And, we're back! After a long hiatus, (seriously, this show hasn't been on since early December), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally returns for the second half of its third season. I have high hopes for the rest of season three. The show burned through plot, like crazy, during the first half, and it will be interesting to see how and if the writers can keep it up. It would be nice to see AoS maintain some consistent momentum throughout an entire season, something it's failed to do in its brief two and a half years of existence, but I like what I saw from the midseason premiere, and am willing to give Coulson and his crew the benefit of the doubt.

“Bouncing Back” picks up shortly after the events of the midseason finale. Coulson pays a visit to Rosalind’s house, a bloodstain still visible on the rug where she died. He’s met by William Sadler’s President Ellis, (a nice nod to Iron Man 3 and the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe) and the two agree that S.H.I.E.L.D. will continue working in the shadows to find and help newly transformed Inhumans, while the ATCU acts as the public face of the operation. Coulson spends the rest of the episode seeking out Gideon Malick, complete with a patented Phil Coulson "let the bad guy know you're coming for him" phone call. The episode briefly revisits Coulson coming to grips with the cold and brutal way in which he murdered Ward, but the narrative doesn’t dwell on this for too long, which is nice.

By far, the highlight of the episode is the ground team's (Skye, Mac, Bobbi, Hunter, and Joey) investigation of an Inhuman appearance in Colombia. This new Inhuman has a really fun power that can be challenging to pull off without coming across as too cheesy or overpowered. However, the use of special effects in its portrayal is very good, and the "scientific" explanation behind the power is amusingly satisfying as well. AoS is really rounding into form with how it handles its super powered action sequences, a somewhat recent development that it’s only had to deal with since the last third of season two. And, while I’m sure most fans were itching for the midseason premiere to jump right into Secret Warriors, "Bouncing Back" gives us a nice taste of what's to come.

The episode shares a nugget of screen time for the artist formerly known as Grant Ward. Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the writers' decision to resurrect Ward with the Hydra Inhuman (Hive). I felt like Ward's arc needed to come to a close because it was pretty clear that he was way too far from redemption, and had too much baggage to be relatable to viewers in any meaningful way. He went from being the hero to the betrayer, from the man acting out of love (for Skye) to the man losing his love (in Agent 33). That's a lot of beats for one character to hit in the span of two and a half seasons.

In a lot of ways, I thought Ward’s “death” was handled quite well. As a character defined not only by his betrayal and sociopathic tendencies, but also by his intense and unwavering devotion to his loved ones, the fact that he spent his last moments on a distant alien planet, alone, struck me as poetic. I also thought it would’ve been rather brave for the show to write off one of its original cast members in such a quick and ignominious fashion. At the time, it gave me the kind of haunting feeling you get when you watch Ned Stark die nine episodes into Game of Thrones. He was such an important character, and then all of a sudden, he wasn’t.

And yes, technically Ward is dead, but his death feels a bit cheapened when his body is up and about in this episode- catching up on some CNN, consuming large quantities of meat. Obviously, the narrative impact hits when Hive Ward comes face to face with the gang. They'll be shocked he's still alive, they'll vow to finally destroy him once and for all, blah blah blah. The problem is that we've seen this play out before. We know what it's like for Ward to be the bad guy.

It could have been a lot more interesting to see Hive introduced through a typically good character, say, if Fitz didn't realize Will was dead, and Hive Will ended up coming through the portal back to Earth. There's a very good chance that I end up wrong, and Hive Ward turns out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. But, there's an opportunity cost that comes with continuing the use of a character versus bringing in a new one, and I prefer the originality and potential that comes with something new over a known commodity.

And of course, what would an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. be without another addition to the "will they, won’t they" saga of Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz. We get one scene dedicated to these two star-crossed lovers, and while they don't officially end up together, they're also not...not together? Sigh. I’ll admit, I’ve been shipping at the altar of FitzSimmons ever since season one. But even for me, this constant back and forth is nearing Jim and Pam levels of "just get together already!"

It’s pretty clear that the writers will continue to stretch this out, though I don't necessarily think it's a bad storyline. The characters are still enjoyable, both together and apart, and I found the not-so-long ago Fitz-Simmons-Will love triangle genuinely compelling, introduced and executed all in one episode, with only two of the three characters ever actually present. But, it really felt like the conclusion of the “Rescue Will” arc should have been the logical end to all the "will they, won't they." At that point, the characters had been through so much together that it should've either brought them together or torn them apart. But, to have neither just seems really disappointing to me.

It's a shame that two of the show's most promising characters have been anchored by this one storyline for so long. Yes, we've seen a lot of growth in Fitz since season one, but it feels a bit wasted when we only get to see that growth in ways that relate back to Simmons, rather than to any of the show's wider narratives.

Overall, I enjoyed "Bouncing Back," and thought it worked well as a lead-in to the stories we'll encounter throughout the rest of the season. Not every midseason premiere needs to be as explosive as say, The Walking Dead's, and I was satisfied with the small bows this episode quickly tied on some of the midseason finale's loose ends, while also giving us just enough new information to thoughtfully chew on until next Tuesday.