Heavy Is the Head (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
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Episode 2
| "Heavy Is the Head" | |
|---|---|
| Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Jesse Bochco |
| Written by | Paul Zbyszewski |
| Cinematography by | Feliks Parnell |
| Editing by | David Crabtree |
| Original air date | September 30, 2014 |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
"Heavy Is the Head" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they fight Hydra and the U.S. military for a powerful artifact. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Paul Zbyszewski, and directed by Jesse Bochco.
Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by principal cast members Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Nick Blood.
"Heavy Is the Head" originally aired on ABC on September 30, 2014, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 5.05 million viewers. The episode received a mostly positive critical response, with much of the praise going to the development of both old and new characters, and to the brief appearance of guest star Kyle MacLachlan.
Following the events of "Shadows", mercenary Lance Hunter is captured by Brigadier General Glenn Talbot, who offers him $2 million and a proper burial for late S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Isabelle Hartley, in exchange for selling out Director Phil Coulson. Agent Melinda May meanwhile follows Carl Creel, who can absorb the properties of anything he touches, and has absorbed the abilities of the mysterious Obelisk, which causes him to accidentally kill a waitress. After losing May, Creel is confronted by former Hydra associate Raina, who tries to bargain for the Obelisk. When this is unsuccessful, she contacts Coulson, and gives him the location of a meeting between Creel and his Hydra superior.
Hunter returns to the team and reveals his deal with Talbot, but explains that he wishes to work with them to take down Creel, who killed Hartley. Realizing that Coulson would rather take Creel prisoner than kill him, Hunter turns on Agents May, Skye, and Antoine Triplett, and attempts to assassinate Creel. A fight breaks out between Creel and Hunter, ended when Coulson uses a refined version of the Overkill Device, created by Agent Leo Fitz and Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, to turn Creel to stone. During the fight, Raina steals the Obelisk from Hydra, and delivers it to Skye's father, "The Doctor". She discovers that she is able to hold it without dying, and "The Doctor" promises to reveal its secrets once Raina brings Skye to him.
At the Playground, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, Coulson has another "episode", carving symbols also found on the Obelisk into the wall, with May documenting the process. After Hartley's funeral, Hunter agrees to join S.H.I.E.L.D. permanently, though Coulson asks him to follow through with Talbot's deal.
In an end tag, Coulson and Talbot meet, but Talbot refuses to negotiate. Despite this, Coulson remains open to working with the U.S. government and military, and reveals that S.H.I.E.L.D. now has both a quinjet and carrier plane with operational cloaking technology among their arsenal.
Production
Development
In September 2014, Marvel announced that the second episode of the season would be titled "Heavy is the Head", to be written by Paul Zbyszewski, with Jesse Bochco directing.[1]
Casting
In September 2014, Marvel revealed that main cast members Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and Nick Blood would star as Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Skye, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Lance Hunter, respectively.[1] It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include Kyle MacLachlan, B. J. Britt, Ruth Negga, Henry Simmons, Adrian Pasdar, Simon Kassianides, Brian Patrick Wade, Wilmer Calderon, Carolina Espiro, Cutter Garcia, and Danny Pierce. MacLachlan, Espiro, Garcia, and Pierce were introduced in the episode as "The Doctor", waitress, bartender, and soldier, respectively. They all received co-starring credit in the episode, except MacLachlan.[1] Britt, Simmons, Pasdar, Negga, Kassianides, reprise their roles from previous episodes as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents Antoine Triplett and Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, General Glenn Talbot, Raina, and Hydra member Sunil Bakshi, respectively.[1][2][3] Main cast member Brett Dalton, who portrays Grant Ward in the series,[1] does not appear and is not credited in this episode.[4]
Release
Broadcast
"Heavy Is the Head" was first aired in the United States on ABC on September 30, 2014.[5] It was aired alongside the US broadcast in Canada on CTV.[6]
Home media
The episode began streaming on Netflix on June 11, 2015,[7] and was released along with the rest of the second season on September 18, 2015, on Blu-ray and DVD.[8] The episode, along with the rest of the series, was removed from Netflix on February 28, 2022,[9] and later became available on Disney+ on March 16, 2022.[10]
