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Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez is forced to sign the Sokovia Accords by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) because she is an Inhuman. This creates a conflict with a personal mission she is looking to complete.
Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez: A Colombian Inhuman who can move at super speed for a beat of her heart, before returning to the point she started moving from. She is an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. Cordova-Buckley said the series explores how Rodriguez feels about her abilities and "with whom to use them and with whom to team up or not." She added, "We see Yo-Yo begin that conflict of whether she wants to belong to S.H.I.E.L.D. or not. I think at some point we've seen all the characters have doubts about the bureaucracy and the power struggle of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I think Yo-Yo's the one that the struggle is the most evident." Marvel Entertainment COO Joe Quesada described the series as an adventure that defines Rodriguez "and how she goes about doing her business as an Inhuman." The spin-off was the first time Cordova-Buckley led a series, which helped her learn to build a character.
Jason O'Mara as Jeffrey Mace: The new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an Inhuman with super-strength and durability.
Elena Rodriguez and Daisy Johnson discuss a secret mission they shared while Johnson went rogue from S.H.I.E.L.D. Now that Johnson has returned, Rodriguez wants to make sure their stories are consistent to throw off Director Jeffrey Mace. On that mission, Rodriguez met with Phil Coulson after he stepped down as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Rodriguez was contemplating signing the Sokovia Accords while also hoping to seek out Victor Ramon, the man responsible for her cousin's death.
2
"John Hancock"
Feliks Parnell
James C. Oliver & Sharla Oliver
December 13, 2016 (2016-12-13)
Director Mace sets a meeting with Rodriguez to have her sign the Sokovia Accords. As she does, he tells her that under the agreement of the Sokovia Accords, she has to follow a certain procedure before going after Ramon. Unsatisfied, Rodriguez steals Mace's S.H.I.E.L.D. access card to help her get more information on Ramon.
3
"Progress"
Keith Potter
George Kitson
December 13, 2016 (2016-12-13)
Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons examine Rodriguez, and she secretly learns Ramon is in Baltimore, Maryland. She runs into Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, who is on a mission with Coulson to track down Johnson. As Coulson and Mack's Quinjet takes off, Melinda May informs Rodriguez that Mace's credentials are missing. Rodriguez realizes that May knows she took them.
4
"Reunion"
Chris Cheramie
Iden Baghdadchi
December 13, 2016 (2016-12-13)
Rodriguez reluctantly returns Mace's access card to May, who advises Rodriguez to be mindful of her "sloppy" work. May grants Rodriguez access to another Quinjet headed to Baltimore. Rodriguez finds Ramon and botches his plans to leave the city. She reminds him that he is responsible for her cousin's murder, but one of his henchmen knocks her out.
5
"Deal Breaker"
John P. Gordon
Iden Baghdadchi & Mark Leitner
December 13, 2016 (2016-12-13)
Held captive by Ramon, Rodriguez realizes that he is attempting to sell a weapon to members of the terrorist organization called the Watchdogs. Rodriguez is rescued by Johnson, who had come for the weapon, and holds off the Watchdogs attacks for Rodriguez to go after Ramon, who had tried to escape.
6
"Justicia"
Mark Kolpack
Mark Leitner
December 13, 2016 (2016-12-13)
Rodriguez chooses not to kill Ramon, who is inadvertently vaporized by the weapon as S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives, ending the mission. In the present, Rodriguez and Johnson agree on their story, and Johnson erases any trace in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system that Rodriguez was in Baltimore.
Production
Development
Natalia Cordova-Buckley revealed on December 5, 2016, that a surprise teaser would air the next day following "The Laws of Inferno Dynamics", the mid-season finale of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fourth season. The teaser revealed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot, a 6-part digital series following Cordova-Buckley's S.H.I.E.L.D. character Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez. Produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television, each episode of the series is 3–6 minutes long. Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, Jeffrey Bell, Jeph Loeb and Geoffrey Colo are executive producers on the series, with Colo described as the "mastermind behind" Slingshot. Colo said ABC and Marvel had been "looking for a while to do a digital series connected to Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The trick was finding something that fit snugly into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s timeline and the greater MCU".
Yancey Arias recurs as arms dealer Victor Ramon, reprising his role from the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode "Bouncing Back". Also reprising their roles from S.H.I.E.L.D. are Alexander Wraith and Deren Tadlock as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Anderson and Cecilio, and Dale Pavinski as the "Alpha Dog" of the Watchdogs.
Filming and visual effects
One of Joe Quesada's storyboards for "Vendetta", highlighting his comic book-like approach to planning the episode's filming
Marvel ComicsCCOJoe Quesada, who made his directorial debut with the first episode, created detailed storyboards of the episode like he would with a comic, stating, "The same rules of storytelling, whether its film or television, apply directly to comic books when you do it right." Much of the same crew that works on the main S.H.I.E.L.D. series also worked on Slingshot, including visual effects supervisor Mark Kolpack who returned to supervise the effects for Slingshot. Kolpack also directed the final episode of the spin-off.
Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins
The majority of the digital series takes place shortly before the events of the fourth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which Quesada said would allow the series to tell the story "that is in between the cracks" and explore "missing time" since the end of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.season three. Cordova-Buckley added that Slingshot would help viewers "understand the reasoning for many of the decisions that characters make in Season 4," gaining "more of an overall answer of the 'why's'." Such insights include "the struggle between Yo-Yo and Mack, ... the closeness between Daisy and Yo-Yo, ... the relationship between Yo-Yo and S.H.I.E.L.D." from her interactions with Mace and Coulson. In addition, Peggy Carter, Secretary Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, and his prison The Raft are referenced.
Release
All six episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot debuted on ABC.com on December 13, 2016. The episodes were also available on ABC's mobile app, Marvel.com, and ABC and Marvel's YouTube channels.
Reception
Critical response
Christina Roberts of Culturess felt Slingshot was "a cool premise" that built off established Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters and expanded on those less used. Roberts also felt Slingshot could have worked as a standalone episode of the main series since those episodes are "always a nice breath of fresh air", and was curious if Slingshot would be referenced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "even if it's just a wink and a nod between Daisy and Elena." Geek Exchange's Georgia Ringelberg called Slingshot "unnecessary because the plot doesn't add anything to the larger series". Despite this, it was "a fun, quick watch that's perfect for getting through the mid-season break". Additionally, Ringelberg felt the use of Rodriguez in the series gave the character "some well-deserved attention" and would lead "to more screen time" including "maybe even preparing viewers for the Inhumans series... If they transition her to Inhumans or give her time on both shows, she could be strategically utilized instead of mostly forgotten the way she is now."
Accolades
Awards and nominations for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot
