"The Bridge" was an important episode, as it began to bring several storylines together for what will likely be a big finale in the second half of the season. With that said, the tenth episode's entertainment value wasn't necessarily equivalent with it's mid-season cliffhanger status. I think we can agree that not all AoS writers and directors are created equal. Now for the info:
- At the beginning of the episode, Edison Po is broken out of Havenworth Penitentiary. It seems like a simple missed opportunity not to use one of the multitude of fictional prisons from the Marvel Universe.
- I can't stress this enough: If Po's need to eat in every scene and the seriousness with which he approaches his meals isn't some sort of set up, someone seriously needs to figure out a second way to make a character seem crazy/menacing. I'm just saying.
- There were no direct comic references in The Bridge, but some possible set-ups for down the road. For example...
- We learned that the primary looming villain of the season, the Clairvoyant, "doesn't like to be touched." Possibly a clue about an existing Marvel U character. (It also seems that Edison has his own issues with being touched.)
- Once again, they visited the issue of are there or are there not psychics in this universe. You would have to assume there will be eventually due to the amount of time they spend discussing it, whether the Clairvoyant actually is one or not.
- Pushing a bulldozer across a football field is absolutely superhuman which means it is something that Captain America absolutely can NOT do. (Get ready for the geek...) The super-soldier serum took Cap to the peak of what is possible for a human body; speed, strength, agility, etc., but nothing beyond that. They need to be careful with tidbits like that. Not having any true super abilities is at the core of Steve Rogers' character.
- There was one reference to the Cinematic U that stood out; another mention of Coulson's cello playing love interest that we first heard about in The Avengers. You can count on meeting her at some point in the future.
The Bridge wasn't only a setup for a showdown with Centipede. It was also the first step that will lead to discovering how Coulson was brought back to life. We'll see you back here in January when Agents of SHIELD resumes its season. In the meantime, keep up with all the other junk we do around here.