Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: Laws of Nature (Season 3 Episode 1)

Season 3 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  opens on a newly changed Inhuman, a man with the ability to melt any kind of metal within three meters. He’s scared, confused, and being hunted by a new government sanctioned entity called the ATCU: Advanced Threat Containment Unit. While this new unit isn’t affiliated with Hydra, (as far as we know) they aren’t an ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. either.

Skye appears to save the day, arriving just in time with Mack and Hunter in tow, using her abilities to get the upper-hand against the ATCU. The new Inhuman is secured and brought back to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s highly upgraded facilities. When Skye introduces herself to the Inhuman, we learn that she’s decided to start going by Daisy, the name her parents would’ve given her and the name of her comic book counterpart.

Daisy: My name’s Daisy, I’m with S.H.I.E.L.D., and we’re here for your protection.

It appears the only person struggling with her name change is Coulson when he slips up and refers to her as Skye. Given her new abilities and her new life, it’s understandable that Skye would want to embrace a new identity. However, since her parents were arguably not the best people she’s ever met, I’d like to see a little more explanation on why she’s chosen to go by the name they wanted for her, as opposed to the one she’d chosen for herself.

Daisy is at the head of the new intake unit, having firsthand experience with the process of undergoing what they call a “biomorphic event.” On her team we see Mack, specializing in humorous one liners and gentle-giant style assistance where he can, and Bobbi recovering from the injuries she’d been given by Ward at the end of last season by utilizing her scientific skills in the lab.

Daisy: Welcome to the club, we call ourselves Inhumans.

Daisy wants to bring in Lincoln, the Inhuman who helped with her own transition. She thinks he’ll be able to help people even better than she can, given his experience and knowledge about the process. While she and Mack seek him out, Coulson and Hunter come face to face with the head of the ATCU. She goes by the name Rosalind Price and she is quite the capable leader, going toe-to-toe with Coulson, not only in secrets and witty banter, but also in man power.

Through these two interwoven scenes we are introduced to another comic book character brought to life. Lash is introduced as a mysterious creature, hunting down other Inhumans and killing them. In the Earth-616 comics, Lash is one of the Inhumans who went through the cultural process Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  showed us last season, a process that Daisy, Raina, and now unsuspecting citizens with the gene have circumvented. He seems to have made it his mission to determine if these new Inhumans are truly worthy of their gifts, killing anyone he deems less than fit.

Will this introduction of Lash bring S.H.I.E.L.D. and the ATCU together against a common enemy? Or will they continue to clash as the search for more Inhumans continues?

Other thoughts:

• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does it’s best to remind us that everything in the MCU is connected by subtly mentioning events that occurred in The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and even Ant Man.
• Where in the world is Melinda May? Coulson mentions that May left for vacation and never came back. While I personally hope she’s kicking back on a beach somewhere getting some much deserved rest, I suspect she’s up to more than Coulson and co. think.
• Where in the universe is Jemma Simmons? Last season, left us with Jemma getting swallowed up by the monolith. Fitz is going to any and all lengths to find her, even breaking our hearts by screaming at the monolith after Coulson tells him to let her go. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s big cliffhanger this week? She’s on an entirely different planet.

What did you think of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Season 3 premiere? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

Samantha Coley

Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.