by Tony Ortega

**WARNING!! THERE WILL BE  SPOILERS AHEAD.  READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL!!!**

Okay, the day has arrived when my gang comes back to kick some ass. I waited for this day with some trepidation as Season 1 wasn’t stellar, just fan boy decent. However, the sophomore season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. K.I.C.K.E.D. A.S.S.

So let me get my gay boy squealing out of the way first: Agent Ward with a beard. OMG. A shirtless Crusher Creel aka The Absorbing Man shirtless for half the episode (squeals again). Okay, all better now. Minor spoilers ahead:

Here’s what I liked: for any of you who read my previous blog, two things I wanted the writers to improve on was characterization of our beloved agents as well as delving into the “oh so rich” history of S.H.I.E.L.D. They made this blogger very pleased. First, Skye is going to give May a run for her money this season as she was kicking some major ass this episode. When she confronted Ward, we see the angst in her face as she doesn’t know whether to believe this repentant (and did I mention bearded) Ward. And speaking of Ward (which I can do all day), I actually believed that he would “never lie” to Skye again for as long as he lived. Trip actually grew on me this episode quite a bit. His interactions with the rest of the time almost made me forget that he was a last minute addition to the show last season. On to Fitz and Simmons: my heart goes out to them. I won’t spoil what happens to them but wow, what a last minute reveal. I wanted to give Fitz a hug (or hoping that Ward would). May, well, she continues to be boring as hell. Can we give her some deadly disease or something to make her interesting? I have this Pavlovian desire to yawn every time she comes on.

On to delving into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s rich history: my jaw dropped with the appearance of the Howling Commandos. Agent Carter’s appearance didn’t surprise me as we all know that she will be appearing in her own series soon. The mere mention of the Red Skull sent shivers down my spine. Gadgets and mysterious artifacts were exhumed. This is the spy stuff that fan boys, like me, eat up. Also, give us more S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra references dating back to WWII. Keep it coming folks. This is starting to get good.

The new characters of Hartley (Lucy Lawless), Hunter and Idaho seem to be working well with the team. It seems that Coulson is keeping them around but on at arm’s length. Although…well you just have to watch!!!

Here’s what I didn’t like: not enough Coulson’s field action. He is a very good field agent. Yes, I know, he’s the director now but come on, Fury gets his hands dirty all the time. And can we get Ward out of that cell please and give him some sort of explosive collar (calling the Suicide Squad) to keep him in check?

So on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, I give the season premiere of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a 52. Yeah, I liked it that much. This season may actually be the better one, which is rare as most shows tank during their sophomore run.