S02.E15: One Door Closes

[ReadingZombie]

Finally caught up with this season!

 

Gonzales' speech to Coulson about how Coulson was literally Fury's creation and god only knows what the alien blood did to him just smacked of bigotry. He's afraid that Coulson is something "other." It made me want to punch him in the face, and I'm pretty meh on Coulson. The fact that Gonzales was focused on getting Fury's cube opened so they could find out where the other enhanced people are locked up so they could destroy them, and that they went after Skye with real bullets.... Well, it just makes me think even more that they're being driven more by their fear and intolerance than by their desire to see SHIELD be more open, transparent and democratic. Besides, those are just buzz words used to try to convince people that they should do what you want them to do because it's "in everyone's best interest." Usually the only person's "best interest" it is in is in the one doing the talking. If they'd gone in with stunners like Bobbi had ordered I'd be more inclined to believe that NewSHIELD is on the side of right. But, they went in to kill a SHIELD Agent. No questions asked. She's different now, she had to die. Oh, and I don't believe that they only decided to move in on Coulson right now because he was using the team for his personal missions. That's what Gonzales and Co. wanted Bobbi and Mack to believe. Heck, maybe that's what Gonzales and Co. are telling themselves so they can sleep at night. No, I think they decided to move in on Coulson because not only is Coulson too much of an unknown with his alien blood, but now the team has an Inhuman on it and she's too much of a threat and needed to be taken care of.

 

Did Skye not realize that she was born different-- and that she always had the potential for these powers? I get the feeling she thinks that anybody in that chamber would have come out with powers, and that Tripp died because of the earthquake, and not because he'd been impaled by the Diviner (and then shattered by the force of Skye's shockwave.) She keeps blaming herself for it, but he was a dead duck before that earthquake hit. I am happy that she called on Gordon to come help her. He is becoming more interesting to me, as well. It will be fun to see the other Inhumans.

 

I liked the flashbacks, but like Skye's "carp mouth" seems to bother others, Bobbi's constant "I'm getting ready to do something scary/hard/important" frowny-scowl annoys me.

 

I'm glad Hunter is sticking around. I get a kick out of his one liners.

 

I hope Bobbi and Mack are happy. Idiots.

Edited April 3, 2015 by ReadingZombie

[Cranberry]

I haven't been enjoying this season as much as I'd hoped, but I liked this episode a lot, especially the May/Bobbi fight, Simmons tricking Bobbi, everything with Hartley, and Skye fighting a guard before leaving with Gordon. I'm looking forward to "meeting" more Inhumans.

 

Also, because it's bugging me: It's spelled Jemma Simmons, with a J.

[Linderhill]

 

She's administration, she dresses in business formal just like Gonzales and Coulson. And like many women, she must prefer skirt suits as opposed to pants suits. She's not in the field day-to-day, and Coulson's team was subdued with gas by the time they entered the Playground, so it doesn't really matter.

But Weaver has been on this carrier for months, supposedly since her "rescue" from the enhanced attacker.  Since its a carrier, I guess its not beyond reason that there would be suits on board for her to wear, its just not practical, period.  That is what bothers me.  She seemed to be the only one on board wearing a suit too.  (Its a stupid trope that women need to wear skirts and heels all the time and it bugs me.)

[HistoryGirl]

Honestly I'm of the mind that apart from spying, New SHIELD hasn't done much since their formation. It's possible (maybe even probable) that they're spying on more than just Coulson & Co. but I don't think they've been running major ops in the meantime. Which makes their current high horse even less impressive. A lot of what they've said about Coulson is completely true, but I don't think they have a leg to stand on because of the way they decided to perform a coup rather than making any attempt of being part of the process and because they seem to be more focused on Coulson, who even they would probably would acknowledge is more hero than villain whatever problems they might have with his methods or his focus, than the people in the world who are actually out to do harm.

What kills me is that Coulson's team killed off Hydra.  Or at least the current heads of Hydra.  So RealSHIELD was sitting in the shadows while Coulson's team did all the dirty work, then they pop out and are all "okay, we're the Real SHIELD, bow to us! Join us! You're not worthy!"  Um, please.  Step off. Coulson's team has been taking care of business, where have you been?

 

Someone had asked upthread about what Weaver fought off at the Academy.  I thought I'd quoted it, but must've lost it.  Regardless, Weaver said an "enhanced" had attacked the Academy.  So it could've been anyone or anything.  To Weaver though, I'd imagine she's of the mindset that it's Skye's ilk that attacked her (when it's more likely one of the prisoners from the Sandbox that Ward & Garrett let out) 

[Sakura12]

I think "Real" Shield's whole purpose is to go after Super Powered people. They don't care much about anything else.They didn't even make any moves until Skye and Raina got powers. Bobbi and Mac were sent there to watch Coulson who had alien blood in him. 

[mac123x]

I'm unclear why they don't believe in lights.  I understand that the base was under attack and the lights went off, but Skye was wandering around a creepy house at night hearing noises and flashing back to Paranormal Activity -- I literally yelled at her to turn on the lights!  I couldn't tell what it was she found behind the wall paneling because it was too damn dark. 

 

I know dim lighting is one way to hide cheap sets, but this show isn't on the CW, I think they have a decent budget. 

[kennyab]

But Weaver has been on this carrier for months, supposedly since her "rescue" from the enhanced attacker.  Since its a carrier, I guess its not beyond reason that there would be suits on board for her to wear, its just not practical, period.  That is what bothers me.  She seemed to be the only one on board wearing a suit too.  (Its a stupid trope that women need to wear skirts and heels all the time and it bugs me.)

 

Gonzalez wore a suit as well. And of all of the women on the show, and there have been many (including Agent Hand, who wore pant suits and sensible shoes), Agent Weaver's the only one I can think of who has worn a skirt suit. When it's only one out of a bunch, it seems to be a choice for that specific character instead of a trope.

 

ETA: Once Gonzalez's crew stopped the takeover of the academy, I'm sure Agent Weaver would have put together a suitcase to take back onto the carrier once she decided to join them. I didn't get the impression that they simply air-lifted her out, but they actually took back the academy.

Edited April 3, 2015 by kennyab

[Raja]

I'm unclear why they don't believe in lights. I understand that the base was under attack and the lights went off, but Skye was wandering around a creepy house at night hearing noises and flashing back to Paranormal Activity -- I literally yelled at her to turn on the lights! I couldn't tell what it was she found behind the wall paneling because it was too damn dark.

I know dim lighting is one way to hide cheap sets, but this show isn't on the CW, I think they have a decent budget.

As a trained soldier my first instinct is to turn off the lights. I would need some extra ordinary occurrence to radiate and give away my position.

[ChelseaNH]

I suspect mac123x was referencing cinematography more than tactics.  The show has been lacking a strong visual style, other than "underlit."

[Jeezaloo]

This was a great episode with a fun, action-packed ending. I knew Skye would be getting some sort of vibrational power, but I had no idea they were going to make Skye that powerful. I thought she'd be "Hey let's get Skye to vibrate this safe apart so we can see what's inside of it" level of power, not "Sneeze and you'll clear 20 acres of Sequoia" levels of power.

 

That girl's a walking talking bunker-buster at this point. Let's aim her at Ward and see what happens :-)

[jhlipton]

If they'd gone in with stunners like Bobbi had ordered I'd be more inclined to believe that NewSHIELD is on the side of right. But, they went in to kill a SHIELD Agent. No questions asked. She's different now, she had to die. 

 

Did all of REALD have guns or just that one guy (who'd been kind of shady from the get-go)?  I know that Bobbi said "Icers only" which is what she had, and SneakyGuy kept behind her so she didn't see he had a real gun.  So I'm not sure that it was REALD policy to kill or just that one guy.

Edited April 3, 2015 by jhlipton

[Humbugged]

Did all of REALD have guns or just that one guy (who'd been kind of shady from the get-go)?  I know that Bobbi said "Icers only" which is what she had, and SneakyGuy kept behind her so she didn't see he had a real gun.  So I'm not sure that it was REALD policy to kill or just that one guy.

 

At the least the guy that Skye beat down had a real gun .When they started struggling that was a proper round that went off so there was a round in the chamber and the safety was off .And he crept up behind her ans aimed at her head so I'm going for shoot to kill (all except Bobbi I would guess) .Calderon is Agent Porchd***k. Skye's 2 dads will be fighting over who gets to gut him by the end of the season

Edited April 4, 2015 by Humbugged

[Kel Varnsen]

 

That girl's a walking talking bunker-buster at this point. Let's aim her at Ward and see what happens :-)

Not sure how i feel about how much power Skye has. If she could control them she could potentially be more powerful than Iron Man.

[HistoryGirl]

Did all of REALD have guns or just that one guy (who'd been kind of shady from the get-go)?  I know that Bobbi said "Icers only" which is what she had, and SneakyGuy kept behind her so she didn't see he had a real gun.  So I'm not sure that it was REALD policy to kill or just that one guy.

RealSHIELD operates under the premise of "this is a democracy, there is no one leader that gives orders".  So Bobbi ordering ICERS only probably didn't work for Tomas.  He was out to kill Skye and Bobbi couldn't tell him otherwise because she's not the boss of him. No one is. 

 

A "democracy"-style system can't work in an organization like SHIELD.  They need a commander in chief to lead them or else it would be a case of too many chefs in the kitchen. 

[Jeezaloo]

Not sure how i feel about how much power Skye has. If she could control them she could potentially be more powerful than Iron Man.

That's what I mean. I thought she'd be Daredevil-level powerful and now she's hopped way over that into demi-god territory.

 

I mean, it's great dramatically, seeing if she can learn to reign it in before she accidentally turns greater Los Angeles to rubble. But practically, what individual that has appeared on SHIELD is even remotely a match for her now? Even Sif would have trouble. Absorbing Man? Deathlok? Pfft.

 

Maybe that gravity dude from season 1, if he ever escaped, could take Skye on. But otherwise, she's kinda unstoppable.

[Bruinsfan]

Creel could probably stand up to her if he absorbed the right material properties. Hell, if he got his hands on some vibranium she probably couldn't even knock him back directly.

[Kel Varnsen]

That's what I mean. I thought she'd be Daredevil-level powerful and now she's hopped way over that into demi-god territory.

 

I mean, it's great dramatically, seeing if she can learn to reign it in before she accidentally turns greater Los Angeles to rubble. But practically, what individ*ual that has appeared on SHIELD is even remotely a match for her now? Even Sif would have trouble. Absorbing Man? Deathlok? Pfft.

 

Maybe that gravity dude from season 1, if he ever escaped, could take Skye on. But otherwise, she's kinda unstoppable.

I wonder how they will deal with that for future movies. Becsuse if she could get her powers under control she could make a legitimate claim that she should't just be an Agent, but an actual Avenger. Looking back at the first Avengers movie her powers could have probably taken down one of those Chautari slug ships. But at the same time the actress is not really good enough to hold her own against RDJ or Scarlette Johansson .

[North of Eden]

I love this show do much...why do the ratings have to keep falling?! Great flashbacks to the WINTER SOLDIER events. It was all good except the post credits scene...too lighthearted given how serious things are.

[marbenais]

Oh, I definitely thought that Mack was with Tim, that's why Bobbi gave her condolences to him. And since Isabelle Hartley referred to Victoria Hand as "Vic," I'm assuming that was a nod to their relationship.

Jemma incapacitating Bobbi was excellent. And she and Fitz are bonding again, hopefully not to be torn apart by the two S.H.I.E.L.D.s.

May is THE BEST.

[Raja]

I love this show do much...why do the ratings have to keep falling?! Great flashbacks to the WINTER SOLDIER events. It was all good except the post credits scene...too lighthearted given how serious things are.

I think it is just comics overload. With DC doing the more traditional crossover as opposed to the MCU's deep continuity. The casual TV viewer doesn't want to commit himself to two movies a year and 30 hours of TV, to get the full value out of the story.

[jhlipton]

At the least the guy that Skye beat down had a real gun .When they started struggling that was a proper round that went off so there was a round in the chamber and the safety was off .And he crept up behind her ans aimed at her head so I'm going for shoot to kill (all except Bobbi I would guess) .Calderon is Agent Porchd***k. Skye's 2 dads will be fighting over who gets to gut him by the end of the season

 

 

RealSHIELD operates under the premise of "this is a democracy, there is no one leader that gives orders".  So Bobbi ordering ICERS only probably didn't work for Tomas.  He was out to kill Skye and Bobbi couldn't tell him otherwise because she's not the boss of him. No one is.

Tomas definitely had a real gun and was out to kill Skye. But ReadingZombie said:

If they'd gone in with stunners like Bobbi had ordered I'd be more inclined to believe that NewSHIELD is on the side of right. But, they went in to kill a SHIELD Agent. No questions asked. She's different now, she had to die.

Not "he" but "they". I think RZ misconstrued that scene.  And that was Simmon's first reaction as well.

[Jeezaloo]

I think it is just comics overload.

I agree. My bf's sister wanted to plan a trip to the movies and when I suggested Star Wars 7 or Avengers 2, she said something to the effect of, "When is that stuff going to END?!" lol Very exasperated, more exasperated than I thought she'd be. I thought she'd have no opinion, but no.

 

But it's not the super-hero aspect, I don't think. I think it's the relentless, grinding marketing style that maybe people are annoyed by. It's all got to be so dark and moody and emo because BATMANs!!!1!

 

I long for the days of golden age heroes, where things were just silly and there was lots of colors and running around and good guys did good things instead of brooding and frowning and being grumpy all the time. They had the strength of a hundred men, they were loved and respected, and they wore their underpants on the outside of their tights AND THEY WERE NOT ASHAMED!

 

[Humbugged]

 

 

Tomas definitely had a real gun and was out to kill Skye. But ReadingZombie said:

Not "he" but "they". I think RZ misconstrued that scene.  And that was Simmon's first reaction as well.

No because there were at least 2 of the TAC team toting real guns and ammo .Two makes a they rather than  a he.

 

And whatever Simmons said she didn't get round to trying to put down a fellow agent

[Rocket]

I to thought they make Skye a Spiderman level super hero at the most powerful and probably way weaker. Clearly we have been shown she is stronger than that so I will say Skye is a named already in the comics supper hero Quake, already revealed in her getting powers episode comments. Following is already figured out for the most part but added comic info, I'm not a reader just summery off of web summaries.

As you have already figured out talking about destroying a city she up in the person of mass destruction category with Thor and the Hulk, with her power type Iron man would have major problems fighting her. In the comics she has taken out Wolverine and Magneto. She also ends up heading S.H.I.E.L.D so she still acts as an agent, just one that when the guns come out she goes please and shockwaves them out. Thus Quake is a good match for S.H.I.E.L.D just I was very surprised because of the special effects cost of that level of powers.

 

I loved the episode and thought it wonderful the whole time. I can see the views of both S.H.I.E.L.Ds so I like that type of comment. I'm on the protect the super but dangerous side but can see the point of view of better super power be dead side. 

 

Sort of confused with the real gun vs iccer thing as I think Bobbie would have noticed the guns were not iccers and most were only carrying one gun I could see. 

[kennyab]

I love this show do much...why do the ratings have to keep falling?! Great flashbacks to the WINTER SOLDIER events. It was all good except the post credits scene...too lighthearted given how serious things are.

 

Everything on TV is falling. A 1.4 was still enough for it to win its timeslot, and even NCIS is super-low compared to its normal performance. Warmer weather/longer days/spring break/etc.

[FurryFury]

Finally got around to watching the episode (damn you, binge-watching Glee and playing Pillars of Eternity!), and I actually loved it a lot. Not "Turn, Turn, Turn" (which is the feel it somewhat tries to evoke), but pretty good. The flashbacks were awesome, and I find myself a bit sorry we won't get to see more of Hartley/Bobbi/Mack/Gonzalez team-up. 

 

The thing I was most impressed with is that the theme of Fury's secret is actually something that MCU has been building up for a while, both in Avengers and Winter Soldier. So it's rather satisfying to see it picked up and to see actual SHIELD agents make a choice between continuing to be pawns in Fury's game and doing something themselves. This moment when Bobbi says "Maybe it should be a democracy" (paraphrased) is something I really enjoyed. Which, however, brings me to my next point.

 

Why the hell should we root for Coulson? He isn't that great of a leader, he's shown it once and again. And Fury's leadership is something that's been questioned thoroughly and the conclusion isn't that clear-cut. Why wouldn't he even question Gonzalez' points? I mean, we now see that at least Kirk Acevedo was willing to kill Skye (or maybe not, was the gun lethal or a way to injure/disable her?), but they do make some good points. I wonder if it's a thematical set up for the Civil War storyline on Captain America.

 

Other observations:

 

- Is Mack implied to be gay or something? I mean, we got Tim in flashbacks and Fitz in the present time. I'm curious.

- On the other hand, I'm also wanting to ship him with Bobbi - it's the first time I've felt involved into their personalities. I mean, I've always admired her because I automatically love all action girls unless they're awful, but this episode tried to give her depth that didn't have anything to do with her relationship with Hunter whom I'm continuously bored with. He wasn't missed. Remind me, why couldn't Hartley survive instead of him?

- Skye's C-plot was kinda meh, but not bad. An obvious set up for a future storyline about the Inhumans.

- I'm going to go and watch 12 Monkeys right now and hope they won't kill Ramse off, because watching Kirk Acevedo get killed twice in a row would be too much, even if I kinda hate him now.

Edited April 4, 2015 by FurryFury

[Kel Varnsen]

I to thought they make Skye a Spiderman level super hero at the most powerful and probably way weaker. Clearly we have been shown she is stronger than that so I will say Skye is a named already in the comics supper hero Quake, already revealed in her getting powers episode comments.

Even giving her spiderman level powers would be problematic for me. Especially when you consider that for the mcu spidey with his proportional spider strength, reflexes, spider sense and web shooters would make him one of the more powerful heros in the mcu. I mean cap is up there for heros and he only has peak human strenght.

Widow and Hawkeye are avengers/agents of Shield, but if Skye gets ahold of her powers (which will have to happen) then she will be more powerful than them for sure, and could potentially go toe to toe with cap and iron man. So how will they explain if she is not fighting Ultron in May?

[Raja]

Taking the power discussions to the Skye thread

[Humbugged]

Even giving her spiderman level powers would be problematic for me. Especially when you consider that for the mcu spidey with his proportional spider strength, reflexes, spider sense and web shooters would make him one of the more powerful heros in the mcu. I mean cap is up there for heros and he only has peak human strenght.

Widow and Hawkeye are avengers/agents of Shield, but if Skye gets ahold of her powers (which will have to happen) then she will be more powerful than them for sure, and could potentially go toe to toe with cap and iron man. So how will they explain if she is not fighting Ultron in May?

 

They have her still being with her mother's people learning that's the obvious one .Or she might turn up with Phil in the end credit scene before they go off to take back SHIELD from ***SHIELD

[Lii]

This episode... no more "OMG THERE ARE SPIES IN OUR MIDST!" storylines, please. I don't understand what makes showrunners think they can repeat the same stories season after season without people getting bored and wandering off in search of something fresh to watch.

But, at least it's not Gotham.

[Jeezaloo]

But, at least it's not Gotham.

LOL I like calling it Gotham 90210. 

 

They multiplied the mistake George Lucas made with the Star Wars prequels exponentially. Nobody gave a flying fuark about Darth Vader when he was a kid, so now we're going to do the same thing with every character in the Batman franchise? Yikes.

 

SUIT #1: Hey, you know how every character in Batman is totally awesome?

SUIT #2: Yeah?

SUIT #1: Let's do a series about those characters ... before they were interesting!

SUIT #2: Genius, man. Nailed it.

 

Love or hate SuperSkye! knocking down a forest or Bobbi and Mac defecting from seat-of-your-pants-SHIELD to join old-bureaucracy-SHIELD, at least it's more interesting to watch than the DC equivalent of Muppet Babies.

 

[marbenais]

- Is Mack implied to be gay or something? I mean, we got Tim in flashbacks and Fitz in the present time. I'm curious.

I've thought Mack and Fitz were a potential couple since we met Mack, and Mack DID throw himself on top of Fitz to keep him from being crushed when the wall came down, which is definitely something. I mean, I'm biased, but I would love a queer main character in a Marvel production. 

[FurryFury]

I'd love a MALE queer character, for once, because bisexual (mostly) and sometimes lesbian women seem to everywhere these days, but god forbid it's a guy. Such a double standard.

[sinkwriter]

 

I'd love a MALE queer character, for once, because bisexual (mostly) and sometimes lesbian women seem to everywhere these days, but god forbid it's a guy. Such a double standard.

 

Especially a big guy like Mack, which would be an interesting twist as well. Most gay characters are treated like Jack McFarlin on Will & Grace (not that there's anything wrong with that, I loved Jack). It would be nice to see a variety of men and women gay characters because that's how it is in real life. For example, I liked that HBO's Looking introduced a bear of a guy for one of their lead characters to start a relationship with, and it was a terrific storyline for the season.

[John Potts]

Just how many "Bad apples" did old SHIELD have? You'd think that after the HYDRA reveal, the number remaining would be small, but we seem to have "Psycho Underling Redshirt" who was clearly going against orders and trying to kill Skye. So clearly Real!SHIELD is no better at spotting unreliable allies as Coulson's SHIELD, which is somewhat worrying amongst Earth's defenders. And Bobbi - democracy is all very well, but the one time when autocracy really scores over democracy is in combat - stopping to old a debate when the world is collapsing around your ears is an insanely bad idea - it's merely narrative convenience that the good guys won there, for once I'd love it if doing the heroic thing causes a lot more deaths (the only occasion I can remember that happening is in Full Metal Jacket).

 

OttoDBusDriver Enough with the super slo-mo specialness of Skye -- no one else gets the super slo-mo treatment, because they just aren't special enough.

 

What bugged me was the flashback to "The Day SHIELD fell". It's a (supposedly) tense scene, but hmmm, let's see: we have four characters we saw last week, one we know dies a bit later (Xena) and... Random Extra No. 1. Who will make it out alive!? Oh, and on the subject of dead heroes... Can we have Lucy back? I know her character died, but as both Xena and No. 3 she came back from multiple deaths (and it's not like comics don't have a history of "dead" people coming back).

 

shrewd.buddha If NewSHIELD can install some decent lighting in the bunker HQ, then I'm all for the new regime... I like that NewSHIELD is all about democracy, transparency, mole infiltration, and hostile takeovers.

 

After last week, I thought Real!SHIELD were absolutely right. Now they seem just as bad as Coulson!SHIELD I would love OttoDBusDriver's Pulp Fiction callback to come true:

 

Fury: Come on Coulson what's Fonzie like?

Coulson: He's cool.

Fury: Correctamundo! And that's what we're gonna be. We're gonna be cool. Now Gonzales, I'm gonna count to three, and when I count three, you let go of your gun, and sit your ass down. But when you do it, you do it cool. Ready? One... two... three.

 

And while I'm no fan of Skye, it's nice to see somebody actually treating her like a person and actually talking to her about what she's going through, even if he is (potentially) a villain.

[Biosynth]

Since Age of Ultron is coming out this weekend, I've had to binge watch for the last few days.  So I got up to this episode already, which is a surprise to me.  The end of the first season was really gripping and memorable for me.  Everyone has been talking about this second season being fantastic.  I'm still waiting for the fantastic to happen.  Maybe that's why these episodes seem to be playing quickly to me, with out as much depth.

 

I'm probably the only one on the planet who doesn't think of Bobbi and Mack as the second coming.  Quite frankly, I can't stand them.  I have flipped on my opinion on Hunter though.  I think he's terrific now!

 

God help me, I'm rooting for Ward. 

 

I remember toward the beginning of the first season, people were speculating that Coulson and his team was given their assignments to make them feel like they are participating in Shield when in fact Shield was doing their own thing separate from Coulson's team.  Perhaps we are getting back to this?