S01.E15: Yes Men

[Tara Ariano]

 

When Coulson and his team are attacked by Lorelei - a deadly seductress who escaped from Asgard - Lady Sif, her longtime nemesis, steps in to try to save them.

[EricJ]

So, Kree name-checked, but they haven't been to Earth, according to Sif. (Who may or may not have comprehensive info on Midgard.)

And Odin wants Lorellei alive. Except

Odin is actually Loki.

So there's a big Marvel comics event coming up where the whole Earth gets exposed to Terrigen mist (which gives the Inhumans their powers) and it gives millions of people (who had Inhuman ancestry) super-powers. So there's a theory that this is going to play out in the MCU as well, in order to provide an equivalent to Mutants i.e. super-powered characters who can be introduced without an origin story.

[And let me present my theory that the need for origin stories is way over-rated by Hollywood, once you've established a super-hero universe. Case in point: What's Frozone's origin? How did Elasti-girl get her powers? Does not knowing diminish your love of those characters in any way?]

[ApathyMonger]

[And let me present my theory that the need for origin stories is way over-rated by Hollywood, once you've established a super-hero universe. Case in point: What's Frozone's origin? How did Elasti-girl get her powers? Does not knowing diminish your love of those characters in any way?]

Yeah, I think Tim Kring has said that, as far as superheroes go, people are only interested in origin stories. It's probably a pretty good rule of thumb to do the opposite of what Tim Kring says.

If the creature isn't Kree, maybe Atlantean? That would avoid the "never been to Earth" issue.

Edited March 12, 2014 by ApathyMonger

[Lisin]

I think it's a Kree... the "original" full name for Captain Mahr Vel is Geheneris HalaSon Mahr Vehl... GH? I don't know... http://marvel.wikia.com/Mahr_Vehl_(Earth-1610)

Anyway, I liked having Sif on the show. She's such a badass and I liked how well she worked with the team. More of that please! 

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Nick's post about it!

[Cranberry]

The fact that Lorelai managed to seduce Ward was stupid. Ward should have just shot her on sight. He knew she could control him with her voice -- and if not with that alone, then by touching him. He was an idiot to not only give her the chance to speak, but to let her get close enough to put her hand on him! That seduction led to the sex, which was shot as if we were supposed to see it as hot and fun, when really it was essentially rape (Ward would not have chosen to do that). May punched him afterward even when he was back in his right mind, and I think we were supposed to find that funny.

I hated the "Ward has feelings for someone besides May" revelation. It really looks like the writers plan to go with the predictable, boring Skye/Ward pairing. Seriously, if the writers are going to start pairing up our characters, I'd much rather see Skye/Simmons than Skye/Ward (I honestly think there have been more hints for the former), and I liked the May/Ward pairing. It was unexpected, it gave me hope that this show wouldn't go the conventional route with its pairings, and it worked well to show a slightly softer side of May. I also hate love triangles, so.

On the positive side: This show does handle its female characters well. All of the ladies were great this episode. I liked seeing Simmons standing up to Coulson (and being ready and willing to bean him with a fire extinguisher!) and Skye telling him to chill out. I liked that May and Sif got to bond a little and kick some ass. Lorelai was a fun villain, haughty and smug and just a little bit funny.

I like this show. I actually do look forward to it every week. But it has some issues, and it needs to get on track. I know that Whedonverse shows always start out slow and get better and better, so I hope this one picks up soon.

[Carrie Ann]

I hated the "Ward has feelings for someone besides May" revelation. It really looks like the writers plan to go with the predictable, boring Skye/Ward pairing. Seriously, if the writers are going to start pairing up our characters, I'd much rather see Skye/Simmons than Skye/Ward (I honestly think there have been more hints for the former), and I liked the May/Ward pairing. It was unexpected, it gave me hope that this show wouldn't go the conventional route with its pairings, and it worked well to show a slightly softer side of May. I also hate love triangles, so.

I totally agree. I was semi-enjoying the episode until that "revelation," and it completely soured me on the show again. I was really hoping the writers had paid attention to what was working/not working in the first half of the season and made adjustments to their plans accordingly. But no. First, they let Skye live, which was a mistake in my opinion. Having her Doyle'd would have sort of given the rest of the team something to fight for, and would have rid the show of its biggest albatross. But to also continue to try to make the most obvious and least appealing pairing work simply because that was the original plan...ugh. These writers could take some notes from Arrow, Veronica Mars, and many other shows where the writers adjusted plans based on what actually worked on-screen.

[Cranberry]

Yes! Like with Dawson's Creek and Veronica Mars. Those writers were smart to realize that everyone hated Dawson and Duncan and loved Pacey and Logan. I'm not big on the idea of "endgame" pairings in general, and I'm also not totally sold on the idea of audiences dictating the direction of a show (it hurts more than it helps a lot of the time -- I'm looking at you, Pretty Little Liars), but when a pairing's boring, it's boring. I think that Skye and Ward have a great brother/sister vibe going on, but I don't see romantic sparks.

[Carrie Ann]

Exactly. If the loudest fans dictated the directions of shows, it wouldn't be good for anyone. But I'd think even people involved with creating the show would be able to watch it as a normal viewer and see what clicks. If you're a writer/producer/director and incapable of seeing what works on-screen...maybe you're in the wrong line of work? I just think that it's easier to keep trying to force something to click than it is to scrap it and start a new direction.

Oh well. This show has seven episodes left before it's the first show in the Whedon-verse to have a first season without any real sign of improvement or promise.

[Solid Muldoon]

A deadly seductress attacks the team.

Like when Ms. Bunting is on the show.

[John Potts]

Quite how SHIELD didn't work out it was a bad idea to send a mostly male team after Lorelai, but I guess they were more worried about what she might do if left alone for a length of time until SHIELD can assemble a new all female team (though given that what she seemed to be doing was minor thefts, they probably made the wrong choice).

Ward getting seduced was OK with me, if he had unloaded the Night-Night gun into Lorelai - and she'd shrugged it off due to her "Superior Asgardian Physiology". Not taking the shot just made him look like an idiot.

[telane]

Many things this season made Ward look like an idiot. What if - given recent developments - he wanted to be captured by Lorelei?

[ChelseaNH]

Coulson sent him around back by himself.  There was no one to see if resisted her or not.

[Sarahastro]

Given the revelations in Episode 17, does anyone else think Lorelei might not have been talking about Skye when she talked about the person Ward truly desired? What if it is someone in Hydra?

It also gives his line to Lorelei about knowing the people Sif was working with a creepier edge. He knows them because he's been surveilling them and keeping tabs on their weaknesses. It's interesting because he sounds very cold towards the team in this episode, whereas that biker actually apologized to his wife before strangling her.

ETA: I rewatched the fight scene, and it seems clear that he tried to shoot May after the collar was back on Lorelei. True, they are cutting back and forth between two scenes, but they could have cut it differently if they wanted it to be more ambiguous. I think that after the spell wore off, Hydra!Ward saw a chance to kill one of the most dangerous S.H.I.E.L.D. agents without blowing his cover and took it.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Sarahastro

[KirkB]

I'll have to watch that episode again. I REALLY hope Ward stays bad, though I doubt it.

[Jalyn]

ETA: I rewatched the fight scene, and it seems clear that he tried to shoot May after the collar was back on Lorelei. True, they are cutting back and forth between two scenes, but if they could have cut it differently if they wanted it to be more ambiguous. I think that after the spell wore off, Hydra!Ward saw a chance to kill one of the most dangerous S.H.I.E.L.D. agents without blowing his cover and took it.

I had forgotten that. I had assumed at the time that they made a logic mistake and didn't realize that they had actually just shown Ward trying to kill May after he should have been clear of the influence. That's what I get for handwaving away such things.

[webruce]

Well Asgardian Lorelei dumps newlywed Jimmy MacKenzie at the Rose Bar for Dwayne "Rooster"(Colby from NUMB3RS) and his biker gang. His gang robs money and jewelry. Lorelei asks what that woman(Ben Franklin) is doing on the money. Rooster says he was our president. My son said, that is wrong, and I said yes so he must not have graduated. That is why he's in a gang, lol . Well when the team is headed to intercept, Lady Sif drops in in front of them. Bet she made a big pot hole in that road. Lorelei called our planet Earth 2 times. Wouldn't she call it Midgard? Did Rooster kill his wife? Or just make her stop talking?

Liked Ward talking to Skye, even if it was awkward. "Swing and a miss Ward!" said Skye, lol.

To bad Ward wasn't shot with something that would have kept him away from Lorelei's control. Maybe this is why he was so easily duped to work for Hydra?? But he is under her spell and they make out in the Vegas Motel. Wonder if he did impregnate Lorelei?? That would be interesting. Was worried when all the SWAT team went to their motel that Lorelei would take control, like she did with the cops at the bar.

Well didn't think about Ward and Lorelei being on the bus until Fitz locked Lady Sif in that room. Coulson I thought was going to punch Fitz when he was beside the door Lady Sif was behind. Then when Simmons lured him to the room where Coulson corked him she felt so bad. "Poor thing, he is always getting knocked out isn't he!" Simmons said.

The battle after Lady Sif got back in the plane was good, her and Lorelei and Ward and May. I did feel bad May didn't get a shot in on Lorelei first. Nice collar on Lorelei after Lady Sif beat her. May slapping Ward after he snapped out of it was good. You see him liking Skye and not May did hit her. She said she was ok but you could tell she had a thing for him.

I liked that Coulson told Skye about what he saw and about the alien. She don't care for the side effects. She is just glad they both are alive. But keeping it to themselves may hurt them later. The team won't know what is up. Jemma has to figure it out herself.

But May listening in and reporting to someone that they know??? Interesting!