Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[SNT1]

How many times must Bobbi be owned by FitzSimmons?

Nice guest appearances all around---I can't wait for Coulson's dysfunctional team if it ever forms up

[Dark Duel]

I was rather more amused at Mike's return - and upgraded to boot.
Also, the show appears to upend the status quo again with the other character who turned up in this episode.
Is that really who it is? Seems to be. But if that's the case...Well, let's just say that things should get even more interesting.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Yeah May, it's so terrible Coulson is keeping secrets from you. I mean, it's not like you were hiding the truth about his ressurection and reporting on him behind his back or anything.

[SNT1]

^It seems like an internal conflict for the sake of having an internal conflict, though it would be more believable if

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She's more upset that he's working with Ward

Plot's setting up for a major fustercluck, though.

[phillosmaster]

Yeah this whole May being upset at Coulson for keeping secrets is some season one level BS. They are secret agents in a secret organization. It's totally okay as long as she is in on all the secrets? Is she really that petty? It felt really weird coming from May.

Bobbi and Mack's comments that they are starting to doubt they are on the right side also got on my nerves. It's kind of a bit late for that. Also it came out of left field for Mack. He was totally drinking the Admiral's Kool-Aid and he poops his pants every time a "powered" person is around. So what changed now? I guess I missed his motivation if it was in the episode.

[Shinji103]

Upset? How is May anything approaching the level of "upset" with Coulson? Bobbi brought up some good questions, questions that the other SHIELD wants answered, and questions that May herself doesn't have a good answer to. Not to mention she figures that if somebody has to look for the answers, it's better that it's her rather than someone from the other SHIELD who might go too far in going after Coulson. She practically screamed it at Simmons this past episode, but of course Simmons does her overdramatic accusatory thing. First it was with the fall of SHIELD (nearly going insubordinate on Coulson), then with the Terrigen crystals, and now with May. She really doesnt handle these things very well.

And how is the admiral selling kool-aid? Last I checked, it was Bobbi and Mack who forced him to chuck Fury's way of doing things, and he realized they were right.

It looks to me like the real problem is people trying way too hard to demonize the other SHIELD (though I wouldn't be surprised if Marvel pulls some convoluted way to suddenly make them much more evil than they appear ), and now trying to make it look like May has gone off the deep end. Although I do agree that it feels like the conflict with the other SHIELD is simply conflict for the sake of conflict. There were many ways this incident could have been avoided, and then Coulson acts as if they're downright evil on Hydra's level. It all felt too forced.

[phillosmaster]

Okay that is just the opposite reaction to everything. I don't know what to say other than I disagree.

[SNT1]

snip

I wouldn't go that far with your accusations.

I think it's pretty obvious May's upset with Coulson. Her facial reactions only change ever so slightly, but I'm positive that after watching 40+ episodes of her, she's not to keen on Coulson having secrets of his own. I don't think ANYONE in Coulson's gang OR us in here are calling Olmos Shield Hydra-level bad either; in fact both May and Coulson has gone out of their way to explicitly avoid killing Olmos Shield guys. While Bobbi and Mack also doesn't believe that Coulson's SHIELD is inherently bad either, there are a few guys, like Agent Dick, who is in to kill him some powered people. I am expecting though that Ward will be the proper major source of friction (and deservedly so)

Edit - just saw the latest promo (SPOILERS)

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where Coulson's pleading Gonzales to work together against List/Strucker, where Gonzales is just like, "rawr, I don't trust you, rawr". So who is actually treating the other as Hydra-like hmm?

[Destiny_Gundam]

May was the one Coulson told everything to, like his wall carving hobby, so it's natural she'd be upset that he was hiding something even from her. That's further compounded by the suggestion Coulson is hoarding superhumans because May would rather not have to shoot any more little girls. It's no less hypocritical, but it's understandable.

[phillosmaster]

I admit I was being a bit hyperbolic in my previous post. I was never saying Olmos SHIELD is "bad". My problem is they all appear to be big hypocrites. They are the anti-secrets SHIELD. That seems to be their mantra. Everyone should be out in the open because secrets were their downfall previously with Hydra. Fine I get that, but they are still keeping secrets and running clandestine operations, while condemning the secrets of others. It feels so hypocritical. It's hard for me to be sympathetic toward them.

That's where it feels weird to me. If Olmos' SHIELD was operating out in the open in cooperation with world governments then I could feel better about them being so gung ho about exposing everyone else's secret agendas. I didn't feel like the May episode sold me on her being more sympathetic with Olmos than Coulsen. They just infiltrated your group for maybe months. They've been keeping secrets from you. What makes their secrets more acceptable than Coulsen's.

The reality is they come off as bitter that Fury trusted Coulsen and not them. They have this vibe of "what gives him the right". Well what gives them the right. You know what I mean. It's subjective, but it just doesn't feel like it was sold well to me.

[monster]

I think the issue they have with secrets is not about being a (semi?)-secret organization as a whole, but about the man on top having a secret of his own that he kept from the rest of the group.

That is not to say there wouldn't be a security clearance hierarchy within the organization, but from their perspective, it shouldn't be to the point that Fury was and now Coulson is doing it.

[Wingnut]

Whee. Just like old times indeed, eh Grant? Except for Skye's Force Push ability that is.

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R.I.P. 616

"You did WHAT to my plane, Coulson?!"

Special mention goes to Jemma and her resolve and determination for vengeance against Ward. That is quite a change indeed as mentioned. Not to mention Phil being awesome as usual.

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It's Avengers time, and it's always nice to see agent Hill/Colbie Smolders again.

[SNT1]

This was a good GET HYPE episode.

Lots of burns here:

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-Deathlok's sass
-Ward trolling May
-Skye thinking Raina's powers is "spinning real fast to collect gold rings" (bahahah 10/10)
-Skye/Fitz/Simmons full snark on awkWard explanations
-Coulson showing Gonzales who the top dog really is through sass

[Shinji103]

Yay, whoopie, way to go Drama Queen Jemma. You're just going emo on everybody, aren't ya? I especially like how you don't have the guts to admit you tried to do "the right thing" and instead lie to everybody about it. How good-willed of you. Oh, maybe you didn't really think it was such a good thing after all, eh? Or did Ward letting you go show you up and embarass you so much that you'll lie to your friends' faces to hide the fact he let you go?

In case you didn't pick up on it, there was a lot of sarcasm in there.

But you know who really deserves the good mentions? Fitz and Ward. Fitz because even though it was Ward, he wasn't happy with being a backstabber like Simmons. And deny it all you want guys, but evil people generally don't let others who try to kill them go not once, but including this episode, several times. I don't even see any anger over his crush shooting him in the back. So yeah, kudos to Ward for not being the true killer drama queens like Simmons make him out to be. Not to mention letting Kara go so she can get her good life back, when he clearly cares about her. (leaving her with SHIELD makes that fact inarguable) Even Coulson gave up his Ward hate for a moment and responded to Ward's goodness in a proper way. They deserve to chew him out for betraying them, but the true good people in this episode were the two guys who didn't let their negative feelings get the better of them. But of course, thanks to Simmons' lying, backstabbing @$$-face (and some very forced writing, pointed out below), Coulson and co. will never know how good-Ward let Simmons go when any true murderer would have shot her in the face.
And of course, the writers pull BS and have Ward not mention a word of any backstabbing to Coulson. Because we all know Coulson would never approve of what Simmons did or tried to do especially after he made his deal with Ward, and if they found out it would put the damper on their Ward-hate to realize he let Simmons go after she tried to kill him. Can't let go of that stupid convoluted drama, now can we, writers?

And frankly, the "They actually put things to a vote." "Haha!" scene nearly made me puke. This is just poorly-handled drama with the SHIELD conflict. They do scenes where they make fun of people who've been through hell. If Bobbi and Gonzales had done things Coulson and Hill's way, they'd all be dead a year ago.

And I knew it. Just as I said, I knew they'd come up with some way to make Gonzales and the other SHIELD evil. Soooooo, they realized acting as a secret, paranoid government agency was a bad thing, so they became an agency vying for transparency while becoming even more paranoid than before? Wow, writers.

Seriously, I'm so close to dropping this series because of all this forced drama. The only reason I didn't drop it in season 1 when they screwed up my favorite character and suddenly forced him to become a traitor after all the heroic things he'd done which completely contradicted his role as a Hydra spy faking friendship and allegience (tell me how nearly commiting suicide to save Simmons by jumping out of a plane to save her when she about to "blow up" helped him spy on anybody, and don't forget not killing Mike Peterson when Centipede put a hit out on him, especially how they clearly showed that Coulson's speech convinced him not to take the shot), was because I didn't think they'd pull forced BS drama like this in season 2. This thing with the SHIELD conflict? Simmons turning into a drama b*tch? Hiding the good Ward's heart from COulsons team by forcing out important details like "I left because one of your guys tried to stab me in the back" from conversations? (which would have highlighted the fact he didn't kill her despite the attempted backstabbing) I'm nearly puking at how completely unnatural and forced this all is.

After all the good Ward showed here and opening up his feelings to Coulson and co. not once but twice, if they force more Ward evil-ness this show will be dead to me. Though I have no real hopes for anything at this point.
But if this show makes it to the Civil War, I want to see Simmons suffering a psychotic break and turning on Skye and everybody so we can see her put in a cushioned white room where she belongs.

[excalibur2008]

And deny it all you want guys, but evil people generally don't let others who try to kill them go not once, but including this episode, several times. I don't even see any anger over his crush shooting him in the back. So yeah, kudos to Ward for not being the true killer drama queens like Simmons make him out to be.

Victoria Hand would probably disagree with you.

[SNT1]

Ep.20 thoughts.

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-Theta Protocol - SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS The damn Helicarrier in Age of Ultron. Guess this show stayed back and let the Avengers do its thing, instead onf Winter Soldier where they were caught right in the middle
-Well, Ward (and 33) had me fooled. AND I LOVE IT HAHAHAH WILDCARD STRIKES BACK. And we still don't know his endgame.
-Cal was actually likeable here, more than ever
-No wonder Cal and Jiaying got together, they're both Grade-A insane. Raina was the rational one here, to give perspective
-May, probably one of the most unlikable character in SHIELD right now, only 2nd to Murder-Simmons. A lot of her decisions just seems to be just to spite Coulson. Though, crazy-ass Jiaying would probably would have killed Coulson if he went, so I guess this works out for the best.
-Poor Gonzales, I underestimated him, I thought he was gonna shoot up the place. What was that thing he was holding in his ship again?
-Cal's probably gonna go full Hyde in the finale
-Speaking of which, damn, the Finale's next week

The Finale will be insane.

[Destiny_Gundam]

Probably not surprising, but the show has officially be renewed for season 3. The planned Mockingbird/Hunter spin off has been scrapped, though.

[Wingnut]

The Finale will be insane.

Well, no ZOINKS.

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Things turned out for the best save for the stinger.

JEMMA!!! Onore, Joss!

Line of the episode: <Fitz> "Science, biyoch."

[SNT1]

Too much for me to highlight in the finale, I felt like this was twice as long as Ultron (though its around 1 hr shorter). It was an eternity of trolling the viewers with near misses and misdirections, and they end with that lovely stunt in that stinger, I literally can't even right now.

[Destiny_Gundam]

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I'm glad Cal got a happy ending. See, Ward, that's how you do redemption.

Was worried Fitz was doomed but thankfully they did a Hawkeye with him.

And now Ward is the new head of Hydra. I'm sure Shinji is happy with that development. But hey, he still has his brother and parents in a safe house somewhere, right?