Agents of SHIELD. Season 1 Discussion Thread

[Worfmonger]

Well, Ward has definitely been in cahoots with Garrett the whole time, I'm glad to have been proven wrong in that respect, but I still think he (Ward) is going to pull some sort of turnaround. Maybe whatever Skye's abilities are, they manifest when she discovers his betrayal.

Patton Oswalt is awesome, and I loved the little character moments between him and Coulson. Nice to see Raina as more than a one-hit wonder, too. She does have some depth, and I think Garrett may be in for a rude awakening with her.

Peace

Worfmonger

 

[Worfmonger]

Yeah, I don't think Raina is supposed to have any paranormal abilities. The world is full of of persuasive, charismatic, manipulative people who can charm people without any mind-altering super-powers . . ..

Speaking of Raina, note that she was very invested in the "Clairvoyant" being the real deal because there's a specific question she was longing to ask him. I wonder what's that about?

"Where is my long-lost child?" or something like that?

I'm on the fence about Raina being more than human... didn't Garrett specifically mention her "gift" in context with abilities? I can't recall the exact line...

Peace

Worfmonger

 

[Christopher]

I'm on the fence about Raina being more than human... didn't Garrett specifically mention her "gift" in context with abilities? I can't recall the exact line...

All I remember him saying to her about gifts is that he wasn't gifted in the way she thought he was.

 

[Reverend]

Yeah, I don't think Raina is supposed to have any paranormal abilities. The world is full of of persuasive, charismatic, manipulative people who can charm people without any mind-altering super-powers . . ..

Speaking of Raina, note that she was very invested in the "Clairvoyant" being the real deal because there's a specific question she was longing to ask him. I wonder what's that about?

"Where is my long-lost child?" or something like that?

A nice idea, but I think she's a bit young to be Skye's mother.

Whatever it is, I'm betting it has to do with her floral fixation. Maybe her memories have somehow been wiped and the image of a flower is her earliest recollection, or a part of a recurring dream perhaps?

 

[Vendikarr]

Yeah, I don't think Raina is supposed to have any paranormal abilities. The world is full of of persuasive, charismatic, manipulative people who can charm people without any mind-altering super-powers . . ..

Speaking of Raina, note that she was very invested in the "Clairvoyant" being the real deal because there's a specific question she was longing to ask him. I wonder what's that about?

"Where is my long-lost child?" or something like that?

A nice idea, but I think she's a bit young to be Skye's mother.

Whatever it is, I'm betting it has to do with her floral fixation. Maybe her memories have somehow been wiped and the image of a flower is her earliest recollection, or a part of a recurring dream perhaps?

I thought her gift was looking amazing in a floral print.

 

[sojourner]

That red dress was stunning. Did Ward make her change in front of him?

 

[Agent Richard07]

Anyone catch those coordinates?

 

[Worfmonger]

Yeah, I don't think Raina is supposed to have any paranormal abilities. The world is full of of persuasive, charismatic, manipulative people who can charm people without any mind-altering super-powers . . ..

Speaking of Raina, note that she was very invested in the "Clairvoyant" being the real deal because there's a specific question she was longing to ask him. I wonder what's that about?

"Where is my long-lost child?" or something like that?

A nice idea, but I think she's a bit young to be Skye's mother.

Whatever it is, I'm betting it has to do with her floral fixation. Maybe her memories have somehow been wiped and the image of a flower is her earliest recollection, or a part of a recurring dream perhaps?

I thought her gift was looking amazing in a floral print.

She'd look amazing in a burlap sack.

 

[Yminale]

I thought her gift was looking amazing in a floral print.

Jokes aside, she seems to have some technical knowledge at least equivalent to Simmons since Garrett put her in charge of finding out about the wonder drug.

 

[Yminale]

I would rate this episode a Meh?! It wasn't very engaging but I can see the writers couldn't do much since they needed a transition to the new direction of AoS. Some interesting tidbits

1. Ward is more loyal to Garett than HYDRA and his feelings for Skye seem real.
2. Garett is more of a mercenary than a true believer. Foreshadowing some future conflict.
3.I'm glad they showed Raina and Quinns having somewhat realistic reaction to working for HYDRA. Still it feels strange people shrugging off HYDRA's past history (exceptions being Coulson, Hand and Colonel Talbot).
4. Fury's secret base. Uh-oh are they cutting the budget to season 2 already and getting rid of the Bus
5. Where's the Helicarrier. I don't remember it being mentioned (it wasn't mentioned in CA:TWS either).
6. What happened to Deathlock. He's a major asset and Garett suddenly forgets about him.
7. Coulson seems to be taking the news about SHIELD being gone rather hard (unlike Fury or Maria Hill). Foreshadowing something (like his true loyalty is to HYDRA and he just doesn't remember).

 

[Christopher]

4. Fury's secret base. Uh-oh are they cutting the budget to season 2 already and getting rid of the Bus

Remember, Ward knows where Providence is now. That base is already burned, so I doubt we'll see it as their permanent HQ. They need to stay mobile.

5. Where's the Helicarrier. I don't remember it being mentioned (it wasn't mentioned in CA:TWS either).

It was badly damaged by Loki's soldiers and the Hulk, and the Insight fleet seemed to be intended to replace it. It may be in mothballs. Anyway, Helicarriers are perceived as terrorist weapons now, so trying to bring the old one back online would probably just provoke government retaliation and be a really, really terrible idea. What the surviving SHIELD loyalists need to do now is reassure the governments of the world that they're the good guys, and launching a huge, invisible flying fortress would not help.

6. What happened to Deathlock. He's a major asset and Garett suddenly forgets about him.

I'm sure he's in reserve, but he's an asset Garrett already controls. The focus here was on acquiring new assets.

7. Coulson seems to be taking the news about SHIELD being gone rather hard (unlike Fury or Maria Hill). Foreshadowing something (like his true loyalty is to HYDRA and he just doesn't remember).

Some things are about character, not plot. Coulson has been defined, especially in this series, as the loyal company man, the true believer (to coin a phrase) in what SHIELD is and what it stands for. Fury is a pragmatist who doesn't believe much in anything beyond getting the job done. Hill seems pretty similar in that regard -- not as Machiavellian as Fury, but focused on doing the job. But Coulson is an idealist, someone who believes in heroes, and who had believed that serving SHIELD was a heroic calling. So his beliefs and identity have been undermined in a way Fury's (and probably Hill's) haven't.

 

[gblews]

Think Han Solo turning out to be a Federation operative or Neo working for the machines. Or if we're talking second male leads, Trip Tucker workng for the Suliban, Giles (before season 4 of Buffy) working for the principal or for or Glory or The First Evil, or Angel working for someone evil (not Angelus, but Angel).


Like Wolfram & Hart?

No.

By "working for someone evil", I meant "becoming evil" and working for someone evil. Angel went to work for W and H with the idea of doing good. He did just that and never became evil himself.

 

[Kemaiku]

^Except for singing away his humanity, becoming the masked vigilanty embodiment of an entire sentient universe planning to erase our own, and on losing the oppertunity to do so simply kills Giles in frustration.

That's before taking all of Los Angeles literally to hell and having them remain dead or horribly remembering every moment of it when it returns, never once thinking to take the fight to another branch of W&H which he conveniently forgot existed to lessen the damage.

Swell guy.

 

[kitik]

So we saw Ward holding the Berserker staff. Surely that won't be the last we see of that staff.

 

[Captain Craig]

Hey, what if one of the corpses that Raina is working on is Agent Sitwell?

Sitwell wouldn't be around. It would be the two guards Ward shot and Victoria Hand that are fresh kills.

I do hope if Raina turns on Garrett in a "enemy of my enemy is my friend" plot device that she revives Hand cause Vic would have knowledge to best defeat Garrett.

Hand is just too versatile for plot and story telling to actually be dead, DEAD. I'm trying to grasp Feige, Whedon or someone thinking that would be a good call.

 

[Christopher]

Anyone catch those coordinates?

"49 27 41 -80 3 40"

Which, when entered into Google Maps, gives "Unnamed Rd, Cochrane, Unorganized, North Part, ON P0L, Canada." It's in eastern Ontario near the Quebec border, about 120 miles south of the southernmost tip of Hudson Bay.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

So we saw Ward holding the Berserker staff. Surely that won't be the last we see of that staff.

In the very next scene, we see him flexing his muscles, as if evaluating new strength. I am betting, he used it already to become super in anticipation of fighting May.

 

[gblews]

^Except for singing away his humanity, becoming the masked vigilanty embodiment of an entire sentient universe planning to erase our own, and on losing the oppertunity to do so simply kills Giles in frustration.

That's before taking all of Los Angeles literally to hell and having them remain dead or horribly remembering every moment of it when it returns, never once thinking to take the fight to another branch of W&H which he conveniently forgot existed to lessen the damage.

Swell guy.

My reference was strictly to the events depicted in the T.V. show. I don't know anything about what you're referring to here.

 

[Campe]

Hand is just too versatile for plot and story telling to actually be dead, DEAD. I'm trying to grasp Feige, Whedon or someone thinking that would be a good call.

Who else were you going to use as cannon fodder at that point? Hate to say it because I quite liked Hand's character, but at that point, she was the only expendable senior-level SHIELD agent in the story at... um... hand. Doing anything short of killing her wouldn't have been effective to showing Ward's betrayal.

But it is Marvel so she very well could come back. Tahiti IS a magical place.

 

[Enterprise1701]

So we saw Ward holding the Berserker staff. Surely that won't be the last we see of that staff.

Maybe Professor "Elliot Randolph" will reappear to provide backup for Coulson's team. I think that since he's an Asgardian who spent over 1000 years quietly living among humans, Coulson will judge him to be someone who wouldn't align with HYDRA. So if Ward brings the Berserker staff into play, Randolph might be Coulson's strategic response.