Three soldiers using the improvedCentipede serum rescue Edison Po from prison. Coulson requests for Mike Peterson, who is now part of SHIELD's own supersoldier program, to help his team pursue Po and his supersoldiers. Skye discovers that Po was visited in prison by Raina, and their lip-reading software allows them to hear a sentence spoken by Po about 'the Clairvoyant'. One of the supersoldiers is identified as Brian Hayward, and Coulson and Ward go in search of his sister, university student Laura, telling her that her brother has won the lottery. When she calls Brian, the team trace the call to a California warehouse. Coulson, May, Ward and Mike storm the building to find Po and Raina have already fled but left the supersoldiers behind, and they overpower Ward and May before Mike subdues Hayward. The soldiers are revealed to have X-ray eye detonators, advanced versions of the device implanted in Akela Amador, and Po kills Hayward remotely before ordering the others to flee. Raina abducts Ace Peterson, and the team assume Po and Raina want to trade him for his father. The trade takes place at a bridge under construction, but as Coulson escorts Mike to meet Raina and Ace, Mike reveals that the conspirators actually want Coulson, who gives himself up in exchange for Ace. After taking Ace to safety Mike attempts to rescue Coulson, only to be caught in an explosion and presumably killed as Po and Raina depart in a helicopter with Coulson. In an end tag, Raina informs Coulson that they wish to know what happened after he was killed by Loki.
Production
Development
In November 2013, Marvel revealed that the tenth episode would be titled "The Bridge", and would be written by Shalisha Francis, with Holly Dale directing.
Casting
In November 2013, Marvel revealed that main cast members Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge would star as Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Grant Ward, Skye, Leo Fitz, and Jemma Simmons, respectively. It was also revealed that the guest cast for the episode would include J. August Richards as Mike Peterson, Ajani Wrighster as Ace, Ruth Negga as Raina, Rick Malambri as Brian Hayward, Molly McCook as Laura Hayward, Cullen Douglas as Edison Po, Rico Devereaux as prison guard and Albert Marrero Jr. as trainer. Wrighster, Malambri, Devereaux, and Marrero did not receive guest star credit in the episode. Richards, Negga, and Douglas reprise their roles from earlier in the series.
Release
Broadcast
"The Bridge" was first aired in the United States on ABC on December 10, 2013.
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 6.11 million viewers.
