"Providence" is the eighteenth episode of the
first season of the American television series ''
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, an ...
'', based on the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
organization
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
(Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), revolving around the character of
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they scramble to survive following the destruction of their organisation. It is set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU), sharing continuity with the
films of the franchise. The episode was written by
Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher is an American television writer. He has worked on television series such as ''Lost'' and ''Angel''.
Career
He was a freelance writer for the first season of ''Lost''. Fletcher and the writing staff won the Writers Guild of Amer ...
, and directed by
Milan Cheylov
Milan Cheylov is a Canadian television director/producer. A professional stage actor at 15, Cheylov ran Bootleg Theatre in Toronto for ten years. He acted in theatre, television and film for almost twenty years. He started producing and directin ...
.
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Iron Man'' (2008), '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...
reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...
,
Brett Dalton,
Chloe Bennet,
Iain De Caestecker, and
Elizabeth Henstridge.
"Providence" originally aired on
ABC on April 15, 2014, and according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
, was watched by 5.52 million viewers.
Plot
Grant Ward rescues
Raina from prison and takes her to an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. base in Cuba, now repurposed by
Hydra. He introduces her to
Garrett, who gives her the drug samples he collected from
T.A.H.I.T.I. and instructs her to synthesize GH325. Ward provides Raina with the drive containing the ''Bus'' data, while he and Garrett raid the Fridge, killing the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel stationed there. Garrett reveals that
the Slingshot program, in which weapons are fired into space to keep them out of the wrong hands, is a deception, and all the weaponry is instead stored in a secret vault; they retrieve the
Tesseract
In geometry, a tesseract is the four-dimensional analogue of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of six square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of e ...
weapon found in Peru, the
gravitonium generator and the Berserker staff, and also release numerous prisoners, including
Ian Quinn
'' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, produced by ITV Studios. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. It has been produced by Phil Collinson since 2010. The following is a l ...
.
Meanwhile,
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
's team, including
Antoine Triplett, abandon
the Hub when
Glenn Talbot
Major (later Colonel) Glenn Talbot is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #61 (November 1964).
He is ...
is dispatched to capture the remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. Coulson's badge displays co-ordinates which he believes have been sent by
Nick Fury, and he decides to follow the co-ordinates to the Canadian wilderness. The others are worried about his state of mind, with
Melinda May
Melinda Qiaolian May, also known as The Cavalry, is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeare ...
concerned that Hydra may have used T.A.H.I.T.I. to hijack Coulson's brain, if the agent overseeing the project was a sleeper agent. They search the wilderness and find a secret base, Providence, manned by communications specialist agent
Eric Koenig
Eric Koenig is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #27 (February 1966) and he was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Dick Ayers. He is ...
, who initially tells the team that Fury is dead, but privately informs Coulson of his survival.
Raina informs Ward and Garrett that
Skye's encryption is too sophisticated and she cannot retrieve the data on the drive, so Garrett orders Ward to rejoin Coulson's team at Providence, and manipulate Skye into unlocking the drive. In an end tag, Garrett offers Quinn the gravitonium in exchange for continuing to assist Hydra.
Production
Development and writing
In March 2014, Marvel revealed that the eighteenth episode would be titled "Providence", and would be written by
Brent Fletcher
Brent Fletcher is an American television writer. He has worked on television series such as ''Lost'' and ''Angel''.
Career
He was a freelance writer for the first season of ''Lost''. Fletcher and the writing staff won the Writers Guild of Amer ...
, with
Milan Cheylov
Milan Cheylov is a Canadian television director/producer. A professional stage actor at 15, Cheylov ran Bootleg Theatre in Toronto for ten years. He acted in theatre, television and film for almost twenty years. He started producing and directin ...
directing.
On
Raina learning
John Garrett was "the Clairvoyant", co-producer Shalisha Francis noted her reaction was discussed a lot with the writers, ultimately feeling "she would be really disappointed". Because of her fascination with powered people, learning Garrett simply had access to classified files was "alarming to her".
Eric Koenig
Eric Koenig is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #27 (February 1966) and he was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Dick Ayers. He is ...
was written with
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
in mind to portray him, because Oswalt "knows more about S.H.I.E.L.D. than any of" the writers.
Casting
In March 2014, Marvel revealed that main cast members
Clark Gregg
Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Iron Man'' (2008), '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...
,
Ming-Na Wen
Ming-Na Wen (; born November 20, 1963) is an American actress and model. She voiced Mulan in the animated film '' Mulan'' and its sequel, portrayed Melinda May / The Cavalry in '' Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), and Fennec ...
,
Brett Dalton,
Chloe Bennet,
Iain De Caestecker, and
Elizabeth Henstridge would star as
Phil Coulson
Agent Phillip J. Coulson ( ) is a fictional character portrayed and voiced by Clark Gregg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise. Coulson is depicted as a high-ranking member of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. and longtime partn ...
,
Melinda May
Melinda Qiaolian May, also known as The Cavalry, is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeare ...
,
Grant Ward,
Skye,
Leo Fitz
Leopold James Fitz is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the pilot episode of '' ...
, and
Jemma Simmons
Jemma Anne Simmons is a fictional character that originated in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before appearing in Marvel Comics. The character, created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, first appeared in the 2013 pilot episode ...
, respectively.
It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include
Bill Paxton
William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor and filmmaker. He appeared in films such as '' Weird Science'' (1985), ''Aliens'' (1986), '' Near Dark'' (1987), '' Tombstone'' (1993), ''True Lies'' (1994), '' Apollo 1 ...
as Agent John Garrett,
David Conrad
David Conrad (born August 17, 1967) is an American actor. From 2005 to 2010, he starred in the television series ''Ghost Whisperer'' alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Early life
Conrad is the youngest of three sons born to James Watson Conrad, an ...
as
Ian Quinn
'' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, produced by ITV Studios. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. It has been produced by Phil Collinson since 2010. The following is a l ...
,
Ruth Negga
Ruth Negga ( ; born 7 January 1981) is an Ethiopian-Irish actress known for the AMC television series ''Preacher'' and the film ''Loving''. For her portrayal of Mildred Loving in the latter, Negga received several major nominations from the Ac ...
as Raina,
B. J. Britt as Agent
Antoine Triplett,
Adrian Pasdar as Col.
Glenn Talbot
Major (later Colonel) Glenn Talbot is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #61 (November 1964).
He is ...
, Patton Oswalt as Eric Koenig,
Patrick Brennan as
Marcus Daniels, Rich Paul as Agent #1, Bayardo De Murguia as Agent #2, Jeffrey Muller as Agent Kaminsky, Alysha Del Valle as ABC reporter and Ramon Hilario as barber.
Paul, De Murguia, Muller, Del Valle, and Hilario did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Paxton, Conrad, Negga, and Britt reprise their roles from earlier in the series.
Filming and design
Filming occurred from February 11 to February 20, 2014.
The set for Garret's Cuba hideout was designed to look like "a long-forgotten nightclub or an abandoned speakeasy".
Release
Broadcast
"Providence" was first aired in the United States on ABC on April 15, 2014.
Marketing
For the final six episodes, Marvel began the "
''Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'': The Art of Level Seven" initiative, in which a different image was released each Thursday before a new episode, depicting a first look at a key event from the upcoming episode. Bell stated that the initiative was a way to tie the series back to its comics roots, and was thought of at the beginning of the season. The production team tried to pair specific artists to the teaser posters based on their previous work and how it connected to the themes and emotion of the intended episode.
The poster for "Providence", created by
Paolo Rivera
Paolo Manuel Rivera is an American comic book artist. He is known for illustrating the ''Mythos'' series of one-shots and several issues of Spider-Man as well as his collaboration with writer Mark Waid, his father/inker Joe Rivera and colori ...
, highlights the rise of
Hydra by showing a melded Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. logo, and depicts the team divided by Coulson, Raina, and Ward.
Home media
The episode, along with the rest of ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''s first season, was released on
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on September 9, 2014. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.
On November 20, 2014, the episode became available for streaming on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
.
Reception
Ratings
In the United States the episode received a 2.1/6 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, meaning that it was seen by 2.1 percent of all households, and 6 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. It was watched by 5.52 million viewers.
References
External links
"Providence"at
ABC
*
{{Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 1) episodes
2014 American television episodes
Television episodes set in Canada
Television episodes set in Cuba