Coulson makes a calculated decision with potentially deadly consequences on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2, episode 18.
The episode, rather coyly titled “The Frenemy of My Enemy,” will feature the return of Grant Ward when Coulson is driven to desperate measures to find Skye’s whereabouts.
The preview for tonight’s episode focuses more on the May 1 release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, though it certainly does emphasize the rising stakes on the small screen.
Last week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. took a slight break from the cat-and-mouse game between Coulson and Other-S.H.I.E.L.D. to reveal the longstanding mystery of What Happened In Bahrain. The answer, it turned out, was that May was forced to kill an incredibly powerful Inhuman girl in order to save her fellow agents. The event shattered her, destroying her marriage, her career, and her hopes of becoming a mother.
Related: Ming-Na Wen discusses the transformation of Melinda May on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the present day, May was also coping with the fact that Coulson had been amassing secrets like dust bunnies, in pursuit of something called “Theta Protocol.” And at Afterlife, Jaiying revealed her relationship to Skye and cautioned her to keep it a secret, while Lincoln realized that Raina appears to have the Gift of precognition.
Two sneak peeks from “The Frenemy of My Enemy” kick off with Fitz having a day in the field, and Grant Ward finding that Coulson has a… let’s call it a favor to ask.
The still photos from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2, episode 18 also showcase Mike Peterson’s impressive presence, and suggest that Ward will probably be as smarmy as ever.
The Art of Evolution entry for “The Frenemy of My Enemy” is by artist Nathan Fox, and suggests that Coulson’s new deal may be going south rather quickly.
In other important news, the synopsis for the two-hour, insane-sounding Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season finale has been released, and it’s giving us serious goosebumps. And next door in Marvel-land, it looks like Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter may be riding off into the sunset on an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2, episode 18, “The Frenemy of My Enemy,” airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.