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S02.E03: Making Friends And Influencing People


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Yes, "let me explain and redeem myself" ward is far less interesting than purely evil Ward. Even the I'm sorry face he made when he pushed Fitz and Simmons into the ocean was weak.

 

Skye looked deadly during the sniper scenes with her hood pulled up and cool and calm demeanor. Definitely May's protege. And damn if I didn't enjoy May's "You and I are..." response to Hunter's "Are we even?"

 

The Coulson speeches are slightly less sanctimonious this Season, which is a good trend. And I like him running things from an oversight position.

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I'm pleased we still have Trip's revenge to look forward to.

 

I have a feeling I'm going to get very tired of the "oh noes!  Simmons is about to have her cover blown!" fakeouts.

Edited by ChelseaNH
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We're so evil we must wear black lab coats.

All the better to hide the blood stains.

 

When Leo found Grant? His reaction gutted me. Then he was "let me show you..." and was messing with the tablet. I was all, "Fitz, charts and graphics won't" and then  I saw the word 'oxygen' and  I was a mix of everything.  Brett and Iain knocked that scene right out of the whole blamed park.  I understand and get the 'demonstration' of how Fitz suffered. I am glad, though, that he decided to not kill. Not that Fitz shouldn't, in future situations or Grant in particular. For now, though, glad that he didn't.

 

Super happy to see the SO relationship between May and Skye that we should have had last season, imo. They are simpatico, even though Skye seems to be more accepting of May's corrections than last season. Maybe with the supposed romantic tones to Skye/Ward removed, we can see why both characters are considered good assets? Even with sociopathic Ward (looking more buff incarcerated than roaming the planet on SHIELD's dime).

 

I like Henry Simmons' chemistry with Iain De Caestecker; it's a different energy than FitzSimmons, but could be just as important to Leo.  Leo clung to Ward as a friend in S1, as there were few consistent guys for him to pal with. Even then, Ward wasn't super friendly. With Mack, Leo is allowed to be Leo. there is respect for what Leo did before and Mack seems sure Fitz hasn't but lost only a step or two, but only in expressing his ideas, not that he doesn't have ideas to contribute. Real Jemma coming back will be interesting.

 

Lance Hunter? Still meh. He's okay and I don't hate him.

 

The brainwashing wall of lights reminded me of a brainwashing room from an old Mission:Impossible episode where Jim Phelps himself (! I know!) was to be brainwashed. Count me in for the 'Glad Reed Diamond isn't doing his Tim Conway Nazi accent.'  I think I'm going to get ill from hearing 'comply' and all the variations of it that will be used.

 

Yeah, Donnie's a survivor. He'll return. What I thought was funny was Coulson mentioning the lightening bolt that struck Donnie, when I had just watched The Flash's premiere! Note to self: Unless you want to be blessed/cursed with some random power, stay out of lightening storms!

 

I will also cosign on not wanting Jemma to be brainwashed. So very not interested, no matter how actually dramatic it could be. We have enough drama on our plate, adding that would be overdoing things.

 

Next week cannot come fast enough!

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This show is getting better, even Ward felt like he had a purpose here.  But why are B.J. Britt and Henry Simmons not regulars yet? Tripp and Mac fit in well with the team, better than Hunter at the moment, and the actors work so well with the rest of the cast.  Even Sky has been toned down, and I like her interactions with May.

 

I figure Simmons will be brainwashed at some point.  While I don't want to see Simmons tortured, I know Elizabeth Henstridge will rock all of that and Simmon's recovery.

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LOL! Seriously. We get it. Brett Dalton has been working out.

Speaking of Brett, how the hell is he still part of the main cast?  As Ward is now, he's totally useless.  And what's more, how's B.J., who's been in every episode since his introduction and whose character has come to gell very well with the team ever since, still on recurring?  They added bland, boring Nick to the cast, but passed over Trip?!  WTF?!

Edited by Donny Ketchum
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The behaviour of lightning should be right up there on the list of How To Know You Are In A Genre Story. Lightning never just injures someone in genre works. It's always a gateway to another dimension, or a source of preternatural power, or it destroys the immortal enemy or the invulnerable object of power (Hi, Sleepy Hollow!)

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Tonight's episode of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD is brought to you by -- Fitbit.  The activity tracker of choice of snipers and assassins everywhere.  Talk about your blatant product placement.

 

 

Oh, was that what it was?? -product placement whooshes over janet's head-

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Also, dude. Roll down your sleeves.  Who do you think you are, Teal'c?...

 

 

 

LOL! Seriously. We get it. Brett Dalton has been working out.

 

I'll speak from the shallow end of the pool and say that I am very, very okay with them showing off Brett Dalton's enhanced physique.  Hey, the guy only has small moments to make an impression, let him use all his weapons ;).

 

 

I do continue to enjoy this season much more than last, it's a shame it might be too late ratings wise.  Fitz is killing me right now, every scene with him is a little heartbreaking and the actor is absolutely killing it.  He deserves a lot of praise because I understand and sympathize with everything he is going through.

 

They really are making great use of their ensemble and firing a lot smoothly as a show in season two.  It isn't perfect of course, but the tone and the product is more in line with what I was hoping for out of this show.

Edited by Atony
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I wouldn't have known it was a Fitbit, either. Product placement doesn't tend to bother me unless the writers have to work the name of the product in somehow -- that only works well on comedy shows where they can go overboard with it (like Chuck did with Subway restaurants). I'm fine with slightly-too-long, slightly-too-loving shots of a new car or something, but when the show's characters start going on about their beautiful Toyota, I just roll my eyes. I deal with it because product placement helps keep shows I love on the air, but there are definitely better and worse ways to do it. I thought the Fitbit worked pretty well here because it looked like the kind of gadget SHIELD would have.

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There were parts of this episode that I really liked (everything with Simmons and the Fitz/Ward face-off) and there were parts that bored me to tears.  I am so sick of the Ward/Skye nonsense that just goes on and on.  The justification that Ward will only give information to Skye is now crap because Fitz got information out of Ward just fine (yeah, he had to cut off Ward's oxygen but hey, it's better than listening to Ward being creepy to Skye).

 

 I'm also getting a little tired of Lance Hunter. His constant references to Isabelle Hartley are irritating because Hartley sounds like a far more interesting character than he is and it just reminds me that I could be watching Lucy Lawless instead of this dull guy.  It's also annoying that Mack and Tripp are still "guest-starring" while he is considered one of the team.  

 

I'm not as bored as I was during the middle of last season but I'm not really entertained either and next week's episode doesn't really make me think things are going to change because their "humorous" episodes haven't really been all that good.  I'm trying to make it to Agent Carter but it's getting hard.

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I felt like this episode was a kind of "filler" as far as the plot goes. I definitely saw the fitbit product placement, but it wasn't until this morning that i found out that the actor who plays "Donnie Gill" is also in the Disney movie "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." I guess that if a Marvel movie is too far off to advertise, ABC will find ways to promote other properties with Agents of Shield including conveniently running stories featuring actors, or props that "remind" us of them. So I guess I'm  just waiting for the moment that Director Phil discovers Nick Fury's "collectible" light saber.

 

Good points:

I felt that Iain did a great job in the scene where Fitz confronted Ward. He also did a good job with the Coulson scene.

Even though I still don't like Skye, I felt that May's scenes with her were good. May doesn't do the "special snowflake" thing that Coulson does. And did anyone else get the feeling that he's replaced Skye with Simmons in a way? It's kind of like Phil always needs someone to take care of.

 

Not so good stuff:

The Director of Shield visiting and cooking dinner for his HYDRA mole - while it's cute, it seemed very risky.  I'm very surprised that HYDRA doesn't participate in some sort of ongoing survelliance of its agents.

I'm kind of over the Skye/Ward talks. There's only so many times you can visit your creepy stalker and not move the story forward.

I'm missing the sense of real conflct or anyone pushing Coulson at this point. It's just like they're accepting that he must know best how to run SHIELD. Even though they've added Hunter, it's almost like we're back to Season 1 "family." The scene where Skye gets her feelings hurt and she grabs her computer and goes off and pouts just illustrated that they're really not questioning each other. I would honestly like a scene where Skye or anyone really confronts Coulson about how things are. We got a little bit of it in the Iain scene but I just feel that if you've been betrayed in the ways these guys have, you've

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Definitely NOT a fitbit.  I owned one for like a week and it looked nothing like what Skye had.  It just has a line of lights. If she wanted to figure out her pulse she'd have to take out her smart phone.  I'm with the poster who suggested it was just random tech. Sure it's similar to current tech on the market, but I doubt very much it's a fitbit-esque product. 

 

Iain DeCaestecker needs to win all the awards. And I mean all of them. Even like Best Picture or whatever because he deserves them. Every single one.  He and Tatiana Maslany need to get together and have a brood of actor babies who just blow up TV.  Iain has just been selling Fitz's frustration and disability this season.  I'm glued to the screen when he's on.  When Fitz confronted Ward, you really got a sense of his PTSD and it was just perfection.  It's a shame this is a niche show because he really should be nominated for his work these past 3 episodes. 

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I'll speak from the shallow end of the pool and say that I am very, very okay with them showing off Brett Dalton's enhanced physique.

Oh I love hanging out at the shallow end.  I've watched things I have no business watching coughBladeTrinitycough because of the shallow end.  But I didn't think it was all that impressive.  I need some serious tone.  I want to see some lines in that muscle!  On another shallow note, I wonder who in SHIELD is tasked to trim his beard and cut his hair. Also, where does he get the gel?

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Even though he makes me want to punch him, I do find Evil Ward much more interesting to watch than "on the SHIELD team" Ward. This new Ward, however... I don't know quite what to make of him yet. I feel like he's more bonkers at this point than poor Fitz. Ward talks very strangely, almost Zen-like, but at the same time kind of like he's gone crazy. The way he talks to Skye and the way he talks about being at peace with everything now makes me feel like his brain fractured at some point, being in that solitary confinement for who knows how long. He sounds like he's losing it. Either that or he's the most calculating bastard on earth.

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This wasn't the best episode ever but it was miles better than anything I saw at this point last season.  I really liked Fitz's confrontation with Ward.  Fitz has never been one of my favourite characters, but I thought he did really well there.  The way he collapsed upon seeing Ward was a brilliant touch, and moved me more than his imaginary Simmons.  Ward's first reaction, his attempt to reach out, was better than the manipulative way he responds to Skye.  Their connection felt real and reminded me of the way they worked together in Russia back in the first season.  They might not have been friends but they had a connection and Ward shattered it.  I thought both actors did a great job, and Ward voluntarily giving Fitz the information carried more weight for me than him parcelling it out to Skye.

 

I like the Hydra guy, the smooth one with the accent, but don't ask me why.  Reed Diamond normally irritates me, but I don't mind him as the pretentious Whitehall.  Simmons is the cutest secret agent ever and this operation does seem to play to her strengths.  She isn't actively lying, she's hiding in plain sight, admitting to everything and doing her job well.  Her people skills work on bad guys as well as they do on good, but I kind of like that the Hydra guy isn't 100% convinced and still thinking he might have to brainwash her.  There was absolutely no suspense in that whole Hunter-has-Simmons-in-his-sights bit; if the show wasn't willing to kill Ward off, Simmons and everyone else is safe too.  Including, I hope, Donnie.  I didn't like him killing the café owner but everything else he did was to protect himself from being used by Hydra, so I wouldn't mind having him back.  He's more interesting than Hunter anyway.  I feel Hunter's being pushed at me in a way Mack and the other new characters (mostly Hydra) are not.  I'm not going to like him just because you want me to, Show.

 

I'm totally over Skye and her mysterious origins, but if it involves Raina I'm good. 

Edited by Irishmaple
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He sounds like he's losing it. Either that or he's the most calculating bastard on earth.

 

I'm good with either, but I'm hoping it's the latter. The show needs interesting, compelling villains as much as it needs interesting, compelling heroes, and I think that Ward could be good for the former and, if redeemed back to bland Ward, horrible at the latter.

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The Director of Shield visiting and cooking dinner for his HYDRA mole - while it's cute, it seemed very risky.  I'm very surprised that HYDRA doesn't participate in some sort of ongoing survelliance of its agents.

I can only assume that Simmons is low level enough that they would not notice (and that Coulson is good at hiding and sneaking in) because she seemed to be pretty low down on the totem pole doing 'entry level science' as she put it and she did join on her own.  I assume someone that low down would not be worth keeping surveillance over.  The logistics of watching every one of their agents would be impossible (not to mention that they can't cut into that HYDRA monogram budget).  Simmons only moved up the ranks when they noticed she knows their current target.  Now that she is moving up the ranks, Coulson will have to be much more cautious.

Edited by Lugal
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Ward made a "Why Evil Will Triumph" speech. And he seems awfully at peace with it. Not very heroic behavior. I don't mind if he's evil, because I agree, but I hope the show doesn't expect for me to be holding my breath for the reveal.

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...The brainwashing wall of lights reminded me of a brainwashing room from an old Mission:Impossible episode where Jim Phelps himself (! I know!) was to be brainwashed....

Not familiar with that one, but it reminds of the V reboot brainwashing wall.
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I had to roll my eyes at the song Simmons woke up to. Part of me was hoping Simmons really was Hydra so I can justify my growing dislike for her.

 

I think Simmons is much more interesting when she's with Fitz. She seems to have a purpose when with him and just seems listless without him. Having said that, there does seem to be some tension brewing between Fitz and Simmons that began last season, but it's hard to really put a finger on it. The whole thing feels like an awkward college breakup, which is sad because they have such great chemistry together. At least Fitz realized that the Simmons he was talking to was just a figment of his imagination and released it. I'm still shipping them, though. Woe is me.

 

I'm the biggest Ward fan so anything that brings him back to the team and gets him out of the vault works for me. Hoping that happens at some point sooner than later. He was never loyal to Hydra, and I always knew he was giving Fitz and Simmons a chance when he released them into the water. I knew in my heart he didn't shoot Buddy the dog, too. Ward still has a long way to go in how he thinks about not being able to kill someone being a "weakness," but with Garrett gone he will step into the light now. And my boy's looking buff!

 

I like Mac and Fitz's budding friendship. I get a kick out of Hunter. I loved it when he told May he was alright and the look on her face!

 

No Talbot in this episode. Grrr!

 

Koenig inconspicuously absent again this episode, although there was mention of him. 

 

Oh, and we haven't seen Ian Quinn so far this season.

 

Looks like we're gonna get some Coulson-May awesomeness in the next episode. They are so much fun together!

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Yes, "let me explain and redeem myself" ward is far less interesting than purely evil Ward. Even the I'm sorry face he made when he pushed Fitz and Simmons into the ocean was weak.

 

I knew it! The retconning has begun. They're going to redeem Ward in a way that is going to insult my intelligence. Soon they're going to add abusive brother and family and that he's misunderstood. He shot Victoria Hand in the head! And then dumped Fitz and Simmons into the ocean and I don't buy the BS that he believed they could fight their way out scenario. That's trying to say in his small way he was working against Garrett and set it so that they would live. Didn't Ward disavow any feelings of loyalty, relationship (it was an act to him) and guilt towards them to Garrett and Raina? They're making him a cypher. Before he was under Garrett's thumb he followed along him without question. Now that he's under Shield's he's willing to do whatever they want from him to ingratiate himself. Also he's a little disturbingly upbeat (or mellow that kind of reeks of crazy) about his "guilt" at what he did to Fitz and his "feelings" for Skye that borders on the creepy.

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I knew it! The retconning has begun. They're going to redeem Ward in a way that is going to insult my intelligence. Soon they're going to add abusive brother and family and that he's misunderstood. .... Also he's a little disturbingly upbeat (or mellow that kind of reeks of crazy) about his "guilt" at what he did to Fitz and his "feelings" for Skye that borders on the creepy.

I'm not reading it as a ret-con. I'm reading it a sociopathic Ward working an angle to try to escape.

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But why are B.J. Britt and Henry Simmons not regulars yet? Tripp and Mac fit in well with the team, better than Hunter at the moment, and the actors work so well with the rest of the cast.  

 

BJ Britt is a regular on the BET show Being Mary Jane, so that's why he's not a regular on AoS.  Can't speak for Henry Simmons, though.

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I'm not reading it as a ret-con. I'm reading it a sociopathic Ward working an angle to try to escape.

 

Ditto. To me it reads almost like a parody of a redemption arc. He's so creepy and has yet to even acknowledge that what he did was wrong. He's still giving speeches about how Evil will triumph and SHIELD is weak because of its pesky concern over right v wrong. We're just one step away from a supervillain monologue here. Also even though Ward has a laundry list of excuses, no one seems to be buying them.

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I'm not reading it as a ret-con. I'm reading it a sociopathic Ward working an angle to try to escape.

That's what I thought too. He'll sprinkle a truth or two in there, give them info to help them and get them to trust him again, and then bam. He's out and evil all over again.

I'm really enjoying this season. May is awesome as Skye's mentor. Skye is way less special snowflake. I loved Fitz confronting Ward and depriving him of oxygen when Ward was trying to make excuses. I like Mac and Fitz's friendship, though it breaks my heart when it's clear how much Fitz and Simmons miss each other.

If Hydra hurts Simmons, I will cut a bitch.

Next week: Melinda May looks hot and flirts with Coulson. Can't wait.

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I actually loved this episode. Everything gelled together nicely, and both Fitz and Simmons work far better away from each other than together. Nice to see character development for all the younger characters, too - Skye, Simmons and Fitz. And I really like Skye this season, especially this ep. That last scene, I totally bought her conflicting emotions at Ward. But it does feel like the show's not sure if they are going to ever redeem him, so his scenes play off as very ambiguous. That's OK, I can live with it, for now. 

 

Still not feeling anything about Hunter/Skye interactions, and generally don't care about him.

 

Loved the Fitz/Ward scene. I cheered a little bit for Fitz when he tried to make Ward taste his own medicine.

 

May's smile to Hunter and Mack was adorable. She does love her grudges.

Edited by FurryFury
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I like Mac and Fitz's friendship, though it breaks my heart when it's clear how much Fitz and Simmons miss each other.

 

So much this. It's obvious the two miss each other greatly. It's good that they are apart right now, but I am waiting for the reunion with bated breath.

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The highlight of this episode had to be Fitz and Simmons.  I found it hard to believe that Simmons had turned and worked for Hydra now and I was so relieved that she was just going undercover for Coulson.  I was honestly glued to the TV whenever she was on because I so feared for her life because she could be found out by Hydra at any moment.  I love the scene where she finds Coulson in her apartment.  It reminded me of a father suddenly dropping by his daughter's apartment to talk to her to see how she was doing in college!  So sweet to see Coulson and Simmons sitting down to a dinner that Coulson made.

 

Poor Fitz!  I really felt for him!  So now whe know what is ailing him, he has hypoxia!  Will he ever return to normal?  The confrontation scene between Fitz and Ward was tense and well acted.  I was surprised that Fitz had the guts to slowly turn off the oxygen in the Ward's jail cell to make Ward suffer.  I was happy for Fitz when Ward was begging for his life.  I'm very impressed with the actor playing Fitz.  He made Fitz very believable.

 

I know that Donnie is the villain of this episode (besides Hydra), but I kind of felt sorry for him.  I was relieved that Skye managed to shoot him dead before he killed everyone by completely freezing the ship.  Heck, I think Donnie would've preferred to be dead than be brainwashed by Hydra again.

 

All, in all, a very good episode!

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The beginning of this episode with Simmons leaving and going to work, against the background of bright chirpy music, with the ultimate reveal of the HYDRA logo, was very Whedonesque.  It reminded me of Wolfram & Hart scenes from Angel.

 

The Fitz and Ward confrontation scene was great.  I also liked Lance trying to make it up to May and Mac.  Coulson and Skye weren't as unbearable as they used to be.

 

Like others here, I think that Donnie isn't really dead but just frozen and will return later.

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I loved this episode. I loved that Simmons was undercover, as long as she sticks to partial truths she'll be okay. Saying she's loyal to Science is true, as well being with the people with the best lab for her to perform science. I also liked that she was truthful as to why she was nervous. Hydra is known for killing people with very little reason. 

 

I'm surprised only May knew about Simmons being with Hydra. It was nice of Skye to take that missed shot so it looked like Simmons saved Hydra agents life. Although being on the top level is going to even more dangerous for her. It also seems like she's a better field agent than Skye, when did she learn how to use a gun? Or is that taught to all SHIELD students?

 

Poor Fitz. I was cheering him on when he took away Ward's oxygen, that guy has not really learned anything. He does not seem that remorseful to me. To me it looks like he just wants to get into Skye's pants so he's pretending to be sorry. He's helping because it gets him what he wants, not because he's truly sorry for what he did. If he is to be forgiven let it be a long time from now, he hasn't earned anything yet, imo. 

 

I don't think hiding where Simmons is going to be good for Fitz, how do they he's going to react when he obviously sees her with Hydra agents. 

 

Also this show just became the super hero show I most look forward to watching since that other show is dead to me. It's the not the best show ever, but it's entertaining and has just the right amount of humor to counter the drama.

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I wanted to echo the love for the Fitz / Mack working relationship.  I'm guessing that Mack didn't know Fitz (or only knew him slightly) before his injury.  Everyone else is comparing the current Fitz to the old Fitz, and treating him sympathetically.  "Poor Fitz, he's just not the same, he's getting better, just give him some time and space."  Whereas Mack just sees Fitz as a brilliant scientist who has trouble with words, so he's going to help find the right words.

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I knew it! The retconning has begun. They're going to redeem Ward in a way that is going to insult my intelligence. Soon they're going to add abusive brother and family and that he's misunderstood.

Adding his possibly abusive family isn't retconning though, that's been implied since The Well. We've known there was something weird about this family, even if we don't know the details yet. Anyhow, so far Ward doesn't seem to want redemption as much as he wants to get out of solitary. He still seems like he doesn't grasp the implications of what he's done. He seems sorry, but I don't think he thinks of himself as an evil bastard. He still feels justified in his actions, even if he didn't personally like them. If he ever gets a grip, maybe then he can get redemption but the writers are clearly not there yet, and I can't say if they ever will go there.

Edited by KatWay
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Soon they're going to add abusive brother and family and that he's misunderstood.

 

I think Ward's storyline would have played out better if they had shown us his family back in season one, when they were spinning their wheels.  As it is, I don't see why he would be so desperate for a connection that he would tolerate Garrett just leaving him in the woods for months on end, instead of striking out on his own.  But given the choice between character building and shocking twist, I think this show is going to go for shocking twist every time.  I happen to think a lot of shocking twists feel arbitrary and contrived, so that doesn't bode well.

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I never felt like Ward being a mole was a contrived twist. Retroactively, it explained a lot of things, like the May/Ward "romance" which made zero sense, and also his whole blandness. It wasn't an asspull, but it wasn't too obvious. I felt it managed to strike a perfect balance, myself.

 

I do agree the way they've showed us Ward's family background wasn't the best. 

Edited by FurryFury
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I think Ward's storyline would have played out better if they had shown us his family back in season one, when they were spinning their wheels.  As it is, I don't see why he would be so desperate for a connection that he would tolerate Garrett just leaving him in the woods for months on end, instead of striking out on his own

 

Garett met Ward when he got arrested for trying to burn down his house (with his brother inside right?)?  Plus the flashbacks to the well with his brother.  They haven't gone into specifics but they have definitely laid the groundwork that Ward had serious issues with his family and was craving a connection when he met Garrett.

Edited by Atony
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The cold never bothered Donnie anyway!

 

Did I miss something about Ward's family last season? I wasn't sure what Skye meant when she told Ward that "everyone knows and loves your family," or words to that effect. Henh?

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I never felt like Ward being a mole was a contrived twist. Retroactively, it explained a lot of things, like the May/Ward "romance" which made zero sense, and also his whole blandness. It wasn't an asspull, but it wasn't too obvious. I felt it managed to strike a perfect balance, myself.

 

Totally agree. It was weird that Ward's personality was "poop with knives sticking out of it" and yet he immediately jumps into life as part of the team - training/bantering with Skye, joking with Simmons, bro-ing with Fitz, and having sex with May. He was very bland, and we didn't really see him slowly warming up to the team. It was more like one day he decided to try to be friends with everyone ... which is exactly what he tells Raina.

 

The cold never bothered Donnie anyway!

 

Did I miss something about Ward's family last season? I wasn't sure what Skye meant when she told Ward that "everyone knows and loves your family," or words to that effect. Henh?

 

Trip described his family as "the cable version of the Kennedys."

Given that they've cast his older brother, Christian Ward, who is a senator, I'm guessing that they mean that his family is very political and well-connected.

Edited by kitlee625
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Casting news. Before we just assumed that Ward is from Massachusetts because that's where he was in juvenile detention.

 

There's some speculation that this is the "senator with deep pockets" who has directed General Talbot to hunt down Coulson and SHIELD.

Edited by kitlee625
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I never felt like Ward being a mole was a contrived twist.

 

Not sure if you're addressing me, but I did not say that Ward being a mole was a contrived twist.

 

yet he immediately jumps into life as part of the team

 

Not immediately.  I believe there was a little pep talk from Coulson along the way, and it took a few episodes for things to start developing.

 

I wasn't sure what Skye meant when she told Ward that "everyone knows and loves your family," or words to that effect.

 

I believe she said his family was "the cable version of the Kennedys."  Which they never explained, but is consistent with having a senator in the family.

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I'm not reading it as a ret-con. I'm reading it a sociopathic Ward working an angle to try to escape.

 

Agreed.  I think Fitz and Simmons will be hard pressed to forget Ward begging them to open the med pod when they'd locked themselves in it.  Because they refused to open it for him, he shoved them into the water.  What would he have done if FitzSimmons had opened the medpod door and fell for his pleas?

 

 

I'm surprised only May knew about Simmons being with Hydra. It was nice of Skye to take that missed shot so it looked like Simmons saved Hydra agents life. Although being on the top level is going to even more dangerous for her. It also seems like she's a better field agent than Skye, when did she learn how to use a gun? Or is that taught to all SHIELD students?

 

I don't think hiding where Simmons is going to be good for Fitz, how do they he's going to react when he obviously sees her with Hydra agents. 

 

I suspect that both FitzSimmons are field trained, they just weren't field ready (as explained in the pilot).  It's safe to assume that Fitz has training with shooting a gun because he is a weapons developer, so I'd imagine he'd taught Simmons somewhere along the line as well if she hadn't learned it through SHIELD Hogwarts. 

 

I think that Fitz will be gradually re-integrated into the field team and when he's out on the field he'll run into Simmons who'll likely be brainwashed to "comply" and he'll have to talk her out of her psychosis-- needing his words.  He knows she's on assignment, I doubt he'll be upset she's Hydra. It'll be more that he's upset she's been in the face of danger for so long. 

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Iain DeCaestecker needs to win all the awards. And I mean all of them. Even like Best Picture or whatever because he deserves them. Every single one.  He and Tatiana Maslany need to get together and have a brood of actor babies who just blow up TV.  Iain has just been selling Fitz's frustration and disability this season.  I'm glued to the screen when he's on.  When Fitz confronted Ward, you really got a sense of his PTSD and it was just perfection.  It's a shame this is a niche show because he really should be nominated for his work these past 3 episodes.

Agreed! I loved Fitz's big scene with Ward. I was expecting Fitz to come in all angry and vengeful, the usual for tv shows. I love that the first thing he did was freak out and maybe cry a little. That felt real. Iain totally sold it. Isn't that how so many of us would really react when faced with someone we cared about who had seriously and intentionally injured us? Forget the dramatic speeches and sincere vows of revenge. There is a very good chance that seeing that person would make you relive the horror of the incident all over again, if only for a few seconds. To a certain extent, the old Fitz is dead. Ward killed him. That scene was a murder victim getting to face their murderer. I was wondering how long they could keep Ward in the basement without Fitz finding out. I'm happy they just got to it. I didn't have a problem with Fitz screwing with Ward's oxygen. It was wrong, but he wasn't going to be able to use words to explain to Ward what he felt.  The old Fitz would never have turned off someone's oxygen and stared at them as they began choking. It takes the character to interesting new places.

 

I didn't understand why everyone was like, "Skye shot and killed Donnie. No biggie." I hate it in shows when characters kill people and seem not to care. This is especially irksome when it's their first kill.  Are they sociopaths? Didn't Fitz shoot a guy in the head in the big Hydra reveal episode? There was never any follow up on that.  Also, didn't May say she was going to start teaching Skye how to use that sniper riffle? How fast can Skye pick things up?

 

I still hate Coulson. He sucks and doesn't seem to be very good at his job.

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I think by having May say at the beginning that it's not easy, and it doesn't get easier, and the whole checking the pulse is supposed to be hinting that something is not quite right with Skye since she took the alien formula too. Plus she's an 084. I could be giving the showrunners too much credit, though.

 

Fitz and Simmons are breaking my heart, but I like that they're not static as characters. But I'm glad I got to "know" them as silly and smart and almost annoying in season 1, even if it did seem slow and boring.

 

Shut up Ward. And if Brett Dalton is normally that creepy, they chose the right actor for the part. But sheesh, I feel all creepy crawly when he's talking. And Skye has that look of I can't wait to get out of here, too. If he's getting a redemption arc, at least they're making those he wronged have a whole lot of time giving him shit about it. So, that's good.

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I didn't understand why everyone was like, "Skye shot and killed Donnie. No biggie." I hate it in shows when characters kill people and seem not to care.

 

I thought that was the point. The cast is so out of their element that they simply don't care as much anymore. Their morality is compromised (see also: Fitz trying to outright murder Ward, Coulson having to constantly make hard decisions). If Skye shot anyone in s1 then yes, absolutely, it would have bee a big deal. But after Ward's betrayal and SHIELD's dissolution they just lack the strength to care.

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Also, didn't May say she was going to start teaching Skye how to use that sniper riffle? How fast can Skye pick things up?

 

May handed her the sniper rifle and said something like "I want you to get used to the weight."  So she definitely wasn't an expert with it at the beginning of the episode.  On the other hand, she was using a high-powered, long-range sniper rifle on a target that was maybe 30 yards away and standing still, so she probably didn't need to be an expert with it to hit Donnie.

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I didn't see it so much as they don't care (I mean May told Skye at the beginning of the episode that it never gets easier to cross someone off), but that they don't have the luxury to angst out about it anymore. They are constantly moving, constantly fighting. Skye shot Donnie save herself and her team. What was she supposed to do? Talk it out with Donnie? He was actively freezing the ship to kill her and her teammates. Sure, it's affected her, but she has so many other things going on - she's worried about Simmons, Fitz, Coulson, what Ward is really up to, etc etc. Fitz shot someone to save May in Turn, Turn, Turn, and there was no "hug it out" or "let's talk about their feelings" moment then either, again because there was just so much else going on. Hydra had just been revealed, and SHIELD had just fallen. I actually like that. They're professional spies.

Edited by kitlee625
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