S03.E08: Many Heads, One Tale

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The S.H.I.E.L.D. team discovers dangerous truths about the ATCU, and Ward’s plans to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. take a surprising twist.

 

Promo:

[Cranberry]

Sneak Peek:

 

[TVSpectator]

Here is another one:

 

[AimingforYoko]

Aw show, you got me. You totally made me feel bad for Rosalind. Coulson was totally right, but he still comes off as kind of an ass.

It was nice to see FitzSimmons clear the air. God, that fight was painfully honest.

Heh, Gideon wasn't kidding when he told Ward that he wasn't "Top of the food chain". Nice to see all the stories tied together.

[mac123x]

"Oh, wait, we're all actually in the same plotline".  Well done, Show.

 

I love that Coulson keeps Mack's axe on his wall as a souvenir.

[MisterGlass]

Good caper!  Hunter as hipster hacker taking dialogue from Daisy was great.  I’m both glad Coulson remained suspicious enough to mount the outing, and that Mack was prepared to call him out otherwise.  I thought at the time the Tahiti comment was odd but didn’t realize the implications.  I’m glad Roz got to keep her gray status and stay a member of the team for a bit.

 

So Malik is the same character from The Avengers.  I wondered last episode if Hydra might have been behind Will’s mission, but what a twist that they want to bring that entity back.  And it’s an inhuman, hmm. 

 

If Andrew rips out Ward’s heart I will applaud.  *nods*

[Fogh]

FOGH, ON 11 NOV 2015 - 04:22 AM, SAID:

Rosalind could still turn out to be "grey". Maybe the guy is her boss and she doesn't know about his affiliation with Hydra. It would be a nice twist imo.

Can I get a round of applause? :P

[Spartan Girl]

So Roz was basically a patsy and not Hydra. Okay then.

You guys remember how in Game of Thrones, the Mountain knocked out Prince Oberyn Martell's teeth, gouged out his eyes, then finally crushed his skull? That's what I want to happen to Ward. Now. Not the season finale, NOW.

Oh Jemma, you can't just say you love Will and then make out with Fitz. Just pick one already.

The Agent Carter promo made me squee.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[blueray]

I missed the first ten minutes because I had to work. So I definianlty missed things like when they told Coulson about what they had found.

 

I don't really like the tie into hydra, I really was hoping for something original and not necessary "evil" organization for Will to be from. And I'm so sick of Ward. I sighed because he was what came on when I finally turned it on. I liked that Couson knew she was lying and was not being fooled. And the stuff with Fitz and Simmon's was good. Overall a good episode.

[Jediknight]

May has to shoot Ward in the head repeatedly.  That's how the season has to end.  It can't end with Ward getting away again.

 

I wasn't expecting it to be HYDRA to be the ones that sent Will through the Monolith.  On the note of HYDRA, really glad that Rosalind isn't HYDRA, that you for that.

 

The team infiltrating the ACTU was awesome.  Loved Mack looking at Daisy after Hunter gave his username, and Daisy just saying "Yeah, I let him pick his own name."

[SnoGirl]

I'm calling it right now, Hunter was totally wearing Fitz's hoodie. Man, that hoodie gets around. Think Hunter nicked it from Fitz or do you think Simmons still had it?

Loved Hunter's total allegence to the Queen, Coulson learning from his Hydra encounter, and May/Lincoln's apology to each other. Although, I really like this parallel to May not talking to Lincoln like she didn't really talk to the "kids" first season.

FitzSimmons killed me with that kiss. It's about damn time.

And of course Hydra is the root of all evil. I actually LOVE the merging of all the storylines.

So. Who's going to be the one to off Ward? Because I'm so over him.

[kennyab]

So, here's what I want to know. How did Mallick know about what happened to Simmons. That's not exactly public knowledge. Maybe he was just tapping her parents' phone line, or maybe there's more.

 

They just keep making Ward more and more evil. Both the scenes with Mallick's men and on the airplane. So happy they haven't given him the Spike treatment.

 

I know some have complained that it's always HYDRA, but I kind of love this. After 60+ years of them using SHIELD as a cover, you just know that there are all sorts of things like the Monolith all over the world. Little pockets that were fairly dissociated from the head at the time Alexander Pierce tried to set his plan in motion. That was one of countless such projects, and it seems appropriate for the show to continue developing the theme of Coulson and Co taking care of the problems their organization helped create.

[benteen]

"Red Sox fan?"

"Redcoats fan, actually."

 

Alright, that line was pretty brilliant.

 

So Gideon Mallick is the same character Powers Boothe played in The Avengers and his henchman is Wo Fat...pretty damn cool.

 

Very good episode.  They did a great job with both of the action scenes and managed not to make them generic like they did last week.  Loved Ward's reaction to Malick's story.  Glad to see that Rosalind isn't a villain and her interaction with Coulson continues to remain strong.

Edited November 18, 2015 by benteen

[Humbugged]

"Red Sox fan?"

"Redcoats fan, actually."

 

Alright, that line was pretty brilliant.

 

So Gideon Mallick is the same character Powers Boothe played in The Avengers and his henchman is Wo Fat...pretty damn cool.

 

Very good episode.  They did a great job with both of the action scenes and managed not to make them generic like they did last week.  Loved Ward's reaction to Malick's story.  Glad to see that Rosalind isn't a villain and her interaction with Coulson continues to remain strong.

I love Hunter .Are all his cover persona's assholes ?  He did everything he could to piss that ACTU guy off by just being a tool .Had to laugh at Daisy and her 'you do know where forward slash is'

Him and Bobbi bickering while just escaping death looks like the pattern for the pilot/backdoor pilot/whatever

 

And Mack's helpline voice

[benteen]

Just wanted to add that Bobbi rocked that business suit.

[DeepPoet117]

Damn the Yanks

"Red coats, actually"

Godsavethequeen

"I'll have tea."

 

Hunter, you amazing person. I want to see him and Fitzsimmons hang out. I already love the Hunter/Fitz bromance, but lets add Jemma's Englishness to it.

[Grammaeryn]

So, here's what I want to know. How did Mallick know about what happened to Simmons. That's not exactly public knowledge. Maybe he was just tapping her parents' phone line, or maybe there's more.

I know! Exactly what I was asking myself. Maybe mini monolith reacted oddly and that was a signal that someone came back? Or they had surveillance in the castle?

[Sakura12]

Wow, they remembered that Daisy's a hacker, I thought they forgot about all about that once she got her powers. 

 

I did like how they tied all the stories into one. I'm guessing Will is going to be the big bad Hydra Inhuman. I still wish Jemma had a bigger role to play other than love interest. 

 

Ward can die now. 

 

So Rosalind isn't Hydra she was just duped like Shield was into thinking she's working for the good guys. Now that means she's probably going to get killed. 

[TVSpectator]

This episode was amazing and I was so hoping that they would introduce something like another world (like Limbo/The Otherplace or even The Realm of Death from the comics and have that tie into the upcoming Dr. Strange movie, but it looks like we are going to end up on Ego after all). Also, I do hope that they have Death (which would be, IMO, a major tie-in for Thanos) in the mid-season break.

It looks like that Will might be the fabled Inhuman or maybe he was just another unknowing blood sacrifice for the over the top, super secret part of Hydra? And won't is be fun if Hydra had branches/offshoots that ended up forming Leviathan and Zodiac? Although, I think that the real question is how Hydra knew someone came back because I think it would be a bit ridiculous if Will told them.

Also, I am happy that Rosalind wasn't a full member of Hydra (although who really knows) and that she told us about Mallick.

Edited November 18, 2015 by TVSpectator

[mac123x]

I was thinking that the thing Will was hiding from is the fabled Inhuman, and that Will is just another sacrifice / explorer sent to retrieve it.  Any comic aficionados have any ideas about who the Legendary Inhuman is?  Apparently one of his/her abilities is an extremely long life if he/she has been on the Blue Filter Planet for millennia..

[benteen]

This comment in Eric Goldman's IGN review of the episode made me laugh..

 

 

I have to mention how funny it was when Coulson had all of those SHIELD agents gathered in front of him, including a bunch of non-speaking extras. You know those unnamed other characters feel like they go to Bayside. "Oh, who's Coulson going to pick for this mission? Let me guess.... Oh, Zack, Slater and Kelly! What a shock!"

[TVSpectator]

I was thinking that the thing Will was hiding from is the fabled Inhuman, and that Will is just another sacrifice / explorer sent to retrieve it.  Any comic aficionados have any ideas about who the Legendary Inhuman is?  Apparently one of his/her abilities is an extremely long life if he/she has been on the Blue Filter Planet for millennia..

 

If it's not Will then I was thinking about these characters.....

 

Death (I do think Death is there, but she won't be an Inhuman but a cosmic entity and yes, Death in the Marvel Comics takes a form of a human woman)?

 

Mephisto?

[thuganomics85]

Oh, boy.  Wo Fat is here and he's a metahuman.  That's not good for anyone, except Gideon and Hydra.  At least they wisely had him just fight Bobbie, since Mark Dacascos isn't the strongest of actors, but the man knows how to do a fight scene.

 

Even though I predicted it last week, I'm glad that it did end up that, barring a major long con, Rosalind wasn't in league with Hydra, but just thought Gideon was a simply business man, who advises the President.  So, she isn't flat-out evil after-all!  Coulson still might of torpedo a good (ish) thing though.  It's hard to walk some of that stuff back, especially bringing up her dead husband.  Interesting that Banks seems loyal to her as well.  Curious to see where this uneasy alliance goes from here.

 

The heist was fun.  Hunter was a riot as the "hacker", and Bobbi looked awesome in her agent suit.  Mack and Daisy running point was great, especially Mack's reactions to all of Hunter's antics.  I really love Mack.

 

Still bored with Lincoln, but I did enjoy Luke Mitchell's "Oh, shit!" reaction, when Melinda said that he was going to go with her on the mission.  Old Linc really thought Melinda was going to eject him out of the plane or something.

 

Ward and Gideon are now aligned and have poor Andrew trapped.  If you bastards do him in, I hope Melinda gives y'all the beatdowns you deserve!

 

Fitz and Simmons finally address some of their feeling and finally kiss, although it's only temporary, since Fitz thinks the universe is against them happening (I can kind of see where he is coming.)  I did crack up over how the kiss happen to expose Will's connection to Hydra, by having that book fall over after they slammed against the table.  Unprofessional, my ass!  Making out at work can get results!

 

Coulson keeping the axe that cut off his hand continues to give me hope that this season will end with things getting dire, only for Mack to grab the axe, attach it to a shotgun, and go to town on some Hydra fools.

[tankgirl73]

 

I'm guessing Will is going to be the big bad Hydra Inhuman.

 

I don't know the Marvel storylines being referenced here, so I can only conjecture based off what the show shows me. Of course I also first thought of the whatever-it-is-scary-thing as the big bad inhuman, but Will is an intriguing possibility. I'll have to watch again but they said the inhuman was incredibly powerful and destined to one day rule the earth. They didn't say what its powers are. So it doesn't have to be a 'monster'. And it would make sense that it would befriend Simmons rather than eat her, since she's the first chance that's come through the portal who actually looks like she'd have a chance of figuring out how to get back, so it's his first real chance to get back too.

 

That being said, Fitz found Will in the real world. So... the big bad is a shapeshifter. We've already seen that. So I suspect that Will and a crew were sent through, and all got eaten. Then after Simmons showed up, the big bad took the form of Will (ergo why he hadn't changed appearance at all in 14 years) in order to gain Simmons' trust. This will create a potent ending to the love triangle storyline. They figure out how to get Will back, and only after he's back is it revealed that he's not Will at all (and never was), so Gemma is 'free' to love Fitz again... after she recovers from the PTSD of having fallen for a monster duplicate and unwittingly released him from his banishment, of course.

 

Speaking of Gemma and Fitz... yowza!!  "You dove through a hole in the universe for me!!" *mic drop* *smooch*

 

I also like that Fitz said that they were 'together' (as friends and partners) for years and "it never even occurred to us". This IMO is more realistic and acceptable than the idea that he was carrying a torch for all these years. Romantic feelings grew gradually over time. It happens.

 

And I think I melted when Fitz was all yelly and emotional and his Scottish accent got thicker and stronger. Fitz! I'm trapped on a distant planet! Dive through a hole in the universe for me, Fitz! Smooch me, Fitz! And talk Scottish to me, Fitz, you perfect man you!  *sigh*

 

Ahem. Where was I?

 

Oh yeah. Very solid episode. I agree that it was awesome how all the plot threads got tied together in one big beautiful gift of a bow, and the episode title suddenly leaps into clarity. I'm liking Ros and Phil, I hope they work out and that she doesn't get fridged...

[Lantern7]

I'm okay with Ward's machinations. Sure, he should get absolutely destroyed by season's end, but I'm patient. They could even bring in Peggy Carter to work him over with her walker.

 

I like Coulson and Rosalind as a couple. Such a shame that Phil has a spy organization to run, and he has to look out for the bigger picture. He'd better apologize, even if he was justified.

[Senna]

I liked how this episode tied together the various plotlines we've been following. 

 

At first I was annoyed at Simmons being upset, but it made sense for her to be mad at herself (and struggling under all the different emotions), and I'm glad all of that is in the open.  Fitz's "We're cursed!" was particularly cathartic.  Not to mention the "dove through the universe" line.

 

I'm glad Ros isn't Hydra.  But Coulson, even if I understood your reasons, you were a jerk.

 

Hunter's over-the-top British hacker act was definitely the highlight of the episode.

[Jack Kerouac]

Oh Jemma, you can't just say you love Will and then make out with Fitz. Just pick one already.

The Agent Carter promo made me squee.

 

I know. Talk about your mixed messages! I love him. Let's make out! And it's not as if she wasn't into the kiss - she went back for seconds and even thirds.

 

At first I was annoyed at Simmons being upset, but it made sense for her to be mad at herself (and struggling under all the different emotions), and I'm glad all of that is in the open.  Fitz's "We're cursed!" was particularly cathartic.  Not to mention the "dove through the universe" line.

I think she was angry at herself for putting Fitz into the position, but also angry at Fitz because he was making it so hard for her (ahem). If he had of been an ass about getting Will back, it would be easier for her to make a decision. Also, she loves Fitz - she wants him to show some emotion to prove he still loves her.

[dwmarch]

Just wanted to add that Bobbi rocked that business suit.

 

And how about Rosalind in that beautiful black leather dress? Nice misdirection there too. Black leather usually means evil (on ambiguous characters; the rest of the team tends to dress like they live in the Gap's "everybody in leather" campaign) so it was nice to find out that Roz actually didn't know what was what and her dress was nothing more than an indication of her sophisticated style. I couldn't be happier.

 

Judging by Simmons' reaction to Fitz's gentlemanly behavior she must have read my post about Fitz having all kinds of reasons to be upset with her.

 

I'm glad the ATCU was smart enough not to warehouse Lash with the other inhumans. The location they thought he was being kept in was broken into immediately, twice!

 

When they were laying out the symbols of the ancient secret society I was sure they were going to work a Wolf, Ram and Hart reference in there. Call it a third of a reference at least.

[sinkwriter]

 

Had to laugh at Daisy and her 'you do know where forward slash is'

 

LOL. Before she even said it, that was my first thought. I was really worried that Hunter would tip them off right away by not knowing forward slash versus backward slash. I was waiting for the ATCU guy to be all, "I thought you were an expert hacker..." I loved that Hunter played into it instead by saying, "I'm typing this slow so that your crap equipment can catch up to me." HAHAHA  

 

Hunter cracks me up.

Edited November 18, 2015 by sinkwriter

[VCRTracking]

Just wanted to add that Bobbi rocked that business suit.

 

Her hair looked like the female Terminator's in T3:Rise of the Machine(that's a compliement).

 

Damn show we get it! Ward is evil! The plane scene was not necessary.

 

Lincoln's not my favorite but I liked him being scared of May.

 

Love Hunter's hacker disguise and Bobbi's new magnetic batons.

 

I liked we got confirmation Powers Boothe is playing the same character from The Avengers and also knowing Hydra was older than WWII and the Red Skull.

 

Fitz may be a touch overdramatic with the whole "cosmos" is out to keep him and Simmons apart but I get the frustration.

 

I admit I agreed with some criticisms early on that there were too many storylines this season but now they seem to be coming together now which is pretty cool.

Edited November 18, 2015 by VCRTracking

[blackwing]

As soon as I saw Mark Dacaca's name in the credits, I knew he'd turn out to be some uber warrior. He's a bad actor and is typecast. Hope he goes away soon.

I liked this episode. Daisy and Lincoln didn't use their powers, I guess all the budget went into Dacaca's telekinesis.

Bobbi is awesome.

[Ariah]

Ok, I may be alone here, but I like evil Ward. Don't get me wrong, I need him to have his comeuppance. I need him to lose, to get hurt and scarred. I want the good guys to beat him.

...but I like evil Ward doing evil things, no remorse, no second thoughts. I always liked villains like that. I hope I will not be asked to feel sympathetic towards him, because I refuse to do that.

I love to hate this Ward.

 

Fitz, you and Simmons are cursed by Wheddon. Trust me, you don't want to be a happy couple. Nothing ever came good out of that equation in Wheddon-verse.

(Or be the exception to the rule, because I adore you both, you little conflicted sweet science children)

 

Bobbie and her magnetic batons - pretty neat. Wouldn't work against Magneto, though. Good he's out of this universe...

[ottoDbusdriver]

Ok, I may be alone here, but I like evil Ward. Don't get me wrong, I need him to have his comeuppance. I need him to lose, to get hurt and scarred. I want the good guys to beat him.

...but I like evil Ward doing evil things, no remorse, no second thoughts. I always liked villains like that. I hope I will not be asked to feel sympathetic towards him, because I refuse to do that.

I love to hate this Ward.

 

Fitz, you and Simmons are cursed by Wheddon. Trust me, you don't want to be a happy couple. Nothing ever came good out of that equation in Wheddon-verse.

(Or be the exception to the rule, because I adore you both, you little conflicted sweet science children)

 

Bobbie and her magnetic batons - pretty neat. Wouldn't work against Magneto, though. Good he's out of this universe...

 

I enjoyed evil Ward.  Brett Dalton fits into that role so well.

 

Bobbi looked awesome in her business suit, but I was not a big fan of the new magnetic batons.  I thought they were kind of stupid.  Besides we all know that super slo-mo scenes are reserved for Skye.

[kitlee625]

Overall I liked some parts of the show, but I was frustrated with other parts. Not really caring about the FitzSimmons kiss, but I did laugh at how it seemed to really highlight the weirdness of the plot. "We never thought we were going to fall in love ... oh wait, we did! Then every time we might take a step forward, something super crazy happens. Trapped in the bottom of the ocean! Sucked into a rock! Space boyfriend!"

 

I did like that Hydra is connected to the Portal and the Monster on planet blue filter. The show has really committed to Hydra, and this was a nice way to tie them all in. Plus now that I know they've been sending tributes to that thing for hundreds of years, they've gotten some evil-cool points in my book. Ward though continues to bore me. Can't we get another Hydra dude to follow around? Like, anyone.

 

As for the rest of it, I still feel like Lincoln is a drag, and his "flirting" with Daisy was just painfully awful, and not in the good way. And the Rosalind and Coulson thing rubbed me the wrong way. I like that he was still guarded with her, but I didn't like just how ... off balance it was. what I liked about their dynamic was that she was someone who kept him on his toes, someone he could go head to head with, but nope, one night with Coulson and she's a trusting patsy, and he's still super spy. I dont think it would bother me so much except that it feels like every other woman (with the possible exception of Daisy) on the show fits into the "badasss but turns into a marshmallow when love interest X is around."

 

 

Besides we all know that super slo-mo scenes are reserved for Skye.

 

Someone, or maybe more than one someones, really loves slo mo on this show.

[Jack Kerouac]

Gideon says, "Every generation [Hydra has sent] someone through the portal, hoping to save, or at least serve, [the entity]."

 

So does this mean Will wasn't sent as a sacrifice, but to save (or at least serve) the inhuman on the other side? Was will complicit?

[kitlee625]

Gideon says, "Every generation [Hydra has sent] someone through the portal, hoping to save, or at least serve, [the entity]."

 

So does this mean Will wasn't sent as a sacrifice, but to save (or at least serve) the inhuman on the other side? Was will complicit?

That is one of the most interesting parts of the episode to me. It also fits what we saw in those weird flashbacks to those medieval guys going through the portal with the wine and the gifts. It definitely raises some interesting questions - how much did he know, and what happened to the others. Perhaps when he got there they realized that the Inhuman wanted/needed to suck the life out of them to stay alive. After all, how has it managed to live for so long? Plus there was an interesting (perhaps foreshadowing) line about how the planet was once a paradise but something sucked the life out of it. Then is Will still loyal to it when he's with Simmons, or did he put aside his mission and now he's genuinely trying to evade it?

[OakGoblinFly]

Ok, I may be alone here, but I like evil Ward. Don't get me wrong, I need him to have his comeuppance. I need him to lose, to get hurt and scarred. I want the good guys to beat him. ...but I like evil Ward doing evil things, no remorse, no second thoughts. I always liked villains like that. I hope I will not be asked to feel sympathetic towards him, because I refuse to do that.

 

I love to hate this Ward.

 

Fitz, you and Simmons are cursed by Wheddon. Trust me, you don't want to be a happy couple. Nothing ever came good out of that equation in Wheddon-verse.

 

(Or be the exception to the rule, because I adore you both, you little conflicted sweet science children)

 

Bobbie and her magnetic batons - pretty neat. Wouldn't work against Magneto, though. Good he's out of this universe...

 

I agree.  Brett Dalton has been the highlight of the season for me.  Dalton has always played his role well (personally I think he’s one of the strongest actors on this show); I just prefer this unapologetic, evil-doing version of him than the bland S.H.I.E.L.D agent of season one.

 

I adore everything FitzSimmons and like Hunter's disguise.

 

I was glad to take a break from Daisy and her super-special powers and have her relegated to hacker; I prefer her as her hacker than Quake.

 

Lincoln still bores me and I was glad he had minimal screen time.

After seeing the Agent Carter promos (squee) I wish that Marvel Studio was responsible for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and not ABC Studios; I think ABC Studios is letting this show down.  Marvel is responsible for Agent Carter, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

[miracole]

I loved all of Mack's reations to Hunter's shinanigans. And I think I'm kinda in love with the mole on the side of his nose.

I really like Hunter just not romantically with Bobbi.

I'll like FitzSimmons in whatever form the show decides to have them in.

Yes Lincoln, be afraid be very afraid.

[Raja]

"Red Sox fan?"

"Redcoats fan, actually."

 

Alright, that line was pretty brilliant.

 

So Gideon Mallick is the same character Powers Boothe played in The Avengers and his henchman is Wo Fat...pretty damn cool.

 

Very good episode.  They did a great job with both of the action scenes and managed not to make them generic like they did last week.  Loved Ward's reaction to Malick's story.  Glad to see that Rosalind isn't a villain and her interaction with Coulson continues to remain strong.

I think they were throwing shade at Scorpion and CSI Cyber with Hunter.

 

As for Wo Fat 

I do wonder if the spoilers about him becoming SHIELD's Head of Security was a misdirection or is he something like a Fury/Hill undercover with Malick like Bobbi was at the Hydra base when we first met her.

 

Ward's trip to Germany reminded me of that first scene from 24, that got delayed because that first episode was in late 2001.

[greekmom]

If Andrew rips out Ward’s heart I will applaud.  *nods*

I rather have Ward being slow tortured by May and Bobbi then killed with Mack's ax/gun combo.  I was hoping at one point they Tahiti him (the actor is fine looking and a strong actor) but he's really gone beyond redemption.

So mini monolith is what will be used to bring Will back? 

Otherwise episode was a filler for me. 

[DeLurker]

Wo Fat!  The Chairman!

 

I love him - Mark Dacascos may be a bit limited in his thespian range, but he gives good fight and good cheese.  Bobbi was not the only one rockin' the suit.  I'm guessing he's not a one and done character since that would be a shame.

 

I quite love Rosalind's wardrobe too - I loved her black dress underneath that cropped black and white jacket.

 

I felt Lincoln's rattled nerve when May said "Him" for who was going with her on the extraction and then on the plane.

 

I like Evil Ward and I love how he is earning his eventual beatdown from everyone.

 

And once again, everything is better with Mack.  Even in scenes where he is not present, the wall mounted axe delighted me.

 

And Agent Carter - add me to the Squee! list.

[APSimpson]

Wow, what an episode! The scene where Ward comes falling through the ceiling was all over the internet and I thought it'd be a bigger scene but was just a brief little entrance. I was hoping we'd see how exactly he did that. (Maybe I missed something?) Anyway, the man knows how to stick a landing!

 

Malick is just what Ward needs - a new master to follow. The next episode suggests that Coulson will be going after Ward, and I wonder if that will tap into Ward's puppy-dog persona. Coulson used to be his master too (in a way) and I wonder if Ward will revert to feeling like the victim. Yeah, I'm over analyzing here but I see more to Ward than just being a bad guy. There's something gentlemanly about him even as a villain, and I find him utterly irresistible.

 

Bravo to Fitz for moving in to kiss Jemma. She looked like she wanted more of that, too :) "Cursed" or not, I hope they find a way to make it work.

 

I love Rosalind and Coulson's banter back and forth. She had some good lines. Fantasy football team and the cowboy lines made me mini squee on the inside. LOL And when Coulson was hammering away at her trying to flush out if there was any deception there (he had to do this) she looked genuinely hurt. What a powerful scene, actually. I like that Coulson regrouped and gave her the benefit of the doubt. Coulson is sharp, it's his specialty to figure this stuff out (the reveal with Garrett comes to mind). I am hoping the two of them can continue their relationship because they have great chemistry. But I also like the idea of Coulson and May together, so I'm conflicted there.

 

And what a nice surprise to see the chairman from American Iron Chef. I almost expected him to pause and yell "allez cuisine!" :)

[illini1959]

And Agent Carter - add me to the Squee! list.

 

 

And me!!!!!

 

I was really happy Coulson was on to Rosalind, or at least not easily (possibly) duped. That being said, I'm really, really happy she's not Hydra! I like them together.

 

I'm learning a lot on this thread, as I'm not into all the details of the Avengers and love hearing how all of these characters fit together. Thanks for that!

 

(edited to add I LOVE FitzSimmons!!)

Edited November 18, 2015 by illini1959

[Wootini]

Like the rest of you, I was also delighted at the end of the episode when the show pulled together all the many threads of the season's storylines and tied them up in a neat little bow. Well done, show. Just as I was starting to complain about there being too much going on and storylines not advancing because they can't spend much time on each one, they do this. Nice.

 

I'm also pleased that Rosalind was also kind of in the dark about the whole thing so we can keep her around. Because she looks better in grey than black. ;)

 

I enjoy the comic book speculation in this thread about Thanos and Death and Ego, but with the history of this show, I really feel like it's not going to go full comic book on us like that. It's always skirted the edges rather than dive in, even when introducing powered Inhumans. I mean, the comic book fan in me would be utterly delighted and squeal with glee if it was Ego or something like that, but I'm keeping my expectations low. :-/

[Tarasme]

 

I know some have complained that it's always HYDRA, but I kind of love this. After 60+ years of them using SHIELD as a cover, you just know that there are all sorts of things like the Monolith all over the world. Little pockets that were fairly dissociated from the head at the time Alexander Pierce tried to set his plan in motion. That was one of countless such projects, and it seems appropriate for the show to continue developing the theme of Coulson and Co taking care of the problems their organization helped create.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. From start to finish, it was entertaining. But the disconnect between Whitehall's war on Jianying, his weaponization of the terrigen, no apparent interest in any other Inhuman, etc. makes this plot curve- to me- look like a huge retcon. :( It's a nice twist that Hydra, still embedded within national intelligence agencies, is doing its damnedest to make as many Inhumans as possible all the while wearing a "We're hunting Inhumans" costume.

 

LOVED Hunter and Bobbi go UC. In fact, when Bobbi first showed up at ATCU, I thought "who's that with her? Where's Hun.... OHHHHHH! COOL!" The slow typing, constant haranguing, racing to bring Bobbi her case, etc. from Hunter was great. Bobbi was awesome as always too- with the "open says me" through the ATCU corridors.

 

So glad Coulson was a competent spy agency leader. For me, it was a little plot-demando for Roz to think his behavior was out of line. She's a competent spy agency leader too. Awesome that they'll be able to work together, but I'm still holding my breath a bit that Roz has another shoe to drop with regard to where her loyalties are.

 

Poor Melinda. Poor Andrew. Thank you show for giving Melinda the heart of a hero, in addition to her badassery. I loved the scene in the quinjet between her and Lincoln. She's felt responsible for the fates of so many people for so long. I hope she gets relief and comfort soon.

 

More FitzSimmons exploring their starcrossed doomedness please.

 

Ward. Not sure what to say. Villainy is good, but he's getting awful close to being Martin-anti-Sue. Escape the inescapable- check. Decimate a roomful of henchmen- check. Find the secret lair- check. Impress the un-impressible leader of the bad guys- check check. 

 

I'm gonna be sad next Tuesday. Season 3 re-watch over Thanksgiving is a go!

[kennyab]

So glad Coulson was a competent spy agency leader. For me, it was a little plot-demando for Roz to think his behavior was out of line. She's a competent spy agency leader too. Awesome that they'll be able to work together, but I'm still holding my breath a bit that Roz has another shoe to drop with regard to where her loyalties are.

 

I think this is actually a whole new level to which Rosalind isn't accustomed. Sure, she had the element of surprise on her side at the beginning of the season, but that seems mainly due to Malick and the intel he gave her on Coulson and SHIELD. That's not to knock her abilities, but she's never knowingly dealt with a threat like Hydra up-close-and-personal, and I don't think she's suffered the personal losses due to the intelligence biz the way Coulson has. Sadly, she may even be a bit of a go-to for people like Malick because she's not so far into the spy world that her ability to trust is just about non-existent. She strikes me a bit more as a consulting manager brought into special ops projects than a lifer in the deep spy biz.

 

ETA: I really liked that once she started to put two-and-two together that she seemed to have a bit more understanding of what Coulson and SHIELD really have to deal with. It's a bit like Skye when she was first brought onto the team. And I like that Coulson's not so far gone that he was able to take the leap and trust her to get Bobbi and Hunter to safety.

Edited November 18, 2015 by kennyab

[Primetimer]

The plan goes screwy almost immediately, but the important part is that there was, at one point, a plan.

Read the story

[Sakura12]

I understand where Coulson was coming from but he was still an ass about it. Bringing up her husband was a low blow. I do like that now she'll understand just how deep Hydra has it's claws and why Shield didn't know about it either. 

 

The reason FitzSimmons isn't working for me because it's reducing Jemma into just being in a love triangle. Even if Will isn't who he says he is, that makes it his story while she's the one that got duped. Then it's Fitz is the nice guy, helping her out and then wins a kiss with the girl. I wanted to there to be more for her to do without the guys. She hasn't even done any science stuff since she got back, Fitz is doing everything. Then she discovers a clue after being kissed by him. 

[Jack Kerouac]

After a re-watch, an interesting observation. There are six rectangles cut out of the monolith. That means five more rectangles like the one in the bunker. The minilith (or Kid Rock or Chip if you prefer) is small enough to fit in the receptacle we saw, but do they join together if brought into proximity? If so, are six Kid Rocks enough to fit a person through?

 

The reason FitzSimmons isn't working for me because it's reducing Jemma into just being in a love triangle. Even if Will isn't who he says he is, that makes it his story while she's the one that got duped. Then it's Fitz is the nice guy, helping her out and then wins a kiss with the girl. I wanted to there to be more for her to do without the guys. She hasn't even done any science stuff since she got back, Fitz is doing everything. Then she discovers a clue after being kissed by him.

 

 

Tend to agree. I have a very bad feeling that one or both of them are going to die, without any real resolution to their story lines.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Jack Kerouac

[Fogh]

I know (or I've read) that Whedon often don't let romances be happy for long or end in tragedy but were those shows co-written with his wife? They also based FitzSimmons on their own relationship. I think if there ever were a couple in a Whedon show that had the opportunity to last from start to finish it would be FitzSimmons. Of course it depends on how long the show is on air. Maybe a FitzSimmons spin-off?