TV Reviews: FTN Reviews Agents Of Shield Season 03 Episode 12: The Inside Man

With everything up in the air in regards to Hydra and the Inhumans, it was very nice to see Agents of Shield do a spy mission of sorts in “The Inside Man”, one that felt perfectly in line with what’s been going on.

Coulson, and the returning Talbot, set off to a synposium to try and get intel on Inhumans in other countries, and find out which is working for Malick. All of which was not only very plausible, but very necessary, as Inhumans (as we say last episode) are potentially everywhere.

Talbot was especially funny, as he believed everyone at the meeting could be a spy for Malick, and he didn’t even seem to mind that when Coulson pointed it out to him! Then of course, when it was revealed that it was Talbot who was the inside man, it came as a big shock. But…thankfully, he was only doing it to protect his son, who had been captured by Malick. So no worries. The rescue of the son cemented Coulson and Talbot’s partnership, which will no doubt be a big story point in the future.

One small note as we continue, I really liked how there was a wide range of views about what the Inhumans were and weren’t. Are they weapons? Are they threats? Are they still people, this and more got brought up during this debate. And it fed into Daisy and Lincoln’s side story, as they debated whether a possible vaccine for the budding Inhumans would be a good idea. The real difference between Inhumans and Mutants is that mutant powers arrive around a certain point in time. Lots of times during a stressful situation. Whereas Terrigenesis is the only way an Inhuman can become an Inhuman. So a vaccine for those who haven’t transformed yet is an interesting idea and story point. I still don’t like Daisy and Lincoln’s relationship, but hey, at least a good story came of it.

Which of course leads to Ward/Hive. This guys is freaky as all get out. And now, he’s fully healed! You had to wonder just what he would do with those five healthy humans. And boy did we find out! That was a gruesome scene. It felt like a horror version of the Terminator in some ways. And I honestly couldn’t help but say “Hail Hydra” when I saw what Hive did. What his plan is, is still a mystery. But now I think it’ll be fully advancing very soon.

With Malick now in control of things on the Inhuman front for the moment, Bobbi and Hunter hiding out in Malick’s plane, and Coulson starting to think Hive is alive, there’s a lot of good moving pieces now in play. Let’s see how it all works out.