Agents of SHIELD. Season 1 Discussion Thread

[LaxScrutiny]

The premise in Repairs was that the research facility was trying to duplicate the portals that appeared in Thor-TDW, and they mentioned the movie in several contexts.

If they had shown this episode last week as the follow-up, it would have made more sense to me. I still don't see any strong connection between T-TDW and The Well. The Well could just as easily been a follow-up to The Avengers or to the first Thor.

As far as Repairs, I liked this episode more than most so far. I haven't been a fan at all of May up until now. I realize that they kept her silent and undeveloped on purpose, but that still left a silent and undeveloped character that was just a mash of stereotypes.

We're starting to see a May that needs some human contact. Both the affair with Ward, which is the more obvious example, and with the prank at the end, we are seeing a May that is participating in interpersonal relations.

The previous May simply hated being around anyone. I could sympathize if there were enough backstory to understand, but that wasn't given. What we had was just a superficial, one-dimensional presence. She is starting to be a character that I can empathize with, not just because I know there was some horrific violent incident in the past, but because she actually has a person inside of her now. That person wasn't visible previously.

I found the staging of the fight scenes better in this episode as well. There was some thought put into this, showing that Ward is good, May is amazing. Not just with movement, but how she realized what tactics and positioning she needed to deal with the opponent. Ward didn't pick up on this as quickly as he needed to. Of course the plot needed him to lose, but he lost because because he was using a more conventional tactic, he was being outthought and herded. This was nice shown and choreographed.

I found Coulsen's conversation with Skye at the end awkward. She was brought in originally because of her hacking abilities. The put that bracelet on her and took away the one thing that made her potentially interesting. Coulsen claims he always wanted her because of her amazing interpersonal skills, but these weren't apparent in Pilot. I ended up feeling there was a retcon going on. I also find over-empathizing social workers annoying. They could just as easily have hired someone from a youth outreach program.

I like the title of the episode. Repairs applied in several different ways to the story. It was about the safety inspector (never caught her name) and the teleporting guy. It was about the damage to the plane as the overt crisis in the second half. But by the end it was about May and the repairs to her psych and personality.

Up to this point, I am liking Fitz more. I am liking Simmons less, she was too easily manipulated by Skye in The Hub, she has a weak personality. Ward is still to cardboard, even after seeing how traumatic his childhood was.

I don't like Skye at all, she is too much a Mary Sue. She is really a very ordinary person who is inserted into a highly trained team, that saves the day by looking things up on her cell phone and being empathetic to everyone.

Coulsen is great, of course. I think they are now making May someone I can enjoy, rather than someone who's scenes I could just as easily skip. Now that there is just "that" much more character development it tips the scales for me. Hopefully they keep it up.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I want to comment more but pressed for time..wanted to share this thought: if Ward was born around Christmas time, would it mean Agents of Shield has a May-December romance?

 

[DEWLine]

Reaction One: ugh.

Reaction Two: Where did I see an "Easter egg" article on the pilot episode nailing down ages for the characters...?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I think the civilian girl mentioned by Coulson is key to the Bahrain story.

When Coulson asked May what she said to Tobias, her reply was "the same thing you said to me in Bahrain."

What exactly was it she said to Tobias?

"Let the girl go."

There is much more to the Bahrain story than what we got here.

Obviously there is more to be revealed.

The alternative explanation is "the girl" means the little girl inside May. In other words, he told her to let the playful side of herself go.

The premise in Repairs was that the research facility was trying to duplicate the portals that appeared in Thor-TDW, and they mentioned the movie in several contexts.

Well, that was speculation rather than the premise. It could have been their goal, but I don't know if we know for sure.

It raises some interesting timeline questions, though. I would guess this occurred months after the events in Thor if anything.

 

[Christopher]

The alternative explanation is "the girl" means the little girl inside May. In other words, he told her to let the playful side of herself go.

I don't think that fits the context.

My thought: We've speculated that May could be somehow connected with Skye and her presumed-dead mother. What if the girl May had to let go was Skye?

It raises some interesting timeline questions, though. I would guess this occurred months after the events in Thor if anything.

No way -- the dialogue in the first scene between Ward and May (or, really, more of a monologue) gave the impression that this was maybe only their second or third time together, since Ward still felt the need to go over the procedure for keeping their assignations secret.

 

[DEWLine]

And May's quick exit made it clear that she already knew the drill.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

My thought: We've speculated that May could be somehow connected with Skye and her presumed-dead mother. What if the girl May had to let go was Skye?

That's been screaming so loudly now that I thought we were supposed to be discounting that as "too obvious!"

And May's quick exit made it clear that she already knew the drill.

Eh, I thought it was more like showing him the drill. Ditto with accusing him of being late. Plus, she may well have been there, done that already with other men or agents, you know.

 

[Christopher]

And May's quick exit made it clear that she already knew the drill.

Well, yes, because it wasn't their first time. Ward said their approach should be "same as last time" or "same as before." He was restating something they both knew, perhaps out of an excess of caution or insecurity or just to make conversation. But May never uses more words than she needs to, and restating what they already knew and agreed to would be redundant.

The point is that it's not the very next morning but it clearly hasn't been months either, because Ward's lines indicate it hasn't been going on for long. It's more like a week or two. Which is consistent with the modern tendency of series television to have the stories unfold in roughly real time.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I don't think that fits the context.

It doesn't fit the current context of what May said, but we have no context for why Coulson said it to May.

 

[marc0702]

anybody finding the series kinda boring so far?

 

[Gryffindorian]

No way -- the dialogue in the first scene between Ward and May (or, really, more of a monologue) gave the impression that this was maybe only their second or third time together, since Ward still felt the need to go over the procedure for keeping their assignations secret.

This.

And May's quick exit made it clear that she already knew the drill.

Exactly.

Interesting theory regarding "letting the girl go" and the incident in Bahrain. It sounded as if May felt guilty for what she had to do during the mission; so guilty, in fact, that according to Coulson, it totally changed May's playful and upbeat personality to that of an aloof and seemingly gruff woman, an archetype that's analogous to Worf on TNG.

 

[Gaith]

I thought the holding room was supposed to be soundproof? Despite some nice atmospheric direction here and there, another crappy ep. Agh.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Hmm. Ms. Hutchins. Must be a second cousin.

Another terrific episode. I just wonder where that field was located. I hope nobody was out stargazing when they made their emergency landing.

While this was the first episode that really focused on May, almost everybody got some quality time in this one. Only Ward got left out. I loved Fitz/Simmons' plan to prank Skye to make up for what they missed out at the academy... for graduating three years early. Coulson had some good moments with Skye and had to sacrifice one of his memorabiles. And, of course, May is starting to break out of her self-imposed inner exile; both the scene with Skye and her pranking Fitz were nice.

anybody finding the series kinda boring so far?

Nope. It's the best new show of the year.

 

[Yanks]

Ward and May?

Not so sure I like this "hook up".

Anyone else?

 

[Turtletrekker]

It makes sense. They're the warriors. Ward won't hook up with Skye so long as he is her S.O.

 

[DEWLine]

RJDiogenes: I would argue that Ward wasn't left out at all.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I found Coulsen's conversation with Skye at the end awkward. She was brought in originally because of her hacking abilities. The put that bracelet on her and took away the one thing that made her potentially interesting. Coulsen claims he always wanted her because of her amazing interpersonal skills, but these weren't apparent in Pilot. I ended up feeling there was a retcon going on. I also find over-empathizing social workers annoying. They could just as easily have hired someone from a youth outreach program.
...
I don't like Skye at all, she is too much a Mary Sue. She is really a very ordinary person who is inserted into a highly trained team, that saves the day by looking things up on her cell phone and being empathetic to everyone.

You know, I was tempted the last week or so to step up and defend Skye from what I thought was unfair criticism, but I have to agree with your assessment of her portrayal in this episode. The development regarding her role on the team seemed very forced, starting with how obnoxiously she forced herself into the situation. I wanted Coulson to channel a little Season 1 Picard: "Shut up, Skye!" They just made it very hard to deny the Mary Sue nature of the character.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Except Mary Sues are individuals that can solve any situation because they're the best at everything. She's been shown as ineffectual far more than helpful. I had actually thought that she was a surprisingly useless character.

For example, in this episode, the only thing she had was that she was nice and that she didn't have anything else to contribute so she spent some time talking to that person. Sure, she figured out the prank thing, but that turned out to be useless to the resolution of the story. May figured out the important details all on her own without any help from Skye.

Her character is someone who doesn't like heartless government bureaucracy so she questions it, but that hardly makes her a Mary Sue.

 

[Guy Gardener]

She's barely 20, and he's almost 30.

The actors real ages are not on IMDB.

She's a student, and he's a training officer.

She's a prisoner and he's her jailer.

And finally she's a terrorist.

Skye should be off limits.

Odd thing they told us in Orange is the New Black which is probably state specific or made up. Prisoners are not legally capable of giving consent. Therefore all sex in prison is statutory rape... That doesn't seem right? Married couples get conjugal rights right?

 

[Mr Light]

I'm afraid I found this episode to be extremely uninteresting... I just did not care about the story. And I don't find May to be an interesting character either (my friend who I watch it with is even less generous haha).