Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: Closure (Season 3 Episode 9)

I want to love Agents of SHIELD; there was a time when I did–there was a time when it was my favorite show, but unfortunately it seems that time has ended. For an episode titled “Closure” there sure isn’t much to be found, instead the audience is given a shock value-based mess.

The episode opens with Rosalind Price being murdered by Grant Ward as some sort of disgusting revenge plot that doesn’t actually make any sense. Ward has been hellbent on taking out revenge against SHIELD for something they didn’t actually do. He blames Coulson and May for the death of his Season 2 girlfriend, Kara Palamas. The thing is, Ward shot her himself. He pulled the trigger and killed Kara himself because she looked like Melinda. And now we have to watch Ward torture Andrew and murder Rosalind, for no real reason.

Rosalind’s death serves no purpose other than to send Coulson into a blind rage after Ward. An emotional response that isn’t distributed equally on this show. Ward took and tortured Andrew and Melinda gets to react in small moments, mostly to herself. But when Coulson’s love interest is killed, he gets an entire episode about how important his pain is. Rosalind was a smart, capable woman in a position of power, and yet her life was taken to fuel Coulson’s story.

When will Agents of SHIELD figure out that it can drive its story without harming women in order to motivate men? It doesn’t look like it will be anytime soon, because later in the episode Jemma is tortured by one of Ward’s henchmen in order to get Fitz to help them with the portal (that leads to the planet that still doesn’t have a name).

The most compelling moments are once again, you guessed it: FitzSimmons scenes. Fitz agrees to go through the portal with Hydra on the grounds that they leave Jemma alone. He’s strong in his determination to keep her safe, and he plans to stick to their original goal, which is to bring Will back. Fitz’s dedication to Jemma combined with his level head makes him one of the only male characters left on Agents of SHIELD whose story is actually interesting. I can only hope he makes it home, with Will in tow, because I’d love to see how that triad plays out.

Fitz: I’m not strong enough to live in a world that doesn’t have you in it.
Jemma: Come back to me.

SHIELD’s other male voice of reason belongs to Mack, whose competence and consistent logical thinking make him the shows most reliable supporting character. While it’s great to see him step into the role of director in Coulson’s absence, it also feels like a slight against Melinda. Coulson usurps her position as second-in-command to hand the title to Mack, because he thinks she is too emotionally compromised after what happened to Andrew. 

The problem with this excuse is that we don’t even get to see Melinda’s emotional state, in fact, we don’t really get to see Melinda do anything in this episode. All in all, the female characters in this episode don’t actually get to do anything. Rosalind: fridged for Coulson’s development. Jemma: tortured for Fitz’s development. Melinda: an “emotionally compromised” sounding board for Mack’s decisions. Bobbi: pilot for Coulson and Hunter’s “Let’s Kill Ward 2.0” mission. Daisy: emotional catalyst for Coulson and extra muscle at the last minute.

Next week is Agents of SHIELD’’s winter finale and while I’ve learned to keep my expectations low, I can only hope that this episode brings with it the end of Grant Ward.

Other thoughts:

• The episode ends with Coulson being knocked unconscious on the other planet. Will he be discovered by Will or Fitz? Or will Hydra or “It” reach him first?
• Where is Andrew? How’s he coping after being tortured by Ward?
• Will Daisy’s team of Inhumans succeed or fail now that they’re finally getting a chance to work together in the field? It would have been nice to see this team actually being developed rather than introduced in one episode and then thrown together like this.

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What did you think of this week’s Agents of SHIELD? What are your hopes for the winter finale? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Agents of SHIELD 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.