S02.E05: A Hen In The Wolf House

[Cranberry]

Coulson's team is up against the beautiful and deadly Bobbi Morse – Security Chief for Hydra. Skye's father forces Raina to reunite him with his daughter at any cost.

 

 

 

Yay, Mockingbird!

[blackwing]

The Bobbi Morse in the comics was never a baddie.  Will be interested to see if she's actually a bad bad or if she's a bad that's going to come over to the side of good.  In the comics she was a SHIELD agent before she became an Avenger.  Obviously the show plays a lot with the comics continuity, but still.

[Tryangle]

I think blackwing's concern got addressed relatively quickly. Liked Bobbi immensely this episode, although chuckled when we found out about her previous relationship.

 

Team's getting bigger by the episode, huh.

[JayKay]

Hellllcoooowww!

I'm gonna need a bit, I've been on a high since the Bessie mention. Great episode.

[Lantern7]

Damn. Bobbi makes one helluva first impression. Makes up for Skye going rogue hearing about her father.

[RandomWatcher]

I like this version of Bobbi. They just need to keep her away from time travel to the old west, demons and shape shifting aliens.

[mybabyaidan]

I loved it, although I called everything beforehand.  Knew Bobbi was undercover, knew she was going to end up being the ex wife as soon as she returned with the crew to the base.

 

That said, I adore Adrianne Palicki, and she was really bad ass.  Loved everything about her.  

[AimingforYoko]

I like that they had Hunter lampshade Mockingbird's hair color and Simmons' girlcrush was adorable.

Skye's father is sure an emotional alien, isn't he?

[Guest Accused Dingo]

I get why Skye went Rogue .  She has been looking for answers to her past since forever.  Hell she infiltrated SHIELD to get answers.  Of course she was going to go looking for her father when he was right down the road.

 

Bobbi made a great first impression and of course she is Hunter's ex-wife.  

 

Damn Coulson remind me never to try and blackmail....or bluff you.  

 

All in all this is one of my favorite episodes of the season if not the show.  

[Amethyst]

That was a good episode.  Bobbi was the best thing about it, honestly.  I think she'll be a good balance to May's stone face.

 

I genuinely feel bad for Skye, but I don't care about Coulson keeping secrets from her.  Too reminiscent of last season and all the special snowflake mess.  I'm more curious about what type of alien she and her dad are.

[Lyndy]

Tyra Collette is in this now? This makes me happy. I continue to love Phil Coulson and actually, his father-daughter dynamic with Skye. Why is Ward still in this? He's pretty much an exposition fairy at this point.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Lyndy

[Actionmage]

I am in sqeeeeeeee! Bobbi Morse is in the house!!!! 

 

Just so much to process that I love.  Simmons not cracking under 'Hydra' questions in the john. Then the batons come out and the quinjet and the countdown....

 

Kyle MacLachlan seems to be having a bit of fun now. He and Reed Diamond have to be playing around with funny accents between takes.

 

Skye is up to speed about Phil and the carving. Glad she noticed the desk carving. It's done in such a 'huh, look at that', low-key manner. Love Phil and Clark Gregg!

 

Definitely more later.

 

later...

Yes, JayKay, I was still giggling to myself over the Bessie mention  when the really good stuff started happening. This show can make me smile in such crazy ways.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Actionmage

[kennyab]

I loved it, although I called everything beforehand.  Knew Bobbi was undercover, knew she was going to end up being the ex wife as soon as she returned with the crew to the base.

 

That said, I adore Adrianne Palicki, and she was really bad ass.  Loved everything about her.  

 

Yeah, I figured Bobbi had to be the ex. And Palicki does make everything better. I was interested in About a Boy with her in it. Without, not so much. I really hope she makes the transition to the big screen MCU, she could more than hold her own to Scarlett Johansson as Hawkeye's love interest (if only they had gotten someone with more charisma than Jeremy Renner -- worst casting in the whole franchise).

 

I missed the first 15 minutes, looking forward to Hulu in the morning. But that last 45 flew by. Really looking forward to more Special Agent Dale Cooper, it looks like he's going to fill Paxton's shoes nicely in the crazy-ass bad guy department. And boy, I really did feel for Raina. She's gotten in way over her head. And she really seemed like she didn't want Simmons to be hurt. Ruth Negga's done a great job keeping her from being a flat-out villain -- to me, she works well as the wildcard in the mix.

Edited October 22, 2014 by kennyab

[Xantar]

I liked Bobbi Morse and I liked Coulson calling Raina on her bluff. The slowly dawning panic on her face was a delight to see. It's just too bad it doesn't seem like Raina's story is going to pay off any further since the Obelisk is now in HYDRA hands.

 

This episode also highlighted for me all the reasons why the Simmons undercover storyline was stupid. As they point out right in the script, she has been with SHIELD all her life, was an exemplary agent in the field, and has shown no inclination for mass murder and mayhem. So why exactly would HYDRA take her in and hire her? And how has nobody noticed her furtively sneaking out on her lunch breaks to drop messages in the trash bin? It's starting to look like the only reason SHIELD has any kind of chance against HYDRA is because HYDRA is completely incompetent.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Really looking forward to more Special Agent Dale Cooper, it looks like he's going to fill Paxton's shoes nicely in the crazy-ass bad guy department.

 

Is he angry all the time because he hasn't had a good cup of coffee or slice of pie in a long, long time ?

 

Actually I was hoping that he would grab the obelisk, point it at Daniel Whitehall and yell "Shai-Hulud" to destroy him.

[Sakura12]

Agent Mockingbird has arrived and I love her so far. I figured Hunter's ex would be showing up, didn't expect her to be Bobbi. Also liked they explained the hair color. I wonder if they are going to make her scientist as well. If so I'm looking forward to her and Gemma having more scenes. I also hope Bobbi and May are friends and don't hate each other. 

 

With that I'm glad that Simmons is back on our team. I hope her and Fitz can repair their friendship. 

 

I know a lot of people don't like Skye, but I find Coulson the least interesting character on this show. Even with him writing in an alien language. Skye while annoying sometimes has the mystery I'm most interested in, what kind of alien are her and her father.  

[kitlee625]

I liked the episode, especially everything with Bobbi, but god was I rolling my eyes when Skye took one look at Coulson's carvings and was like "I know what it is!" Of course you do. Even though staring at pictures of those carvings for months did nothing for you. Sigh. I hate it when writers write a good mystery and don't know how to solve it besides superpowers. This may sound like a weird complaint given that this is a Marvel show, but I like when they don't just fall back on "mysterious superpowers" to solve problems/mysteries. I liked this show when it was regular (skilled) people dealing with a super powered world.

[kennyab]

Is he angry all the time because he hasn't had a good cup of coffee or slice of pie in a long, long time ?

 

I really want the rights for Val Cooper to belong to Marvel and not Fox so she and her cousin Dale can have some screen time together.

[Jediknight]

Mockingbird is awesome, and not just because she saved Simmons.

 

The additions of Trip, Hunter, and Mack to the team have brought about some much needed fun.  I damn near did a spit take at "Why the hell would you do that?"

 

And it's a map Coulson is carving?  I wonder which Infinity Gem it will lead to.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Jediknight

[kennyab]

I liked the episode, especially everything with Bobbi, but god was I rolling my eyes when Skye took one look at Coulson's carvings and was like "I know what it is!" Of course you do. Even though staring at pictures of those carvings for months did nothing for you. Sigh. I hate it when writers write a good mystery and don't know how to solve it besides superpowers. This may sound like a weird complaint given that this is a Marvel show, but I like when they don't just fall back on "mysterious superpowers" to solve problems/mysteries. I liked this show when it was regular (skilled) people dealing with a super powered world.

To be fair, we don't know yet why Skye came to that conclusion. She's been studying these diagrams for months now, so there may have been something in the latest carving that actually put everything together for her in a logical way.

[JayKay]

Okay, so either I finally got brainwashed by Disney into complying (after decades of unsuccessful attempts via princess) or this was a great 45 minutes of television. Simmons turned on her mass murderous boss! Like a spy! Skye and Coulson had a genuinely affectionate moment. Kyle McLachlan tragically killed a tablet. And Bobbi Morse owned everyone so hard that their alien hybrid grandchildren felt it.

Skye's reaction of Coulson implying that she was an alien was a fun scene. I didn't expect it to play out that way and I was cracking up. I bought their bond this episode, and Clark Gregg surprised me when his constant underplaying found just the right groove.

Simmons, keep the wardrobe. Glad she made a friend and is back in the fold. That was a short but worthwhile excursion imo.

Bobbi, please stay forever. And did you catch Tripp and May snickering at Hunter's temper tantrum. That is how you write an ensemble. I think Mockingbird will fit in just fine.

Still secretly hoping Raina becomes more involved with Shield, just so she'll stick around. She's human. She knows stuff. Give her a chance, guys.

I don't know if any other show I watch for the rest of this week can top the pure satisfaction (and embarrassing flailing) that AoS delivered tonight.

[kennyab]

So, going to throw it out there -- the scene where Bobbi had to backtrack for a second because Simmons didn't stay in place -- did it seem a bit odd to anyone else? After the build-up of the brainwashing, I'm thinking that Bobbi might be a sleeper. Granted, most of my theories end up being wrong. But the whole "compliance" thing has to go somewhere...

[JayKay]

After the build-up of the brainwashing, I'm thinking that Bobbi might be a sleeper. Granted, most of my theories end up being wrong. But the whole "compliance" thing has to go somewhere...

Yeah, there's gotta be something to it. But I don't know... I mean, out of the two people more likely to be artificially evil, Simmons is the one who disobeyed orders and almost blew the escape plan and her flagrant transmission to Coulson is what lead to a deeply imbedded Shield agent being exposed because she was forced to save her.

I'm not saying that Simmons is brainwashed, but I don't think that there's enough evidence pointing to Bobbi as a mole.

[benteen]

Great first impression for Mockingbird and another really good episode of Shield.

 

I'm definitely warming to Skye as I was on her side with the Coulson fight.  It's hard to take Coulson's secrecy seriously when they're such a small organization now.  Still, Coulson came back impressively by staring down Raina.

 

I agree KM looks like he's having some fun.

 

Glad Simmons is back in the mix.

[kennyab]

Yeah, there's gotta be something to it. But I don't know... I mean, out of the two people more likely to be artificially evil, Simmons is the one who disobeyed orders and almost blew the escape plan and her flagrant transmission to Coulson is what lead to a deeply imbedded Shield agent being exposed because she was forced to save her.

I'm not saying that Simmons is brainwashed, but I don't think that there's enough evidence pointing to Bobbi as a mole.

I did think about Simmons being a sleeper, and that would be a very Whedony type of twist after the swimming pool convo between her and Fitz about her loyalties. I wouldn't put it past them. And I missed the first part of the episode, so there may have been shady Simmons stuff that I totally missed. But was her transmission to Coulson that flagrant? It seemed to follow the standard fast-food protocol. I'll have to wait until tomorrow and see everything in context, but you may make a very good point.

[Sakura12]

Simmons and Bobbi could both be sleepers for all we know. However I hope they don't repeat the mole theme again we already had Ward. I really don't like watching the same storyline twice (even when I liked it the first time. Seeing it again kind of takes away the surprise of the first time. If that makes any sense). 

 

I just hope they go with Hydra's so cocky they don't think people can trick them. I mean this is an organization that puts their huge logo on everything. They probably think they are untouchable. That's the kind of thinking that usually leads to a downfall. 

[tankgirl73]

I just want to say one thing for now. 

 

Kyle.  Frikkin.  Maclachlan.

 

That is all.

[thuganomics85]

Damn!  I think Simmons reaction to the "real" Bobbie "Mockingbird" Morse, was about the same as mines.  She was all kinds of awesome and badass!  Adrianne Palicki was perfectly cast, IMO.  She looks like she can kick major ass (I loved how she towers over Elizabeth Henstridge), and more then believable at taking Hunter down a peg or two (although, come on, Trip.  It was obvious that she was the ex Hunter was always whining about.  Did Melinda really have to spell it out to you?)  I'm glad it sounds like she's going to be hanging around.

 

That said, yeah, I also am suspicious over that whole "Wait here" scene between Bobbie and Simmons, so I wonder if something is going to go down over that.  The sleeper agent stuff is definitely a possibility.

 

Glad Simmons is back (I guess, that's a wrap for Hallucination Simmons), but I hope she and Fitz start talking soon.  There really is a lot of stuff they need to discuss.  Even if she did it for good reasons, I have to imagine Fitz might still feel hurt that she left when she did.  Besides that, I'm curious to see if the real Simmons finds Mac has hot as Hallucination Simmons (or, technically, Fitz' subconscious) did.

 

Wow, did Coulson did not want to fuck around with Raina.  It was risky as hell, but it was nice seeing that smirk finally wiped off her face.  I guess that's what happens, when you kidnap a guy, and put him through a massive amount of pain: he shows you no mercy. I'm sure this isn't the last of it though, and I wouldn't be surprised if they do work together on some level.

 

Especially now that Daddy Skye is going to work for Whitehall!  Yeah, he's clearly a bit dangerous.  Kyle MacLachlan seems to be enjoying himself.

 

Wasn't a huge fan of the Coulson/Skye stuff, but it could have been much worse, I guess.  But, I'm glad Coulson is no longer keeping her in the dark, because, seriously, dude.  That isn't going to work with her, and you know that by now.

 

Another good episode.  I think this show has found it's groove, and I hope it keeps it up.

[NorthstarATL]

THAT was fun! I've loved Bobbi Morse since she hung out with Ka-Zar in the Savage Land, so seeing her brought to life by Adrrienne Palicki was awesome! I think I know what's up with Skye and her dad. DC could never do it with their properties, as they want to keep TV and movies separate, but Marvel's approach is Infinitely better!

[ottoDbusdriver]

To be fair, we don't know yet why Skye came to that conclusion. She's been studying these diagrams for months now, so there may have been something in the latest carving that actually put everything together for her in a logical way.

 

For a minute there, I thought Skye was doing her impression of Admiral Ackbar looking for directions while on vacation -- It's a map !!

 

Seriously, it seems like Skye got out her "Jump to Conclusions" mat (copyright, Tom Smykowski 1999) and pulled the idea that it was a map from nowhere.

 

Why was Tripp flying the Quinjet in non-cloaked mode ? They are still wanted terrorists flying in American airspace over a major city in a stolen plane, they should be running cloaked ALL THE TIME, especially since The Playground is located close to D.C.

[Izeinwinter]

Re; Skye suddenly grogging it from seeing the carvings. If they want to do this right, the information in them is partially 3-d - how deep the groves are is significant, that's why they have to be carved, and why she didn't get anywhere from the pictures. The pictures didn't have the whole story. 

[MadyGirl1987]

Really liked this episode! I was surprised at the reveal that Bobbi was SHIELD.

 

Loved Raina and Coulson at the restaurant.

 

Enjoyed Skye's dad. Especially loved at the end when he was watching them and getting upset when she was saying he was a monster. He really sold it. Also; it is weird to see him since I know the actor as "The Captain" from HIMYM. You would not even know it was him. What range.

 

Lastly; loved Sky and Coulson and Skye and May interactions. Thought May and Skye in the restaurant listening in on Coulson and Raina and May keeping Skye from leaving was well done. Really bought them as mentor-protege.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Thought May and Skye in the restaurant listening in on Coulson and Raina and May keeping Skye from leaving was well done. Really bought them as mentor-protege.

 

As long as May the mentor isn't dating Kenny Bania </Seinfeld>

[APSimpson]

Just jumping in here to say that I was FLOORED by Mockingbird! I couldn't be more impressed! When she revealed herself and came to Simmons' rescue, very gripping and inspiring! If she's going to be around for a while on the show that is exciting too! Wow!

[MadyGirl1987]

As long as May the mentor isn't dating Kenny Bania </Seinfeld>

HA!

[transgojobot]

Even after seeing the photos, I had completely forgotten that Adrianne Palicki was going to appear this season as Bobbi Morse, and then BOOM there she was in all her statuesque badassery. 

[Minneapple]

Loved it, another really good episode. Adrianne Palicki ruled. I hope she stays for awhile. I can't wait to see her and Hunter bickering. And hopefully she and May team up to kick ass a few timee.

I don't blame Skye one bit for going off on her own. She looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Coulson won't talk to her -- she goes to Ward, but she doesn't trust Ward. She was tired of all the secrets and everyone talking about her and her dad like she's not even there.

I'm glad Simmons is back, but I hope everything isn't all hunky-dory right away. I want to see her and Fitz slowly learning to work together again.

[yellowfred]

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about them ending Simmons' undercover work this quickly.  On the one hand, I'm glad that she's going to be back with the team and I'm looking forward to seeing how Fitz deals with her being back and how Skye deals with the fact that she has a new girl crush.  On the other hand, I feel like there was more potential for storylines with her staying undercover.  Like, I would have been interested to see what she would do in a situation where maintaining her cover would mean actually figuring out how to build a WMD for Hydra.  Still, I tend to prefer that those types of storylines get cut short rather than drag on, so I appreciate them erring on the side of brevity.

 

I love Adrianne Palicki.  I don't really have anything meaningful to contribute in that regard, but it can never really be said enough. 

[Jack Kerouac]

Damn!  I think Simmons reaction to the "real" Bobbie "Mockingbird" Morse, was about the same as mines.  She was all kinds of awesome and badass!

 

Except for the fight scene. It was pretty good up until she did the spinny thing down to a kneeling position, AFTER both guards had been taken out. There was absolutely no need for it - in fact, it just wasted time! Why do a stupid spinny move after both guys are down?

[Glory]

Seeing Adrienne Palicki as Mockingbird made me yearn for the failed pilot in which she played Wonder Woman. She's just got such presence. It's really amazing. I'd kill to see her on the big screen in Avengers. Kill. She'd be amazing. 

[Primetimer]

A modest request for more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. screentime from an alien item of import.

Read the story

[FurryFury]

I liked this one. Still not as good as some of the stuff around the HYDRA reveal last season, but still very fun.

 

So this Mockingbird is the Marvel's version of Black Canary? Not bad, but I preferred the Arrow version by a long shot, both character- and fighting-wise. Called her being Hunter's ex (and undercover SHIELD) basically since she first appeared.

 

Speaking of Hunter, I still can't understand why he's on the show. When the two most interesting things about a guy are the badass women that he was involved with, maybe it's a better idea to add them to the cast and not him?

 

I wanted  to see a bit more of Fitz/Simmons reunion. I suspect it was awkward as hell.

 

Kyle McLachlan was terrific, and his character is certainly nothing like I was expecting. I'm also interested in his relationship with Raina. It seems like she really looks up to him and was very hurt by him clearly not giving a damn about her. She'll probably be the one to finish him in the end, I imagine. And then we'll get the Raina/Skye rivalry.

 

Raina/Coulson was probably Coulson's best and most interesting scene in a while. I'm really tired of him. Can you imagine how interesting the show could get with May in charge instead of him?

 

Seeing Adrienne Palicki as Mockingbird made me yearn for the failed pilot in which she played Wonder Woman.

 

Everyone who's seen it swears it was the worst thing ever, though.

[tv echo]

I liked that Coulson called Raina's bluff, even though I really like Simmons and worried about how she would save herself.  But then I loved when Morse revealed herself as a SHIELD agent and rescued Simmons.

 

Just when I started to like Skye again, I got irritated by her demanding that Coulson tell her everything from now on and keep no secrets from her - and that he agreed!  He's the Director of SHIELD and he's entitled to keep secrets as needed from his agents.  Why is Skye again such a special snowflake that she gets to know everything he knows, and more than the rest of the team knows?  She's not even a senior agent like May.

[Jack Kerouac]

Everyone who's seen it swears it was the worst thing ever, though.

It was so, so incredibly bad.

[Wootini]

The WW pilot WAS pretty embarrassing. For everyone involved. I was embarrassed watching it.

 

But she's a great Mockingbird. Or should I say Bobbie Morse, because no one mentioned her code name. (Though I appreciated the mention that she's supposed to be blonde because… well, she is!) See, THIS is how you introduce a new character. Basically Hunter is all smarm and sarcasm and Mac is all muscles. (Not that I'm complaining about the muscles, but a personality wouldn't go amiss) 

 

But at least Skye has become an more interesting character now and not as much of a plot device, so they are seemingly able to develop them over the course of a season. 

 

This was a terrific episode, and I liked it as much or maybe even more than last week's Mission Impossible tribute. This show is on a roll, and I'm going to be seriously annoyed if the ratings don't pick up and it gets axed. Grrr!

[DeLurker]

 

Wow, did Coulson did not want to fuck around with Raina.  It was risky as hell, but it was nice seeing that smirk finally wiped off her face.

I find Raina annoying, so I really enjoyed this.  Props to the actress though, she really sold me on her nerves as the time ticked down.

 

Had no idea Adrianne Palacki was so statusque - 5' 11" per IMDB. 

 

Fitz killed me trying to figure out if this was another hallucination of Simmons.

 

Simmons eyebrows are entirely too noticeable.

[shrewd.buddha]

I'm liking the new team members more than the old ones ... will the old ones start to fade into the background? ( I could handle less Coulson, Ward, Skye and Fitz on a regular basis -- they basically rehash the same stuff each time they appear.)

 

I liked Coulson's game-set-match play of Raina - that's the way Fury would have handled a blackmailer. If only he would take the same no-negotiation approach with Ward... 

[AzureOwl]

Not that I'm complaining or anything, but someone in Simmons' line of work should really invest in a better bra. Not that I didn't enjoy the view, but when she was running in that hallway I couldn't help but think that that must've hurt. Right, ladies?

 

Everyone who's seen it swears it was the worst thing ever, though.

 

Yeah, but the general consensus is that it was all David E. Kelley's fault. Seriously, the project was doomed the second they put him in charge.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Am I the only one that noticed in that hallway scene with Simmons that as Morse approached, Simmons moved from the center of the hallway to clutch the wall not once, not twice but three different times (twice before Morse went on the offensive, once after).  That just seems like really shitty editing to drag out the suspense.

 

And that was followed by an even weirder edit where Morse turned to confront the Hydra security in the hallway as Simmons ran up the stairs, then a cut to Morse bolting onto the roof just seconds after Simmons got there with a Hydra security guard hot on her tail (why wasn't she able to take them all out ?)

Edited October 22, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[GenieinTX]

I thought this was a great episode.  I loved Raina getting upset as Coulson sat there cool as a cucumber.  Bobbie was awesome and I'm going to enjoy watching her smack down Hunter over and over.  I'm glad Simmons is back, I was nervous for her every time she was on screen in the Hydra compound.  I'm looking forward to watching her and Fitz rebuild their relationship.  I don't even hate Skye this season.  At least until she took off on her own to find her dad.  That was really stupid, but it's Skye.  She's a bit presumptious with Phil being that he's the Director, but I'll forgive it.  Their scenes about her being an alien and having a bad day were really great.  I even love that she's being smart about Ward.

 

Now Ward and his puppy dog eyes and "I'll never lie to you again" is getting on my nerves.  I was happier with him being bad.  You just know that something will happen and he'll make a big sacrifice and they will let him back into the group at some point, but I want him to suffer.