S02.E16: Afterlife

[Chicago Redshirt]

Loved: 

The callout to Jemma's sandwich.

The score now being Jemma 2, Bobbi 0 

May and everything about her except for Coulson=SHIELD

Crazy Cal

Raina

Deathlok

Didn't Like:

The fact that REALD is apparently indifferent to Hydra being still out there and is more focused on Coulson

 

A house that was designed to withstand blows from the Hulk, or things that might come to attack the Hulk can be battered down by humans in an hour. 

 

The unanswered question as to how many resources REALD/SHIELD have these days

 

The possible beginning of the Ward redemption journey

 

Crazy Cal's wife apparently being alive -- not only does it mean that we have a disconnect because Cal was motivated by revenge and claimed she was dead, but also the actress who plays her is probably the weakest in the Joss Whedon Repertory Company.Then again, he's Crazy Cal, so it is probably not a retcon so much as him being Crazy.

[Humbugged]

If someone vivisected my wife I would want to return the favor even if she recovered. But the reunion might have been off screen after the Inhumans took Cal as well, a problem of story telling showing would have been great but then we don't get as good a shock. We will find out the story soon the way this show is going. 

 

Saying Skye Mom and Skye Dad it's making me have Spy Mommy and Spy Daddy Alias flashback.

 

The funding of these groups seams funny after government support withdrawn. A Aircraft carrier sucks up a truly huge amount of cash. Supersonic jets also suck up the fuel the Entire Army uses 7% of the governments fuel budget the Navy 33% and the Air Force 52%. But this fantasy cash is always there is a trope of spy show so I'll live with it. 

 

I'm fairly sure they have worked out why mom did not look for daughter as I assume Skye will have to be told soon. 

 

I really like the episode, enough shoes dropping when most show can go awhile with any shoes dropping. 

Chloe and Jeff Bell have an interview talking about all of this.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/chicago-fire-chicago-med-backdoor-787177

 

And I imagine the reason that they lost track of her was those SHIELD agents having her constantly moved .Cal was stalking and killing them off aprt from that 1 guy in Mexico,

Also its not as if they were looking for some kid emitting powers .Up until Skye passed thru the mist she was just a human with marker in her genome that only activated afterwards,

[Sakura12]

Do people really think that having your wife ripped apart and losing your daughter are not enough reasons to want revenge on the man that did that? 

[Humbugged]

Crazy Cal's wife apparently being alive -- not only does it mean that we have a disconnect because Cal was motivated by revenge and claimed she was dead, but also the actress who plays her is probably the weakest in the Joss Whedon Repertory Company.Then again, he's Crazy Cal, so it is probably not a retcon so much as him being Crazy.

The revenge was for losing their kid to god knows and the subsequent breakup of his marriage.

 

And he never said dead .He said she had been butchers and he would see them in THE AFTERLIFE which is where they all currently are.

[DeLurker]

Wow, Hollywood Reporter - you have at least 3 different spellings of the same name in the same article.

 

In a shocking reveal, Skye’s counselor ends up being the Inhuman leader Jiaying (Dichen Lachman) — her mother whom everyone presumed was dead thanks to Hydra’s Daniel Whitehall (Reed Diamond). However, Jaiying doesn’t reveal the nature of their relationship when the two meet.

"Jaiying has thought of this moment her whole life. She’s trying to be a cautious leader and mother as she tries to feel things out in where Skye stands,” Bennet told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a smart political move on her end because she is the leader of the Inhumans.”

“It’s a huge emotional reveal,” added Agents of SHIELD executive producer Jeffrey Bell. “Jiayang is like her and shares a gifted ability. There will definitely be a natural attraction there.”
 

[Spartan Girl]

Whoa, Mike Peterson returns!  And Skye's mom is alive --- well that wasn't as shocking as the former, but still.

 

Glad Fitz and Simmons are on the same side, although count me in line to the number of people that can't believe she was able to pull the wool over their eyes for the second time in a row.  I'm still hoping she's the one that gets to put down Ward like the rabid dog he is.

[Chaos Theory]

Cal is motivated by his anger which still makes sense. He might also not have known his wife (I keep forgetting her name) was still alive until recently. We still don't know how or why she is still alive. My guess is Gordon and her own powers. It doesn't look like Gordon likes Cal very much so it is possible no one told him his wife was alive untold very recently which makes his anger still justified....well ish anyway.

Edited April 8, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[ChelseaNH]

Can someone explain to me why, other than the dictates of the show, Coulson = SHIELD?  If he died, would that be the end of them?

 

So Coulson is out to reclaim SHIELD.  One part of that is controlling SHIELD's assets, including Fury's toolbox.  But the other part is actually running SHIELD.  Even if he accomplishes the first, he has to persuade people to work for him.  He has to convince the rank-and-file to obey the guy with alien blood, rather than the people who solicit and respond to feedback.  And if people decide not to follow him, what's to keep them from going back to the status quo ante, and doing their own thing on their own aircraft carrier?

[Chicago Redshirt]

Do people really think that having your wife ripped apart and losing your daughter are not enough reasons to want revenge on the man that did that? 

That's not what I'm saying at all.

 

My recollection is that Cal has said that Whitehall killed/murdered his wife. Not maimed. Not butchered. Murdered.

 

It would then be a cheat to tell this to your audience, while Cal has known all along that his wife was not killed/murdered, but left for dead.

 

Admittedly, this is comic book land, so she could have literally been killed and brought back to life, like Coulson. 

 

I still cry foul as an audience member, though.

[ae2]

I'm fairly certain that Simmons didn't slip the cube in his pack, but that he switched it out when he handled it during their phony "confrontation" with a little sleight of hand.

[Tarasme]

I liked it! Fun even though complete nonsense.

 

As little sense as it made (particularly the Grand Theft Auto part), I loved Hunter and Coulson- or, as I'll now refer to them, Thelma and Louise.

 

Though telegraphed, I adored the "Jemma and Leo Do Nifty Spycraft" show. Hey, Real SHIELD, you'd be better off immediately separating genius teammates if you propose to actually shift their loyalties.

 

Happy to see Luke Mitchell but goodness, why did it feel like Lincoln and Skye were repeating themselves in EVERY scene?!?

 

Skyemommy & Cal- I like Lichen but she's got very little chemistry with amazing KM. Her speech pattern is so, um, methodical? I don't get a character need to so slowly enunciate but maybe that'll come together later. Cal had such intense energy but Jianyang Jainying Jinyang was a great big damper.

 

Mack- sadly, I'm ready for him to move on. :(

 

Gonzales and the rest of Real SHIELD- treading water, waiting on something to happen, but no tension building. It's weird.

 

 

That Bobbi didn't pick up on FitzSimmons' deception after being fooled by Simmons last week just makes her look dumb, and the general lack of follow-through with Fitz and Mack was a little disappointing (even if they now hate each other, SOMETHING a little less perfunctory than what we got would be appreciated).

 I'm holding my breath that Bobbi allowed this to happen because she's a triple mole-y threat. It makes sense to me that someone like Hill or Fury would want ears/eyes in as many nooks and crannies as possible. But... I'm prepared to accept possible disappointment.

 

I'm kinda sad that this beginning of the Inhuman plot is mired in the factions plot. I wish it could be more of a focus/ destination to the story rather than a side trip. For me, the two threads are not cohabiting as well as I would like.

 

 

[Traveller519]

Wow, good on all of you to recall the Sandwich from the first part of Season 1! I know the sandwich seemed awfully symbolic, but I couldn't for the life of me get the call back. I think I've just tried to block most of the Pre-Winter Soldier AoS from memory.

 

The Inhumans appear to be selecting the most laconic and boring people on earth for "New-Age Terrigenesis" If Doc Lightning said "I assumed you already knew..." once more to me and I was Skye I would have rumbled the whole damn camp down on him. "What indication is there that I understand anything of what's going on here?" And the 'Expose our Power-cute" scene where he lifts her up.. Oh god, I would rather watch a 23 Episode Season of Ward trying to tell Skye how he feels from the other side of the invisible wall. Skyemom gets some points for being Skyemom, but was still acted flat as hell. OK, Inhuman paradise rant, over. 

 

Gonzales' inherent (and ham-fisted) distrust of "Powereds" aside, I'm still in his camp for rebuilding SHIELD. Coulson's been blinded by his own pursuits. I hope there's a scene where these capable actors can actually square off but come to a resolution. Something similar to the Jackson/Gregg/Paxton standoff from last season's finale would be most welcome.

[ottoDbusdriver]

My recollection is that Cal has said that Whitehall killed/murdered his wife. Not maimed. Not butchered. Murdered.

It would then be a cheat to tell this to your audience, while Cal has known all along that his wife was not killed/murdered, but left for dead.

Admittedly, this is comic book land, so she could have literally been killed and brought back to life, like Coulson.

I still cry foul as an audience member, though.

 

There are some weird inconsistencies.  

 

Per the flashbacks in previous episodes:

• Gordon was transformed by the Terrigenesis mist in 1983 with SkyeMommy in attendance to shepherd him along as he learned to control his powers.
• SkyeMommy was sliced up, eviscerated and drained of all fluids in 1989.

 

Yet Skye would have been a baby when the file about her origins was redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D. on 23 April 1989 (in the Episode "Girl in the Flower Dress").  So are we to assume Skye was born before SkyeMommy and the village elders were abducted by Whitehall's men ?  Because I thought the entire village population and members of a SHIELD team were wiped out protecting Skye when the village was attacked by powered people.  Was that attack committed by Hydra -- because there should have been something in the SHIELD report about that ?

 

When Cal found SkyeMommy's body, was it in Austria (why would Cal have even known to go looking for SkyeMommy in Austria) or did Whitehall's men return the body outside the village of China (because that makes no sense either) ?  And when Cal was wailing above his dead wife's body after finding her 25 years ago (which would also have made it in 1989), he didn't mention any concern about his missing daughter at that time.  If it was in China, where would Cal have gotten all of SkyeMommy's body parts from to put her back together, because those body parts were likely back in Austria since I doubt the med techs at the castle in Austria put all the leftover pieces back inside her chest cavity and sewed her back up ?  If it was Austria, how would he have known the SkyeMommy was gutted in that castle and gotten access to it ?

 

On a completely different note, what was up with the wig Kyle McLaughlin was wearing ?  It looked so bad and fake.

Edited April 8, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[sinkwriter]

From the recap/review:

 

 

[Lincoln]'s supposed to help Skye make the transition (get it?) to being a fully-powered Inhuman. Although nobody's used the word "Inhuman" yet. Here's the thing, though: he's terrible at this! It seems like his primary job would be to tell Skye what's going on, but he's constantly being surprised by the news that she didn't want powers, wants them taken away, and doesn't know where she is. Sample Dialogue: "Gordon...didn't explain?"

 

That cracked me up. Basically, Gordon is that pain-in-the-ass manager who expects you to read his mind and do all his work for him. He puts you in shitty positions but doesn't give you any sort of head's-up so that you can be better prepared. And somehow he's allowed to keep his job, even though it seems he never does anything. LOL. Lincoln, I'd ask for a raise or move on to a better job, man.

 

Wow, good on all of you to recall the Sandwich from the first part of Season 1! I know the sandwich seemed awfully symbolic, but I couldn't for the life of me get the call back.

 

It was just such a *gasp, I can't believe he did that* moment in Season 1. Especially because 1) Fitz had just talked about how awesome the sandwich was, and 2) he was likely going to share it with Ward. So unnecessary to waste it. Little did we know, it was because he was craaaaaazy and evil.

Edited April 8, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Sakura12]

I think with Skye's mom supposedly being a thousands of years old would make her kind of bored with normal human interaction. Also she left her husband or they don't seem to be on the greatest terms which is why she was standoffish with him. She hugged because they do share a daughter, but he's still a threat to her people. 

 

I've seen recappers calling "Real" Shield. F.I.E.L.D for faux shield. 

[Traveller519]

I enjoy "Pointy Shield" as they're going with on iO9

[Sakura12]

Did Cal ever says Skye's mom was dead? People are saying he never said that. He said Whitehall butchered her. Which would mean death to normal humans but Skye's mom's ability is to regenerate. 

[Bosman]

When the Elders are revealed, one of them better have VERY long VERY living red hair. Or I'll be VERY disappointed.

[Sakura12]

I doubt they are to be able to use any of the Royal Family on this show. I'm thinking SkyeMom is going to be the main Elder on this show. 

[kitlee625]

I enjoy "Pointy Shield" as they're going with on iO9

I like Olmos S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Mz Anthrope]

I loved that Fitz immediately knew Simmons was up to something and played along. When she was examining the toolbox, there was a moment when Bobbi got a look on her face so I thought maybe she suspected Simmons was up to something and then...nothing.

 

I am wondering if she was realizing that she'd made the wrong choice of 'sides' and thought to act dumb and help out Coulson now - even if in a small way - to start her journey back to C-SHIELD (Coulson's SHIELD). 

I was over the flipping MOON when I saw Deathlock/Peterson!!!  LOVED his character and am so happy he's back.  I am hoping he's around for a much longer haul this time. 

Leo/Jemma - loved this in the show as well.  Sammich and all.   And Fitz getting a lot of his mind 'back' and being able to process all this deftly is happy-making in its own.

Coulson/Hunter - this is gonna be fun.

[Bec]

Happy to see Luke Mitchell but goodness, why did it feel like Lincoln and Skye were repeating themselves in EVERY scene?!?

So true. Ha. Every scene it was:

 

Lincoln: (makes some offhand comment)
Skye: (does a double take)
Lincoln: Oh, I thought Gordon told you this stuff.
Skye: Um, no!
Lincoln: Oops, sorry.

 

With some slight variations.

 

Basically, Gordon is that pain-in-the-ass manager who expects you to read his mind and do all his work for him. He puts you in shitty positions but doesn't give you any sort of head's-up so that you can be better prepared.

Bwhaha! Nailed it!

 

Also, is my Chinese getting really rusty or were the "Chinese" words they said all nonsense that only sound vaguely like Chinese? Way back in that episode when the team went to Hong Kong, the way they talked were hilarious to me because they got the intonations all wrong but at least they were attempting to speak actual words.

 

Hmm… wait. If it's supposed to have anything to do with "Afterlife" it could be "lai shi" meaning "next life" (what is he talking about, it does translate!) Since quite a few Chinese religions believe in reincarnation, that's what the word is referring to. I guess it fits since the Inhumans "reincarnate" into new bodies, sort of.

 

Still got the intonation wrong though. Hee!

[Bruinsfan]

A house that was designed to withstand blows from the Hulk, or things that might come to attack the Hulk can be battered down by humans in an hour.

Not only that, but he knew exactly how long it would take to batter down the door. It's like on Star Trek where the computer was always able to tell them down to the second when reactors were going to go critical or how much shield/hull integrity they had left. Some processes are affected by random chance, people!

[kitlee625]

Not only that, but he knew exactly how long it would take to batter down the door. It's like on Star Trek where the computer was always able to tell them down to the second when reactors were going to go critical or how much shield/hull integrity they had left. Some processes are affected by random chance, people!

Now that you mention it, I really wish that that scene had had Majel Barrett's voice saying "hull integrity at 75% and dropping."

[MDKNIGHT]

People breaking up after the "loss" of a child is a really common thing so I can buy Crazy Cal "losing" his daughter to the system and therefore "losing" his wife to splitting up due to recriminiations.  Also MAYBE (and I don't know yet how MamaSkye rolls so maybe not) he was all "Let's kill everybody in sight and cut a bloody swathe through the world until we get our kid back" and MamaSkye went "Not so much.  I'm not a blood thirsty psycho."  It's possible.  I would like to think that SOMEBODY involved with the inhumans isn't bad.  But right now MamaSkye  could be like Professor Xavier or she could be like Magneto.  We don't know. 

 

I like the  Japanese American/American government  thing they have going on story wise.  Bobbi is like an American government agent in WWII who when initially presented with the idea that Japanese Americans might be working for the Japanese thinks it makes sense to isolate them as a precaution, because they are a threat, and then sees the reality of innocent families being herded into camps, when they haven't actually DONE anything, just because they have the POTENTIAL of doing something and then begins to see the flaws in the system.  EJO's racism may begin to wake Bobbi up.  To this day a lot of people don't know the American government locked up a whole lot of Japanese Americans and caused a lot of their deaths through disease etc because of the lousy conditions they were unlawfully incarcerated in, not to mention stealing their wealth.     I see Skye becoming like the young Japanese Americans who despite being rounded up into camps volunteered to fight in WWII and became some of the most decorated heroes of the war. 

 

While I've always thought it was stupid for normals to go off the handle and start persecuting supernormals like in X-men because it fuels bad superhumans like Magneto to work against the government I can't say that given real history it isn't likely how they would react if this stuff was real.  So Talbot or EJO's character are believable to me.  It is this inflexibility on EJO's character's part that makes him inferior to Coulson as the leader of SHIELD.  Coulson adapts.  Coulson went from throwing a hissy that May was spying on him to accepting that Bobbi and the other guy had understandable reasons for what they did.  In his place EJO would shoot Bobbi for her "betrayal" but if/when Coulson gets back on top he'd forgive her. 

[Boundary]

So true. Ha. Every scene it was:

 

Lincoln: (makes some offhand comment)

Skye: (does a double take)

Lincoln: Oh, I thought Gordon told you this stuff.

Skye: Um, no!

Lincoln: Oops, sorry.

 

With some slight variations.

 

It's because they don't want to tell the story, which drives me mad because whilst it's a side effect of a 22 episode season, it also shows how little story the writers have come up with, so far.

 

However, I kinda liked that everyone freaked out about how Skye did terrigenesis old school and I want to see more than a little curiosity in the fact that Skye has met a freaking Kree, their, um, creators! I don't mind Skye disappearing from Coulson & Co. for a while, allowing her and us a chance to learn about her herself (as an Inhuman) and about her family (SkyeMommy is intriguing at this point but she seems meek, there must be more to her). Lilcoln seemed surprised she'd decided to mentor Skye, I doubt he knows she's her mother.

 

Edited to make succinct.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Boundary

[MisterGlass]

I've been looking for clips of Cal talking about his wife.  The three I found on hulu are more ambiguous having seen this last episode:

 

http://www.hulu.com/watch/715571#i1,p70,d1
http://www.hulu.com/watch/724607#i1,p50,d1
http://www.hulu.com/watch/724610

[ottoDbusdriver]

I've been looking for clips of Cal talking about his wife.  The three I found on hulu are more ambiguous having seen this last episode:

http://www.hulu.com/...15571#i1,p70,d1
http://www.hulu.com/...24607#i1,p50,d1
http://www.hulu.com/watch/724610

 

In that 3rd clip, Whitehall says to Cal "I killed your wife."  So I'm pretty sure she was dead at some point.

[Chicago Redshirt]

It's possible that Whitehall thought she was dead, but she was only Mostly Dead. Or she was playing possum.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Chicago Redshirt

[marbenais]

Now that you mention it, I really wish that that scene had had Majel Barrett's voice saying "hull integrity at 75% and dropping."

If Lola had a voice, it would be hers.  

Still, if Hulk's fist only dented the interior wall, there's NO WAY a battering ram could break down the door to the cabin in an hour. 

[Izeinwinter]

A cutting torch would have been more reasonable - Vibranium is worked somehow, so presumably it melts like any normal metal. And it isn't like that would have been any more expensive to film...

Edited April 9, 2015 by Izeinwinter

[kitlee625]

Her return definitely adds a sketchy element about Cal letting Skye into thinking her mother is still dead and using her transformation as his ticket back to Afterlife. Also did Jiaying know about Cal forcing the transformation on Skye, and did she go along with it so Skye could jump the line faster?

 

Presumably her return is so that Skye has a really strong connection to the Inhumans and a reason to stay with them / return to them someday.

 

Having Mike come back was a real treat, and I just hope he's on many more episodes. I would love for him to be a regular fixture of the show. Plus I think that he and Skye would have a nice connection since they've both gone through these forced transformations that turned them into weapons. She always believed in him last season, and it would be nice to see that relationship again this season.

Edited April 9, 2015 by kitlee625

[mac123x]

I generally enjoyed the episode, though I had a few moments where I scoffed, mostly at how terrible Lincoln was as a guide.  A clueless guide.

 

"Lets go out to this scenic vista well away from everything so you can show me your powers without endangering anyone!  Except I'll just show you my powers which I have under control and the scene will end.  Now that we're back inside a building eating popcorn, show me what you can do". I guess Gordon really didn't tell Luke anything, like "she knocked down a half acre of trees, might want to take it easy exploring her powers."

 

The idea that Gordon is their only way in or out was obvious BS.  Are we to assume that, like the Slayer, "into every generation, a [teleporter] is born"?  This society has existed for much longer than Gordon has been alive, so they either have multiple teleporters or some other way out of Afterlife. 

 

Also, no one has any idea where they are?  BS.  Granted they might not have access to GPS, but they do have access to the SKY.  "Gee, it was 8 PM when Gordon teleported me from Chicago, and it's dawn here, so I must be about 10 timezones east".  The varying length of the day should give them an idea of how far north / south of the equator they are.  It's nothing precise, but they should know if they're in the Andes or the Himalayas.  I guess the Inhumans are also Incurious.

 

 

It's possible that Whitehall thought she was dead, but she was only Mostly Dead. Or she was playing possum.

 

Thank you, I chuckled out loud at that.

[KirkB]

I was surprised when Mike showed up and I was glad to see him, but I don't think he should stay around too long. He's bulletproof and super strong. Nearly every threat they come across could be solved by "send in Mike". Hell, sick Mike on realShield and he could probably end the problem in short order. 

 

About the cabin. There is no way the door could be as strong as the walls. The walls are structural, the door is not. No matter how fortress like the building the door is always going to be a weaker point than the walls. The only way to make a door heavy enough would require the Hulk to open it. And if you strike the same spot over and over again with enough force you will eventually weaken it. Fury's car in Winter Soldier was able to calculate it's failing in the same precise way so it's not unprecedented. And Banner probably built the cabin so the Hulk could not simply bust through the wall, there isn't a prison on Earth that could contain him if he gets mad enough.

 

Gordon being the only way in and out seems...unlikely. Lincoln was most likely exaggerating, or else outright lying. Unless not a single other powered person there can teleport, fly, or...I don't know, walk? There were surrounded by mountains not, as far as I know, a force field or the airless surface of the moon. People can get over mountains even without super powers. Now I will grant Gordon is almost certainly the fastest and most convenient.

 

There's also the possibility it's not really Skye's mom/Cal's wife but her twin sister or a shape shifter. But Cal didn't seem surprised to see her. And she does appear to have been sewed back together. So I'd say it's most likely Whitehall DID kill her, giving Cal reason to rage (not that a loony toon needs much of an excuse) but someone was able to put her innards back and she healed. 

Edited April 9, 2015 by KirkB

[Sakura12]

I think Jiaying has Claire's power from Heroes. Where she can cut off her toe and grow another one. Cal just needed to find all her body parts and stitch her together and her power would regenerate and heal her internal organs. 

 

Cal said Whitehall butchered her mother, he never said she was dead. Whitehall still destroyed his family that's enough reason to want revenge. Plus Cal is crazypants. I think he also believes that getting Skye back would put his family back together, that's not case. Jiaying seems over him and Skye thinks he's a psycho. 

Edited April 9, 2015 by Sakura12

[Kel Varnsen]

I doubt they are to be able to use any of the Royal Family on this show. I'm thinking SkyeMom is going to be the main Elder on this show. 

I doubt that too. The Inhumans movie does't even come out for 4 years (2019). By then there will have been 3 more Avengers movies released. When they do cast Medusa and Black Bolt it will be a big deal. Introducing them in this show now (which could be long since cancelled by the time that movie comes out) wouldn't really work I don't think.  

[Lady Calypso]

Gordon being the only way in and out seems...unlikely. Lincoln was most likely exaggerating, or else outright lying. Unless not a single other powered person there can teleport, fly, or...I don't know, walk? There were surrounded by mountains not, as far as I know, a force field or the airless surface of the moon. People can get over mountains even without super powers. Now I will grant Gordon is almost certainly the fastest and most convenient.

 

I got the impression that Lincoln truly believed that everyone was best off there. This episode made me think that Gordon isn't as good as he's making people believe. He's saying 'yeah, you got a choice' but he's subtly manipulating every single person there. I'm sure he would take Skye to her friends if she asked, but I think that he would as easily convince her to stay and make it her choice. I think that Lincoln truly believes that Gordon is the only way in and out, but not because they can't start walking anywhere. Well, maybe so because nobody even knows where they are so they can't just very well leave without someone teleporting them. I don't believe that Gordon's the bad guy, necessarily, but he definitely is manipuating everyone there. It's fun to watch, and interesting, but it's clear his intentions aren't entirely pure. I imagine there must be at least one other teleporter there, but for all we know, Gordon manipulated him into not using his power to leave or take anyone else, because he wants them to believe that Afterlife is a save haven for all of them. Also, Lincoln did say that Inhumans only came into power once every few years, so there aren't actually as many there. So I guess it's entirely possible that Gordon's the only teleporter. 

 

Now, I like Lincoln but it's clear he's extremely clueless and a bit brainwashed by this whole Afterlife deal. He says he comes and goes when he pleases, but how many times has Gordon convinced him to come back? I think Gordon's extremely intelligent and having this happen is more fun to watch from a potential antagonist, mostly because I want to believe that Gordon is 100% good and really is truthful in all of this, but at the same time I do think there's the potential in Gordon using these people for other reasons. I do think it's beneficial for Skye to be there, but now that I don't trust Gordon or Skye's mom, I don't want her there for too long. Also, I wouldn't be upset about a Lincoln/Skye romance. Maybe it's because I like Luke Mitchell and I'm liking Chloe Bennett...and it beats Skye/Ward by a mile. I don't get the sense that Lincoln is being a liar or anything; he's just kind of doing what Gordon wants him to do, while protecting everyone there. 

 

Honestly, I had a feeling Jiaying was alive for a few episodes now, but I just didn't really process how it could happen until this episode. Plus, I highly doubted that they'd keep Mommy dead for long. Crazy Cal isn't going to be helpful to Skye. But I do love him and this family storyline will be very interesting...at least it's more interesting than Coulson and his alien drawings storyline. Now THAT was dull as dishwater for me. 

 

Yay! Fitzsimmons is (temporarily??) back in business! I get the impression that Simmons slipped it into Fitz's bag when they were patting him down, as she was putting on his jacket as well. I thought maybe she'd slip it into his jacket pocket after they've already patted him down. Oh well, yay for them being back! 

 

I do actually really like Hunter; he's entertaining at least. I also still like Mack and Bobbi, and like that Coulson defended them. Yay for character progression! 

 

Yay for Mike being back! I like Mike and hope him and Skye talk more. Their friendship is awesome. 

[Sakura12]

Maybe Lincoln's just an idiot that doesn't ask questions. Gordon: "I'm the only way on and off this place" Lincoln: "OK!".

 

That seems clear to me since he didn't ask Gordon how much Skye knows in the 2 days that Gordon was sitting there watching her. 

 

I'd love to see a Mike and Skye friendship. They are in the same boat now and she helped him see his worth. He could do the same for her without the ulterior motives that the Inhumans may have. 

Edited April 9, 2015 by Sakura12

[ChelseaNH]

Nearly every threat they come across could be solved by "send in Mike".

I'm wondering why he was on a spying mission.  Sending the guy with the damaged face on a job that requires stealth is a little counterintuitive.

There is no way the door could be as strong as the walls

There is no way the window could be as strong as the door.

 

Gordon being the only way in and out seems...unlikely.

Two words: supply chain.  If Gordon is the only way in or out, he's spending most of his time hauling canned tuna and toilet paper.  It takes a lot of stuff to support a community of people.

[sjohnson]

^^^Please, think it through. If extras eat at all, they eat at craft services. 

[Kel Varnsen]

I'm wondering why he was on a spying mission.  Sending the guy with the damaged face on a job that requires stealth is a little counterintuitive.

 

Doesn't he have supervision and a computer brain as part of his super upgrades (he learned to fly a Quinjet by looking at the controls). So this wouldn't be a traditional surveilence operation where it is a guy doing stuff and a guy half a block away in a car with a big camera. This is a guy doing stuff, and then much farther away is a guy standing who just needs to look and doesn't need a camera.

[Izeinwinter]

Well.. the sphere around him when he ports is.. what, four, five meters across? If he can teleport that entire volume, he could easily keep an entire city supplied. More problematic is "And what do they do when there doesn't happen to a be a bulk teleporter available?"  It isn't like they can count on always having certain powers in every generation... or maybe some powers are common as dirt, and there are currently 5 teleports living in the city? 

[Bruinsfan]

A cutting torch would have been more reasonable - Vibranium is worked somehow, so presumably it melts like any normal metal. And it isn't like that would have been any more expensive to film...

It might be like Adamantium in the comics - initially malleable when the alloy is first formed from smelting, but once it cools and hardens it's effectively invulnerable to heat or impact.

 

There is no way the window could be as strong as the door.

I assumed the "windows" are actually LCD screens on either side of thick steel bulkheads within the cabin walls.

[kitlee625]

Two words: supply chain.  If Gordon is the only way in or out, he's spending most of his time hauling canned tuna and toilet paper.  It takes a lot of stuff to support a community of people.

 

Laughing my ass off at the idea of Gordon going to Costco and teleporting several giant boxes of toilet paper.

[Bec]

The place probably has squatty potties. And people can clean themselves off the old-fashioned way: splashing water on their nether regions.

 

If Gordon's the only way in or out, what would they do if something happens to Gordon and he doesn't come back? If they are in the Himalayas or the Andes (or even just the Rocky Mountains), wouldn't they end up like the Donner party if they try to walk to civilization?

 

That's the sort of question that would keep me up at night if I was staying there.

[ChelseaNH]

Inhumans:  Phenomenal cosmic powers!  Itty bitty (primitive) living space...

[KirkB]

If Gordon's the only way in or out, what would they do if something happens to Gordon and he doesn't come back? If they are in the Himalayas or the Andes (or even just the Rocky Mountains), wouldn't they end up like the Donner party if they try to walk to civilization?

 

 

I was just wondering about that myself. Like the fight with Cal. If, by chance, Cal had gotten lucky and managed to kill Gordon, the others would be kind of screwed if he is the only way to get them food and other supplies. Or if he's off on a mission and the person he's trying to recruit violently refuses to come, I guess the community is just out of luck.

 

Did the cabin even have windows? Because if it did, and they were pounding on the door rather than the glass or plasticene or whatever it was, then realShield is even dumber than I thought.

 

I don't think Mike has to be close to a target at all to track them. Between his cybernetic eye and his apparent ability to tap into computers and probably cameras and stuff I imagine his surveillance allows him to be miles away. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

Well, if the Inhumans track the comic book universe Inhumans, there is at least one more teleporter among them: Lockjaw. 

 

I will also fanwank that Afterlife is large enough that it should be able to supply some of its own food needs through growing kale (or whatever else).

 

Finally, I expect that Lincoln is lying/exaggerating when he says that Gordon is the only way in or out. Better to have Skye think that she must remain there and her only way back is through Gordon. If she thinks that she can get back to the outside world, or the outside world can find her, that will likely change her attitude.

 

We've only known Lincoln for one episode and he's told at least three lies/half-truths: Skye was the only one who transformed old-school that they knew of; nobody was using the cabin that was clearly being used by Raina; and in response to a question that was essentially "Are Raina and my Dad here?" "They can't hurt you now."  

 

Maybe I'm giving him too much credit, but his repeated "Wait, you mean Gordon didn't tell you?" might also be him playing dumb. As his relatively minimal explanation of what Skye or the Inhumans' situation is.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Finally, I expect that Lincoln is lying/exaggerating when he says that Gordon is the only way in or out. Better to have Skye think that she must remain there and her only way back is through Gordon. If she thinks that she can get back to the outside world, or the outside world can find her, that will likely change her attitude.

 

Heck, I'm just surprised that Skye or anyone else for that matter that gets teleported to the Afterlife doesn't come down with a bad case of altitude sickness.

[HeatherinThailand]

When Sierra from Dollhouse (I can never remember the actress's name) first showed up as Skye's dead mom back in S1, I was like "Aw, what a waste. Maybe she's still alive?" but then I was disavowed of that theory when they basically showed her being dissected by Whitehall, so I will be interested to hear what her power is that allowed her to survive that. She might not be the strongest in the Whedon stable of actors, but she's the only ambiguously ethnic one, so she's a good fit for the role. I think the show is finally starting to get pretty good and snagging some decent guest stars, so I'll stick with it for another season.