Bobbi Morse, played by Adrianne Palicki, was already an agent of SHIELD before the organization’s dismantling when HYDRA takes over, killing lots of SHIELD agents. Bobbi goes undercover in HYDRA and joins Coulson’s team afterwards, although what we learn later, she also infiltrates Coulson’s team because apparently there is another SHIELD, she calls “the REAL SHIELD”. Bobbi was married to Lance Hunter, a former SAS operative (Special Air Service).

Lance Hunter, played by Nick Blood, as said married with Bobbi, he still has feelings for her, he served among a group of mercenaries working for Izzy Hartley, employed by Director Phil Coulson of the newly reformed S.H.I.E.L.D., later on, he joins the newly reformed S.H.I.E.L.D. as well. He does not know of Bobbi’s secret, namely that she has infiltrated Coulson’s team on behalf the so called “REAL SHIELD”.

Mack (Alphonso Mackenzie), played by Henry Simmons, like Bobbi, he also joins Coulson’s team, but secretly working for “REAL SHIELD”, besides keeping this a secret, he is very direct, will always tells what he thinks, what he feels. At point he also tells Coulson he doesn’t trust him and that he is the reason why Mack leaves SHIELD, which ultimately he does not do.

Lincoln Campbell, played by Luke Mitchell, also joins SHIELD after the brief but intense war with the Inhumans of which he was a part of. Like Skye, he has special powers. He and Skye are close.

Cal (Calvin Zabo) (legally changed from Calvin L. Johnson), played by Kyle MacLachlan, is Skye’s father, he has gone mad a bit, giving his history it isn’t that surprising. He hates Coulson, mostly because Coulson is closer to his daughter than he his. He also hates Daniel Whitehall because Whitehall experimented on his wife Jiaying and he wasn’t able to save her and his daughter, who’s real name is not Skye but Daisy. But he hates it when Coulson calls her Daisy.

Jiaying, played by Dichen Lachman, as said, Skye’s mum, she is also the leader of the Inhumans, she still has the scars from what Whitehall did to her. She still looks young, she does not ages, during the season we learn what she has to do to stay way, take the lifeforce of humans. Jiaying doesn’t want to have peace with SHIELD, she doesn’t trust them. At some point she even is ready to kill her own daughter when it is clear Skye is against her.

Raina, played by Ruth Negga, not much is known about Raina's early life, other than she was raised by her grandmother on tales of the Kree. "blue angels who fell from the sky", and grew up believing she would one day become "something divine". Eventually, she wound up with a group of con artists in Shanghai, who were picked up by Cal. Raina remained loyal to Cal for several years before later departing his side. Like Skye, Raina also becomes Inhuman, but when it becomes clear she sees the future, thus also what Jiaying is planning, therefore Jiaying kills her, and her daughter as a witness.

Robert Gonzales, played by Edward James Olmos, is the director of “REAL SHIELD”. He doesn’t trust Coulson and therefore sends Mack and Bobbi undercover into Coulson’s organization. When Coulson and He are finally eye to eye, he volunteers to talk with Jiaying to try make peace with her and the Inhumans. Jiaying however has other plans, he kills him, pretends he shot her and makes it look like SHIELD has attacked her and the Inhumans.

Other (recurring) characters: Kara Lynn Palamas (Maya Stojan) aka Agent 33, who gets close with Ward. Gorden (Jamie Harris), works for Jiaying, he is able to teleport. Agent Weaver (Christine Adams), she is Robert Gonzales’ second in command, and Kirk Acevedo as agent Calderon, also from REAL SHIELD.

Breakdown of the season:

I believe season two consists of 3 themes: (Dismantling of) HYDRA; Inhumans and two organizations who call themselves S.H.I.E.L.D., the HYDRA storyline is approximately the first half of the season, while the other two themes take up the second half of the season.

HYDRA (episodes 01-11)

In the first half of the season of the season we see Fitz not being the same after his ordeal on the bottom of the ocean with Simmons. He tells her he loves her when he believes they were going to die. Coulson is drawing like Garreth was in the first season, it all leads to a city of some sorts. Ward is a prisoner of Coulson, but he escapes and goes after his own brother, who is a senator. Ward always blamed his older brother of killing his younger brother is that how it went!?

Jemma is going undercover at HYDRA, she is not the only SHIELD operative who does this but Jemma doesn’t know this. Fitz is dealing with mental issues, not being able to process his thoughts into words. While Coulson's team tries to find the entrance to the mysterious alien city, the rest of the agents try to rescue Raina when they find out that Hydra is after her. Whitehall doesn’t want her dead because she can hold the obelisk without dying. He sends Ward to pick her and Skye up. He leaves the rest unarmed which is against Whitehall orders. Team Coulson may have found an entrance, but Mack turns into something dangerous when he gets infected somehow. Ward takes Skye to her father, he is searching for his daughter for a long time now, he is not working an all thrusters anymore, as Leonard McCoy would say, having to endure unspeakable things in the past with his wife and losing his daughter. He knows who did this to his wife, Whitehall, the head of HYDRA, but when Coulson kills Whitehall before Cal, Skye’s father, gets the chance, he gets even more crazy, he already dislikes Coulson because of Coulson’s relationship with his daughter. Raina goes to the underground place with the obelisk, Skye goes after her and they and trip get stuck behind closing walls. The obelisk does its thing, it kills Trip and does something to Skye and Raina, it changes them. Somewhere else we see another obelisk lighting up and a men with no eyes telling to a woman on the other side of the phone, that a new one has awoken. Team is mourning for the death of Trip, Skye feels she has changed but is afraid to say, Fitz finds out but hides it from the team. SHIELD uses Bakshi to take out high level HYDRA people. Bobbi and Mack are investigating Coulson’s toolbox without him knowing. Raina is being picked up by the man with no eyes.

Note – I absolutely loved these Jemma undercover episodes and also what Fitz was dealing with, thought this was very well done. As said, the whole season was phenomenal in my humble opinion. Grant Ward has also become a very interesting, though disturbed character. I thought his journey this season was also very interesting, I really didn’t like what he was doing, but I liked him as a villain, someone who believes is doing the right thing, this is always interesting, think Londo Mollari, Babylon 5.

Inhumans theme and the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. theme (episodes 12-22)

In the second part of the season, the Inhumans storyline gradually is being unfolded but besides that also the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline. We see how Skye is afraid of her own powers, trying to control them at first but is unable to. Bobbi and Mack having a secret that might bring down Coulson and his team, even Hunter doesn’t know about it. Things still are not well between Fitz and Simmons. Cal is still holding a grudge against Coulson, when Hunter gets to close to Bobbi and Mack’s secret, Mack forcibly takes Hunter to the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D., they want to take out Coulson, their leader Gonzales doesn’t trust Coulson anymore after resurrection with alien tech. Coulson hides Skye, the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. takes the offensive, Coulson’s team is overrun. Skye gets a visit from Gordon, he offers her another option, she eventually takes it when her power emerges when the “real” SHIELD is trying to get her forcibly. Note – What Coulson rightfully says to Gonzales: why not come and talk to me first, instead of sneaking around, infiltrating agents into his organization.

Skye is brought to a place where Inhumans live, where her mother is the leader, although she does not know at first. Raina is there also. Gordon captures Cal and Fitz and Simmons pretend to be on opposite sides to get out the little black box Coulson got from Fury. We finally get to know why Melinda is being called “The Cavalry” in a magnificent episode, meanwhile Jemma and Melinda do find some troubling things about what Coulson has been doing the last year and Fitz contacts Coulson and Hunter about the black box. A dangerous new alliance if formed between Coulson, Hunter and Ward! Ward of course with his own agenda, goal, to give Kara the closure he thinks she needs. Skye and Lincoln find themselves drawn into this SHIELD conflict. Skye’s mother wants Cal gone, Skye wants to soften the blow and go with him. Jemma and May are at odds when Jemma tells her about the black box in confidence and May tells this to Bobbi. Gonzales and Coulson find a way to work together, Gonzales only agreed to join because he wanted people with special powers on his base and Skye is the icing on the cake. Jemma tries to kill Ward, fails, but he doesn’t return the favor. Coulson proposes one SHIELD, also proposes to make peace with the Inhumans. Gonzales takes the lead in this, because he feels Coulson is too close to it. As a gift, Jiaying gives Cal to SHIELD, but is a trap.

The meeting with Skye’s mother Jiaying does not go well, because Jiaying doesn’t want peace, she kills Gonzales and makes it look like he shot her, result is war between SHIELD and the Inhumans. Inhumans kill a lot of SHIELD agents, it also becomes clear that Jiaying has become very bitter and she keeps young through taking the lifeforce of humans. Cal has come with SHIELD for the purpose of killing as many SHIELD agents as he possibly can, Coulson however makes him see what Jiaying is doing, what an effect this has on his daughter. Mack did resign but when he learns what is happening, Inhumans killing off SHIELD agents he decides to stay and fight. Jiaying kills Raina, because she could see the future and thus what Jiaying was planning. When Skye tries to stop her mother, Jiaying is even okay with killing her own daughter, but Cal, who now helps Coulson, prevents Jiaying from killing Skye and kills Jiaying himself. At the same time Ward and Kara have set a trap for Hunter to be killed while trying to save Bobbi. Kara holds her responsible for being captured by HYDRA. To lure Hunter into a trap, Kara changes into May’s face, but unknown to Ward, who thinks is killing May, while it is Kara he kills. In the final moments after Fitz finally asks Simmons for a dinner date, Simmons gets taken by the Kree weapon in the cargo hold, suddenly she vanishes.

Final Word:

Season two has just been amazing to be honest, it is just one big rollercoaster ride which stop at the last moment of the final episode S.O.S. Part Two. It boggles my mind that it never won the timeslot against NCIS which was already in its 10^th season, it is just amazing how people keep watching the same thing for 10+ seasons and still prefer it to a new fresh show. But that’s probably just me. It is my opinion that shows that run that long must lack a certain creativity, what I mean to say, it is all the same all the time. This is fine for 5 or 6 seasons but beyond that it’s just not interesting anymore. At some point I stopped watching shows like NCIS, Supernatural, Criminal minds, The Blacklist because I didn’t find it entertaining anymore. I am still watching The Rookie but I don’t think I will watch it very much longer, it is clearly not as good as in the beginning. I feel that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is massively underappreciated, people who only watched the first couple of episodes, have no longer any patience to let it grow and quit after two or three episodes. Well I for one an very glad I stuck with it.

Screencaps taken from IMdB.