S02.E14: Love In The Time Of Hydra

[Cranberry]

Coulson and his team are still reeling from a shocking revelation that leaves the team fractured as they must decide what to do with one of their own. Meanwhile, Bobbi and Mack reveal their true allegiance to Hunter, while elsewhere, Ward and Agent 33 embark on a personal mission.

 

[AimingforYoko]

I know I've used this line before but: Oh Glenn Talbot, will you ever win? Comic books, MCU it doesn't matter, he really is Marvel's punching bag.

I'm liking the crazy duo, especially that I have no clue what their agenda is.

[Malbec]

I'm bummed because I am rapidly running out of characters to root for??  Coulson's "but it's SKYE!" argument was super irritating; if it was intended to make me think General Edward James Olmos had a point, it succeeded with flying colors.  Meanwhile Fitz is starting to burn through a lot of the goodwill I'd built up towards him with each pissfit he throws at Simmons (not that he doesn't have some justifiable grievance with her, but JFC dude).  Agent 33 had a good arc, but Ward is a non-starter.

 

I regret to say I think the groove the show had gotten into in season 2A is no more :/

[xqueenfrostine]

Big improvement over last week's disappointing filler episode. Not sure where all of the different plot threads are headed, but none of it felt like a waste of time. I really like how they're handling Agent 33, though I don't know that I can trust that Ward is helping her for altruistic reasons but they didn't leave us with any clues as to what his real motives are.  I liked seeing him this week.  I can't say I missed him in the last few episodes, but he has the potential to be an interesting wild card for the show.  

 

Talbot was an odd bit of comic relief this week.  I was surprised that they let him say "son of a bitch."  I know the show has gotten darker this season with the new time slot, but it was still unexpected.  Have they sworn on the show before and I'm just not remembering it?

 

I'm anxious about the SHIELD v. SHIELD showdown.  I've really grown to love Bobbi since she was introduced, and seeing her as an enemy of the team has been hard.

 

Also, I know Fitz means well, but every time he protests that there's nothing at all dangerous about Skye I just keep thinking about the way he stood behind Ward last season after he was first revealed to be Hydra.  I know this is a very different situation as Skye's just uncontrollable rather than being villainous, but Fitz has a history of allowing his loyalty and faith in people to put himself and others in danger.  He's obviously very smart, but he's also very naive.

Edited March 25, 2015 by xqueenfrostine

[paigow]

Strangely enough, Ward now appears the most normal of everyone...no more Skye delusions...actually repaying a good deed...acceptance of responsibility for his own evilness. Not exactly redemption, but almost a bizarre neutrality.

 

ETA: Pulp Fiction diner opening ... Just missing "I love you Honeybunny"

Edited March 25, 2015 by paigow

[xqueenfrostine]

Strangely enough, Ward now appears the most normal of everyone...no more Skye delusions...actually repaying a good deed...acceptance of responsibility for his own evilness. Not exactly redemption, but almost a bizarre neutrality.

 

Normal if we don't count the creepy way he claims to have talked out his problems with his family.  An odd thing to say considering we know he murdered both her parents and his brother before burning down their house.

[SnoGirl]

I guess factions within Shield was to be expected, but I feel like no one is learning from any of Shield's past mistakes. I don't know how I feel about any of this. I'm torn about Bobbi and Mack, I feel awful for Hunter, I feel like we still haven't seen FitzSimmons hit rock bottom yet, and I wanted to puke during the Ward/Fake!Skye scene.

I do like that Coulson removed Skye from Shield's base. She really needs to figure things out without putting everyone in immediate danger.

[Malbec]

Oh, the one thing I did like: random Kirk Acevedo sighting!  I hope he gets more to do.

[tennisgurl]

I like Skye, and even I think we have been getting too much of her lately. She works way better as an ensemble member than as the main character. I know that her inhuman stuff is important to the story, but lets spread it out a bit. 

 

Oh Fitz. His tragic flaw really is his loyalty. 

 

Don`t know how I feel about other SHIELD. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

At least know we know where the old heli-carrier went to after the events of CA:TWS -- was it parked around the corner from the Triskeliion ?

 

Did real SHIELD just stop looking for Hunter after he reached open air ?  Because that seems really stupid.  And considering that Hunter was never a member of SHIELD pre-CA:TWS, how did he know where to find a submersible on the heli-carrier let alone how to pilot said submersible ?

[Sandman]

I guess factions within Shield was to be expected, but I feel like no one is learning from any of Shield's past mistakes. I don't know how I feel about any of this.

 

There's something a little "Oh, yeah? Well, you're not the boss of me, bbblllpppt!" about Olmos's faction. Maybe it's the insistence of calling itself "the real S.H.I.E.L.D." that strikes me as childish; or maybe it's that the response to an over-abundance of secrets and vulnerability to double-crossing seems to be more secrets and layers of double-crossing. Either way, no one seems to have learned anything.

 

It would not surprise me at this point to learn that Bobbi is actually a triple agent, working for Fury.

 

Ward seems crazier than ever, and manipulating Agent 33. Bobbi's Avenger codename is Mockingbird, but if Ward and Carrie had them, they'd probably be "Sh*thouse Rat" and "Bugface."

Normal if we don't count the creepy way he claims to have talked out his problems with his family.  An odd thing to say considering we know he murdered both her parents and his brother before burning down their house.

 

Not so much normal as lying to Agent 33, I'd say.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Sandman

[DeLurker]

Agent 33 wearing May-face and being all lost little girl is kinda freaking me out.

Was the woman at the SHIELD ship where they took Hunter the same woman as Simmons' academy professor?

[Sakura12]

Crazy Ward has a protege, that's not going to be good for anyone. What is with Agent 33 imprinting on him, did Hydra really scramble her brains. I thought she was more badass then that. I mean she had that awesome fight with May. Speaking of that I can't wait for next week with Bobbi vs May!

 

Skye didn't do anything this week, yet people are still going to complain about her. I'm looking forward to the Inhumans coming to get Skye to really start her storyline. 

 

I don't know what real SHIELD is about, but I agree with them. Coulson is not Director material. He can lead a team, but not the whole agency. They will probably be just as inept until Nick Fury reveals he's alive and takes it back. 

[Maverick]

 So the "real" SHIELD is the faceless cabal Fury was getting orders from in The Avengers?   So we have "real" SHIELD, Coulson/Fury SHIELD, HYRDA, Talbot/US Military and Tony Stark/Maria Hill private security forces, all presumably interested in the same extraordinary events that SHIELD was meant to handle.  

[Sandman]

Fury referred to the faceless cabal from The Avengers as "the Council," and I think they were the group that held a holographic conference with Alexander Pierce in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I think they're different from "the real S.H.I.E.L.D." (I'm about two posts away from referring to the S.H.I.E.L.D. shards as "S.H.I.E.L.D. of H.A.N.O.V.E.R." and "S.H.I.E.L.D. of B.E.R.L.I.N.," just so you know.)

 

Also, I'm so over punctuation right now. And, yeah, I'm pretty sure the woman from the r -- er, with Edward James Olmos -- was Simmons' professor from Spy Hogwarts.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Sandman

[xqueenfrostine]

Not so much normal as lying to Agent 33, I'd say.

I think it could go either way. Ward is definitely a liar, but he's also seemed so warped earlier in this season that I wouldn't be surprised if that's really how he sees what went down.

So the "real" SHIELD is the faceless cabal Fury was getting orders from in The Avengers? So we have "real" SHIELD, Coulson/Fury SHIELD, HYRDA, Talbot/US Military and Tony Stark/Maria Hill private security forces, all presumably interested in the same extraordinary events that SHIELD was meant to handle.

Not unlike the real world. Inter-agency squabbles are not unusual in the national security field.

What is with Agent 33 imprinting on him, did Hydra really scramble her brains. I thought she was more badass then that. I mean she had that awesome fight with May.

Being a skilled fighter isn't the same thing as having your shit together. Agent 33 made it pretty clear earlier this season that Hydra really did a number on her. She told Skye in (I think?) the mid season finale that Whitehall "gave her purpose." His death didn't magically undo her brain washing. The brain washing basically took her independence away, and now her leader is dead. That's traumatic and it's going to take time to recover from, even though she clearly understands that Hydra stole her agency from her. The loss of her face probably doesn't help either as that's just another piece of who she was pre-Hydra that's gone now. Rediscovering who she is is likely going to be a long, hard process for her. Until she relearns how to live and think for herself, I don't think it's at all surprising that she's transferred her fealty to Ward the way she has. She's a foot soldier in need of a general.

Skye didn't do anything this week, yet people are still going to complain about her.

She may not have done anything, but a lot of the plot was still about her. A lot of people's complaints with Skye as a character is as much about how much the writers allow the team to revolve around her as it is what she the character is actually like. Edited March 25, 2015 by xqueenfrostine

[tennisgurl]

 

A lot of people's complaints with Skye as a character is as much about how much the writers allow the team to revolve around her as it is what she the character is actually like.

Hit the nail on the head! Like I said ealier, I like Skye. And I think Chloe Bennet is a perfectly good actress. I just don't like when the plot and characters are all about her, and the other characters only talk about her, and she becomes more plot device than character. I think she`s a good character when she`s just Skye the quirky SHIELD agent and tech chick, not when she is super special plot point Skye. 

[benteen]

Excellent point about Shield not learning anything.  A new organization would definitely rise from the ashes but I have my doubts if it would be called Shield or if the public would be thrilled at the idea of a new Shield helicarrier being put into the air.  Shield was horrifically compromised by Hydra and did a lot of damage over the years.  Cap was right when he said the whole thing needed to be killed.

 

A lot of different plot going on but for the most part, I enjoyed it.  I am definitely Team Edward James Olmos...sorry, Coulson!  Gonzalez was right when he said Coulson had changed after being given the alien blood and it's not for the better.  His Skye obsession is more annoying that ever and completely putting everyone and everything in danger.  If the writers were smart, they would back off from the Skye obsession but they seem content on doubling down, especially when it comes to Coulson.  All we get from Coulson is Skye, Skye, Skye and more secrets because he's a control freak.  This isn't a knock on Chloe Bennett, who has been doing a good job or even Skye herself.  But the way the writers obsess with Skye is just not helping things.

 

Ward and Agent 33 is all kinds of F'd up and I feel bad for 33, who really was terribly manipulated and brainwashed.

 

I enjoyed the Fitz/Simmons argument about Bruce Banner and the Hulk.

 

Nice to see Kirk Acevedo. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by benteen

[Sarahastro]

I thought this episode was pretty disappointing. The stuff with Ward bored me. I don't really care about him anymore, and going after Bakshi didn't convince me of his relevance to the story. I do feel really bad for Agent 33, though. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. can finally rescue her.

 

My main complaint is that it felt like nothing really happened, but it took a long time. Like the whole subplot with Coulson dropping Skye off in the woods felt pretty slow. I really want her story to move past the initial "I'm scared of my powers and don't know what to do" stage. I'm not knocking the character for feeling scared or overwhelmed, but the last few episodes have made me feel like her story is kind of treading water, and I'd like to see it move forward. There's a lot of interesting potential for her once she starts exploring her Inhuman roots and learning to use her powers.

 

Same thing with the stuff with S.H.I.E.L.D. vs. real S.H.I.E.L.D. This episode was really just a set up for the conflict next episode. I am looking forward to how that plays out. And kudos to the casting department for getting Edward James Olmos -- he has such a commanding presence, it's really hard not to root for him. As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. vs real S.H.I.E.L.D. conflict, I have mixed feelings. As much as I like Coulson, I think Gonzalez and his allies have a really good point. It's pretty scary that the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. spent the first part of the season being controlled by an alien substance that none of them understood. Plus Coulson often seems way too sentimental to be in charge of a spy agency. (I was glad to see that in this episode he actually made the rational decision to send Skye to the safe house rather than keep insisting "but we're her family!" If he wants to be the Director, he has to make the hard choices.) But on the other hand, I don't really understand what they want except that they want to get rid of Coulson. It's not clear how they would handle things differently if they were in charge.

 

Plus the whole real S.H.I.E.L.D. thing makes no sense. Where have they been all this time? How did Coulson not know that they had a Helicarrier? We've heard next to nothing about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who aren't on Coulson's team (except for when they need to kill someone off), so it seems weird that now we're getting this story about dissension within S.H.I.E.L.D. So yeah, as much as I love seeing Edward James Olmos, and I think there's interesting potential in a S.H.I.E.L.D. vs S.H.I.E.L.D. story, I'm not sure how I feel about this development.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Plus the whole real S.H.I.E.L.D. thing makes no sense. Where have they been all this time? How did Coulson not know that they had a Helicarrier? We've heard next to nothing about the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who aren't on Coulson's team (except for when they need to kill someone off), so it seems weird that now we're getting this story about dissension within S.H.I.E.L.D. So yeah, as much as I love seeing Edward James Olmos, and I think there's interesting potential in a S.H.I.E.L.D. vs S.H.I.E.L.D. story, I'm not sure how I feel about this development.

 

Plus with SHIELD being hunted as a terrorist organization, you would think someone like Talbot would have been hunting for the remaining SHIELD Helicarrier -- especially if it might have been in the hands of Hydra ?   Does Talbot even know about Real SHIELD ?

[ProudMary]

Was the woman at the SHIELD ship where they took Hunter the same woman as Simmons' academy professor?

Yes, she is.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/24/agents-shield-heres-why-you-recognize-those-new-shield-leaders

 

From Entertainment Weekly:

Agent Anne Weaver (Christine Adams) first appeared in the early season 1 episode in which Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) returned to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Science and Technology Academy. Weaver, who headed up the academy, also warned Simmons and Triplett (B.J. Britt) of an impending Hydra attack during last year’s takeover episode, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” though it appeared she had perished in the ensuing chaos… or so everyone thought.

[Chicago Redshirt]

So Edward James Olmos guest-stars as a military leader who takes over after a devastating attack on his people that was brought about by many infiltrating units. He has marshalled an old-fangled ship as his command center and has a hot blonde who is running point for him. 

 

All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[paigow]

So Edward James Olmos guest-stars as a military leader who takes over after a devastating attack on his people that was brought about by many infiltrating units. He has marshalled an old-fangled ship as his command center and has a hot blonde who is running point for him. 

 

All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

Cut off one head and 2 Cylons will rise up....

[APSimpson]

"You can use this time to get a handle on your abilities."

"Well, maybe it's time we give you a hand with that."

"Simmons has been working around the clock on these."

"More like decrease their magnitude."

 

To me it sounds like Skye will be better able to control her powers with these new gloves. Thus, it appears that Simmons is the one who makes the "bracers" or "gauntlets" that Quake uses. Or I suppose the "gloves." Sorry, not familiar with the actual comics character.

But the point is that Simmons makes them. Not Fitz. Not the "Q" of the show, but instead Simmons makes them and thus undercutting Fitz yet again, taking away Fitz' only power on the show, and Coulson doesn't seem to care about Fitz and what his role is anymore. I'm just so sick of this. They continue to marginalize Fitz. Even if the gloves aren't "the" gloves, Simmons will still probably get credit, working without Fitz' input and the writers will continue to treat Fitz like chopped liver taking away his one contribution to the team, being the gadget guy. Simmons always thought she's smarter than Fitz (remember when she referred to him as Watson?) and he's always being dismissed, and now they've taken away his one power of being the Q, the gadget/weapons maker. I figured at least Fitz would make Skye's bracers or whatever and now they've even taken that away from him. I don't want to quit the show but I don't think things will improve. Fitz is the nice guy that gets kicked around and I'm just sick and tired of it. I don't think I can take much more.

[Frame Worker]

That cabin they've got Skye in, is that 

supposed to be the same one Steve and Tony are chopping wood in front of in the sneak peeks for Civil War?

[xqueenfrostine]

But the point is that Simmons makes them. Not Fitz. Not the "Q" of the show, but instead Simmons makes them and thus undercutting Fitz yet again, taking away Fitz' only power on the show, and Coulson doesn't seem to care about Fitz and what his role is anymore. I'm just so sick of this. They continue to marginalize Fitz. Even if the gloves aren't "the" gloves, Simmons will still probably get credit, working without Fitz' input and the writers will continue to treat Fitz like chopped liver taking away his one contribution to the team, being the gadget guy. Simmons always thought she's smarter than Fitz (remember when she referred to him as Watson?) and he's always being dismissed, and now they've taken away his one power of being the Q, the gadget/weapons maker. I figured at least Fitz would make Skye's bracers or whatever and now they've even taken that away from him.

I didn't see Coulson asking Simmons to make the gauntlets as him (or the writers) dismissing Fitz's abilities as an engineer. I saw it as understanding which of the two tech nerds was more likely find the idea of creating a gadget to control Skye's powers objectionable. Given his conversation with Simmons about the possibility of Skye developing Avengers-worthy powers, I think he would have objected and maybe even refused to work on any project that might handicap Skye.

[Malbec]

I didn't see Coulson asking Simmons to make the gauntlets as him (or the writers) dismissing Fitz's abilities as an engineer. I saw it as understanding which of the two tech nerds was more likely find the idea of creating a gadget to control Skye's powers objectionable. Given his conversation with Simmons about the possibility of Skye developing Avengers-worthy powers, I think he would have objected and maybe even refused to work on any project that might handicap Skye.

IA, and I thought the show portrayed Simmons a bit ambiguously in that scene, in a moral sense.  Like yes, she succeeded with the gauntlets on a technical level, but Fitz was there to remind her/the audience that she still has questionable views toward people with enhancements/alien DNA/etc.  I actually thought it was Simmons who suffered as a character in that scene, a bit, because even when she gets a "win" and does something that could help Skye, the scene still became all about how she done Fitz wrong.

[CMH1981]

That cabin they've got Skye in, is that 

supposed to be the same one Steve and Tony are chopping wood in front of in the sneak peeks for Civil War?

I read somewhere that they are at Clint Barton/Hawkeye's cabin

Edited March 25, 2015 by CMH1981

[shrewd.buddha]

Coulson : "But we're talking about Skye!" 

 

Everyone else : "When are you NOT talking about Skye ?!?!"

 

So, Coulson is busy being Director of SHIELD, but has time to fly Skye out to a remote cabin and hang for a while. And there have been  more scenes of Coulson and Skye hanging out together, which seems to make her the teacher's pet - and explains why Coulson is so oblivious to all the spying and lying going on around him, not mention a whole other 'real SHIELD' existing without anyone noticing. 

That doesn't speak well of SHIELD's spy tech or having a master hacker available. I guess nuSHIELD isn't on Twitter or Facebook...

 

 

The episode was mostly boring : lots of explaining and not much doing.

That goes for everyone : Coulson, Ward, Talbot, Hunter, Bobbi, FitzSimmons and nuSHIELD. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[kennyab]

So, Coulson is busy being Director of SHIELD, but has time to fly Skye out to a remote cabin and hang for a while. And there have been  more scenes of Coulson and Skye hanging out together, which seems to make her the teacher's pet - and explains why Coulson is so oblivious to all the spying and lying going on around him, not mention a whole other 'real SHIELD' existing without anyone noticing. 

That doesn't speak well of SHIELD's spy tech or having a master hacker available. I guess nuSHIELD isn't on Twitter or Facebook...

 

He also took the time to make Simmons dinner and check on her well-being, not just get briefed, when she was undercover at HYDRA. Yes, he is closer to May and Skye than the other people on the team. I'm OK with that, as it happens in real life. SHIELD-wise, Fitz and Simmons were fairly well fully formed when they joined the team, having gone through the traditional SHIELD ranks. Skye was different and depended a bit more on Coulson than the others did.

 

And he is noticing that things aren't kosher with Mack and Bobbi. He didn't seem too surprised when May said she didn't buy Mack's story, so I think he's had some doubts for a while now. But I don't blame him for not knowing about the other SHIELD, as Gonzalez has been actively working to stay off of his radar. It's hard to win a game of hide and seek when you don't even know it's going on.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So, Coulson is busy being Director of SHIELD, but has time to fly Skye out to a remote cabin and hang for a while. And there have been  more scenes of Coulson and Skye hanging out together, which seems to make her the teacher's pet - and explains why Coulson is so oblivious to all the spying and lying going on around him, not mention a whole other 'real SHIELD' existing without anyone noticing.

 

I'm curious who was flying the Quinjet since Skye and Coulson were both riding in the back.  Because it wasn't May.

 

ETA:  How did Agent 33/Ward seem to know exactly what Carla Talbot was wearing that day ?  Because they got the trenchcoat and wedding ring right.  I thought the the nano-mask only changes her face, yet seemingly it can change her height, her hair color, length and style, give her large breasts, and even change clothing. Which makes no sense.

Edited March 25, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Primetimer]

Skye feels betrayed, even though it's Coulson who has actual traitors in his midst. It's only a matter of time before one of them turns out to be a secret good guy, though.

Read the story

[DeLurker]

I'm curious who was flying the Quinjet since Skye and Coulson were both riding in the back.  Because it wasn't May.

 

ETA:  How did Agent 33/Ward seem to know exactly what Carla Talbot was wearing that day ?  Because they got the trenchcoat and wedding ring right.  I thought the the nano-mask only changes her face, yet seemingly it can change her height, he hair, give her large breasts, and even change clothing. Which makes no sense.

Very good question - who was flying the QuinJet?

 

I'm assuming that through tv contrivance.  Mrs. Talbot was approximately the right height and weight for Agent 33 to take on her face.  Ward did some basic spywork upfront because he got the ring for Agent 33 to wear.  Theotetically they didn't need to have matching wardrobes, just something similar to what Mrs. Talbot would wear.  IRL, breast size can easily be enhanced or decreased through the magic of a good bra, padding or a minimizer - since the clothes weren't particularly revealing, it would be pretty easy to do.

 

The clothes don't magically adjust though because when Agent 33 came to the security desk as a man, Ward said the uniform was a bit big on her.

 

This strikes me as the most lines Hunter's ever had.  I like his snark and think they did a good job casting.

 

 

That cabin they've got Skye in, is that supposed to be the same one

Steve and Tony are chopping wood in front of in the sneak peeks for Civil War?

Coulson said to Skye that Steve Rogers stayed there for a while although he did not specify when.

 

 

Oh, the one thing I did like: random Kirk Acevedo sighting!

For me he was a Hey!  It's that guy!

[paigow]

I thought the the nano-mask only changes her face, yet seemingly it can change her height, her hair color, length and style, give her large breasts, and even change clothing. Which makes no sense.

Is this the same mask that Black Widow used in CA:TWS? Because her smaller breasts [as Council Member] inflated back to Original Natasha size when she deactivated the mask..

[Gregg247]

So when we first met Bobbi, she was actually working for "real" SHIELD, pretending to work for SHIELD, pretending to work for Hydra.  She was a triple agent.

 

If it turns out she really IS working for Coulson, then she would have been working for SHIELD, pretending to work for "real" SHIELD, pretending to work for SHIELD, pretending to work for Hydra.  Wow!  Even those incredibly complicated Allister McLean novels (Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, etc.) weren't THAT ridiculous!  How would somebody be able to keep all this stuff straight in their heads?  And shouldn't a character who had that much going on be the star of the show?

 

I need to start watching this show with a notepad and pen.

[DeLurker]

So when we first met Bobbi, she was actually working for "real" SHIELD, pretending to work for SHIELD, pretending to work for Hydra.  She was a triple agent.

 

If it turns out she really IS working for Coulson, then she would have been working for SHIELD, pretending to work for "real" SHIELD, pretending to work for SHIELD, pretending to work for Hydra.  Wow!  Even those incredibly complicated Allister McLean novels (Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, etc.) weren't THAT ridiculous!  How would somebody be able to keep all this stuff straight in their heads?  And shouldn't a character who had that much going on be the star of the show?

 

I need to start watching this show with a notepad and pen.

I'd totally buy it if they said Fury put her up to it.

[Sakura12]

Bobbi is supposed to be really smart, in the comics she has a Ph.D in Biochemistry. They seem to elude that a little last episode when her and Simmons were talking about genetics and she when she was trying to figure out how the Kree's mind wiping weapon worked.  

[marketdoctor]

 

The episode was mostly boring : lots of explaining and not much doing.

 

i'm out from watching it for this reason.  It has all the elements of a good show:  a rich backstory to draw from, actors I really enjoy, superpowers, complex plots, etc., but it still manages to be boring.  It's like they miss the difference between "thriller" and "horror", or for reasons of budget and/or pacing violate the "show, don't tell" rule too much.  There's a good show in here, and maybe it's somewhere between the pacing of the Previousies and the current show.  There's a point where "building tension" becomes "building slack", and they've gone too far for me down that road.  I wish them luck, and I might return, but for now, I'm out.

[Traveller519]

There was 100% too little Joe Toye shooting Nazis in this episode

[Chicago Redshirt]

I think this episode suffered from not doing much justice to any of the plots. Maybe I would have liked it more if they'd spread some of the stuff from last episode and this episode together. 

 

Real SHIELD (which I will refer to as REALD): We still don't really know much about who these people are (except we saw Weaver previously), what they have been doing since the events of CA:TWS, what their plan is other than unseat Coulson somehow. We don't know how it is that they have slipped past Coulson's notice when he was supposedly doing all this recruiting of agents. We don't know why REALD does not try to negotiate with Coulson or combine forces? REALD apparently does not know that Fury is alive. Every one of their points is well taken: Coulson has been acting erratic, and his erratic decision-making was in large part what led Hydra to have a chance to find the alien city in the first place, and has unleashed at least two potential threats in Raina and Skye. (But again, what were they doing when Hydra was trying to weaponize the Diviner, when there was a Kree come to earth on a search-and-destroy mission, etc., etc.?) Doesn't Coulson get some credit for getting Hydra to turn on itself? I get that Coulson might think that the death of Agent Triplett is a big deal, but why does REALD? Like the recap points out, to be "We are all about transparency" when not even your fellow SHIELD agents know you exist is kind of a joke. Also, even REALD cares more about Skye than a lot of things. BTW, I will quit watching this show if REALD turns out to be in any significant part Hydra. I also think it's noteworthy how much of REALD leadership appears to be people of color. 

 

Ward/Agent 33: While I appreciate a good homage as much as anyone else (the pumpkin pancakes should have come with honey pecan syrup), holding up an entire diner to get to one person whose identity they apparently knew is beyond stupid. Yes, I know they are bad-ass superspies, but there's a chance that someone gets a lucky shot in, or that they will be forced to kill other people and draw more heat on themselves. And even assuming that they can pull the caper off as easily as they do, there's a chance of their getting on the radar of the regular authorities, SHIELD and Hydra. It would have been far easier to jump him at his apartment, or his workplace, or basically anywhere. Chloe Bennet is hawt. I think for much of this season, they've been trying to tone down her hawtness to give Skye some more credibility/relatability. So I'm sort of OK with Agent 33 adopting Skye's looks and attempting to seduce Ward. I think there should be a contest to see who is the worst whipping boy: Talbot or Bakshi. I think Bakshi wins.

 

Skye/Coulson: So now we know a little more about Coulson's daddy issues. Hooray! I really hope we get to the point where Skye has some level of control over her powers. At least Coulson ends up with a clue that something is funky with Mack. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[Spartan Girl]

Ward, Skye made her feelings (or lack thereof) for you way back when she found out you were Hydra.  It's not her fault it took several bullets inside you to make her point.  Get over yourself.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[ChelseaNH]

but the last few episodes have made me feel like her story is kind of treading water

Same pacing problems they had in the first season.  They're wallowing in their Skye feels instead of getting on with business.

 

Plus the whole real S.H.I.E.L.D. thing makes no sense.

I was trying to figure out how this worked.  Either they're a splinter organization (with a helicarrier) that Coulson doesn't know about, or they agreed to work for Coulson in the fallout but then changed their minds due to the alien antics.  Either way, Coulson looks pretty clueless.  And I'm left wondering where either of them is getting the funding they need to support their sizeable operations.

 

holding up an entire diner to get to one person whose identity they apparently knew is beyond stupid

What's the point of the faux robbery?  You think the witnesses aren't going to notice it's actually a kidnapping?  Just snatch him from the parking lot.

 

It's not her fault it took several bullets inside you to make her point.

I'm really not buying Ward's turn to rationality.  He was delusional.  Getting shot doesn't alter your mental state.  Stop trying to make him a romantic anti-hero, show.

[Sandman]

I don't see the show trying to make Ward look anything but manipulative, delusional and creepy.

[Julie23]

I don't like Not!SHIELD. They don't seem to act like the good guys to me what with all the spying and plotting and stuff. So, unless Bobbi turns out to be a plant from Fury in Not!SHIELD, she is not a good person either. I will  be disappointed if Coulson and his gang get overthrown by this group of back-stabbing fringe group. (shout out to Kirk Acevedo!)I am really loving Hunter and how he refused to join in. Coulson is the one that brought him in and I like that at least he remains loyal. Mack and Bobbi chose poorly.

 

I don't mind the Skye plot as long as it moves forward, which is seems to be doing.

 

Don't care about Ward or Agent 33 or what they are up to, but glad they did not harm, Gen. Talbot!

[Sakura12]

I watched Pretty Little Liars for 4.5 seasons and that show's name should be changed to "The Stupid". So I'm a lot more forgiving of other shows in regards to dumb storylines to see where they go first and as long as they go somewhere I'm okay with it. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by Sakura12

[nottopbravo]

 

If the writers were smart,

 

That's one big mother of an "if".   Seems they decided to give us Fury/Shield, Colson/Shield, Captain America/Shield, Hydra/Shield, and now "real"/Shield.  If they were going to give me an ice cream headache, they could have at least waited for summer. 

 

 

Wow!  Even those incredibly complicated Allister McLean novels (Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, etc.) weren't THAT ridiculous!  How would somebody be able to keep all this stuff straight in their heads?  And shouldn't a character who had that much going on be the star of the show?

 

I need to start watching this show with a notepad and pen.

 

Don't forget the scorecard.  Which will be filled with cross-outs and over-writes. 

Edited March 25, 2015 by nottopbravo

[Sandman]

I'm sure Fitz could come up with something suitable in a tablet or superspy! phone app. (Or maybe all new recruits could be outfitted with a FitBit bracelet with some sort of loyalty monitor add-on.)

[Gregg247]

AH-HA!  Maybe this has been ABC/Disney's master plan all along.  Create a show so complicated and convoluted that all viewers will be forced to buy their online app that explains what's actually happening each week.  

 

A textbook example of corporate vertical integration! (aka - "Hail Hydra!")

Edited March 25, 2015 by Gregg247

[Tarasme]

 

All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

 

So say we all. 

 

Ssssqqkkk- Hee!

 

35 days.

 

This ep felt disjointed. I liked the Ward/33 odyssey but it was off putting to see his predator with the emotionally crippled prey 33 has become. 33's sexually offering herself up to him brought up bad memories of a long ago forum where Asgardian rapey behavior with Ward was discussed ad nauseam. 

 

I don't get the journey of SHIELD from last season's finale- broken, furtive, no resources, ripped apart at the cellular level... BTW- did NO one else see Nick Fury when they took down Garrett? How can a whole nother SHIELD hierarchy believe he's still dead? I. Don't. Get. It.

Ahem- so- I don't see where SHIELD went from small groups of agent cells to two (that we're aware of) behemoths both fully functional, both with full compliments of resources. I guess I remember Coulson and May building up people and stuff in order to complete missions and burn out Hydra but to think that another separate snake has simultaneously rebuilt- I'm baffled. If the real SHIELD is operating freely (not UC like Bobbi and Mac) within Coulson's org, that's even harder for me to comprehend. ::::shrugs::: I guess if I squint really hard while waving my hands, I can see that Coulson's grip on all things SHIELD is precarious and could be easily/often challenged.

 

 

I was trying to figure out how this worked.  Either they're a splinter organization (with a helicarrier) that Coulson doesn't know about, or they agreed to work for Coulson in the fallout but then changed their minds due to the alien antics.  Either way, Coulson looks pretty clueless.  And I'm left wondering where either of them is getting the funding they need to support their sizeable operations.

 

::::looks at ChelseaNH::::: What Chelsea NH said.

 

Bobbi & Mac- I will be damned if Bobbi isn't playing another angle. I hope it's a "Hey! I saw that Nick is alive and well because he helped save our asses from Hydra about a year ago." angle, but, as it's been shown, I have a hard time believing Bobbi is "all in" with realSHIELD.

 

Skye & Coulson- red twists are awesome. I love taking licorice on trips.

 

My problem with Coulson's characterization is that he is so focused on Skye only because she's Skye. I could understand better if his motives were more fully realized- understanding what happened to her, how it links to the known enhanced, and how the enhanced fit into the world and universe is very important and would believably drive a leader of SHIELD but Coulson doesn't seem to be interested in any of that. I think they could create a believable character befriended to Skye but also able to give lip service to the larger stakes. Am I forgetting a bunch of Coulson speechifying that did this?

 

Talbot & Bakshi's breakout- meh

 

I thought the production team did a FABULOUS job last season of tying the AOS plot into the CA:TWS premiere- for me it was a great event. I hope I'm not holding my breath for something that doesn't materialize as my expectations are high as we draw nearer to May 1st.

 

 

*edited because Chelsea said it better

Edited March 25, 2015 by Tarasme

[VCRTracking]

Oh man I was laughing so much at the Talbot scenes. Adrian Pasdar was having a blast and poor Talbot's wife(and his aide)!

As creepy as the Ward and 33 scenes were, they were't as horrible as I thought they'd be. Ward(despite his protestations is still a psycho and 33 is just as broken as a doll in DOLLHOUSE was when they were in the blank state, he would have taken more advantage of her. Ward though didn't stop 33 from kissing him while wearing Skye's face because she's been brainwashed and it would be wrong, but because he finally realized Skye is just not into him.

Yeah Fitz! Loved his telling Jemma that "the scariest change was you" and that the Hulk saved the world, even though Jemma was right that Bruce would rather NOT be the Hulk. I get that she's scared but I don't like where this is going. Could it lead to her taking sides with Tony in the Civil War?

I don't care what anybody thinks I like Skye and Coulson's relationship. He is now unapologetically her surrogate dad at this point and I liked the Lola story and them eating licorice at the same time.

It makes sense that Fury would take Steve Rogers to the cabin after being defrozen, because the modern world would be too much to handle at first.

Besides the PULP FICTION homage in the beginning, there was definite nods to the reimagined BATTLESTAR GALACTICA that Edward James Olmos had starred in. Gonzales is Adama, Bobbi is Starbuck, and the bald guy giving her a hard time is Tigh. I really liked Hunter in this episode.