Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. New Episode Review: 'The Things We Bury' Puts Coulson, Ward, Fitz and Skye Center Stage

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continued its red-hot start to Season 2 with its newest episode, "The Things We Bury." The hour put Coulson, Ward, Fitz and Skye in the spotlight in many ways, and it also had plenty of room for Mockingbird and other supporting players.

Last week's "The Writing on the Wall" finally answered the mystery of the alien carvings Coulson had been doodling for months. The director said his team was now looking for a city, and they needed to get there before Hydra did. This week, we jumped right into that chase, as S.H.I.E.L.D. tried to hack some satellites in order to find the city as quickly as possible.

We've said it numerous times in past recaps, but it bears repeating. This show has learned from its Season 1 mistakes so well that I almost can't believe I'm watching the same show anymore. Everything about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has improved in Season 2. It's fun without being over-the-top. The weekly action is tense, and I find myself caring about what happens to each character rather than assuming that everything is going to be fine. The overarching plots and mysteries are there, but they aren't stretched too far, as answers come quickly and smartly raise more questions. "The Things We Bury" was just another example of this show's improvement in its sophomore season.

Clark Gregg got the chance to play a more unhinged and aggressive Coulson in the last episode, which was a welcome sight. But the character continued to impress this week. Too often, the heroes on shows like this are reactive rather than active. They wait for the bad guys to make a move and then clean up the mess. But Coulson doesn't want to operate that way, and he smartly explained to Skye that what made Nick Fury such a good director was his ability to think like his enemies and anticipate their moves. To paraphrase what he said, he doesn't want to race Hydra to the city. He wants to already be at the finish line when they get there.

We also got the first interaction between Skye's real father and her surrogate father, as the Doctor helped Coulson save Tripp's life only to use him as a bargaining chip. Kyle MacLachlan is killing it in this role. He's found just the right balance to make the Doctor come off as extremely intelligent, slightly deranged, and ready to explode at a moment's notice. I'm looking forward to the moment he finally does meet Skye.

"The Things We Bury" also provided some mostly concrete answers about Daniel Whitehall and how he managed to regain his youth. He dissected a presumably alien woman and concocted a serum to turn back the clock. But as we learned in that post-credits scene, the woman in question was the Doctor's wife, and he's seemingly only helping Whitehall now to exact revenge. The show is weaving multiple plot threads together here, but everything feels cohesive, and I look forward to what comes next.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been on fire since its Season 2 premiere. The cast is well rounded and almost everyone has something to do and a reason to make us care about them. The show is off next week but back the following Tuesday.

Notes:

-       Fitz got the chance to get back into the field this week, and he nailed his assignment. Iain de Caestecker continues to shine in his role this season, and the subtleties he has added to Fitz have been fantastic.

-       Bobbi Morse spent the episode interrogating Bakshi, who tried to commit suicide. The Hydra agent hinted at Mockingbird's darker past, so let's see how that develops.

-       "THAT'S NOT HER NAME!!!!"

-       So Skye is totally one of these alien/mutant people, right? And these alien/mutant people are totally Inhumans, right? Whitehall said something about "blue angels" falling to Earth.

What did you think of "The Things We Bury"? Let us know in the comments section.