‘BOOM’ Plot Summary:
The fight against the Russians takes an unexpected turn. Elsewhere, Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Mack (Simmons) meet an old associate of Radcliffe’s (John Hannah).
I never would have guessed that Radcliffe based Aida (Mallory Jansen) on someone he knew. Radcliffe’s explanation makes sense though. Creating a new image from scratch would run the risk of looking unnatural. Of course, making a robotic version of your former flame is down right creepy.
Mallory Jansen does a fantastic job in this episode, playing both Aida and Agnes. Even though they look the same, they’re completely different. Going with Jansen’s Australian accent was a good decision. Strangely, still, Agnes almost feels like a character we’ve known for a while. Agnes’ brain tumor was probably a spark of inspiration for Radcliffe, but curing it was never his endgame. That would have been cliché.
This episode brings up a good point about the Russians’ anti-Inhuman cause. What if any of them turned out to be Inhuman? Well, Shockley (John Pyper-Ferguson) doesn’t care. He still believes what he believes. His power, the ability to explode and reassemble, is among the coolest we’ve seen. I’m glad he survives because there’s more that can be done with him. It’s a long shot, but he could be useful if he switched allegiances.
S.H.I.E.L.D. might have an opening soon, with Director Mace’s (Jason O’Mara) health rapidly deteriorating. He might be all muscle, but he’s no Captain America. Whatever Howard Stark and his team did in the ‘40s, modern science can’t replicate, for some reason. That doesn’t add up, but it’s a necessary evil to keep Cap unique. And otherwise we wouldn’t get all those football metaphors by Mace. Yeah, he goes a bit overboard with them, but overall I liked it. We need to enjoy Mace while we can, because he’s more than likely a goner.
I mentioned Radcliffe’s endgame earlier. We know the Russians want to kill Coulson. What exactly does Radcliffe want? Does it have to do with the Framework? He can’t just hook up everyone to it. He doesn’t have the manpower. I wonder.
Bottom line, the “LMD” arc continues to find new ways to be compelling and emotional. It will no doubt go down as one of the show’s best storylines.
