S02.E05: A Hen In The Wolf House

[ottoDbusdriver]

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.

 

And it wouldn't be a melodrama without someone having daddy issues. </snark>

[Mars477]

Adrianne Palicki was amazing as Bobbi Morse (and so very tall!), but the action in this show is disappointing.  I would love to see what she could do with a Cinemax action director (see Strike Back, Banshee).  Still hopefully she sticks around, because I find her loads more imposing than anyone on the main cast (yes, even Ming Na).

 

Skye and her daddy issues are terrible.

[yellowfred]

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. 

 

Well, to be fair, S.H.I.E.L.D. is an organization that, for years, allowed a terrorist group to grow in its own ranks.  They could probably benefit from a bit more internal transparency. 

[kitlee625]

So I think I was underwelmed by this episode more than others, and I've been trying to figure out why. There were a lot of great elements this episode: the introduction of Mockingbird was awesome, but there were a couple of things that disappointed me. I've never been a fan of Skye-is-the-most-special-snowflake stuff, but that's not the whole thing.

 

What I've really enjoyed this season so far is that the show wasn't afraid to mix up the status quo. Last season was all about the team as family (at least pre-Hydra), and it was fun to enter the season with 5 big perturbations from the previous status quo: Simmons is gone, Fitz is different, Skye and Coulson are not bffs anymore, new people / can we trust them, and Ward locked up. Pretty quickly they had to resolve the issue of trusting the new people to explain why they're keeping Hunter around, and then we've slowly seen them resolving Fitz, or at least showing that he is recovering and isn't quite as damaged as he/others think. I was hoping that the other three (Simmons in Hydra, Coulson and Skye being at odds, Ward being locked up) would have a meaty payoff. I think the show works well when it's not afraid to have the characters outside of they're comfort zone and arguing with each other. However, in just one episode, we've resolved both the Simmons and Skye & Coulson storylines, and I felt like there wasn't enough character moments to make me care that much. Certainly Simmons' rescue from Hydra was cool (and yay Mockingbird!), but I wish we'd seen more of her undercover, and I think that her reunion with Fitz and the team in general was very underwhelming. They spent more time on Bobbi Morse and Lance! Hopefully we'll get more of this in the coming episodes, but it just felt like a let down.

 

As for the Coulson and Skye stuff, it started off promising with them finally laying their cards on the table, but then it rushed to a conclusion. Skye goes back into sad orphan mode, and Coulson hugs it out and lets her into the circle of trust. Which is sweet, but because I don't really understand why he kept her out for so long, I don't get why he's now giving her all the secrets except that she's his surrogate daughter and had a bad day. She reminded me painfully of Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: TNG in this episode.

 

I also liked that the world was pretty big up until this point, but with The Doctor teaming up with Whitehall, everything is now feeling very cramped.

 

The things that I did like besides Bobbi Morse though was the part of Raina. It was fun to see her and Coulson interacting, and I loved that he called her bluff and had a plan all along. It's stuff like that that makes me feel like he can be Director, and I want to see more of it.

 

Now they're teasing that the last perturbation is going to be resolved next episode with them having to trust Ward, and I'm just rolling my eyes. Please do not take the easy way out again writers. Please.

Edited October 22, 2014 by kitlee625

[JayKay]

Coulson keeping Skye in the dark lead to her almost blowing the op by rushing out to meet Raina's demands, too. I don't believe that it's the professional thing to do but I feel like Skye has improved from last season so I'm willing to accept that Coulson will placate her to keep her from doing something dangerous/stupid. Hopefully she'll mellow out.

But I also get why she didn't trust Coulson's judgment. As long as she's responsible with the info and uses her special secret keeper position to boost morale (which is why I assume Coulson only told May what was going on), then it might be fine. May said it was a good idea and I trust her, at least.

[Spartan Girl]

Mockingbird can stay on this show forever.  Please let her stay on this show forever!

 

I do NOT want a redeemed Ward.

[Cranberry]

Does Adrianne Palicki have anything else going on? I want Bobbi to stay on this show, too. I'm imagining a cool scene where she and May beat up a group of attackers now...

 

(I may also ship her with Simmons a little bit.)

[FurryFury]

Oh, I'm sure this episode has created shipper followings for Bobbi/Simmons and Fitz/Mack (seriously, the way he admired his physique via HeadSimmons was almost certainly intentional HoYay)

[Jamoche]

 

Let me ask you this: how many people have you ever seen get killed by alien writing?

Six words: "I prepared explosive runes this morning"

[ChelseaNH]

Not sure why the "wait here" scene is getting side-eyed.  Morse told Simmons to wait in the corridor so she could talk the guard into leaving his post.  Simmons was waiting but Bakshi and guards approached, so the corridor was no longer safe.  She joined Morse, the guard recognized her and Morse subdued him.  Then Morse sent Simmons to the roof while she dealt with Bakshi and guards.  I'm going to guess that the guard who followed Morse to the roof came from a different direction (or possibly someone she dropped recovered a little quicker than expected).

 

I'm willing to accept that Coulson will placate her to keep her from doing something dangerous/stupid

 

Must be nice having a boss who will give you treats to stop you from doing something wrong, instead of just telling you not to do something wrong and expecting you to do as you're told.  Is Skye a grown-up or not?  If she's not a grown-up, what's she doing in the field?  Yes, people dealing with big emotions will do stupid things -- see Hunter going after Isabelle's killer all by his lonesome -- but that doesn't make them any less stupid.  Or tiresome, from a viewing perspective.

[miracole]

I liked Bobbi.

 

I loved Mack's muscles.

 

Glad Simmons is back but thought they could have spent a little more time on she and Fitz's reunion.

 

Dude, I wish Ward would just be an unapologetic mercenary. All this I'd never lie to you...now...mumbo jumbo is just lame.

 

I really like Raina. She didn't want to out Simmons but still totally did. Coulson had a plan in place that saved Simmons but still Raina was not bluffing.

[kennyab]

Not sure why the "wait here" scene is getting side-eyed.  Morse told Simmons to wait in the corridor so she could talk the guard into leaving his post.  Simmons was waiting but Bakshi and guards approached, so the corridor was no longer safe.  She joined Morse, the guard recognized her and Morse subdued him.  Then Morse sent Simmons to the roof while she dealt with Bakshi and guards.  I'm going to guess that the guard who followed Morse to the roof came from a different direction (or possibly someone she dropped recovered a little quicker than expected).

 

For me, part of it is that Bakshi showed up soon afterwords in Whitehall's office with nary a scratch and didn't seem too flustered about losing a trusted enforcer. The whole staging just seemed a bit off. It may have just been bad editing, but it seemed to leave some room for shenanigans.

[Sarahastro]

Must be nice having a boss who will give you treats to stop you from doing something wrong, instead of just telling you not to do something wrong and expecting you to do as you're told.  Is Skye a grown-up or not?  If she's not a grown-up, what's she doing in the field?  Yes, people dealing with big emotions will do stupid things -- see Hunter going after Isabelle's killer all by his lonesome -- but that doesn't make them any less stupid.  Or tiresome, from a viewing perspective.

 

I totally agree. I can certainly understand why Skye was upset that Coulson was keeping secrets from her, but she's a SHIELD agent, not his daughter/girlfriend. If she can't handle following orders, then why is she an agent? I much preferred Coulson's response to Fitz when Fitz challenged Coulson on the same thing: "Yeah, I'm Director, there's a hell of a lot more." Why does Skye get the special treatment? Because she's Coulson's favorite? Because she's an alien of unknown origin? Personally, I'd much rather they all act like professionals rather than having all of these heartfelt "family" moments. I watch this show to see spy stuff and aliens, not to see family and relationship drama.

[SocaShoe]

 

I totally agree. I can certainly understand why Skye was upset that Coulson was keeping secrets from her, but she's a SHIELD agent, not his daughter/girlfriend. If she can't handle following orders, then why is she an agent? I much preferred Coulson's response to Fitz when Fitz challenged Coulson on the same thing: "Yeah, I'm Director, there's a hell of a lot more." Why does Skye get the special treatment? Because she's Coulson's favorite? Because she's an alien of unknown origin? Personally, I'd much rather they all act like professionals rather than having all of these heartfelt "family" moments. I watch this show to see spy stuff and aliens, not to see family and relationship drama.

I agree with these posters. I also  felt Coulson's response to Fitz was appropriate, while Skye was treated, sorry, as a special snowflake who needs comfort. This season, they've tried to show us a more independent Skye who's trained and can handle missions.  The hug itself was a lovely, emotional moment that was handled very well by Clark Gregg. But it felt like it happened at the wrong time, in the wrong place. And it felt like Skye taking several steps back - from capable agent to everybody's favorite daughter/little sister.

[Tryangle]

Can you imagine the possibilities for nuff butt-kicking if they got Jaimie Alexander back for a few episodes too?

 

May, Morse and Lady Sif.

 

BAM.

[Amethyst]

I agree with these posters. I also  felt Coulson's response to Fitz was appropriate, while Skye was treated, sorry, as a special snowflake who needs comfort. This season, they've tried to show us a more independent Skye who's trained and can handle missions.  The hug itself was a lovely, emotional moment that was handled very well by Clark Gregg. But it felt like it happened at the wrong time, in the wrong place. And it felt like Skye taking several steps back - from capable agent to everybody's favorite daughter/little sister.

 

After everything that happened with Ward, Skye has proven that she can roll with the punches.  Even with the unnecessary weepy moment, she was back to business shortly after, and told Coulson to go after her father because it had to be done.  Skye is stronger than Coulson gives her credit for, and he needs to stop being so fragile with her.

[rujasu]

Oh, I'm sure this episode has created shipper followings for Bobbi/Simmons and Fitz/Mack (seriously, the way he admired his physique via HeadSimmons was almost certainly intentional HoYay)

 

I think it's obvious that the show knows about shippers and is pandering to them.  We're talking about a show that started out with characters named "Skye" and "Ward," and "FitzSimmons" was so obvious that they literally referred to the pair by that name on the show early on.  And of course every week the show adds a new beautiful woman and/or perfectly-sculpted man to the team, and develops sexual tension between nearly every pairing you can imagine.  Seriously, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if next week's episode introduces a character named "April" who has a thing for Agent Melinda.  They're not shy about what they're doing.

[JodhaBai]

Adrianne Palicki kicked ass.  Great presence.    She's what Ming Na tries to be.   Sorry Ming Na fan but her stone face act really doesn't do it for me.

 

Good episode. I'm really enjoying the show since mid last season. 

[Izeinwinter]

I'm told the lady playing Morse was once in a bad wonder woman pilot. 

 

 

I am having a lot of difficulty with that. I mean, look at her. How.. the.. hell.. do you fuck up having her play wonder woman? Did they hire actual monkies to do script and costumes?

 

Also, I do believe Simmons may have a girl crush. Which. Totally understandable. I sympathize.  

[calliope1975]

I'm told the lady playing Morse was once in a bad wonder woman pilot. 

 

I am having a lot of difficulty with that. I mean, look at her. How.. the.. hell.. do you fuck up having her play wonder woman? Did they hire actual monkies to do script and costumes?

 

I've never been able to view the WW pilot, but the outfit they put AP in alone was enough to make me cringe. 

[JodhaBai]

There's got to be a reason we didn't see Bobbi dispose of Hydra guys as she's heading towards them in the hallway.  The scene skips from her walking toward them to her running outside shooting at some random bad guy.   We never saw what happened in that hallway. 

[ChelseaNH]

What would you have cut to include a second hallway fight?

[blackwing]

I like the idea of Bobbi Morse / Mockingbird.  I just don't know if I like this actress.  I find her the least attractive of all of the women on the show (May, Simmons, Skye, Raina).  There's something very... elfin?... about her look.  The squinty eyes, the pulled back hair, the pointy ears.

 

I do like Lance Hunter, and think his reaction to Bobbi was hilarious.

 

And I am not a Kyle MacLachlan fan, at all.  I think he's a very overrated actor, and the worst part about him is the incredibly awful hair.  He has had the same awful look in every single part he's played ever.

[rujasu]

Of all the things I can imagine criticizing SHIELD for, "the actors aren't pretty enough" isn't near the top of my list.

[ottoDbusdriver]

There's got to be a reason we didn't see Bobbi dispose of Hydra guys as she's heading towards them in the hallway.  The scene skips from her walking toward them to her running outside shooting at some random bad guy.   We never saw what happened in that hallway.

 

Maybe she's a double agent -- and there was no fight in the hallway.

[Mars477]

I like the idea of Bobbi Morse / Mockingbird.  I just don't know if I like this actress.  I find her the least attractive of all of the women on the show (May, Simmons, Skye, Raina).  There's something very... elfin?... about her look.  The squinty eyes, the pulled back hair, the pointy ears.

 

I actually prefer her to the others.  She's very built (and tall).  Compared to Ming Na Wen or Chloe Bennet, who are both pretty waify, she's a lot more intimidating and imposing.  Even more so than Scarlett Johanssen's Natasha.

[FurryFury]

Um, I love Natasha, but physically imposing, she is not. She doesn't look like a real fighter, imo. But then, very few women on TV or big screen do.

FWIW, Adrianne Palicki's physical presence was pretty good (better than usual for female fighters), but the fight choreography wasn't. Somebody has already mentioned that posture at the end - it looked absolutely ridiculous and campy, and took me out of the show.

Edited October 22, 2014 by FurryFury

[Jack Kerouac]

I wonder how Fitz is going to handle the reunion with Simmons. It could go a bunch of different ways. He could just do nothing and they slowly get back together as friends. He could be pissed that she left him alone right after he had a traumatic brain injury (after saving her life no less).

 

It could go a number of different ways.

[Guest Accused Dingo]

I never understood why people say Skye is a special snowfake. She shows none of the signs of the trope. Maybe the first half of season 1 but the moment she was busted for infiltrating SHIELD she got yelled at and punished for it she lost the special snowflake smell.

All the characters on the show are special in one way or another. Skye is special because she is an 084 and possibly an alien. That doesn't make her a special snowflake it gives her a storyline. Storylines are a good thing.

As for Skye and Coulson. I get why Skye confronted him. They used to be close and talk and now they don't and it was more then him just being Director. He was avoiding her and she was worried. They were friends. And a friend would confront another friend when they act strange.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Accused Dingo

[Jack Kerouac]

I've never been able to view the WW pilot, but the outfit they put AP in alone was enough to make me cringe. 

 

Edited October 22, 2014 by Jack Kerouac

[Matt K]

I totally agree. I can certainly understand why Skye was upset that Coulson was keeping secrets from her, but she's a SHIELD agent, not his daughter/girlfriend. If she can't handle following orders, then why is she an agent? I much preferred Coulson's response to Fitz when Fitz challenged Coulson on the same thing: "Yeah, I'm Director, there's a hell of a lot more." Why does Skye get the special treatment? Because she's Coulson's favorite? Because she's an alien of unknown origin? Personally, I'd much rather they all act like professionals rather than having all of these heartfelt "family" moments. I watch this show to see spy stuff and aliens, not to see family and relationship drama.

 

See my feel is that Coulson does kind of view Skye as his kind of adopted daughter and Skye sees him as a father figure (hence the hug at the end).  

 

I really liked this episode.  Love Bobbi and hope she's a regular (the flourish in the fight scene was ridiculous but whatever).  I definitely keyed into her being the ex-wife once she walked into the room but no idea what gave me that idea.  Lot of set up but really looking forward to the interactions between Fitz and Simmons and Bobbi and the rest.  

 

Also, I kind of hope they manage to keep Reina around in some way, really like the character.

[FurryFury]

I definitely keyed into her being the ex-wife once she walked into the room but no idea what gave me that idea.

 

The way he couldn't shut up about his ex for three episodes straight probably did.

[HistoryGirl]

For me, part of it is that Bakshi showed up soon afterwords in Whitehall's office with nary a scratch and didn't seem too flustered about losing a trusted enforcer. The whole staging just seemed a bit off. It may have just been bad editing, but it seemed to leave some room for shenanigans.

 

My theory?  I think Simmons has already been brainwashed, she just doesn't know it/realize it.  She babbled about how she would've been "complying" if it hadn't been for Bobbi and I feel like this is a red herring (and boy does the show love its red herrings).  I wonder if Jemma was being brainwashed all along and just never realized it.  I suspect in a future episode we will have her being called from the ranks "Divergent"-style. 

[Grammaeryn]

Total lady boner for Bobbi. If Simmons turns out to be gay or bi, that could make the "rejection" of Fitz a bit more understandable/less horrible. I was okay with Skye being let into the alien writing secret but that plus her daddy drama made for waayyy too much Skye for me. I am still intrigued by the mystery of who he is. I am leaning towards a Kree scientist who made the Inhumans. They'll probably write him as an alien Mengele to cover the whole monster aspect. What did he call the obelisk? The purifier? Kinda reminds me of Ronan a bit...

[Raja]

Um, I love Natasha, but physically imposing, she is not. She doesn't look like a real fighter, imo. But then, very few women on TV or big screen do.

FWIW, Adrianne Palicki's physical presence was pretty good (better than usual for female fighters), but the fight choreography wasn't. snip..

She is like an update of Lucy Lawless it is almost as if she passed the torch.

[JayKay]

What did he call the obelisk? The purifier?

IIRC, he called it "The Diviner." Despite plenty of recommendations I never read much Inhumans. Anybody got a clue what it could be and why it would turn people to stone?

[Irishmaple]

Bobbi Morse was an introduction on par with that of Lucy Lawless, so I hope Morse sticks around longer.  Every time I see Hunter, I miss Lawless.  He's so whiny and she was so kickass.  It was not a fair trade.  I enjoyed how confident and competent Morse was, and I completely understand Simmons' girl crush. I hope the Hunter/Morse relationship stays in the past, but I'm not optimistic on that.

 

Because I love Raina, I liked watching her try to play Coulson but I'm not thrilled by the writers making her so vulnerable.  I like Raina swaggering and cool; I don't need her humanized.  She worked for me just the way she was. 

Edited October 23, 2014 by Irishmaple

[Mars477]

Um, I love Natasha, but physically imposing, she is not. She doesn't look like a real fighter, imo. But then, very few women on TV or big screen do.

FWIW, Adrianne Palicki's physical presence was pretty good (better than usual for female fighters), but the fight choreography wasn't. Somebody has already mentioned that posture at the end - it looked absolutely ridiculous and campy, and took me out of the show.

Yeah, the fight choreography here is not great.  If the show isn't going to crib notes from the guys who choregraph Strike Back or Banshee fights they can at least borrow the one who does Continuum.  There's a handgun CQC fight in the penultimate episode of the past season which was just a dozen different kinds of amazing (and that show features a tall, fairly muscular woman as well).

[Amethyst]

I never understood why people say Skye is a special snowfake. She shows none of the signs of the trope. Maybe the first half of season 1 but the moment she was busted for infiltrating SHIELD she got yelled at and punished for it she lost the special snowflake smell.

 

All the characters on the show are special in one way or another. Skye is special because she is an 084 and possibly an alien. That doesn't make her a special snowflake it gives her a storyline. Storylines are a good thing.

As for Skye and Coulson. I get why Skye confronted him. They used to be close and talk and now they don't and it was more then him just being Director. He was avoiding her and she was worried. They were friends. And a friend would confront another friend when they act strange.

 

Skye is the only character who we're constantly reminded is special, though.  Fitz/Simmons are literally geniuses, May can probably kill a man with her pinky, and before he turned traitor, Ward was a serious ass kicking agent.  Yet none of them had the attention Skye received week after week in s1.  It's an ensemble series, but it looked like Skye was being pitched as the lead.

 

I think my irritation is more with Coulson than Skye.  I feel like he's made an effort to bond with Skye and no one else.  He's known May forever, so I don't count that.  But I got so sick of hearing "Skye was so courageous, so brave, so smart, blah blah."   Anything she experienced beyond her 084 status was somehow an accomplishment.  That's what made her a special snowflake, IMO.  It would make sense if she was actually doing something to warrant all this praise, but she wasn't.  All "tell" and no "show".  It wasn't until Ward betrayed them and SHIELD fell apart did Skye really start proving her usefulness beyond being a hacker.  Now that we've actually seen her doing stuff like training with May, or standing up to Ward, I can believe she's an agent.  Skye actually seems like part of the team, instead of her own entity.

 

Which is why the stuff this week bugged me.  Like I said above, Skye's proven that she can handle the tough stuff, so Coulson needs to stop treating her with kid gloves.  She'll learn the truth whether he tells her or not.

 

As for their bond, I don't have a problem with it, I'm just sick of it taking precedence over everything.  I honestly think Coulson trusts Skye more than anyone, including May.

[mac123x]

I'm not up to date on comic book characters, so Bobbi Morse turning out to be a SHIELD plant was a nice surprise.  Sometimes it pays to be Unsullied!

 

Good episode all around.  The cast is getting bloated, but hopefully they can handle it like LOST did (first couple of seasons before it went to shit).  Day in the Limelight kind of thing.  Not every episode needs the full cast.

 

Hannibal Ward can go away.

 

 

I'm told the lady playing Morse was once in a bad wonder woman pilot. 

 

 

I am having a lot of difficulty with that. I mean, look at her. How.. the.. hell.. do you fuck up having her play wonder woman? Did they hire actual monkies to do script and costumes?

 

Also, I do believe Simmons may have a girl crush. Which. Totally understandable. I sympathize.  

 

I haven't seen the whole thing, but SFDebris did a 2 part review of it.  "Godawful" doesn't scratch the surface, and it was mostly the script.  They tried to make Wonder Woman dark and broody a la Batman, but she can across as a crazy person.

[dwmarch]

My theory?  I think Simmons has already been brainwashed, she just doesn't know it/realize it.  She babbled about how she would've been "complying" if it hadn't been for Bobbi and I feel like this is a red herring (and boy does the show love its red herrings).  I wonder if Jemma was being brainwashed all along and just never realized it.  I suspect in a future episode we will have her being called from the ranks "Divergent"-style. 

 

Agreed. She hasn't seen anyone get brainwashed and she hasn't been established as knowing about it beforehand, so how does she know the exact terminology they use? Hydra has never really trusted her so it stands to reason they'd brainwash her just in case SHIELD did pick her back up. I speculate we're going to see brainwashed Simmons versus brain damaged Fitz.

 

I loved Raina's leather skirt but since she was tortured in it last episode and choked in it this episode, she's probably never going to wear it again.

 

I am surprised jumping onto a flying quinjet does not get one sucked into the engines, especially if the thing is cloaked when one jumps.

 

If Skye's father is so anxious to see her again why did he run away when she came to his door? He could have prevented her from seeing the bodies.

[VCRTracking]

Holy crap I did not realize Adrianne Palicki was that tall but the height difference between her and Elizabeth Henstridge was huge. I wonder if they ever do manage to get Hawkeye in it will be awkward because I don't think Renner is that tall. Or maybe Hunter will be the stand-in for the ex-spouse dynamic.

[Sandman]

I was totally unspoiled for Palicki's appearance, so I loved the Bobbi reveal, even though she was kind of a deus ex Mockingbird. (What, too easy?) ... aaand of course she's Hunter's "she-devil" ex. Of course she is.

 

Get away from me with your Brainwashed Simmons theories, you lot! (::ulp::)

Edited October 23, 2014 by Sandman

[benteen]

Skye demanding stuff from Coulson annoyed me too although I was more on her side because Coulson tends to annoy me more.  Also, let's look at the state of Shield.  It's not a government agency anymore...it's a rogue agency so the need to keep secrets from the few employees they have doesn't make as much sense.

[kitlee625]

Agreed. She hasn't seen anyone get brainwashed and she hasn't been established as knowing about it beforehand, so how does she know the exact terminology they use?

Simmons certainly may be brainwashed, but she was there when they reactivated Donnie's programming. First Bakshi had her say the magic words, but there was an interruption, and then Bakshi did it in front of her. I believe Donnie's post-activation phrase was something like "I am happy to comply."

[shapeshifter]

Not sure why the "wait here" scene is getting side-eyed.  Morse told Simmons to wait in the corridor so she could talk the guard into leaving his post....

From the way the scene was staged and cut, I thought Bobbi wanted Simmons to be found by the bad guys at that spot so then Bobbi could come back around the corner (after subduing the guy there) and say something like, "I will transport this prisoner." No?

I never understood why people say Skye is a special snowfake...

Because she's the offspring of an alien?

Why do I now feel like I did in high school when the other girls were standing around cattily asking why a classmate was wearing a formal dress and I blurted out: "Because she's pregnant"? --which I soon learned was not okay to say out loud.

For the record, I am not spoiled, but I'm pretty sure it's been implied more than once that Skye has alien parent(s).

[Jediknight]

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?

Because he adds some fun, and is hilarious.  Nick Blood has been on point with his comedy, and the comedic chemistry he has with the rest of the cast is perfect.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Jediknight

[shapeshifter]

Because he adds some fun, and is hilarious.  Nick Blood has been on point with his comedy, and the comedic chemistry his has with the rest of the cast is perfect.

And I find him very charismatic. Anyone else?

But I do think, FurryFury, that the character has thus far been poorly utilized and integrated.

[HistoryGirl]

Simmons certainly may be brainwashed, but she was there when they reactivated Donnie's programming. First Bakshi had her say the magic words, but there was an interruption, and then Bakshi did it in front of her. I believe Donnie's post-activation phrase was something like "I am happy to comply."

 

Yes, Jemma absolutely does know about or could have inferred the "happy to comply" brainwashing bit after what happened with Donnie.  But I do think that some latent brainwashing is at play, otherwise the entire Hydra arc was pointless.  Why have her at Hydra for what amounted to 2 episodes?  She was basically in and out and succeeded in doing very little outside of introducing us to Bobbi. There has to be more to that story and the fact that Hydra/Whitehall are brainwashing people with gradations of success can not go untapped where Simmons is concerned. Both Simmons and Bobbi could be brainwashed in some capacity, leading to an interesting dynamic-- one with the fight team and the other with the science team-- if it is eventually triggered, which I think would be shame if it wasn't. 

 

And I find him very charismatic. Anyone else?

But I do think, FurryFury, that the character has thus far been poorly utilized and integrated.

I love the levity he brings.  His scenes kvetching about Raina and his shock at seeing Bobbi were spot on.  I laughed at his reaction to discovering that Bobbi had vouched for him. 

[FurryFury]

I dunno, I find him really, really generic. Well, to be fair, I find most of the cast pretty generic, but with him, it's even more glaring. And the actor does nothing for me. He's not bad, he's just... there. I can't understand why we got him over Tripp, who's actually funny and charismatic and has real connections to other characters (meanwhile I find Skye/Hunter unbelievably forced - and ooh, look! Another punny ship name!)