Agents of SHIELD - Season 2 Discussion Threads. (Spoilers Likely)

[gblews]

I find myself not caring about the Skye storyline and looking forward to the other threads.

For me, the Skye/Cal storyline was the most compelling, moving thing this show has ever done. I feel such sympathy for Cal, whose plight is really poignant. All he wants is to bring his family back together and take care of his daughter, and his joy at finally having them together was palpable, but he's a victim of what was done to him and what he did to himself, and he just can't help but be dangerous. It's all so sad, and Maclachlan plays it brilliantly. I was tearing up in every scene involving Cal, Skye, and/or Jiaying.

Absolutely agree. Cal wants nothing more than to try to put together some type of familial relationship for him, Jiaying, and Daisy, but it is too late and there is nothing he can do. But his love for the two of them and his desire for them to be together as a family is unchanged. Cal is indeed a tragic figure.

And yes, Maclachlan is just killing it as Cal. This is an actor that I have never really liked (ever since he was miscast as Muad Dib in Dune). His performances have sometimes risen to the "meh" level for me. The first few times I saw Cal on AoS, I didn't even realize it was Maclachlan. In fact when I look closely I still am having a hard time "seeing" him. All I see is the maniacal Cal. Great, great performance and Maclachlan seems to be having a ball playing him.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

His name is C. L. Johnson...

Cal L.

Seriously?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Calvin Zabo, Mr Hyde, has been a comics character since the 60s.

Daisy Johnson, Quake, has been a comics character since the 90s.

In the comics, Hyde randomly raped Daisy's mum. There was no relationship.

 

[Christopher]

His name is C. L. Johnson...

Cal L.

Seriously?

Which would be the second time Kyle MacLachlan has played a character of that name, since he played Superman in the animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier.

 

[Turtletrekker]

In the comics, Hyde randomly raped Daisy's mum. There was no relationship.

Actually, I think Daisy's mom has a prostitute that Zabo saw regularly.

I assume that in the MCU, "Zabo" is the "more sinister" name Cal took while on the run.

 

[Ethros]

I missed the final scene after the "will return in a moment" thing. Can anyone (if there was one) tell me what happened in it please?

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Real Shield arrives on the scene after Hydra has left only to find Coulson who gives himself up and demands to take him to their leader.

 

[Ethros]

^ thanks!

 

[Reverend]

His name is C. L. Johnson...

Cal L.

Seriously?

Well Skye's legal name is Mary Sue Poots, so sure, why not?

 

[JD]

Real Shield arrives on the scene after Hydra has left only to find Coulson who gives himself up and demands to take him to their leader.

Here's the scene on ABC.com if you wan to to see it for yourself.

I really enjoyed the stuff with Skye and her parents. You definitely do have to feel kind of bad for Cal, all he wants is for his family to be together, but no matter how hard he tries it just won't work for him. It was fun seeing him and Sky together. I definitely agree that Kyle MacLachlan has been great.

I really liked all of the stuff with Coulson and his motely little group he's put together. I loved seeing Ward and Kara working with them. The reactions from May and Simmons, and then Skye when they saw Ward were great.
I am curious where they are going with May, because she does seem to be cooperating with G-S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm thinking she's just working with them until she figures out exactly what Coulson is up to, and once she does I have a feeling she'll be back by his side.

I'm wondering if the sudden shift in focus back to Hydra is tying into the stuff with Von Strucker in Age of Ultron. I'm wondering if S.H.E.I.L.D taking out List, and the Avengers taking out Von Strucker will be the end of (current) Hydra?

 

[kirk55555]

I thought this was a good episode, but the one part I didn't like was early on when I immediately realized that, once Simmons hacked into Deathlok's eye, they were going to see something at the worst time possible and seemingly "confirm" that Coulson is doing something wrong. Besides that very obvious scene to "justify" the evil SHIELD's dislike of Coulson, this episode was very good. Cal did come off as very sympathetic, the Coulson/Fiz/Hunter/Deathlok's stuff was interesting and Ward was used well.

 

[Christopher]

I am curious where they are going with May, because she does seem to be cooperating with G-S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm thinking she's just working with them until she figures out exactly what Coulson is up to, and once she does I have a feeling she'll be back by his side.

I take May at her word when she says it's not about sides. They're all loyal to SHIELD and dedicated to fighting the bad guys; they just have differences of opinion and trust issues to work through. May will do what she believes is her duty to SHIELD, regardless of personal loyalties.

I'm wondering if the sudden shift in focus back to Hydra is tying into the stuff with Von Strucker in Age of Ultron. I'm wondering if S.H.E.I.L.D taking out List, and the Avengers taking out Von Strucker will be the end of (current) Hydra?

Spoiler: Age-nts of Ult-SHIELD

IMDb says that Dr. List is in Age of Ultron, so SHIELD won't be taking him down, at least not before the movie's events. Rather, List is the direct link between the show and the movie. Next week's episode will probably end with List getting away and retreating to Eastern Europe to reunite with Strucker, whereupon he'll find himself facing a whole mess of Avengers.

 

[Marsden]

His name is C. L. Johnson...

Cal L.

Seriously?

I think they've really been having some fun with everything, from Adrianne Palicki's first appearance having an invisible jet to Hunter killing former Hunter Fred Dryer.

 

[Turtletrekker]

How can Coulson send Ward through the TAHITI process when the Guest House has been destroyed? Does he have the specs for the brain re-writing machine in the Toolbox?

 

[Mr. Adventure]

His name is C. L. Johnson...

Cal L.

Seriously?

Which would be the second time Kyle MacLachlan has played a character of that name, since he played Superman in the animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier.

What else would you expect from someone named Kalel MacLachlan.

 

[RJDiogenes]

"Take me to your leader." Coulson was in good form this week.

I wonder how much May is playing along and how much she is really being swayed-- she does know something about Theta Protocol, after all. Simmons certainly isn't happy with either her or nuSHIELD.

Kyle Maclachlan is fantastic as Happy Cal. This makes me even more psyched for the return of Twin Peaks (if it does return). And Skye impressed me with her empathy for him, just as she impressed me with her reaction to Jiaying being her mother. I wonder if she will be able to reform him in the long run.

Unlike Ward, who I wish would just go away. He and 33 don't interest me at all.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

How can Coulson send Ward through the TAHITI process when the Guest House has been destroyed? Does he have the specs for the brain re-writing machine in the Toolbox?

That's as good an explanation as any.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I found the casual mention of using TAHITI brainwashing on Ward to be the first disturbing thing to come from Coulson in all of this.

 

[Photoman15]

I found the casual mention of using TAHITI brainwashing on Ward to be the first disturbing thing to come from Coulson in all of this.

Well, it would be the only way Coulson could let Ward "go". And the only way he could rejoin SHIELD in the future.

 

[The Old Mixer]

The implications are a morally ambiguous hornet's nest that should be explored, not tossed around matter-of-factly. And I'd rather not see Ward "redeemed" by being brainwashed back to the dull-ass character he was in the first half of Season 1