Television: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "A Fractured House"

Hydra agents dress as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and attack a U.N. meeting. So, you know, that sucks.

Worse, these Hydra agents have some kind of crazy new weapon. It's like a throwing star that embeds itself in its victim then digs in and turns them to ash. There's something really Buffy about it.

There's also something really Buffy about Hunter and Bobbi's relationship. I don't know why, but it gave me Buffy flashbacks. The fighting while also working together thing, I guess.

With the world turning against S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson sends far-flung agents into hiding in safe houses, even as he has May, Hunter, and Bobbi try and track the technology.

Also, apparently Ward's older brother is a senator. In fact, he's spearheading the anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. sentiment in the aftermath of the U.N. attack. So Coulson pays him a visit while Skye goes to hit up Ward for more information about his brother. What's done pretty well here is the way viewers (and Coulson, and Skye, and S.H.I.E.L.D. in general) have no idea who to believe. Probably neither Ward is trustworthy. In fact, I had to wonder whether they honestly hate each other or are actually in cahoots.

After Coulson's visit, Senator Ward goes before the cameras to announce his brother is a member of Hydra and a traitor to his country, and that S.H.I.E.L.D. is actually just trying to protect people. And [Prisoner] Ward tries again to soften Skye, but thank God she's not stupid enough to fall for it. She milks him and then he's sent to his brother's/the government's custody. Except . . . Of course he slips out of his handcuffs and attacks the men transporting him. Sigh. This again. We'd been doing so well, but I don't find another Ward-on-the-loose plot line very compelling.

Oh, and Whitehall and his mercenaries hit up the safe house in Brussels and there's a big fight or whatever. That happened. May, Hunter, and Bobbi aren't fast enough to save the agents housed there, but they do manage to capture some of the bad guys.

The show has been solid the past few episodes. I'm just hoping the Ward thing doesn't start bogging stuff down. I get really annoyed when shows go through the same scenarios again and again; it's why I gave up on Revolution way back when. So unless they can find a new angle . . .