Agents of SHIELD has a very action packed episode with “The Dirty Half Dozen.” It starts with Raina getting more of her visions, none of which look really good. She wakes up find Jai watching her sleep, which is kinda creepy, really. They argue some about Raina’s powers, and how they will be used. Then Jai and Cal have an argument that turns into more of a discussion. It does appear that Cal is making some progress towards controlling himself. Gordon teleports back with bad news about Lincoln.

On the Bus, SHIELD’s cool super-plane, Coulson and Gonzales debate their philosophies. They talk about powered people, Hydra, and general strategies. There’s a subtle but important thing that happens here which I think speaks volumes about the two men. Talking about the agent that was captured, Coulson calls him Peterson, while Gonzales calls him Deathlok. Coulson, I think, views powered people as, well, people. Gonzales seems to view them as weapons or scientific experiments. When Gonzales goes on another rant about secrets, Coulson hints that Gonzales has one that he’s keeping back on his ship.

Jai and Skye debate going to rescue Lincoln. Skye, being a hero, pushes for a dramatic attempt to free their friend. Jai, being morally questionable on many levels, decides it’s not worth the risk. The more we see of Jai, the more I liked her better when she was dead and a victim of Hydra. Alive, she’s getting increasingly unlikable.

Speaking of the prisoners, Deathlok and Lincoln are being held in adjoining cells. They talk some, cautiously. They’re not exactly on the same side, but they are both in the same boat, which seems about as safe as the Titanic. List and Bakshi discuss the two of them, remaking on the contrast of Deathlok’s tech vs. Lincoln’s innate powers. It’s never good when mad scientists start saying, “I wonder how this works…”

More contrasts come to light as Coulson and Gonzales debate what to do next. Coulson favors a small strike team to save the prisoners. Gonzales seems to be of the “Kill ‘em all and let God sort ‘em out,” mentality. Really, how are people like Morse and Mac following this guy? I’m not entirely sure why Gonzales didn’t end up joining Hydra, with the attitude he displays. Gonzales calls for a vote on what they should do, which seems to be how his SHIELD operates. Coulson is surprised that May gets a vote, which leads to a tense discussion between them. What we end up with, reflecting the episode title, is the original team of Coulson, May, Ward, Skye (via Gordon ‘port), Fitz, and Simmons going in. Suffice to say, no one is really happy with Ward’s presence.

There are a few more friendly scenes as the mission gets underway. Hunter and Mac make their peace over Mac’s attacking and capturing Hunter, I wonder if that’s part of the set up for the rumored spin-off? Morse and Cara (Agent 33) also talk, Morse offering Cara some support. See, Gonzales? You can be effective and not be a dick.

The rescue is a lot of action. Skye has honed her abilities under training from both May and Jai. She’s not only hell on wheels with a gun, she uses her powers in the fight with perfect control. It’s nice to see her cutting loose and getting the job done. Even Ward was impressed, as was I. I was less impressed with Simmons, who seems to have gone to Jai’s charm school. Simmons has been acting weirder and weirder this season, now moving from racist to murderer. I think she needs some time with May’s ex, Dr. Andrew. There are some great action sequences and good one liners along the way for this mission, which is a success.

There are some interesting end scenes. There are several tie-ins with the Avengers: Age of Ultron movie that opens the same week as the episode (in America, anyway). Coulson is working on a project for them, and Raina sees what’s coming. It’s a really nice job of linking to the movies that doesn’t feel forced. I’m hoping next season there’s at least a passing reference to the “Devil of Hell’s Kitchen.” There is a really amusing bit with Maria Hill’s reaction to hearing about Gonzales’ voting on missions procedure.

Gonzales, continuing to be a dick, has some plans for Skye now that she’s back. Morse is not happy about them. Again, I don’t see why she’s aligned with him, and why he’s not in Hyrda. Coulson gives Gonzales Fury’s toolbox, which has been Gonzales’ obsession for a while now. Of course, Coulson also tells him he might not get to keep it for long.

There are a lot of pieces in play as we get close to the season finale. We have Coulson’s team, Gonzales’ faction, the cockroach-like survivors of Hydra, and the Inhumans. None of them get on that well. I don’t know how the parts will fit together, but I suspect the cliffhanger will involve several of them.

What I liked: The action on the prisoner rescue was great. Coulson had a great plan, Skye was a great asset, and the prisoners were saved. Jai is starting to realize she can’t keep her little community in isolation and remain benevolent dictator. And Morse keeps questioning Gonzales, which I think is good.

What I didn’t: Gonzales is dark person who is walking closer and closer to the “evil, but for good reasons,” line. And, at this point, Simmons should be working for him. Ward is an enigma who seems to do whatever the hell sounds interesting at the moment. I’m really having trouble with his motivations, and I wonder if the writers really have a through-line for him.

Overall, a good episode. Both the action and the dialogue were better than they’ve been for a while. I wonder if they were inspired by the Avengers movie to get better. Whatever the reason, I’ll give this one a 4 out of 5.