S03.E05: 4,722 Hours

[Chaos Theory]

If she did meet a girl, you can bet that there would be people shipping them. Then they'd get mad if they didn't hook up saying that if it was a guy Simmons would've hooked up with him (like she did).

Okay, fine, whatever, let's just accept that even though I don't think it's true.

 

 

 

 

I'm one of the people who would have.  For the record.  

 

I have zero problem with Simmons and Will hooking up because despite what everyone is saying sex does not equal love and I think it is an interesting story that Simmons feels and attachment to Will and when they do bring him back they might or might not try a relationship.  Hell Will will probably be gone after a few episodes because the end game is Simmons and Fitz.  It just is;  but putting them together RIGHT NOW is just not right because they are on different pages so unless you want a boring "Oh we are a couple now every shut up and let us get back to our lives and watch as nothing happens in our pairing for the next three seasons or you can have them actually watch them getting on the same page or even deciding if a relationship is what they even want.  That is a far better story.  deliriously  happy may work on fan fiction but it is boring on tv.  

Edited October 31, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[romantic idiot]

Just to clarify, you would have 'shipped straight Gemma and stranded female astronaut and complained if they didn't have relations? Would you mind explaining why? I'm assuming it isn't because 6 months without sex is enough to change someone's sexual orientation - because I don't think it is?

 

but putting them together RIGHT NOW is just not right because they are on different pages so unless you want a boring "Oh we are a couple now every shut up and let us get back to our lives and watch as nothing happens in our pairing for the next three seasons or you can have them actually watch them getting on the same page or even deciding if a relationship is what they even want.  That is a far better story.  deliriously  happy may work on fan fiction but it is boring on tv.  

 

I beg to disagree. For me some of the best pairings right now on TV (or ones just past) are: Ben/Leslie, Mindy/Danny, Oliver/Felicity and even Jake/Amy. Because their writers have the balls to get and keep them together. And honestly, they haven't been boring yet. I hate 'will they / won't they angst'. I loved Monica/Chandler and hated Ross/Rachel, because of the latter's nonsensical drama. I would much rather FitzSimmons get together and then move on to other stories rather than be stuck with the one romantic one. Or that Fitz gets over Simmons once and for all and finds someone else. 

 

I also mourn the loss of possibilities about what could have happened to Simmons. As mentioned previously, with the entire Marvel Universe in front of us, we end up Harlequin Romance boyfriend - and I say this as someone who primarily reads romantic fiction and fantasy!

Edited October 31, 2015 by romantic idiot

[jhlipton]

That tentacle thing Simmons hacked up for dinner was... definitely sentient, no? Did it not count as fauna? Bobbi mentions that Simmons reported "flora, no fauna." Maybe this is just nitpicking, but I find it weird. Maybe it was like a Venemous Tentacula, but edible

 

There are plants that react to their environment (Venus Flytrap, for example), so that one didn't bother me too much.

 

Also the fire forged friends thing is just as much a trope as space boyfriend. I actually think Star Trek has had more episodes about the first rather than the second actually. The Quark/ Odo stranded one is actually a personal favorite of mine its hysterically funny. .

 

 

"Darmok" is one of my favorite Next Gen episodes (even though all the characters have be severely beaten with the stupid stick for it to work).  Enemy Mine is another great forged-in-fire story (book and movie.)

 

This is what I'm hoping for, and why I'm reserving judgement on the astronaut boyfriend. I would love it if Fitz and Simmons rescue Will. Then Will and Simmons realize that they don't work as a couple within three episodes.

I hope only one episode.

[Bryce Smith]

Agreed that Elizabeth Henstridge did a phenomenal job in this episode.  I really felt all of Simmons's emotions throughout the episode because of her.  And I wasn't bothered by her turning to Will since she did only do so after every option failed.

 

I'm just glad that in spite of his obvious upset over it, Fitz still understood.

I'm done with this idiotic show. I'm out.

We'll survive.

[Sakura12]

That's how I saw it too, Jemma only went to him when she had nothing left but him. 

 

And Fitz was ready to give up on Jemma and accept she was gone, until he found sand. If Jemma had found some kind of new hope she would've continued as well. They both gave up, Fitz just found a new reason to keep going, Jemma didn't. 

[Jack Kerouac]

Showrunners/executive producers Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon did an interview with Collider. The most relevant bits for this episode:

 

Simmons has been so emotionally lost since being back, and this episode definitely shed some light on that. Was it always important for you to have her share exactly what happened to her with Fitz?

WHEDON: We wanted to make sure that there were certain answers that you didn’t get until this episode. That was very important to us. We’ve seen that maybe there was a moment where she was going to open up to Daisy, but Daisy is on mission. She’s a different person now, and she’s out in the field with a lot of responsibilities, so she didn’t really have time in that moment. There was actually a moment where she was going to say it, but it didn’t happen. It really came down to there only really being one person who this would emotionally impact, and that’s Fitz.

TANCHAROEN: Also, it’s another element to the Fitz and Simmons love story and their unrequited love. It’s so unrequited that we swept her off to a different universe, right as they were about to go on their first date. The fact that she shared what happened to her and that she met another man who saved her life and that she wouldn’t have survived without, and the fact that Fitz says, “We have to get him back then,” it’s just prolonging them ever being together. It’s painful and it’s complicated, but of course, she’d share it with him. He’s her best friend and someone she loves with all of her heart.

 

and:

 

After waiting for so long for Fitz and Simmons to share a romantic moment, they finally get that date, and then you’re so cruel with the end result of that.

TANCHAROEN: Right. When she first meets Will, I know there was a huge part of our audience that was like, “No, stay away from him! You belong with Fitz!” But through the course of the episode, he grows on you a little bit because he’s a good man and you can see that he’s helping her and that they’re helping each other. You can understand why she fell for him. Given their circumstance, if they’re going to be there for the rest of their lives, what other choice did she have? And then, she hears Fitz’s voice and sees the flare, and that’s it. He’s been looking for her the whole time. It’s one of those things that makes me go, “Aww,” and hopefully, it made a lot of people go, “Aww.”

Obviously, you’re going to continue to explore this storyline, since we don’t know if this man will make it back home and we still don’t really know exactly what’s going on with this planet.

WHEDON: Yeah, that’s a safe assumption.

 

Disappointing on two levels:

 

1. Apparently, Tancharoen doesn't understand what 'unrequited' means.
    
2. The admission that the reason for this episode and Harlequin Romance Space Boyfriend was simply to keep Simmons and Fitz apart.

 

That's just ... sad. You would think that the showrunners would do better. I'm hoping they come up with something great for Will and the planet, other than the obvious, they go get him and it turns out the 'evil' on the planet has hitched a ride. But based on this interview, I'm guessing that's exactly what happens.

Edited November 1, 2015 by Jack Kerouac

[Sakura12]

The admission that the reason for this episode and Harlequin Romance Space Boyfriend was simply to keep Simmons and Fitz apart.

 

Ship blocking triangle have been done on every single show I've ever watched and admitted by the show runners. This is not new or surprising information. Everyone who has ever watched tv knew exactly what Will's purpose was going to be. 

 

I do agree with them not knowing what unrequited means. If they both have it, it's not unrequited. 

[Betweenthisandthat]

This is not new or surprising information.

 

It's not surprising at all, but it is disappointing for the very reason that it is something almost every show does.  I'm sure this storyline will be well-acted.  Ian and Elizabeth are two of the strongest actors on the show, but I've seen love triangles too many times for it to be surprising or interesting if this is going the well worn and predictable route.

 

I enjoyed what they were in season 1 and I was good with them remaining friends since I thought Jemma showed she wasn't interested in him that way.  It would be great to see Fitz move on and for Jemma and Fitz to find their way back to the friendship they had while letting each have their own separate storylines.  Or put them together.  I don't care, but they're making the will they, won't they be what is defining FitzSimmons, at least from interviews about what is to come.  I can only hope that it's intentionally misleading and something more fresh and interesting will shape what these two do this season.  

[Cranberry]

After all that talk about them not being a package deal anymore and getting storylines of their own in which to grow and shine, it's seriously irritating me that the writers are working toward once again making "FitzSimmons" a package deal.

[Jack Kerouac]

I would like to see some of the blowback of Fitz's quest to find Simmons. Maybe have some of the people he pissed off come back looking for some payback.

[Sakura12]

I wish they had kept them platonic like they were in the beginning. Turning it into unrequited love for Fitz was their first step toward following typical tropes. Once it became a ship, then of course they had to follow every ship on tv with a triangle. 

Edited November 2, 2015 by Sakura12

[Bryce Smith]

I would like to see some of the blowback of Fitz's quest to find Simmons. Maybe have some of the people he pissed off come back looking for some payback.

Oh?  I thought you were out.

[Jack Kerouac]

Oh?  I thought you were out.

 

Nope - just an overreaction. Stay classy, though.

[Raja]

High concept episodes tend to be like that, either love or hate and sometimes we find ourselves on the opposite side of public opinion.

[RachelKM]

Jemma's birthday cake was a TARDIS.  That is all.

[jaigurudeva]

Knowing what actually happened makes Jemma's PTSD symptoms seem out of place last episode. The way she reacted to everything (unable to tolerate noise, sleeping with a knife and waking up ready to kill) made it seem she spent the entire time in entire isolation, without any security or safety, on constant alert for danger. But on the planet, she had human companionship and conversation, security and comfort in the hatch. I mean, she probably would still be traumatized, but not in the way she was before (maybe she'd be afraid that 'It' came back with her, and that anyone could not be as they seem). Also, it seemed to be at least several days after she returned before she told anyone about the other human trapped in the planet, which was odd.

It would have been so much better if she'd been alone all this time, slowly losing it a la "Castaway," recording updates on a dead phone, inventing another human in her mind, but in fact it's the skeleton of the long-dead astronaut (her subconscious symbolically naming him 'Will' to represent her will to survive). Also, the planet needed other alien life, besides the puddle monster and the quasi-ethereal 'It.' Otherwise, what does the puddle monster eat? Should have another, land based animal that Jemma at first desperately fears, but eventually bests as she adapts to being this edgy, feral warrior woman. Then the previous episode would make sense, and we wouldn't be stuck with this inevitable love triangle or the sexist cliche.

In the end, I thought that 'It' was possessing Will's body after Will offed himself with his last bullet, but maybe I'm too morbidly hopeful that something terrible will come from this when they rescue "Will" and end up bringing some kind of hellish alien to planet Earth.

Edited November 7, 2015 by jaigurudeva

[driedfruit]

As predictable as it was (same with nearly everything on the show) I really did enjoy this one. Probably my favorite episode since most of season two. The villain has the potential to be the best one on this show yet, and no way do I think we've seen the last of it. 

[Kel Varnsen]

And a little too convenient that she had said smartphone with the new-and-improved-by-Fitz super battery on her when she was snatched by the monolith.

 

Not sure why they make a point of it being a Fitz designed phone/battery? Seemed like overkill to me as far as trying to make him look like the most awesome guy ever. Slap a Stark Industries logo on the phone or have her namedrop Stark and that would be enough to explain the battery life.

Damn it! The writer's didn't check their story against tvtropes.com to verify that they aren't violating one of the thousands of unacceptable tropes.

 

Fitz falls in love with his best friend. Trope!

 

Best friend doesn't like him back. Trope!

 

Best friend is whisked away as soon as she starts to show interest in him. Trope!

 

Only person on the planet happens to be a good looking guy. Crappy writing!

 

Woman grows an attachment to the only person she has contact with on an alien planet. Cliche!

 

Woman rescued by best friend, who happens to be male. Sexist!

 

Love triangle. Typical!

 

Woman wants to go back and rescue her wun twue wuv. Feminist!

 

Scorned best friend still wants to help her. Priceless!

 

Not that I thought that the boyfriend angle was the best story ever, but pretty much every story has alredy been told by someone, so as far as tropes go, you are pretty much damned anyway you go.

 

Rocket would have gotten him and Groot off that planet within an hour. Honestly, one of my favorite things about Rocket (especially comic!Rocket) is how smart he is and how happy he is to tell any Earth-bound superhero how primitive they actually are. (He treats Tony Stark like a child and it's hilarious.)

I am really looking forward to the eventual Guardians meeting the Avengers, where earth's smartest man meets a raccoon who is way smarter than him and even more cocky.

[John Potts]

I'm in the "loved it!" camp. Elizabeth Henstridge showed she could really act and even as a hard hearted SF fan, I didn't mind the romance angle. I don't want it to turn into a massive angst-fest (yes, they boinked - I'm not sure Gemma & Will have an Epic!Love!Story! so much as sought comfort with each other because they were the only ones around), which means that comments such as Ms Tanchoren's comments about wanting to keep it tragic are a little depressing. TBH, I could easily see Will walking away - he seemed a nice enough guy (I guess that would make him the Grousalag rather than Fred (both from Angel)). On Earth, there are 3 billion other women to choose from!

 

Dagny It was nice that the water she stumbled upon wasn't stagnant and didn't have bugs that ripped her insides to shreds. It also have something that she could eat that wasn't poisonous to her.

 

It was good to see that even one of the nerdiest SHIELD agents does actually understand the priorities of survival. Yes, it was a bit convenient and as soon as she started gulping down the water I went "You should check that's not poisonous first!" but OTOH, she was pretty close to dying from dehydration at that point, so I'll give her a pass there. Also, loved the fact that EVERYTHING they had for sustinance - including the discovered wine bottle! - tasted AWFUL but they ate it anyway, because it's all you've got.

 

Jack Kerouac So about Simmons, PTSD...

 

 

Maybe she DID meet Will, he went nuts and she killed him? Even if it was justifiable, you could see Jemma keeping quiet about that. Perhaps she incorporated the idea of "the monster" from his insanity and constructed their "dialogues" from his logs.

 

Jack Kerouac  Elizabeth Henstridge says she filmed her PTSD scenes before they let her read the script for Episode 3.

 

...or that, I guess!

 

 

Traveller519 Will's Tech looked to be from 1988-1994 vintage (and possibly earlier if you considered that in its HeyDey of exploration, NASA would have been at the forefront of technological advancement
 

 

I dunno - NASA prizes reliability over flashiness. Given the (2 year old!) computer I'm writing this on has crashed twice while reading this thread, you can see why! What I DO find hard to credit is that NASA managed to send out an astronaut who wasn't a scientist or engineer - even if his primary job was as security and/or psychology, he'd still have basic science & engineering because NASA LOVES redundancy (with good reason).

 

3girlsforus But I can't be the only one who watched Jemma and Will start kissing and wondered if in all of those NASA supplies there really was a 14 year supply of toothpaste and Listerine. Eww..
DeLurker  I like Will (although I did wonder why and how he kept his facial hair oh-so-neat-n-tidy when he's been there by himself for 14 years).

 

 

I thought "I bet they both REEK after 200 days in the same clothes"! Clearly not that important, but it'd be nice if somebody at lest pulled a face when rescuing her.

 

tennisgurl  Many MCU characters have a rather tenuous grasp on mortality.

 

"Nobody really dies in comics - except Bucky, Jason Todd & Uncle Ben." And two of THOSE are (I think) alive ATM!

Edited February 8, 2016 by John Potts

[TVSpectator]

What I DO find hard to credit is that NASA managed to send out an astronaut who wasn't a scientist or engineer - even if his primary job was as security and/or psychology, he'd still have basic science & engineering because NASA LOVES redundancy (with good reason).

 

There has been lots of talk about this subject and this past year NASA (well after this episode aired, btw) sent out a massive campaign advertising that they are looking for some new astronauts and the spent a ton on telling the public the qualifications. Now, they do prefer advanced degrees but they also consider a bachelor's math (or in any of the science fields and/or engineering) as a passable qualification. Here is a link to the qualifications....

 

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html

Edited February 8, 2016 by TVSpectator

[Jack Kerouac]

There has been lots of talk about this subject and this past year NASA (well after this episode aired, btw) sent out a massive campaign advertising that they are looking for some new astronauts and the spent a ton on telling the public the qualifications. Now, they do prefer advanced degrees but they also consider a bachelor's math (or in any of the science fields and/or engineering) as a passable qualification. Here is a link to the qualifications....

 

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html

Yeah, good luck with joining NASA as an astronaut with only a Bachelors in Math.

[TVSpectator]

IMO I guess it really doesn't matter since it's really the MCU version of NASA

[Gothish520]

This epsiode is probably my favorite one of the entire series, as well as one of my top episodes of all time from any tv show. It was so damn good. I was completely sucked into this world and this story. LOVED.