The title of this episode — Fzzt — is not a misspelling of Agent Fitz’s name.  Nor is it the latest, greatest energy drink (Drink Fzzt to stay strong!).  Instead it’s the onomatopoeic version of the electrical sound that precedes each death in this week’s S.H.I.E.L.D. adventure (Yeah, you read that right — proper use of a $5 word like “onomatopoeic.”  Beyond the Marquee spares no expense for our readers’ enjoyment).

This episode contains some juicy red herrings and misleads resulting in a solid mystery.  If you haven’t watched it yet, you should do so before reading on.  Otherwise… read on.

Coulson and company investigates several deaths involving electrical anomalies, as well as levitation (they always come in pairs).  The source of the anomalies turns out to be a lethal alien virus found in a Chitauri helmet.  Salvaged from the Battle of New York by firefighters, the helmet transfers the virus via static electricity, an original spin on the outbreak genre that results in the world’s worst case of static shock.

Dead and levitating it.

Agent Simmons is contaminated and feverishly works to create an anti-serum in a matter of hours.  Losing hope of finding a cure, she contemplates suicide in order to save her teammates.  Elsewhere in the plot, Coulson curiously inspects his “resurrection” with medical tests to determine how changed of a man he’s become.  Elsewhere elsewhere, Ward continues his trust issues with Skye after discovering she was working with her Rising Tide ex-boyfriend in the previous episode.

Not to get hung up on continuity in the M.C.U. (that’s Marvel Cinematic Universe for you people with lives), but there’s a moment in this episode where the writers seem to forget the bigger picture.  Early in their inquiry, the team speculates that the electrocuted victims were murdered by someone with powers — electric powers that cause “freak lightning strikes” and “massive electrical storms”.

SKYE: “Could it be someone from your über secret index?”

MAY: “There’s no one on the index with this type of power.”

COULSON: “That we know of.”

Yes, there is.  And Coulson of all people should know since he’s met him —  him being Thor, God of Thunder, as in thunder and lightning.  Yet, no one makes the connection.  They later reference Captain America in a throwaway line, but not the story-significant Odinson and his lightning-controlling hammer.

Caught between a Fitz and a Simmons.

This lack of obviousness wouldn’t be so glaring if not for Agent Coulson having been “killed” by Thor’s brother, which is embodied by a glimpse of Coulson’s scar left behind by Loki’s lance.  And then there’s the commercials playing during the episode for Thor: The Dark World, but I’m not one to get hung up on continuity.

This teleplay packs some raw emotion courtesy of non-exploitive allusions to 9/11.  Once the team figures out that the deaths were caused by a virus rather than a superhuman, they trace the virus’ source – the Chitauri helmet — to a New York firehouse.  The firefighters, nicely foreshadowed by a campfire in the opening teaser, were the first to respond to the destruction produced by the Chitauri/Avengers battle.  The helmet, taken from the chaos, was their reminder to “never forget.”  Much like 9/11 first responders who walked away from Ground Zero with lungs full of cancer-causing ash, the Marvel firemen suffer from their own form of cancer — the electro-static alien virus.

Agent Blake gets another shot after his Marvel One-Shot.

Titus Welliver’s Agent Blake reappears from the Marvel One-Shot Item 47, which revolved around another lost piece of Chitauri tech.  Here Blake reprimands Coulson for his agents’ unorthodox actions.  Blake also reinforces how different Coulson has become since his return from the dead.  This results in Coulson’s conclusion that no matter how long he was dead for, be it “8 seconds” or much longer, he emerged a different person.

There’s a lot of bonding on display in this episode (Bonding, not bondage.  Get your mind outta the gutter).  There’s the touching heart-to-heart between Coulson and an infected firefighter who commiserate over how dangerous their respective jobs are.  Then check out the moment of connection between the Spy Kids (Fitz-Simmons and Skye) thanks to their impersonations of Agent Ward, capped off by Ward’s impersonation of himself.  The best moments, however, come from Fitz-Simmons.

Fitz frets over Simmons’ imminent demise and selflessly exposes himself to the virus in order to help her concoct an antidote.  We learn how co-dependent the duo is and, despite their constant bickering, how much they care for one another.  The pair has never been apart and the possibility of that happening now serves to strengthen their sibling-like attachment.  Hopefully their relationship continues in this direction instead of veering off into less original co-workers-in-love territory.

NEXT UP: The Hub