S02.E02: Heavy Is The Head

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Hunted and running out of solutions, Coulson puts his team right in the line of fire in the hopes of saving them all. But with General Talbot, Hydra and Creel all on the attack, can they possibly survive? Meanwhile, a mysterious Doctor harbors some dangerous secrets that could destroy one of our core team members.

 

Promo:

[AimingforYoko]

Oh, Glenn Talbott, will you ever win?

So, Raina and

Skye's Dad

is a third party in the Hydra-SHIELD war? Wonder what they're up to.

Weird fact of the week: Fitz's new buddy? Is played by Henry Simmons.

[nottopbravo]

The only thing that could have saved this episode is if when the Absorbing Man was being sprayed by the fire extinguisher the Hulk showed up and clapped him totally apart.  

[ottoDbusdriver]

Am I the only one that thinks Coulson needs to invest in a good whiteboard and some markers instead of carving up the walls all the time ?

 

I thought it was weird that the main story stopped so early in the episode.

 

I seriously doubt that no one noticed the windstorm under where the cloaked Bus was and wondered what all turbulence that was about -- the new and improved Bus with a BFG attached underneath.

Edited October 1, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Amethyst]

This was pretty boring.  It feels like they wasted Hartley so Lance Hunter would have an emotional reason to join SHIELD.  

Although she's improved a lot, I don't buy Skye as a field agent fighting alongside May, but they really don't have any other options.  I really don't care about what secrets Coulson is keeping from Skye because they spend so much time in cahoots anyway.

 

On a positive note, glad Fitz and Mack are becoming friends.  

 

So Coulson's problem is an intense desire to...draw?  Who's gonna fix that wall once he's done carving on it?

Edited October 1, 2014 by Amethyst

[Actionmage]

Oh, Glenn Talbott, will you ever win?

I hear Stevie Nicks when I read this. /Old Lady observation

 

Raina and her fashion obsession are back! Like her new 'do and that she is so disdainful of Hydra. Could have done without the '...world domination. It's so 1945.' Other than that, Rain was the way I like her. Plus, that gal's fast!   At Creel's van, was she playing to him or was that Raina's version of flirting?

 

Still not convinced that Izzy's quite sincerely dead.

 

Hunter? I want to see him and May teamed in the field. it will be delightful.

 

Flove that  Leo and Mac are a pair. Glad that Mac realized that Leo was worried about maintaining his rep in front of the other lab folks. Having a partner you are not crushing on, at least for a bit, may be a good thing for Fitz. I liked that Mind!Jemma was all naughty, like back at the Hub.

 

I'll second the whiteboard vote; do we need to send in donations like for PBS? *g*

 

The preview still has my head spinning, and quite horked if 100% true. More later.

[JayKay]

So much better than last year that I can hardly believe it's the same show. I laughed at appropriate moments and everything. And I like Skye now? Her comments about the sexual merits of Kreel killed me.

Not feeling Hunter. He's getting a bit of the same treatment that Skye did last season. I won't speculate as to why, but I'd much rather spend time with the original team 2.0. Well, May is incapable of being improved because she was already perfect, but you know what I mean.

Still bummed that they killed Lucy Lawless. And then her mom and soon her sister. WTH? Stay tuned for next week when someone mentions that Hartley's cat died of loneliness - before the feline AIDs could take it. What happened to her is just mean.

I'm loving Tripp this time around. Seems like they decided to give him a personality and the actor has settled in. I like him way more than I ever liked Ward.

I think I would watch this show now even if it weren't linked to the MCU. Crazy.

[Izzyboy]

Didn't like it as much as last week's episode but I still enjoyed it.  I'm loving Raina and can't wait to find out more about her.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that we haven't heard the last of Hartley, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

 

And now I CAN'T WAIT for next week's episode based on the preview!  I actually kinda hope Simmons has turned to the dark side as that would be awesome!

[Sakura12]

2 episodes in and I'm still enjoying this, next week looks very interesting too. I'm glad I gave this show another chance. 

 

They hired Lucy Lawless for one ep, then gave her the most depressing backstory. I'm glad Mac and Fitz are getting along and I agree with mindSimmons I like that he talks to Fitz like he would talk to anyone. 

 

Is Raina supposed to be the same species as whatever Skye and her dad are? 

[benteen]

Really enjoyed this episode. 

 

After an unimpressive debut, I thought the Lance Hunter character came up strong and should be a good addition to the team.  Same with Mack (aka Not Dwayne Johnson) who worked well with Finch.  Liking Adrian Pasder's involvement on this show as Talbot and his hunt of the team.  Glad to see the return of Raina.

 

Movie Coulson seems to be returning a little too with the humor "We just changed the bathroom tiles" comes to mind.  The humor/language seems just a touch more adult I've noticed with the new timeslot which is also good

 

Liked Kyle MacLachlan in his brief appearance.  Though, and if I can post a spoiler from back in the day with Twin Peaks

It would be funny if BOB turned out to be Skye's father.

Edited October 1, 2014 by benteen

[Amelie06]

 

Am I the only one that thinks Coulson needs to invest in a good whiteboard and some markers instead of carving up the walls all the time ?

I agree! What kind of alien compulsion makes him destroy perfectly good walls? Why can't he just jot this crap down in a dream journal?

 

Fitz is breaking my heart! I really need everyone to stop watching Fitz on the security cams like he is a tv show. They just stand there and watch him, commenting about how he has changed. They are terrible at dealing with someone who has a brain injury! Do they really think concerned looks and gossiping will help? Fitz's first scene really showed him from the outside, the way everyone else sees him. It was sad. He seems so lost.

 

I don't mind Lance Hunter, but found myself annoyed by all the attention being lavished on him. I don't care. I like Lucy Lawless, but she was only on one episode! Hunter going around being sad about that poor woman wasn't as compelling for me as it could have been.

 

I like the dynamic between Mac and Fitz. I don't want Simmons to come back and be Fitz's magical savior. Mac didn't know the old Fitz, so has less expectations. He just wants Fitz to cut the shit, take his time, and figure shit out.

 

It's interesting that Skye is obviously pissed at Simmons for leaving.

 

So are we all sure now that Hunter's wife will show up at some point. Two episodes and two mentions. She has got to show up at some point.

 

I hate Skye's bangs of toughness. Why? Why did they give this woman bangs? The bangs are just so unnecessary. They add nothing to her face. Chloe Bennett is beautiful, no bangs could hide that, but these bangs seem to have an agenda. The bangs are trying to trick us into taking Skye more seriously as a character.  It won't work for me.

[benteen]

I'm curious about all those scientists that Shield has in the background.  I thought they were figments on Fitz's imagination but apparently not.  I'm curious how many people Coulson has under him.

 

Great FX with the bullet bouncing off of Creel's head.  They did a good job with the Absorbing Man.  The minimum dialogue worked with him because in the comics he's supposed to be really dumb.

 

Skye has definitely been a lot more tolerable and interesting this season.

 

Not only invest in a whiteboard but why did Coulson take his shoes off?

[Matt K]

Really enjoyed this episode, but not happy that they seemingly killed off Izzy.  I actually kind of hope Creel comes back at some point.  Also like the dynamic with Fitz and Mac.  Hope we see more Mac.

[thuganomics85]

Now, that we know that Simmons it's a fake, it's kind of fun watching Elizabeth Henstridge now, and seeing if I can tell any difference in her performance.  While she's mainly playing Hallucination Simmons the same way, every now and then, she does do little things that are "off", when compared to the real Simmons.  Still, I'm glad that poor Fitz finally found another friend in Mac/Henry Simmons.  The guy really needed someone since Skye and Melinda couldn't get through to him, and Coulson seem content to just let him go off his rocker.

 

Skye's anger over Simmons leaving is interesting.  It really seems like she did this on her own, and was just assigned somewhere else. I'm glad it looks like we'll be getting into that next week, because I still find it strange she would do this to Fitz, plus the rest of the group.

 

Alright episode, but it's main purpose was pretty much to officially bring this Lance Hunter onto the team.  I can see why Coulson wants him, but, yeah... good luck, Lance.  When you get the chance, visit Ward at his cell, and he'll tell you how much and how long Melinda can hold a fucking grudge.  It may take several episodes, but she will get you back, buddy.

 

Unless the funeral was a major fake-out, I bummed Hartley is gone for good.  Poor Lucy Lawless.

 

Raina is back!  And is against Hydra?  Or at least Whitehall's version.  It sounds like Whitehall's is more old-school Nazi edition of Hydra, and she's going towards a new version.  Interesting.  And, hey, its Kyle MacLachlan!

 

Oh, Talbot.  At this point, your just Boss Hogg to Coulson's Duke Boys.  But Adrian Pasner is just so fun in this role.

 

Yeah, agree that Coulson should just invest in a whiteboard, if these episodes cause him to knife his wall with weird symbols.  Why do you have to be so dramatic about it, Coulson?!

 

Can't wait till next week!

Edited October 1, 2014 by thuganomics85

[Lantern7]

Fitz is the woobiest woobie that ever woobied. I know a "cure" to his condition would be a cop-out, but wouldn't you want it to happen anyway? Of course, if he loses "Simmons," he might lose it all over again.

 

Anybody else excited by Raina? I don't know what it is, but I lit up seeing her. I think she's a superhuman groupie, but she's still intriguing. Or maybe she's just a big ole superhuman groupie . . . a "crag hag," in Creel's case.

 

And yeah, what is up with the scrawling from Coulson? I speculated that it would be spelled out in Guardians Of The Galaxy, given the extraterrestrial origins, but it looks like I was wrong. Maybe it's a side effect to the TAHITI treatment? Will Skye start going crazy soon? She's bearable right now, which is actually good.

[Actionmage]

The minimum dialogue worked with him because in the comics he's supposed to be really dumb.

But is he hasn't been shown that way on the show. Yes, it's basics to understand how to best keep bullets from hurting you, but to try to counter an unknown metal object that appears to burn flesh with rubber seems smarter than some dumb con.

 

Also, he keeps a library of various substances. I doubt it is solely for the pleasure factor, though that is there too. I don't see this guy voluntarily going water or gas unless the need was pressing.

 

I was hoping for a hint of a girlfriend for Creel, as I enjoy Titania. I can wait. Maybe Raina will play matchmaker? (I do not want Secret Wars in my tv show.)

 

I sort of want Whitehall to be the moneyman behind the SHIELD Hunt Talbot's heading. Either Talbot is the worst kind of ignorant or he's part of Hydra. I'd rather he's not Hydra, but we'll see. ( I keep getting Hitler vibes off Talbot, even though his moustache is not the same. I can't say why.)

[JayKay]

I forgot how worried I was that the obelisk was going to kill Raina. I'm glad she's back and ballsy as ever. Her scene with Absorbing Man was in a weird way more adorable than intimidating.

And he wasn't such a bad guy, as far as Hydra agents go I guess. He didn't want to hurt Raina or that poor waitress. His Hydra contact even hinted that he was with Hydra because they helped him control his powers. He'd be perfect for occasional appearances as a mini-big bad.

Also liked that tiny blip of Peggy Carter's picture for a second on Coulson's holoscreen. If they're sneakily trying to get people hyped for the Agent Carter series, it's working.

[dwmarch]

Perhaps I just have an over-active imagination and I love Whedon connections but I thought the pastor at the funeral looked like Alan Tudyk and the sister looked like Summer Glau.

 

Fitz has an oddly selective bit of brain damage. He can talk like a normal person as long as the conversation doesn't involve problem-solving. If it gets technical he gets confused but he gets help from his invisible friend. He knows he has solutions to problems in an archive but he doesn't know how to simply say "look at my SHIELD Ipad for the answer".

 

I like Mac and I like that he was able to get through to Fitz. Loved when he dismissed the silent scientists because "you pissed him off!"

 

Why did Coulson take his shoes off? Same reason Walter White stripped down before cooking a batch of meth. Also, do you know how hard it is to get fine concrete dust off of patent leather loafers?

 

That holographic interface Coulson was using looks horribly complicated when it comes to looking up basic information. I wonder who he sent the BOLO to. Captain America? The Hulk? Iron Man? Wouldn't it be awesome if RDJ shows up at the end of an episode and drops off a briefcase with a glib "Yeah, found that thing you were looking for."

Edited October 1, 2014 by dwmarch

[Actionmage]

Is Raina supposed to be the same species as whatever Skye and her dad are?

 

I don't think so; Skye's dad said "...it let you...". I am guessing that either there is an A.I. in the obelisk or it is sentient. Raina could be the same, but then she wouldn't have been as concerned about picking up the obelisk, imo. Maybe during our away time, Raina has evolved more?

[Amethyst]

I forgot how worried I was that the obelisk was going to kill Raina. 

And he wasn't such a bad guy, as far as Hydra agents go I guess. He didn't want to hurt Raina or that poor waitress. His Hydra contact even hinted that he was with Hydra because they helped him control his powers. He'd be perfect for occasional appearances as a mini-big bad.

 

I thought that, too.  Creel definitely brushed Raina's hand when he took the jewel from her.  Since the waitress barely touched Creel's arm and we saw what happened to her, I figured Raina was a goner.

 

And IA that Creel didn't want to hurt the waitress, which surprised me.  I wouldn't mind seeing him again.

[Dusty]

Watching everyone, other than Mac, interact with Fitz is just sad.  They suck at this.  While they didn't physically leave him they still kind of left him. I didn't think that they would be good at it but it's still sad. But hey, at least we know that he knows Simmons isn't really there.  I did like the "Me!" from Hallucination Simmons when Mac asked Fitz who he was talking to.  I hope that this is the start of a new friendship between Mac and Fitz.  I'm interested in seeing the dynamic change for when Simmons does actually come back.

 

 

Fitz has an oddly selective bit of brain damage. He can talk like a normal person as long as the conversation doesn't involve problem-solving. If it gets technical he gets confused but he gets help from his invisible friend. He knows he has solutions to problems in an archive but he doesn't know how to simply say "look at my SHIELD Ipad for the answer".

I can attribute it to stress.  When he has to problem solve he gets stressed and his brain sort of shorts out.  I'm not really sure how actual brain damage works, whatever the kind he has, but I think that at least for Fitz stress just exacerbates the problem. When they want him to figure something out it he gets stressed out because he knows he's not like he used to be.  It probably doesn't help that everyone gives him the sad "Poor Fitz" look when talking to him.

 

I'm glad May knows about his "episodes".  Does it have to be a concrete wall with the knife though?  Do they just slather the wall with more concrete when he's done to get ready for the new episodes?

[mertensia]

I think I'd be throwing Jello or pudding at Creel.

Raina makes the show more interesting.

Fitz and Mack are developing a nice friendship.

[FurryFury]

I don't even know why, but Hunter just doesn't work for me. He's simply boring and devoid of real personality. I'd vastly prefer Hartley surviving over him, that's for sure. I can't believe they added this guy to the main cast. I wasn't a big fan of Tripp last year, but I'd take him over Hunter any day. He does OK as the "big guy" of the team. Maybe that's because Simmons is still AWOL, because I didn't give a damn about that flirtation and the budding love triangle with Fitz. Tripp/Skye buddy dynamic is much better than any romantic stuff.

I'm kinda afraid they'll try to pair Hunter with Skye, by the way. But if he's going to be someone's love interest, let it be May, please. That would make more sense, she probably has more in common with Hartley than Skye, characterization-wise.

 

I liked seeing Raina, and I can't wait to learn her origins and backstory. And it's always nice to see Kyle McLachlan. At least I hope the show won't get rid of him as fast as Lucy Lawless.

 

Overall, a pretty meh episode, compared to the premiere, but that's mostly because of the emphasis on Hunter. I want more original team and the interactions between them.

[shapeshifter]

I think I'd be throwing Jello or pudding at Creel.

Last week I was thinking cotton balls.

And it's always nice to see Kyle McLachlan. At least I hope the show won't get rid of him as fast as Lucy Lawless.

I thought the same thing when he appeared. He has retained his charisma over the years.

Is that really the end of her? No reanimation or cylon body?

[FurryFury]

I guess the funeral was a way to show us her death was final. Although I can't say I'm 100% sure she's dead, mostly because we got the info on her family and her boyfriend is a main cast member.

[tv echo]

I'm also enjoying this new season so far much more than last season.  I don't like Hunter but I'm not surprised that Coulson still wants him on the team.  He's the new Skye (the rule breaker) but in Ward's body (the hunk).  Raina was the most interesting character to come out of Season 1, so I'm glad she's back.  I'm curious as to where Simmons' storyline is going (esp. seeing the preview for next week's episode).

 

Here's a review of this episode that raises interesting speculation about who Skye's father might be in the Marvel-verse:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2.02 Review: Heavy Is the Head
http://www.tvovermind.com/reviews/agents-s-h-e-l-d-2-02-review-heavy-head-241316

Edited October 1, 2014 by tv echo

[Glory]

I don't even know why, but Hunter just doesn't work for me. He's simply boring and devoid of real personality. I'd vastly prefer Hartley surviving over him, that's for sure. I can't believe they added this guy to the main cast.

I'm the exact opposite. Lance Hunter has me more engaged in two episodes than Brett Dalton did for an entire season. He's charismatic, good looking and a bit of a gray-hat. I quite like it. 

 

Between Lance Hunter, Mac, and Tripp the eye-candy for the ladies is making me happy! 

[Primetimer]

If you haven't been paying attention, you might have some questions. And we've got answers!

Read the story

[JTMacc99]

I'm just looking forward to the point in the season where we're in the groove, and everything is moving forward after things have been reset after what they did to it at the end of last season. I figured it would have been by the end of this episode, but there's still a lot open.  It looks like we wrapped up the Bus problem and portions of the New Team problem, and we introduced the main season 2 antagonists, so we've got that going for us.  But I still feel... unsettled?

 

I guess I'm just uneasy that the show could go down that path where it keeps adding in new layers but never wraps up anything, 

[FurryFury]

I'm the exact opposite. Lance Hunter has me more engaged in two episodes than Brett Dalton did for an entire season. He's charismatic, good looking and a bit of a gray-hat. I quite like it.

 

Guess I don't find him particularly good-looking. He reminds me of the male lead of New Girl, which I had to drop despite liking everything else because the character and the actor both rubbed me the wrong way after the pilot.

 

I didn't care about Ward's original persona, but after "Turn,Turn, Turn" I find him the most interesting character in the cast. Although it's not hard, most of them are rather shallow.

[Sandman]

I was glad to see from the recap that someone else was bothered by the Obelisk's ... non-obelisk-ness. Then again, Dr. Whitehall isn't really named Whitehall, either, so maybe HYDRA's (whose symbol is, after all, an octopus rather the Hydra) just not that good at naming stuff.

 

Fitz is the woobiest woobie that ever woobied. I know a "cure" to his condition would be a cop-out, but wouldn't you want it to happen anyway? Of course, if he loses "Simmons," he might lose it all over again.

...

 

And yeah, what is up with the scrawling from Coulson? I speculated that it would be spelled out in Guardians Of The Galaxy, given the extraterrestrial origins, but it looks like I was wrong. Maybe it's a side effect to the TAHITI treatment? Will Skye start going crazy soon? She's bearable right now, which is actually good.

 

If what the preview looks like is actually what we're in for, I might lose it completely.

 

It looks like the TAHITI alien and Garrison's blue God Complex Curaçao are all connected to Skye and the original 0-8-4. The scrawlings (which look like schematics to me, rather than language) seemed to be what Raina evoked from the non-obelisk.

 

Last week I was thinking cotton balls.

 

"The Stay-Pufft Marshmallow Man? That's what you came up with?!"

 

(Am I wrong in supposing that Creel has to consciously decide to absorb whatever, and it doesn't happen automatically upon exposure?)

[MSquared]

I am liking Mac and Fitz, though there is the vibe of the jock protecting the nerd from others in a way.  Not bad, but just there to me.

 

Loved Coulson's putting one over on Talbot in the end.  AP and CG really play well off of each other.

 

I am so relieved that someone knows what's going on with Coulson.  I have been wondering since the clip of Skye lying on the table with the symbols is she's at least been clued in as well to Coulson and his, um gift.

 

Don't know if I want to watch next week.  I had fears about Simmons last season and it seems they could be true.

[KirkB]

(Am I wrong in supposing that Creel has to consciously decide to absorb whatever, and it doesn't happen automatically upon exposure?)

 

You're not wrong. From what was shown, Creel has to willingly absorb something's properties. He doesn't automatically absorb anything he touches or he would constantly be made out of the same stuff as his clothes.

Edited October 1, 2014 by KirkB

[Sandman]

And clothes, as we know, do not make the man. Hee. Thanks, KirkB.

 

I was under the impression that the reason his HYDRA contact gave Creel the diamond-like material ("for this assignment and the next") was to enable him to pick up the non-obelisk. But I guess it was just for pleasure.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Sandman

[KirkB]

Glad to help.  :)

[kitlee625]

Although the obelisk seems to have imprinted on him without him meaning to. He certainly tried to put a barrier between him and the object by transforming his arm into rubber. By the way, that seemed like way too easy a "fix it" in 2x01, and I'm glad that the show had it not be completely effective. Otherwise a powerful Macguffin stopped by the power of rubber just seems weird. (Also insert condom joke here.)

 

As for Ward, I agree that Hydra-Ward is very interesting to me now, but also that Hunter is way more interesting to me than Pre-Hydra Ward. Pre-Hydra Ward had almost no distinguishing characteristics. I really don't want Ward to go back to that bland persona.

Edited October 1, 2014 by kitlee625

[KirkB]

Creel's miscalculation, I think, was that while he may have turned his skin into rubber it was still skin and that's what the object seems to react to, unless of course you're Raina.

Edited October 1, 2014 by KirkB

[illini1959]

I guess the funeral was a way to show us her death was final. Although I can't say I'm 100% sure she's dead, mostly because we got the info on her family and her boyfriend is a main cast member.

 

I wondered if the funeral was their way of showing Coulson kept his part of the deal by giving her the funeral she deserved.

 

I hope she's not really dead.

[Kaoteek]

 

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. earned a series low 1.7 adults 18-49 rating, down 19 percent from a 2.1 for last week’s premiere.

 

(4.54M viewers)

 

(ouch)

[ChelseaNH]

They need to decide if Coulson as head of SHIELD is handicapped by lack of resources, or if he's "I know all and I can make things happen" guy.  (The answer, of course, is that he's handicapped by lack of resources when dramatically expedient, and has what he needs when dramatically expedient.  I happen to hate that answer.)

 

So, Lance Hunter is the most moronic stupid person ever ("I am an experienced mercenary who is so ruled by my thirst for revenge that I will make sure that I go up against the superpowered bad guy all by my lonesome because there's no way that could go wrong") but Coulson still wants him on the team.  Well, I guess stooges are useful.  Although I'm hoping the real story is that Coulson wanted to "retire" Hunter, but May asked to keep him alive so she could torture him.  I look forward to May holding a grudge.  (Also, wouldn't Talbot be looking for Hunter?  Oh, but he'd never show up at Hartley's funeral; no point in checking that out.)

 

Skye so resents that Daddy is busy with work these days.

 

Raina!  She makes everything better.

[kennyab]

(4.54M viewers)

 

(ouch)

 

It's going to be like this until The Voice goes back to one hour -- I'm expecting a bit of a jump in the live numbers when that happens. That's the exact type of show people watch live, while AoS is the type of show people time shift or watch on Hulu. I just don't get why ABC doesn't put it on after Once Upon a Time and make Sunday "Corporate Synergy Night". I'd think AoS is more tonally accurate for a OUaT lead than Ressurection.

Edited October 1, 2014 by kennyab

[FurryFury]

OUAT is very much a female-focused show, while AoS is probably supposed to be watched by males as well. Not such a good fit.

I don't watch Resurrection so no idea if it's a good fit for Once, though.

[Sarahastro]

The male vs female skewing argument doesn't completely make sense because they have AoS following Selfie and Manhattan Love Story, which are definitely aimed at women. (I'm not sure about Forever, I haven't seen it.)

 

I think the reason they scheduled it this way is because Tuesday is ABC's weakest night, and they didn't know what else to put on Tuesdays.

[FurryFury]

The male vs female skewing argument doesn't completely make sense because they have AoS following Selfie and Manhattan Love Story, which are definitely aimed at women. (I'm not sure about Forever, I haven't seen it.)

 

That probably means they couldn't find a better fit for those shows. It happens. Anyway, I assume they expected AoS to be the linchpin of Tuesday programming, while Once is the same for Sunday. Problem is, AoS just doesn't deliver. Which is disappointing, because I find the show, while not great, watchable enough, and it would be a shame to cancel it so soon. I really don't see the other superhero comic-based shows on air (Gotham and Arrow) to be much better (well, Arrow was, for a while, but it's gone now, thank you, Laurel Lance and douchebag Oliver).

[Ltg.jon]

This wasn't bad.  It needed more shirtless Creel, and Creel needed fewer lines.  I'm worried that the show is going to get into the habit of having Coulson have meetings with the General where they posture at each other -- that'll get boring fast.  But I'm liking this world where there are multiple players on all sides.  They just need to go ahead and introduce A.I.M.  (Or did they do that in the long stretch of the first season when the show was too boring for me to watch?)

[HistoryGirl]

 

I can attribute it to stress.  When he has to problem solve he gets stressed and his brain sort of shorts out.  I'm not really sure how actual brain damage works, whatever the kind he has, but I think that at least for Fitz stress just exacerbates the problem. When they want him to figure something out it he gets stressed out because he knows he's not like he used to be.  It probably doesn't help that everyone gives him the sad "Poor Fitz" look when talking to him.

 

I agree.  Fitz told Head!Simmons that she made him calm when he talked to her.  I think he knows how people perceive him when he talks to himself so he tries to limit it when others are watching, but going it alone stresses him out and he can't process it all properly. 

 

I loved Fitz & Mack together.  I also like that Mack isn't Fitz's replacement.  He's an engineer. Give him something to build, he can build it with the blueprints.  But Fitz is a physicist, chemist, biologist and engineer wrapped into one, plus he has non-linear thinking.  He can work backwards or forward or from a bunch of different pieces.  I like that Fitz is still superior to Mack and that Mack still needs him. I also appreciate that Fitz was the one who solved the Creel problem.  That "I didn't solve this today" bit was a great little cryptic message. I didn't quite get it until Mack did. 

 

I also loved when Mack asked who he was talking to and Head!Simmons was all "ME!" Makes me laugh every time I think about it.  And it was funny that even in Fitz's head Simmons is flirting with the hot guys. lol

[kennyab]

The more I think about it, the more I think they made a mistake by not packaging these two episodes as a 2-hour premiere. They really do work as one complete narrative, and a little restructuring could have made for a nice, tight base for which to start the season with a real bang.

[VCRTracking]

I love that Mack befriended Fitz and was able to break through to him. 

 

Raina's great as always. 

 

That poor waitress.

[paigow]

I also loved when Mack asked who he was talking to and Head!Simmons was all "ME!" Makes me laugh every time I think about it.  And it was funny that even in Fitz's head Simmons is flirting with the hot guys. lol

 

Hopefully Fitz does not stab Mack while in a jealous rage.

[Solid Muldoon]

Lance Hunter? Seriously? Couldn't they give him a less cornball name like Max Power or Beef Jerky or Dash Riprock? C'mon!

Just give him a real, regular name. Like Nick Blood.