“Rise and Shine” Plot Summary:
General Hale (Catherina Dent) proposes an alliance to Coulson (Clark Gregg) in order to save the world.
Every once in a while an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will flip everything on its head. While this has become more and more frequent, that doesn’t make it any less surprising. When I watched General Hale make an appeal to Coulson at the beginning of this episode, the last thing I was expecting was a lengthy series of flashbacks.
The flashback is a tricky device. While some series utilize them regularly, others only occasionally wind back the clock. Done incorrectly flashbacks come off as lazy and uninspired. The same can be said for voiceovers. But a well-executed flashback is a thing of beauty.
Hale had one unusual childhood. I wasn’t immediately sold on the Hydra boarding school. Even for Marvel it seemed a bit of a stretch. But that changed when Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond) showed up and they began giving students assignments. It came together for me. Whitehall’s appearance adds a great level of continuity to the episode. Of course, his selection of a young Hale (Alyssa Jirels) as the mother of the next great leader of Hydra is very creepy, but not so creepy that it goes overboard.
In addition to giving me a newfound respect for General Hale, “Rise and Shine” made me invested in a character that I’ve never really loved, General Talbot (Adrian Pasdar). He’s served his purpose moving the plot forward and providing comic relief, but he always felt like a discount Thunderbolt Ross. But seeing his struggle through rehabilitation following a bullet to the head endeared him to me like I never expected. I’m 100 percent rooting for him now.
As the picture of what the good guys are up against becomes clearer, just how this season is going end feels harder to predict. Coulson is obviously wise not to take Hale up on her offer to create the Destroyer of Worlds, but it would seem a futile effort. He doesn’t appear to have many options. He might have to help Ruby (Dove Cameron). Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that won’t end well.
If there’s anything somewhat questionable this week, it’s our heroes’ attitude towards Fitz (Iain De Caestecker). They have to think like Hydra to catch Hydra, though he was never really Hydra. This is more of a nitpick, I suppose. They need Fitz, one way or another.
I never believed Hydra was gone when they said S.H.I.E.L.D. eliminated them, so it’s nice to have some validation. That would’ve limited the creativity of the show and other Marvel properties anyway. This week’s episode even turns them into the good guys (sorta), and for that kind of innovation, I can’t help but say Hail Hydra!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10 (Great)
