Phil Coulson: Fearless Leader

[Lisin]

Coulson is the greatest. I'm a big fan of Clark Gregg as well.

[Actionmage]

I liked Clark Gregg on the New Adventures of Old Christine. I've enjoyed Phil since Iron Man.

 

After the last episode, I just wanted to give Phil a hug. He's had a really bad week. Then to find out that he was involved with T.A.H.I.T.I.? Yeah, he needed a hug.

Hope Phil and Melinda can patch things up between themselves. Something makes me think there will be a discussion. At length. ;)

[kitlee625]

Yeah, one of the things that I really liked about this episode was that even though the punches just kept coming (Koenig's death, Ward's betrayal, getting called out by Special Forces, etc.), Coulson held it together and led the team to rescue Skye. I understand why he's had this slow nervous breakdown all season, but it's nice to see him get out of his own head and get stuff done.

 

As for the mystery of T.A.H.I.T.I., it just keeps getting more interesting, with more questions. This twist, that Coulson was involved with T.A.H.I.T.I., isn't something that I saw coming, and that excites me.

[Actionmage]

I liked that " Juan Valdez" or whatever name he used ( and almost forgot!) was back in charge and seeming like his new "old" self.  The comments about the sweater and telling Melinda that he was glad she returned were nice.  I guess finding out he tried to stop TAHITI from happening and the reality that it had all just got really real was enough to shake Phil out of his spiral into the emotional whirlpool he's been in since Christmas, at least.

 

I hope he doesn't lose The Bus ( I cringe whenever I see the still-destroyed glass partions).  Maybe we can get a scene or two filmed of Phil's buddies learning about him being alive, since the movie is supposed to be shooting? I want that to happen next season. Then crap won't have to be stopped down in the movie.  Win-win for everyone, right? 

[shapeshifter]

I debated about posting this in the show media thread or here, but it's more about Coulson's various incarnations and reincarnation. Well, actually, it's about Clark Gregg: nytimes.com/2014/05/25/movies/clark-gregg-directs-and-stars-in-trust-me.html

[kitlee625]

So what does everything the deal is with Coulson's crazy writing? Is he getting messages in an alien language? Or developing some kind of extrasensory perception? I wonder if the "going crazy" that was described in Coulson's report to Fury was not true psychosis, but rather the human brain being overwhelmed by the addition of a new sense like telepathy. It certainly would be ironic if Garrett pretended to be Clairvoyant because of his high S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance while Coulson truly develops that gift because of GH-325.

[Jeezaloo]

Clark Gregg doing an IAMA interview on Reddit with fans:

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/27eaek/i_am_clark_gregg_you_probably_know_me_as_agent_of/

 

Some fun stuff in there:

 

"Q: What is a secret that nobody knows about you yet"

"A: (Clark_Gregg) Okay, I'm going to open the vault on my deep dark ones.

• I can talk deep canon on Saved by the Bell.
• I dance athletically with my daughter (when she's not cringing) to Arianna Grande.
• When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Soul Train, I had red white & blue platform shoes and worked hours upon hours perfecting my robot and my dream was to one day move through the middle of the Soul Train dance line."

 

"Q: What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done to you?"

"Clark_Gregg: Asked me to sign her boobs. And if you'd seen those boobs, all of the Avengers could have signed them and there still would have been room for the logo from Stark Tower..."

 

I think it's up to almost 1,700 Q&A's and comments, so there's a lot of good stuff to read.

 

 

[kitlee625]

So I was glad to see a tougher version of Coulson, making hard calls this season. I hope that we get more of this. Being director is about making hard calls, and I wanted that kind of moral ambiguity in season 1.

[Actionmage]

I want to know what Phil is resisting/fighting off. May knows some, if not all, of the extent of what the blue goo/GH325 has done to Phil. There has to be more than just carving up concrete walls and bending paperclips.  Apparently, the end of this episode was Day 18 from the last "carving".  Are these "incidents" coming faster? If May takes pictures of the drawings/schematics/what-have-you, why isn't Skye closer to cracking the code/whatever this is? 

 

It hasn't been made clear if what Phil is drawing is the same as Garret, or if Phil is drawing the same thing each time, which would actually explain why there is a stall in Skye's work on that.

 

I like that Phil has a respect for Talbot. A respect that befits a powerful animal that has no concept beyond itself, but respect.

 

I am glad that Phil still has optimism and hope; Hunter better realize that he's lucky Coulson still has those qualities.

 

I like Coulson getting to Chess Master. He will be different from Fury, but he also now has an X factor due to the blue goo.

 

I'm excited!

Edited October 1, 2014 by Actionmage

[kitlee625]

I also like Coulson in the role of chess master rather than "father" from last season. It gives him more of an edge, and I do like him reaching out to Talbot (less kidnappingly than last episode). Like, we're not going away, and we're still better than you. I'm also glad that they're not just going to throw Absorbing Man down in the dungeon with Ward (thought that could make a hilarious buddy comedy movie).

 

I'm really curious about the alien writing too. It seems to be a lot more complicated than "he's going crazy," which I like. Garrett babbled about getting enhanced perception and being able to see through the eyes of everyone living and dead, and I wonder if Coulson has gotten some of those powers too. Very convenient for the spymaster. My interpretation of the writings is that it is something new, and that Coulson and May are giving her some of those photos bit by bit. Like she seemed to be under the impression that he has been "scouring the globe" for the writings when in reality he's just giving her pictures of what he's drawn. The fact that they were so specific about the 18 days makes me think that that's going to play in somehow Actionmage. Like it's going to come faster.

 

I'm glad that Coulson has let May in on the secret, not just because I like their dynamic, but also because the show really seems to be going away from the One Man Against the World trope, and focusing on the power of friendship/the team, and I'm more interested in the group than in just Coulson as the lone wolf.

[FineWashables]

Clark Gregg was just so miscast in this.  I can't see past him as Old Christine's ex-husband.  Zero charisma.  Two years now, and I still can't give a damn about his story line.

[OtterMommy]

Clark Gregg was just so miscast in this.  I can't see past him as Old Christine's ex-husband.  Zero charisma.  Two years now, and I still can't give a damn about his story line.

 

I've also felt he was miscast (but, honestly, there is enough going on with this show that it was just a minor annoyance for me).  I think it stems from the fact that his character was introduced in the movies.  I actually think Clark Gregg was great as the Agent Coulson who was basically Fury's errand boy.  That character needed to be a little, well, dorky and it worked as he sort of become Fury's and the Avenger's "pet."

 

That, however, is not the same Agent Coulson that appears in this show and I don't think Gregg was completely able to make the leap from lap dog to bad ass.

[VCRTracking]

I never saw Adventures of Old Christine so I always liked Coulson in the movies and this.

 

I actually think Clark Gregg was great as the Agent Coulson who was basically Fury's errand boy.

 

 

That's not how he was when he first appeared in Iron Man. He was the government official talking to Pepper who wanted a meeting with Tony and turned out to be a badass, not answering to anybody(Fury not showing up until the end credits). In Thor he was kind of an antagonist.

[OtterMommy]

I never saw Adventures of Old Christine so I always liked Coulson in the movies and this.

 

 

That's not how he was when he first appeared in Iron Man. He was the government official talking to Pepper who wanted a meeting with Tony and turned out to be a badass, not answering to anybody(Fury not showing up until the end credits). In Thor he was kind of an antagonist.

 

It's been a while since I've seen the first Iron Man, so I'll take your word on that.  By the time The Avengers came around, he definitely seemed like Fury's pet (at least to me).

 

ETA: Wait...didn't he not show up until Iron Man 2?  In that case, that's probably why I don't remember that.  I fell asleep in that movie...

Edited December 9, 2015 by OtterMommy

[ChelseaNH]

I didn't see Coulson as a badass in the original Iron Man.  Yes, he's in this outrageous situation with Obadiah rampaging, but we don't see him do anything in response.  He just survives.  And again in Thor, when the face-melty thing started blowing up cars.  We didn't see him do anything but run, yet he still survived.  And he was pretty nonchalant about it. 

 

Impressive in a number of ways, but not what I'd call a badass.

[MisterGlass]

Coulson survives, and builds a little in every movie.  In the Avengers, he cements his nerd status with his Captain America trading cards and then, having been stabbed through the chest by Loki and slumped to the ground, he stays collected enough to get the villain closer and shoot him with the energy weapon.  Coulson is not the best agent, and he's certainly not the best director, but I like him.

[SocaShoe]

So, having watched the last episode, I find myself wondering if May's words will actually stick with Coulson? Will he be able to see himself as not being Daisy's father? And will this help or hurt him in the long run? I started watching this show because I liked Coulson. I've also felt for awhile that a lot of what he's done in the past couple of years was due to him dying and being brought back to life and the collapse of SHIELD. With his initial separation and eventual loss of pre Winter Soldier SHIELD, I felt like Phil lost his first "family" and his recruitment of Daisy and May to the team were his way of dealing with the loss by creating a small family. I've really disagreed with some of his actions since then and like another poster, I really feel like he needs a lot of therapy. Will this storyline, regardless of it's outcome, end up making him a better leader or do you think he's going to be torn apart and continue to have major issues. (If he's not the fallen agent, cause if he is, I guess this whole post is worthless.)

[kitlee625]

16 minutes ago, SocaShoe said:

So, having watched the last episode, I find myself wondering if May's words will actually stick with Coulson? Will he be able to see himself as not being Daisy's father? And will this help or hurt him in the long run? I started watching this show because I liked Coulson. I've also felt for awhile that a lot of what he's done in the past couple of years was due to him dying and being brought back to life and the collapse of SHIELD. With his initial separation and eventual loss of pre Winter Soldier SHIELD, I felt like Phil lost his first "family" and his recruitment of Daisy and May to the team were his way of dealing with the loss by creating a small family. I've really disagreed with some of his actions since then and like another poster, I really feel like he needs a lot of therapy. Will this storyline, regardless of it's outcome, end up making him a better leader or do you think he's going to be torn apart and continue to have major issues. (If he's not the fallen agent, cause if he is, I guess this whole post is worthless.)

You bring up some interesting points. For me, Coulson was one of the first characters I really liked (along with May), but now I just find his actions hard to swallow, especially when it comes to Daisy. I think that a lot of this is inconsistent writing -- the writers wanting him to be goofy dad and hardened SHIELD agent -- but they really need to figure out who he is. I think your comment that his dad-feelings towards the team may be due to him losing SHIELD in the first place, especially after he gave up his chance at a normal life and family for them. I really hope that all of this is going to lead to some soul searching so that he can be a better leader, and so he can accept that Daisy has to be allowed to grow up and be treated like a real agent and not like a little girl. However, I am worried about what they're going to do with his character, because of this inconsistency that I've mentioned. Plus, there's been some heavy-handedness with the writing. I mean, pretty much everyone who has questioned him in the past (aside from May and Mack) has wound up dead/evil (Jiaying, Victoria Hand, Edward James Olmos, Rosalind, Blake) or just reaffirming his inherent goodness (Bobbi).

Edited April 28, 2016 by kitlee625

[SocaShoe]

Quote

Plus, there's been some heavy-handedness with the writing. I mean, pretty much everyone who has questioned him in the past (aside from May and Mack) has wound up dead/evil (Jiaying, Victoria Hand, Edward James Olmos, Rosalind, Blake) or just reaffirming his inherent goodness (Bobbi).

The  life expectancy of people who tell Phil the truth is a worrying trend. You have to wonder if time will run out for May or Mack.  I hope not, but it's kind of scary.

[TVSpectator]

49 minutes ago, SocaShoe said:

The  life expectancy of people who tell Phil the truth is a worrying trend. You have to wonder if time will run out for May or Mack.  I hope not, but it's kind of scary.

Your right, those characters don't last too long after they point out the truth to Coulson. Just look at what happen to Gonzales, after he told Coulson that he should not go to Afterlife because he is way too attached to Daisy. 

[kitlee625]

Well after we talked about Coulson's poor judgement went it comes to Daisy, I was actually pleased with how he led the team in "Failed Experiments." He kept them focused on the bigger goal (killing Hive), and didn't let himself get distracted by doing whatever it took to rescue Daisy.

[SocaShoe]

I'm really glad Phil took a step back from the Daisy obsession in the latest episode. It gives me hope for him!

[paigow]

Should the thread get a new title? 

[Raja]

We don't know yet. They seem to be demoting Coulson to field leader like Star Trek demoted Admiral Kirk to Captain for the later movies.

[TVSpectator]

I don't know but I do have a feeling that any possible demoting will be temporary. I am not saying because of what happened this season but I won't put it past the writers to have a temporary demoting to field agent until Rogue Daisy (and now she is being called, "Quake" by their papers) is under control and/or dealt with. 

[DeLurker]

Seeing Rogue Daisy and Quake in the same sentence makes me think of her as Quaisy.

[TVSpectator]

"Quaisy" is a good nickname but I am happy that someone in the MCU is now calling her "Quake" and not "Tremors". It's not that Tremors was  a bad name but it was a bit dorky and it reminded me of that movie, Tremors (I do recommend seeing it), and let's face it she is Quake (at least in Earth-616).

IMO, I also do think that Coulson probably voluntary stepped down as director because of Daisy. It's just I can't see the writing team having a story about him being forced down without showing us that and also having it actually happen. They know that Coulson is a big MCU fan favorite (so big, that they brought him back from the dead and they probably started this show just to do it). 

Edited May 21, 2016 by TVSpectator

[romantic idiot]

I think Tremors was deliberate because of that reason. And yeah, now that she's Quake we'll be stuck with her. 

Re: Cousin, he'll probably still be leading our team so the moniker still fits, IMO. 

[TVSpectator]

I don't know if it was or wasn't but I was disappointed that they weren't calling her Quake. It always got on my nerves that they weren't calling her Quake when in fact her character was literally base on Quake. It's a lot like Hellfire; yes he was a member of the Secret Warriors but he was never an Inhuman (his powers were inherited from his ancestor who was known as the Ghost Rider and it was given to them by a literal demon) and he was from Georiga. Now, I can live with this version be Australian (and with the whole IRL issues that surrounded Georgia, within the past 6 months I can see why they probably didn't want to make him from Georgia) but the whole Inhuman part just sucks (and if they ever introduce Dr. Duird and/or Phobos they will probably do the same thing to them as well). 

Edited May 21, 2016 by TVSpectator

[SocaShoe]

I was listening to an AOS podcast review of the season finale. A sharp-eyed reviewer noted that when Phil is sitting im the window looking for Daisy, there id a prescription pill bottlr in front of him. That's a little scary especially since dr. Radcliffe is likely building 

Spoiler

LMDS

Could our fearless Phil be sick, or has he developed a problem of his own?They'd better not kill him again....