Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. New Episode Recap: '...Ye Who Enter Here' Sets Up Season 2 Midseason Finale

Season 2 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. rolled along on Tuesday night with another new episode entitled "...Ye Who Enter Here." Coulson and his team finally reached the mysterious alien city, but the situation quickly turned dire, and now we are set for the midseason finale next week.

Coulson said several weeks ago that he did not want to chase Hydra anymore; he wanted to be ten steps ahead of them and be at the finish line when Hydra got there. And for much of this episode, he accomplished that goal. He and his team reached part of the alien city, which was located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hydra still had no idea where the city was, though they did have the key to enter it.

On a separate mission, Skye and her team picked up Raina, who told Skye more about what she is and about her father. She also made it clear that without the Diviner, the alien object in Hydra's possession, the "unworthy" ones who tried to enter the city would pay the price. Skye tried to get Coulson and his crew out of there, but to no avail.

Mack went down into the temple, touched a symbol on the floor, and turned into a super-strong, raging monster. Mockingbird fought him off, but he fell through that 100-foot hole and crashed to the ground. Coulson ordered his team to seal the tunnel and remarked, "That wasn't Mack."

We didn't get to see much of the alien city in this episode, but we got enough to keep us hooked for the midseason finale next week. The alien symbols were carved all over the ground, and contact with them apparently has disastrous consequences. The temple was also shrouded in almost complete darkness, so it was tough to tell if it's still inhabited or not.

Back on the S.H.I.E.L.D. ship, Hydra found Raina and Ward boarded the plane to pick her up. She happily obliged because she wants to unlock the mysteries of the Diviner and the city, but Ward also insisted Skye come along to meet her father. She resisted at first but eventually relented. This is a meeting that has been building up for the better part of the series, so it should be fascinating next week to watch Skye, so full of anger and hatred toward her father, finally meet the man who has committed atrocities to get back to his daughter.

"...Ye Who Enter Here" was mostly setup, but the plot still moved forward enough and the action scenes kept things moving. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has started Season 2 with great momentum, and next week should close out 2014 with a bang.

Notes:

- Fitz and Simmons have become so uncomfortable and awkward around each other, and it's sad to watch. Iain de Caestecker has done some fantastic work as Fitz this season, particularly the way he plays up Fitz's mental damage whenever Simmons is around and then relaxes when he's talking to Mack or someone else. It seems pretty clear that Simmons doesn't have romantic feelings for him, but these two need to have a long talk.

- What's this other, mysterious thing that Mack and Bobbi were talking about on the plane?

- Does nobody notice Agent 33 is a woman with a huge chunk of her face missing?

- The tag at the end of the episode showed Daniel Whitehall ordering his Hydra agents to shoot down the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane, something Ward failed to do. Big problem, little problem, or no problem?

What did you think of "...Ye Who Enter Here"? Let us know in the comments section.