Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 3 episode 18 review: The Singularity

This review contains spoilers.

3.18 The Singularity

Ever since its pilot episode, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has teased the possibility of Fitz and Simmons getting together. The pair has gone through brain damage and separation since then, and now the showrunners are finally giving them a shot at togetherness. This week we saw them pretty much go on a date, albeit one where they’re actually on the job the entire time. 

This whole plot strand was handled very well, from the cute ‘broken comms’ scene to the big moment at the end of the episode. Romance isn’t something that comic book TV shows always do well, but after three years of build up this felt like a satisfying payoff. Fitz’s event horizon comparison was a particularly strong concept delivered well.

Of course, another much-shipped season one couple made a comeback this week – SkyeWard. Or should we call them DaisHive now? Or Hivey? Who knows…

Either way, it was interesting to see Dalton and Bennet’s characters reunited after quite a long stint apart. A lot has changed, and this meant that Hive’s stored information was actually quite out of date. He didn’t know to call her Daisy (honestly, who would make that mistake?), for instance, and the subsequent correction threw him onto the back-foot a bit. He doesn’t slip up very often, so that was good to see. 

It was also fun to learn what Hive’s plan is now that Malick is out of the picture. He’s assembling quite a gaggle of Inhumans, which promises to bring plenty of drama to the final run of season three episodes. I just hope that Hive’s evil team isn’t disassembled quite as easily as Daisy’s dad’s one was last year. 

Axle Whitehead’s James – AKA Hellfire, a character ripped straight from the comics – is a particularly welcome addition to the series. His growly personality is very far removed from the rest of the show’s current roster, which is throwing up plenty of laughs already. (His name-choosing scenes, although reminiscent of The Flash, had me chortling.)

John Hannah’s Holden Radcliffe is another intriguing addition to the show. Although I’m not quite sure how Hive managed to find him at the exact same time as the Agents (did I miss something here? Was he tracking FitzSimmons?), I’m intrigued to see what this new partnership will lead to. And Mr Hannah is always excellent, so having him in the MCU is rather exciting. 

So, although the plot didn’t exactly leap forward this week (it was more of a rearranging-the-pieces-on-the-chessboard-in-time-for-the-finale jobbie), there was plenty to enjoy. Two couples were reunited which provided lots of fans service, and messieurs Whitehead and Hannah brought interesting new elements to cast. 

One thing I didn’t particularly enjoy was HYDRA being wiped out off-screen. This felt like a Marvel Studios mandate rather than a creative decision. Maybe Feige and co. just wanted HYDRA’s standing to be clear before Civil War came out?

But let’s finish on something I did like: this week’s action. We saw so many Inhuman powers (including Hellfire’s eye-catching skillset), and also the Quinjet taking off sideways. It’s good that, after the best part of three season, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. is still finding ways to surprise us.

Read Rob’s review of the previous episode, The Team, here.