"0-8-4" is the second episode of the first 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 travel to Peru to investigate an object of unknown origins. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by showrunners Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Jeffrey Bell, and was directed by David Straiton.
Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, starring alongside Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge. The episode is set in Peru, featuring guest star Leonor Varela as a member of the Peruvian military. Filming took place in July 2013 at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, with some location shooting in Peru. Composer Bear McCreary used ethnic instruments to support this setting. Tesseract technology is carried over from the films to tie-in with the conflict, while special guest star Samuel L. Jackson also reprises his film role of Nick Fury in a cameo appearance.
"0-8-4" originally aired on ABC on October 1, 2013, and was watched by 13.17 million viewers within a week. The episode received a mostly positive critical response, with Jackson's appearance considered a highlight by many, but also seen as unearned.
Plot
Beginning immediately after "Pilot", "0-8-4" sees Skye accept Agent Phil Coulson's offer to join his S.H.I.E.L.D. team as a consultant. Though agents Melinda May and Grant Ward oppose this due to her hacktivist background and lack of S.H.I.E.L.D. training, Coulson believes that Skye can be an asset.
The team travels to Peru to investigate a reported 0-8-4 (the S.H.I.E.L.D. designation for "an object of unknown origin"). They find the object within an ancient Incan temple, and agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons determine that it is Hydra made: powered by the Tesseract and extremely volatile. The national military arrives to claim the weapon for the Peruvian government, led by Camilla Reyes, a former colleague of Coulson's. When they are all attacked by local rebels, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and soldiers escape with the weapon to the plane that serves as the agents' mobile base.
En route to a classified S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, tensions among the agents are high due to poor communication during the fight. This concerns Reyes, who decides to double-cross Coulson and secure the 0-8-4 for her government. Together, the agents devise a plan to activate the weapon, blowing a hole in the Bus. The drop in pressure opens the interior doors, allowing the agents to subdue the soldiers. At the facility, Reyes and her men are incarcerated and the 0-8-4 is launched into the sun in a rocket. The team watch the launch together, celebrating their combined efforts, while Ward agrees to supervise Skye's S.H.I.E.L.D. training. Skye secretly confirms her allegiance to the hacktivist group the Rising Tide.
In an end tag, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury scolds Coulson for the damage caused to the plane during the fight, and expresses his doubts over Skye's loyalty.
Production
Development and design
ABC announced in May 2013 that it had ordered a full season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. based on the pilot episode. That September, Marvel Television revealed that the second episode in the series was titled "0-8-4", and had been written by the series' showrunners Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Jeffrey Bell, with David Straiton directing. The 0-8-4 device was created by prop master Scott Bauer to be "stylistic" yet "timeless" and its design was inspired by Art Deco.