Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Hub

"The Hub" is the seventh 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. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division), revolving around the character of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they work with "Big S.H.I.E.L.D." to take out a dangerous new weapon. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Rafe Judkins and Lauren LeFranc, and directed by Bobby Roth. Clark Gregg reprises his role as Coulson from the film series, and is joined by series regulars Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge. Maximiliano Hernández guest stars as Agent Jasper Sitwell, reprising his role from the films, while Saffron Burrows is introduced as high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Victoria Hand. The episode explores the dynamic between Coulson's team and the larger S.H.I.E.L.D. organization (referred to as "Big S.H.I.E.L.D." by the producers); "Big S.H.I.E.L.D." received its own musical theme for the episode, to separate it from the main team. "The Hub" originally aired on ABC on November 12, 2013, and according to Nielsen Media Research, was watched by 10.13 million viewers within a week of its release. The episode received a mostly positive critical response, with the character development and the moral ambiguity of the larger S.H.I.E.L.D. organization praised.