Agents of SHIELD: Season 3 - Discussion (SPOILERS LIKELY)

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

Incredible episode. A well-told story, from beginning to end.

Reminded me of the Martian, with the passage of hours scrolling by. When the sun didn't rise at the start, I thought that this planet may exist in the Quantum realm, from Ant-Man, but then Will mentioned the planet's inner heat and Jemma used the stars for her calculations, so probably not.

My favorite line: "Bitch, you are my dinner!"

Fantastic performance all around by Elizabeth Henstridge.

 

[Christopher]

What annoyed me is that they never considered harnessing the internal heat as a geothermal power source. With the parts they had left over, couldn't they have rigged up some kind of steam turbine to generate an electrical current?

 

[sojourner]

They were short on coconuts.

 

[gblews]

I thought of the episode as a "standalone" of sorts, though there is no telling where the mystery of the monolith will eventually lead.

Enjoyed the episode a lot. I love when shows take chances like this. Each AoS episode had previously been an ensemble acting effort. This was a pleasant change, plus most of the fans REALLY wanted to know what happened to Jemma on the planet.

One little grip I had, and I consider this s knit pic, was that Simmons' PTSD seemed a bit overdone considering what she actually went through. I expected she had to fight for her life all the time, not that 'she met a guy'. Perhaps there was a delayed reaction.

LilHenstrige (her Twitter handle) did a great job.

So, she gave it up that fast? Can't recall the hours when she met Will, but seems like things awfully fast once the message in a bottle trick failed. Seemed a bit out of character, but perhaps we don't really know this girl.

Agree with Kitik, in that there is something weird about Will and the monster -- some kind of strange "bond" or something. Have to wait and see.

Overall, really good episode. Can't wait to watch it again.

 

[kitik]

How awesome would it have been if the astronaut would have said his name was John Jameson?

 

[UssGlenn]

What annoyed me is that they never considered harnessing the internal heat as a geothermal power source. With the parts they had left over, couldn't they have rigged up some kind of steam turbine to generate an electrical current?

depends on the parts they had available. they almost certainly would need to drill a fair distance to get to rock hot enough to boil water.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I would have wanted to activate a Geiger counter to make sure that the geothermal heat source wasn't too radioactive!

One little grip I had, and I consider this s knit pic, was that Simmons' PTSD seemed a bit overdone considering what she actually went through.

Perhaps this is another sign that she brought "it" back with her?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

As much as I love most of this episode, particularly for Elizabeth Henstridge's performance and the episode directing with its focus on tone, ambiance and camera work as CorporalClegg expressed earlier, there's one very significant thing about the episode that really bothers me (aside from the predictable romance) that pulls the episode down for me:

Will is a man who has been stranded on alien planet for 14 years, for so long that he has completely lost track of time. He's a man who has been completely isolated from everything. And yet, when he encounters someone new, someone who just happens to be a young, attractive woman, there are no sudden sexual cravings?

Maybe it's craven of me and I shouldn't expect this kind of way of psychological thinking from a lighthearted show from Disney, but I find it very hard to believe that a man in this kind of position wouldn't want to have sex at that moment. Consensual or not. Instead, what is presented is a predictable lovey-dovey, survival romance.

That really hurts the episode for me.

What annoyed me is that they never considered harnessing the internal heat as a geothermal power source. With the parts they had left over, couldn't they have rigged up some kind of steam turbine to generate an electrical current?

Yeah, that also bugged the hell out of me. Jemma didn't even suggest it, even after Will mentioned it was a heat source.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Will kept Jemma in a cage to make sure she was real. Maybe at first he thought she was a hallucination caused by "it?"

If I thought that the force responsible for the death of all my comrades was trying to trick me, and maybe even trick me again, that would douse any desires that I might be feeling right out. Nothing indicated to me that he was crazy enough to take that sort of risk.

 

[Christopher]

depends on the parts they had available. they almost certainly would need to drill a fair distance to get to rock hot enough to boil water.

There was an orange-hot light source visible directly behind the cracks in the wall. It would've had to be around 900 Celsius to glow that color, and it was in plain view. They wouldn't have had to drill far at all.

Will is a man who has been stranded on alien planet for 14 years, for so long that he has completely lost track of time. He's a man who has been completely isolated from everything. And yet, when he encounters someone new, someone who just happens to be a young, attractive woman, there are no sudden sexual cravings?

Maybe it's craven of me and I shouldn't expect this kind of way of psychological thinking from a lighthearted show from Disney, but I find it very hard to believe that a man in this kind of position wouldn't want to have sex at that moment. Consensual or not.

After 14 years without an outlet for his sexual urges (other than the obvious), who's to say he still would've been psychologically or physically capable of easy arousal? Besides, at first he didn't think she was real; maybe he thought she was either a trick of "It" or a sign that he'd had a psychotic break. So he would've been afraid of her at first -- hence the cage. Once he realized she was real, he might still have been slow to get beyond that fear, and that would've given him time to let his reason and humanity overcome any selfish urges.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

The episode seemed like a one hour one shot to me with no movement in the season's arc going up against the World Series opener.

Why in the world does every episode have to "move the season's arc"? Some of the best TV I've seen has been single standalone episodes. Like, ya know, Star Trek.

Well it is probably a good idea to wait until after one of those arcs hits a bit of a cliff hanger. You know the whole potentially dead recurring character thing.

 

[Reverend]

How awesome would it have been if the astronaut would have said his name was John Jameson?

You know, for an irrational second there I thought they were going to do a Fantastic Four thing. What with portals to other worlds, four astronauts and something generally associated with the bestowment of powers. Then I saw they were all men and remembered they don't have the rights. It was a charmingly subversive idea while it lasted though.

What annoyed me is that they never considered harnessing the internal heat as a geothermal power source. With the parts they had left over, couldn't they have rigged up some kind of steam turbine to generate an electrical current?

depends on the parts they had available. they almost certainly would need to drill a fair distance to get to rock hot enough to boil water.

Yeah, getting steam under pressure with a kludged together turbine system is about the most difficult (and dangerous) way I can imagine for them to have tried getting electrical power.
They'd have been much better off with a few small wind turbines.

More to the point, I would have thought NASA might have included an RTG along with them, on the off chance solar wasn't an option. Sure it's mind bogglingly dangerous if you manage to crack the shielding and the small portable ones generally have low voltage output but it's a steady reliable source of both electricity and thermal energy if need be. Enough to provide lighting and even trickle charge batteries if need be.

ETA

One little grip I had, and I consider this s knit pic, was that Simmons' PTSD seemed a bit overdone considering what she actually went through.

Well, even with company it was hardly a stroll in the park. Most of her symptoms are a combination of physical and psychological. As they said, he body had been adapted to an alien environment and being suddenly bright to earth is going to throw her systems for a loop.
On the psychological side of things, it's about what you'd expect from a person coming home after a tour of combat duty. Sleeping rough, poorly fed, always on edge for the next nasty thing to jump out and try to kill you. People can achieve a certain degree of equilibrium while in that environment, but coming back into the real world can be one hell of an emotional shock. It takes time to process and it's not as if the was feral when they found her.

 

[The Old Mixer]

They were short on coconuts.

But with all that alien bamboo, they should have at least been able to build a car...!

 

[Commander Richard]

Will is a man who has been stranded on alien planet for 14 years, for so long that he has completely lost track of time. He's a man who has been completely isolated from everything. And yet, when he encounters someone new, someone who just happens to be a young, attractive woman, there are no sudden sexual cravings?

Maybe it's craven of me and I shouldn't expect this kind of way of psychological thinking from a lighthearted show from Disney, but I find it very hard to believe that a man in this kind of position wouldn't want to have sex at that moment. Consensual or not.

I actually thought they were going to go there to explain Simmons' behavior when she got back.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, that was quite a Strange Adventure. It answered a couple of questions and raised about a million more. Who made the portal? Why? Was it designed to function in such a ludicrous way, or is it broken? Where is that planet and why is it the destination of the portal? What is the "force?" How did NASA get its hands on the monolith? How did NASA lose custody of the monolith? How did SHIELD get custody of the Monolith and why did it get no documentation along with it? Why did NASA really send a team through it? How long has it been on Earth?

The "graveyard" was creepy with its skeletons and artifacts. I think we saw the guy that went through in that previous flashback. It was very weird that the force first appeared as a cloaked figure and then as an astronaut. Will seemed to know that it could disguise itself, but it was still showing tentacles coming out of that suit, so it apparently was literally disguising itself in a suit rather than creating an illusion.

It was kind of amusing that the astronauts went through the monolith in 2001. It was also amusing that two of the astronauts were named Austin and Taylor. I didn't recognize Brubaker at all-- I'm not sure if I've ever seen Capricorn One.

Now I'm wondering what will happen if-- okay, when-- they get Daniels back. Will Simmons still be stuck on him, or will she realize it was just a function of being trapped together? Good old Fitz. We can imagine what it was like for him to listen to that story, but there was no hesitation on his part to help get Daniels back.

Sigh. I was hoping that Fitz and Gemma could just get together. Of course, it can't be that simple.

Why in the world does every episode have to "move the season's arc"? Some of the best TV I've seen has been single standalone episodes. Like, ya know, Star Trek.

Oh, don't get me started.

I got the impression that things would have really sucked if the sun had risen.

I was actually thinking the same thing. I was expecting the sunrise to be pretty at first, and then turn fierce and deadly, forcing them to hide in the shadows till it was over.

Maybe it's craven of me and I shouldn't expect this kind of way of psychological thinking from a lighthearted show from Disney, but I find it very hard to believe that a man in this kind of position wouldn't want to have sex at that moment. Consensual or not.

Are you kidding? After fourteen years of fighting for his life and suffering in utter isolation, that would be the last thing on his mind. He's lucky he wasn't impotent.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

I also really enjoyed the episode. I was a little surprised that the evil thing in the cloud was just a humanoid and not a giant monster of some kind (although, maybe a shapeshifter, so who knows?) and also that Simmons had so little contact with it considering how bad she was when she was rescued. And the NASA angle was certainly unexpected - I assumed she would either be trapped with some sort of indigenous civilization or with survivors from the historical secret societies that were sending people through.

But, considering the comments that were made about a 'small group' that convinced NASA the monolith was the affordable future of space travel, I rather suspect that the modern equivalent of those groups actually was responsible for Will's mission in the first place, which certainly makes you wonder why they're so intent on making human sacrifices to this monster.

 

[Reverend]

Who made the portal? Why? Was it designed to function in such a ludicrous way, or is it broken? Where is that planet and why is it the destination of the portal? What is the "force?" How did NASA get its hands on the monolith? How did NASA lose custody of the monolith? How did SHIELD get custody of the Monolith and why did it get no documentation along with it? Why did NASA really send a team through it? How long has it been on Earth?

Just guessing but I think: Kree. Inhuman disposal. Probably broken. Somewhere in Kree space. The janitor. eBay. SHIELD. Hydra. For Science!!! Millennia.

Maybe it's craven of me and I shouldn't expect this kind of way of psychological thinking from a lighthearted show from Disney, but I find it very hard to believe that a man in this kind of position wouldn't want to have sex at that moment. Consensual or not.

Are you kidding? After fourteen years of fighting for his life and suffering in utter isolation, that would be the last thing on his mind. He's lucky he wasn't impotent.

Yeah I don't know where some people get the idea that a man left on his own for an extended period will turn into a sex crazed maniac at the very first sight of a woman.
There's plenty of very real castaway stories where the man doesn't rape the first woman he sees. Indeed, I'm not sure I've ever heard of a single such instance. Once rescued, most of them are just glad to be back and desperate for a hot meal. It's a pretty sexist assumption when you stop to think about it.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Tom Hanks and Wilson did it so much on their island, that I doubt womankind had to be worried about Tom ever again.

 

[Mr Light]

<<It was kind of amusing that the astronauts went through the monolith in 2001. It was also amusing that two of the astronauts were named Austin and Taylor. I didn't recognize Brubaker at all-- I'm not sure if I've ever seen Capricorn One. >>

Chuck Austin and Ed Brubaker are Marvel Comics writers.

 

[Forbin]

There was a Monty Python sketch where a castaway was rescued, and presented with a choice between a bikini-clad woman, and a cooked turkey dinner. Which will he choose? Which is man's most driving force? The guy grabbed the turkey - and started kissing it.