As regular viewers are well aware, Agents of SHIELD has a found a new lease on life in Season 2. Judging by the reactions of at least a couple critics who have already seen the midseason finale, the show will also finally have a major impact on the MCU at large.
io9's Charlie Jane Anders put it simply:
This fall's episodes of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD have been pretty crazy with the twists and the reveals, but tomorrow night's episode — the last until the spring — blows the lid off everything. But more than that, there are a few moments in the episode that will make your jaw drop, and become become instant GIF classics. (One moment in particular made me jump out of my chair and go "YES.")
Over at Forbes, the reaction from Merrill Barr was similar:
The mid-season finale of Marvel’s grand television experiment also does something it has yet to, play in specific worlds before the films do. Of course it’s impossible to dive to heavily into what that means without venturing into major spoiler territory, but what can be said is where the episode goes in its final act is to a place few ever expected the series would dare. For the first time, it truly feels as if S.H.I.E.L.D.’s acting from a proactive position rather than the reactionary one we saw during all of its freshman season. Come the appearance of the final emblem in 2014 before the “post-credit scene,” audiences will be left uneasy and unsure of how to think in the best of ways.
While both reviewers seem hesitent to reveal any spoilers (It's Inhumans, right? It has to be Inhumans), we'll all find out soon enough! Let the speculation begin in the comments below!
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD airs tomorrow night, December 9, at 9 PM Eastern on ABC.