The first few minutes of “The Magical Place” are a good indication of what fans probably expect from Agents of SHIELD in the first place. There’s a daring daylight break-in to take down shadowy criminal Vanchat (Alden Turner) as he’s trying to sell Chitauri tech to some shady folks. See? That wasn’t hard, was it? Note to the showrunners: the more time these characters spend in SHIELD jumpsuits, using flashy spy-gadgets, and beating on bad guys, the more this will feel, at least superficially, like the source material. It’s a pretty simple formula, really. Now, if only they’d feel comfortable enough to stop laying everything at the feet of the events of The Avengers, but one thing at a time… Skye’s theory is that if you “follow the money” it will eventually lead to Coulson and she concocts a plan perfectly in keeping with her character. That is to say that it’s completely unbelievable, thoroughly irritating, and manages to grind the show to a screeching halt…the OnStar product placement doesn’t exactly help matters, either. The good news is we went an entire episode without mention of that tedious subplot involving her parents, so this is a very good thing. Nevertheless, her plan works, and we’re at least treated to another fun action sequence before the show wraps up, with Agents May and Ward having a nice dust-up with a handful of Centipede’s super-soldiers. Alright, let’s get into the heavy spoilers. Centipede have a magic brainwave machine that does indeed get Coulson past his implanted memories of Tahiti. The key here is that Coulson must submit to this willingly, if he fights it, it’ll just cook his brain. When Phil finally lays down, he does so knowing that his search for the answers about his recent past will also endanger the entire agency. Clark Gregg, as he tends to do, underplays this difficult moment and it works wonderfully. Now, here’s where things don’t totally add up, and why this should probably fuel enough fan speculation to take us to season two (assuming the show gets that far). For starters, there’s nothing to indicate that this can’t be yet another layer of implanted/synthesized memories. Let’s face it, the Tahiti cover story was fairly obvious, and it began to unravel for Coulson in no time. So the most logical failsafe is to have a second layer of memories that are so horrific and painful that it would discourage further digging on the part of the subject. There’s also the larger question (which Victoria Hand raises earlier in the episode) about why Phil Coulson is so crucially important that Fury would “move heaven and earth” to save his life and not allow him to die. Agent Coulson is certainly a competent leader, cool under fire, and always on top of whatever situation he finds himself in (like babysitting an annoying supporting cast, but I digress), but what makes the character unique is his unremarkable, everyman quality. Coulson is no superhero, to be sure, nor does he have the highest security clearance available. So what is it that makes him too important to die? It might be too soon to completely debunk the two most popular fan theories (involving The Vision and/or Life Model Decoys). The mystery is no longer “how is Phil Coulson still alive after the events of The Avengers” but why. If you’ve got to kick the can down the road to be addressed later in the season (or perhaps a future Marvel movie), this is the way to do it. At best, “The Magical Place” is a schizophrenic episode. While it displays tantalizing signs of the show’s promise (particularly at the beginning and end) it also foregrounds many of the elements that have gotten the show raked over the coals (the glaring absence of anything resembling a credible/interesting threat, the continued presence of Skye, the claustrophobic airplane setting). It’s time to swap the half-baked Joss Whedon-lite dialogue and canned banter for more moral ambiguity, difficult choices, and danger. This is a show about a government agency that would make the combined technological might of the CIA, FBI, and NSA look like a bunch of stoners having a LAN party…can we please raise the stakes? If there was ever a time for Agents of SHIELD to step out from the shadow of a few awkward, early season steps, this was it. It wasn’t a wholly convincing effort. But there are still those hints (the sinister Victoria Hand, Coulson’s confrontation with his doctor, any time Ming-Na Wen gets to kick some ass) that will keep some viewers coming back. As for those who remain on the fence? I’m not sure “The Magical Place” is going to change any minds. But it might be good to remember that it’s not unheard of for a show to take an entire season to find its legs, so let’s not give up just yet. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
