S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra go head-to-head in a battle that will change Coulson’s world forever.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finishes the first half of its third season with those agents on Earth assaulting Hydra’s base and Coulson and Fitz dealing with being on an alien planet.

The team on Earth is doing what they can to capture the Hydra base so they can open the portal, and also free some of the Inhumans within. But it’s that focus of keeping the portal open that’s their main goal, which leads us to those on the other planet.

Coulson is pursing Ward who has Fitz, and it’s an act of revenge along with a rescue. That leads to some solid parts including a Coulson/Ward confrontation as well as a reveal about the character left on the planet.

The episode has a definitive ending in many ways. I expected there to be some big reveal about the Inhuman they’re trying to bring back to Earth, but none of that really happens, unless I missed a cool clue for comic fans.

The episode is one of the better this season with some good action, real tension, and some emotion. It’s focus on that, and moving away from fancy powers is a plus, as I think the series does best when it does so.

The ending reveal is a bit meh, but could be interesting to see where things go from here.

Overall Score: 7.8