Daisy, Mack and Coulson race to protect Lincoln as Rosalind's team hunts down the Inhuman in their quest for powered people. Meanwhile, Hunter proves that there is no line that he will not cross to exact his revenge against Ward and Hydra.
"A Wanted (Inhu)man" is largely about a few key moments - Coulson having to choose between Daisy and Lincoln, Fitz and Simmons' date, Daisy and Lincoln's kiss, Coulson joining forces with Rosalind, Hunter killing his friend. The episode was built around those moments. They are the things that define this hour of television. And yet, the episode around them largely just exists. Things are kinda just boring as the action sorta builds to those moments in an understandable way. But mostly these moments happen just to create exciting character drama for the future. In the moment, it largely just feels like a transitional episode.The majority of the action of this episode comes from the search for Lincoln. He chose not to go with Daisy and Mack after the attack at the hospital. He just does not trust S.H.I.E.L.D. That's understandable given what he was led to believe about the organization over the years. And yet, Lincoln is not a character that the show can reasonably ask to carry a story by himself. At least not yet. Lincoln has always been a somewhat bland character. He's at his most exciting when he's using his powers. That opening scene where Rosalind's men are hunting him down is great because of the special effects. But then asking the audience to care when Lincoln is betrayed by the one friend he has left in the world is ridiculous. It creates the fear within him that he may be the monster that the world thinks he is. That does add some spark to his big conversation with Daisy. It just takes a lot to get to that moment with not a lot of it adding a ton of value.
Similarly, the Daisy-Lincoln romantic connection still feels forced. There has always been that underlying tension throughout their relationship since the first time they met. It's not surprising that the show is starting to act on it now. It just didn't feel all that natural. It felt like a tactic Daisy used in order to get Lincoln to come with her and be protected by S.H.I.E.L.D. It didn't necessarily feel like something that happened because the connection between them was so overwhelming that they had to act on it. The show may see it that way. The two of them are incapable of being together because of the agencies hunting them down. But Lincoln still being on the run doesn't sound like an enticing prospect for the future if this episode is any indication.
It's more exciting to watch as Simmons readjusts to life on Earth. She went through this very traumatic experience on this other planet. She's still not ready to share anything that happened during her time there. This episode largely just showcases the physical toil it is on her to be back amongst her friends on this planet. Her body got adjusted to the environment of the other planet. After six months, her body doesn't know how to experience this world any more. Her ears are very sensitive while the everyday details of her life seem trivial and life-changing at the same time. Fitz is doing his best to be there for her no matter what she needs. Showing her that her life here has largely gone unchanged doesn't get the reaction that he was hoping for. Instead he decides to wow her with something new. He surprises her with a dinner date where they are the only two people in the restaurant. That moment is very sweet and charming. Fitz was stealthily become the show's best character this season. It's not even close anymore. It's wonderful watching him stand by Simmons - even though her life and journey on this other planet is still shrouded in mystery. This story was the one highlight of this episode.
That then leads to the adventures of Hunter and May trying to infiltrate Hydra by going undercover in a fight club. The show has frequently done hand-to-hand combat very well. And yet, May's fight at this event outshines Hunter's. It's astonishing at how much better it is to watch her than it is to watch him. It's just so hard to care about the personal dilemma he is faced with by killing this opponent in order to join the evil organization. Ward is defining making it compromising in order to become a part of the new phase of evil. Hunter is motivated to do whatever it takes in the hopes of one day getting close enough to Ward to kill him for what he did to Bobbi. But that big romantic connection is largely lost in his actions in this episode. He does this solely because the story needs him to. That is never a good reason to do anything on a show. It hints at something better for the character in the future. But how compromised does he have to become before he realizes that he is just as bad as the man he is hunting?
Some more thoughts:
- "A Wanted (Inhu)man" was written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Garry A. Brown.
- The big tease at the end of the episode is Bobbi discovering that Simmons actually wants to go back to the planet she was trapped on. That's more exciting than anything this episode did. It also leads to a bunch of questions. She shouldn't want to go back because she feels more comfortable there than this world. She needs to go back because she needs to deal with the things that were hunting her there. The mystery of the whole situation is actually really engaging though.
- Coulson decides to team up with Rosalind because he's done fighting amongst organizations that are suppose to be on the same side. They both want the same things. They should learn how to work together. He doesn't trust her. But he can't divide his attention between her and the threat to the various Inhumans.
- Fitz and Bobbi has been an intriguing pairing this season. Their conversation about rehab was important because it showed that the series remembers that Fitz wasn't always the badass he is this season.
- The Daisy-Mack partnership is also really strong. That's something completely new this season and it works immensely well. She needed a different opinion regarding her work with the Inhumans because she is so close to the cause. He provides that. Plus, he is more than qualified as backup in the field. Even though they are defeated in the end, they still get to enjoy some quality time together just as friends playing some video games to let off steam.
- How was Lincoln able to escape Rosalind's men but Daisy and Mack weren't?
- What's going on with the guy who can liquify metals? He was important in the season premiere and hasn't been seen since.
