Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Yes Men is the 15th episode of the season and has the team facing off against an Asgardian threat unlike ever before and one that they can’t take on alone. This episode opens up with Lorelei, the Asgardian with the ability to manipulate and bend men to her will, arriving at a gas station with the newlywed man she took control of last episode. He steps out the car to grab something from inside and while he’s in there she gets approached by another guy on a motorcycle who begins to question her. He’s already under her influence and says that he can provide her with the safe passage that she needs, and when she confirms that he’s the leader of the other motorcyclists she disposes of the newlywed with her Asgardian strength. Meanwhile Skye is still recovering in bed from being shot despite the drug she was treated with having an unbelievable impact on her recovery. Coulson is the only one that knows the origin of the drug she was treated with and he’s been trying to locate Nick Fury to get some answers with no luck. But his search would have to take a backseat for a while as his team would be alerted to an arriving Asgardian presence and would have to go to meet the visitor. But it’s great news as the visitor is none other than Lady Sif sent to retrieve Lorelei.

I’m a huge Thor fan so I’ve been looking forward to this episode with Lady Sif for weeks and I was excited it was finally airing. However the timing of this episode was also great considering the revelation last episode that S.H.I.E.L.D. was in possession of an alien carcass and that was the source behind Coulson being brought back to life. So having the wonderful Lady Sif in this episode was more than just a token appearance as she would also serve as a connector to not only other alien races but to the greater Marvel Universe from the questions Coulson would ask her but I’ll get back to that.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the fact that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is not only embracing the greater Marvel Universe but is actually introducing elements from the Marvel Universe first. And this is not only bold as it opens the door to meaningful episodes but rewarding to fans of this show who invest time in it. So before Lady Sif was even introduced Skye and Ward were talking about Deathlok and how he is currently viewed because he did nothing to protect Skye. And Deathlok’s story thread is one I’m definitely interested in. And so this made it even more enjoyable to see Sif’s reaction to seeing Coulson alive since Thor believed he was dead and she promised Coulson to let him tell Thor first. So apparently none of the Avengers know that Coulson is alive again, which is a very interesting development. And Coulson would have the opportunity to ask Lady Sif about blue aliens to gain some insight into his own investigation and she would mention many including the Kree.

But I don’t want to get away from the events in this episode, and so Lorelei’s powers were due to her voice and her touch, and the only way to neutralize them was by using an Asgardian collar that could prevent her from speaking. And she was able to escape from prison in Asgard due to the invasion of the Dark Elves in the last Thor movie. There was also some personal history between Lady Sif and Lorelei and that raised the stakes as Sif would have to put aside her personal feelings of revenge and bring her back alive. A parallel was drawn between Sif and Coulson in this regard and it was effective this episode. There was also some really good action, as would be expected, as Lorelei would gain control over more men in her quest to create an army to rule the planet. And I’m not sure if it’s to put an upbeat spin to things but for some reason the music during the action and initial shoot out felt off to me because it felt campy when they were supposed to be in a serious situation. And when Lorelei would bring Agent Ward under her control things would be turned up a notch and she could detect the fact he used a berserker staff before.

Even though Lorelei’s powers were impressive and truly a big threat, this still took a backseat to me because of how effective this episode was in using her powers to put the characters in situations where it would move the character development forward tremendously. That combined with all the possibilities introduced with Lady Sif and all she shared made the temporary threat seem smaller in comparison.

So there were very interesting moments between May and Lady Sif, an interesting dynamic between May and Ward and how this affected their relationship, and there was even a very tense moment between Coulson and Simmons. Coulson can’t explain to Simmons why he’s adamantly against Skye’s blood work being sent to S.H.I.E.L.D. until he speaks to Director Fury and his answer isn’t acceptable to her. I don’t know what’s in store but this episode makes it clear that these different exchanges will play a big factor going forward and I’m avoiding all spoilers. Of course there was a face-off between Lorelei and Sif after a few twists, and let’s just say it wouldn’t have been wise for any human to try to break up this fight. There is an even bigger moment with Coulson, Skye, and May and it blew my mind as this could truly impact the team going forward in every conceivable way and make for some very interesting storyline(s) going forward.

SUMMARY

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Yes Men is one of my favorite episodes in this series because it had Lady Sif in it and also because of the vital story and character developments that will have ramifications for the rest of this season. This episode also confirms that this series will indeed have breaking developments first, and as a result can have bold story lines that give it an identity and a true place in the greater Marvel universe. As for a standalone episode it’s enjoyable and has some entertaining action, although the tension in some of the sequences was lessened due to the accompanying music. But with the agreement made at the end of this episode it’s going to be hard waiting for the next one as the plot has gotten so much deeper. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is becoming a show that can’t be missed not just for fans of it but fans interested in the developments in the greater Marvel Universe.