Coulson and May go undercover at a gala fundraiser to steal a 500-year-old 'miracle painting' that survived a church fire but was found to have alien writing - akin to that Phil is prone to carving into walls during his 'funny turns' - on its reverse.
However, they soon find out they aren't the only ones after the picture and end up tussling with Hydra agents who are using canny face-changing technology to get hold of the antique.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team find themselves trapped on The Bus, thanks to a virus inserted into the plane's systems by Hydra.
Face My Enemy was cracking spy-vs-spy stuff, pure spy-fi hijinks with high-tech gadgetry that could have been lifted right off the page of an old Jim Steranko S.H.I.E.L.D. comic.
I pity the fools (to be read in Mr T's voice) who gave up on this brilliant show a few episodes into the first season. Sure, it had a rocky start , but lots of shows that go on to become cult classics do and it's now firing on all cylinders.
Drew Z Greenberg's script injected some pithy dialogue into the fun episode although I was perplexed by how easily the 'fake' Agent May found The Bus and the sub-plot revolving around the Hydra virus in the agents' plan felt a bit like a "busy work" distraction (that is, a plot to keep the kep the characters doing something while May and Coulson hogged the spotlight) although it did help develop the bonds between the older members of the team and their more recent recruits.
The highlight of Face My Enemy, of course, was the May-on-May fisticuffs when Agent May slugged it out with her doppelgänger.
More weirdness like that, please, mixed in with James Bondian espionage...
Next Time:
OK. I may have been thinking of your next week's episode with regard to Elizabeth (not Natasha) Henstridge's moment. The time dilation effect of the Atlantic Ocean is really annoying.
ReplyDeleteYes, next week looks more Simmons-centric ;-)
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