened in Winter Soldier…

Last chance to get out if you haven’t seen it!…..ok? Good? Alright, let’s continue.

“Turn, Turn, Turn” was very much an episode featuring numerous twists and turns. Forget #itsallconnected, how about #whocanyoutrust or #WhosHydra, that might’ve been more accurate, as no one was safe from accusation or suspicion.

Throughout the episode, you had to wonder who was Shield, and who was Hydra. And just when you thought you knew who was who, BAM!, they pulled a switch. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. But overall, I think this marks an exciting milestone for Shield, as long as they can keep this momentum, they’ll be something to watch.

Now, let’s get to the nitty gritty. The fallout from Winter Soldier rocked Coulson and his team to its core. From the very well done opening scene in which gun pointing and accusations were common place, to the final few minutes, you knew the team wouldn’t be the same. Coulson has never seem so angry, and so paranoid, it was very well done by Clark Gregg as he showed a man who was both lost, confused, and very, very, ticked.

That’s not to say the others didn’t give good moments throughout too. May and Fitz both gave good performances in both tense and tender moments. May nearly breaking down as she revealed she was one of the true architects of Coulson’s team, and the reason it was really assembled (ha, ha, ha) was nicely done by Ming Na. This was one of the first times you can say she really let her guard done and showed her emotions. Hopefully it’s not the last.

The writers really did a good job showing just how deep the Hydra infiltration went. From mentions of who was on their side, and what level access they had, to the showing of highly valuable Shield locations being breeched, it truly showed how dire the situation was. More so than even Winter Soldier showed.

Ok, seriously, this is the true spoiler-filled section. This is really your last chance to bail out.

There were many betrayals in this episode. The BIG shockers were that Hand was actually innocent, and ordered Coulson and the rest to die because she honestly thought they were Hydra. And Agent Garrett was, most unfortunately, a Hydra agent. This honestly kind of bothered me. Why? Well, though Hand being Hydra would’ve been the “obvious” choice, it would’ve honestly worked well give her coldish attitude. Whereas Garrett could’ve been a recurring ally who leaves the team to go find others to help take Shield back. Given how they both “ended up” by the finish of the episode it really doesn’t help that justify decision.

This also heavily diverts from the comics, which I know in shows like this you can take liberties with, but Agent Garrett was always a good guy. In fact in the comic series Secret Warriors, a very similar storyline to this happened, and Agent Garrett was one of the few people in Shield that Nick Fury could trust. It’s a small gripe, but again, the results of this episode just made it seem wrong.

Then there’s the “who’s the Clairvoyant” matter that was very hastily “resolved”. For it appeared that Garrett was the Clairvoyant, yet he never said he was, or wasn’t. It was all very muddled, which is frustrating given how much emphasis was put on find out who he/she was.

Finally, there was THAT reveal. If you read the previews, you knew that one member of Coulsons’ was a traitor, meaning Hydra. When I saw Garrett turn, I’ll admit I thought that was it, I was wrong.

Oh the team, Coulson and Skye were extempt. For obvious reasons. May was too obvious given that she had been “found out” (though it was revealed she was talking to Fury, nice touch) which left Ward, and Fitz-Simmons. So who would it be?

Another sadly, it was Ward. Though it made since given Garrett was a traitor, it was still sad to see. Especially given what had transpired in the recent episodes. It would’ve been MUCH more interesting to see either Fitz or Simmons be Hydra, cause that would’ve been a total blindside, yet Ward, much like May, was a little obvious. Especially when he said he wanted to turn the key when locking Garrett away.

With Coulson and the remaining Shield agents gaining a very small victory, the board was set for the rest of the season. Hydra is out there, Shield is falling apart and we still don’t know who we can all trust. Coulson doesn’t trust May, Ward is a traitor and the others don’t know that yet, and it’s anyones guess where we all go from here.

“Turn, Turn, Turn” was really all about changing everything we knew about the show. What was just a nice romp around the world solving the mysteries that resided in it and elsewhere has now turned into a fight for survival. Let’s hope it continues to grow in this way.

4 out of 5