I thought the season finale was next week. I were wrong. Without any real spoilers: Someone dies, someone lives, someone saves the day and some asses get kicked. Overall, it was about 50% pretty good and 50% not as pretty good.
Spoilish beyond this point.
For the most part it looks like the Centipede/Extremis/Cybernetics plotlines have been dealt with. Hydra is still out there doing stuff probably. There are a number of villainous villains running around. And also SHIELD is going to be rebuilt. Oh, and there are still mysteries orbiting Coulson and Mary-Skye Poots.
They started laying the groundwork in earnest for some kind of redemption with Woodbored. I'm not buying it and I don't care. I was rooting for and May kinda sorta maybe wanted to keep beating him until he was a pasty smear on the floor. But I can at least be a little happy that he's in jail. (And because SHIELD is being run by verified assholes, he's going to be tortured in some unspeakable manner. I guess I can't complain about it because of my admitted murderous hatred for him.) Evil Ward was the best thing to happen to this series and I'm going to miss him being out in the world being Evil Ward.
I'm also going to miss scenery eating Evil Garret. Wouldn't you know it, just as I'm yelling at the television about how stupid the "Armed Forces" or whoever is supposed to be handling Garret, the most ridiculous and hilarious and funny thing this show has ever done happens. And as hard as I laughed at it and thought that was p good, I also have to admonish (the writers) Coulson for completely stepping over the innocent dead body of whoever Garret killed to deliver his monologue.
Oh, and speaking of Coulson. He's no longer Agent Coulson, but also Avenger Director Coulson. The Big Talk™ he and Fury had was mostly unsatisfying. It basically boils down to Fury thinking Coulson was a p cool dude, so I'm putting you in charge of everthing now. For all the colossal fucking up Coulson and his Agents did, now he's the top dog. Holy shit, no wonder Ultron comes to power and starts fucking shit up. Thing is, Ultron doesn't really even need to be that powerful or clever. At least there are the Avengers to get Coulson's fish out of the fire.
Mary Skye Poots is still snowflaking along just fine. Excise all the stupid special Skye talk from this episode and it's improved by so very much. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of it - but that's still too much. And one of the lead ins to next season is Just How Special is She? I just really don't care anymore. All it's been this season is talk. And after 22 episodes how is it still just talk. Someone please for the love of anything just kill that plot.
One of the things that had me angry at the show was how terribly they used (and ultimately underutilized) Patton Oswalt's Eric Kaenig. I mean, how dumb was it to give Woodbored a thousand chances to answer one fucking question? And then Eric is dead. The half-assed redemption for this error is that Eric has a brother, Billy, who is the Administrative Assistant at some other secret base. (I say brother because LMDs which everyone keeps plotzing about everywhere have not been confirmed in the MCU.)
Alright, show, I gave you a full season. No one can say I didn't give a good try.
But, honestly, I don't want to continue with you into Season 2.
I saw nothing in the finale that made me want to continue following the adventures of Coulson and Co. What was supposed to be exciting was dull. What was supposed to be witty banter was flat. And what was supposed to be intriguing was sleep-inducing.
I am sorry, my Borther, but that bit with Garrett at the end was just cheap. It was a bit done for the sake of a stupid joke. The set up felt forced and the punchline fell flat for me.
I'm moving onto Arrow and The Flash, I don't know if they are any good, I'll give them the same chance I gave this show.
I am sorry, my Borther, but that bit with Garrett at the end was just cheap. It was a bit done for the sake of a stupid joke. The set up felt forced and the punchline fell flat for me.
On one hand, you're right. On the other hand, I'm glad they definitively ended that part of the plot. I was entertained even at the same time I was annoyed. And as our honorable colleague Adom has so eloquently stated earlier, "better doesn't mean good." Unless and until I can convince my friend that the show isn't worth the electrons, I'm afraid I'm stuck with this. I kind of hate myself that I want to see what horrible answers they concoct for some of the threads they've left on the ground.
I think at least part of the problem is a) high expectations and b) potential
a) This is a TV show about the freaking Marvel Universe, it's something right up my alley. I want it to be as awesome as the one in my mind. I want super powers, S.H.E.I.L.D. and everything else. I expect it to be awesome because it seems like it should be awesome without any trouble at all.
b) the production value is really high, the acting is pretty good and they have Josh Whedon on board. If the writing matched that quality it would be awesome. They have the money, they have decent talent.... what the hell happened?
So in regards to expectations, sometimes I wonder if I would feel as bad about another show of the same quality that wasn't Marvel based. Like if a new CSI show came out that had this type of quality, I might still think it was 'OK' because I wouldn't expect as much. I don't know.
Anyway, I'll likely stick with it for a while longer yet.
Joss is "only" an Executive Producer and isn't involved in day to day writing and directing. They say he reads every script but I don't see much influence except in isolated spots.
I'm not a committed Marvel person and I'm appreciative but skeptical when it comes to Whedon. I like much of his work, but I also find much of it lacking and/or problematic. But really, there is only one reason I won't be watching next season.
They are moving it back an hour in direct competition with Supernatural. Sorry, Coulson, even in its creaky tenth season, I'm always going pick Supernatural over you. Especially since they announced they are making Mark Sheppard a regular next season.
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"freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order."
- Justice Robert Jackson, West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette
They are moving it back an hour in direct competition with Supernatural
Oh, that's not smart. Not smart at all. Mark Sheppard, Moose and Squirrel are far more entertaining even when they are bad than SHIELD was at its best.
"I guess I don’t mean to say that people who have been frustrated by that discovery period are necessarily losers," he said. "I just think they should be, perhaps, a little more patient."
So, he soft back pedals a little. And to continue my defense: he calls a very specific subset of fans "losers."
Clark Gregg was recently on the Nerdist podcast for the second time. About halfway through, they talk about this a little bit. Here, for my first time, I get a first hand accounting of what happened and how he feels about it. Basically, what was written about the exchange isn't how he meant for it to sound. It's all still a good talk outside of that bit as Clark is a nice enough guy and they have a good rapport going on. (hail hydra)
For my own self, I want to like what I like and not like what I don't like. But at the same time with the small world of the internet effect in play, saying some mean things can get back to the people and there can be hurt feelings. I try not to be mean about the things I write, I'm not always successful. I just want everyone to get along and play nice together. I DON'T KNOW.
Marvel is excited to announce an all-new era for the God of Thunder in brand new series, THOR, written by Jason Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder, Original Sin) complimented with art from Russell Dauterman (Cyclops).
This October, Marvel Comics evolves once again in one of the most shocking and exciting changes ever to shake one of Marvel’s “big three” – Captain American, Iron Man and Thor – Marvel Comics will be introducing an all-new THOR, GOD OF THUNDER. No longer is the classic male hero able to hold the mighty hammer, Mjölnir, a brand new female hero will emerge will who will be worthy of the name THOR. Who is she? Where did she come from and what is her connection to Asgard and the Marvel Universe?
“The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it’s time to update that inscription,” says Marvel editor Wil Moss. “The new Thor continues Marvel’s proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute – she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”
Series writer Jason Aaron emphasizes, “This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR. This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”
I haven't been paying all that much attention to comics for the past couple of years. I didn't much care for DC's latest reboot with the "New 52" hoopla. From what I could tell, the whole point was to make all the heroes (except maybe Flash) into jerks. As somebody once put it, the apparent idea was to "make DC more Marvel than Marvel." When Superman and even Captain friggin' Marvel (sorry, it's apparently "Shazam" now) are jerks, then I'm not gonna care at all about them.
I all but gave up on Marvel after the unbearable "Civil War" storyline. True, "Siege" and then "Fear Itself" and its aftermath had their moments, but honestly. They put The Green Goblin in charge of world security? Seriously. The people of the Marvel Universe proved with that move alone that they were Too Dumb to Live. The rest was just downhill from there.
I kept up with the Thor-related titles for awhile, but how many times can you have a plot that goes like this?: "As it turns out, relocating Asgard to Oklahoma has upset the cosmic balance somehow, with bad consequences, but neither Thor nor the All-Mothers nor even Odin seems to want to do the obvious thing and put it back where it belongs."
I actually liked the Journey Into Mystery run with Kid! Loki, though. It was interesting to see young Loki making an honest effort to reform, and how he had to deal with nobody truly believing him. [Though that brings up yet another point: Why on Earth is it that people kept trusting Adult Loki, who wasn't called "The God of Lies" for nothing, you know -- but wouldn't give Kid! Loki an ounce of trust, even though he was actually trying to reform and do good?] It was also sweet to see how much he adored and looked up to his big brother.
I kept hoping, "Maybe they'll let it stick," but I kept thinking, "Nah, it's all a scam; sooner or later, Evil Adult Loki will be back." And sure enough, that's what happened. Well, screw that.
As for the news that Thor will be replaced. I don't care whether he's replaced by a man or a woman. It's not like Thor hasn't been temporarily replaced in the past, when he was off doing cosmic stuff or whatnot, or when he was otherwise out of the picture. Red Norvell and Thunderstrike come to mind. And you just know that Thor Odinson will eventually reclaim Mjolnir and his proper place.
But from what I understand, Thor will be replaced because he has become unworthy of wielding Mjolnir, and he will be depowered, forced to live as a mere mortal.
Screw that. I'm not gonna be reading the series. Not because they're replacing one of my favorite characters with a woman (who cares about the sex of his replacement?), but because it's for a nonsensical reason that sounds like an insult to the character. Besides, after the JMS run of Thor, it seems like the writers have gradually been forgetting that Thor is not just powerful and a good fighter, but he's also supposed to be smart and a fundamentally compassionate being who literally lives to protect others.
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
This isn't the first time Thor has had his mantle stripped and it likely won't be the last. I'm intrigued to find out what Thor could possibly do to become unworthy. It'll probably be controversial. And, in time, you know he's going to get it all back.
But from what I understand, Thor will be replaced because he has become unworthy of wielding Mjolnir, and he will be depowered, forced to live as a mere mortal.
All but a large muscular blond mortal. He could always open a CrossFit gym or something.
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Sleep - the most beautiful experience in life - except drink.--W.C. Fields
Yup, this won't be the first time that Thor has been judged unworthy and depowered as a result. Which is why the whole thing sounds ridiculous to me. It's not like we haven't seen this exact storyline before. The only difference is that this time, it's "OMG Thor is going to be replaced by a woman!".
Pffft. It certainly sounds as if it's all being done for no other reason than to grab some attention.
It could work if handled properly -- Thor gradually succumbs to the pressures and demands of being the Nine Realms' primary protector, for example. But from what I've been able to tell, it's more a case of the most recent writers having no real clue regarding who Thor actually is, and how he's supposed to behave.
Still, in the comics, moreso than in most other media, Status Quo is God. Thor Odinson will eventually regain his mantle; it's just a question of how long the writers will string the readers along. (I still wish they'd kept Kid Loki though. It could have taken the comics in a genuinely interesting direction. Instead, it was just a question of "how long 'til Regular, Completely Untrustworthy Loki is back -- and how long 'til everyone in Asgard develops amnesia and forgets that he's completely untrustworthy? At least JMS had the sense to write Loki as mostly manipulating people by telling the truth, albeit in a misleading way from time to time. He managed to make it at least somewhat plausible that people would actually listen to Loki.)
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“The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
-- Socrates
Last edited by The Lone Ranger; 07-19-2014 at 08:32 PM.
According to the outlet, Xena herself is coming to the series in season two. Unfortunately – though not at all surprising – the outlet is unaware of what role (or for how many episodes) the actress will be playing on the show. Considering prior work, her casting could go anywhere from top X-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to Asgardian. It seems we’ll just have to wait until the fall – or at least this weekend – to know exactly what Lawless will have in store for Team Coulson.
The next season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is shaping up very nicely. It’s going to be interesting to see how the team deals with the task of rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D., in addition to how the series will set things up for Avengers: Age of Ultron in May. If it ends up being anything like the way things went with Captain America: The Winter Soldier this past season, then we’re in for one hell of a treat.
After a mediocre episode with the fantastic Amy Acker, I don't know what to feel about this. On the first hand, YES, LUCY LAWLESS IN ALL THE THINGS, but let me wait to see what they actually do before I commit.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the team deals with the task of rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D
Actually, no, I don't think it will be interesting.
It's a small team, sure it's a small team headed by Coulson, the current "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.", but rebuilding a global intelligence agency, tasked with dealing with superhumans seems to be a bit of a stretch for these guys.
I mean, sure, they've got Skye. And there's nothing she can't do. But, still...
We have a sort of almost but not really answer to the question I posed over in the Movies thrad.
Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrotherMan
And another question: Who is Quill's father? Any wiki searches and so forth don't really have an answer as his origins have been changed a few times over the years. The clues of "ancient" and "alien" don't have any easy answers in-universe. People have named a few species but as we all know the MCU is playing by different rules and there's not a one to one conversion from the comics.[/spoiler]
In an interview with Empire, Gunn says a document about the identity of Peter Quill/Star-Lord's father is being passed around between "a select two or three of us," and goes on to say that the plan was always to figure out who the father was before the screenplay was shot. "We wanted to make sure Yondu’s place in everything made sense and it does, so it’s all very specific stuff."
Gunn did confirm that Quill's father is NOT the character from the source material, revealing, "It’s definitely not the character who it is in the comics, I’ll say that much."
Nope, forgot all about it and was having my phone date with my best friend. I may watch it On Demand tonight, though.
__________________
"freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order."
- Justice Robert Jackson, West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette
After a brief recap of events and a preview of Agent Carter...
AoS picks up some time after the close of season one. SHIELD as an organization is still reeling from the aftermath of the events that took place during the Winter Soldier. Agent Coulson is now Director Coulson. His team rarely sees him anymore because when he's not holed up in his office he's flying coach around the country|world recruiting the best people (who aren't really good enough) he can find.
Thankfully the Coulson 4 aren't the only team trying to keep tabs on the nefarious ne'er do wells (mostly HYDRA) around the world. Agent Xena and her team of mercinaries are trying to buy up and ferret out both HYDRA agents and former SHIELD people who are trying to cash in on any and all secrets that ran off when things went to shizzle.
In a clandestine meeting that ties in with the preview opener, Xena and her team run into a big ol' problem: A bullet proof man who walks in and runs off with a picture of the macguffin. Team Mercinary is saved by the Coulson 4. After returning to HQ, the teams' debriefing is full of back biting and mistrust.
May and Coulson have a meeting of the minds. He talks about how tedious and time consuming being Director is and she complains about not getting to talk to him much. The funny-not-funny subtext for me was May is still operating on Fury's secret directives for her joining Team Coulson - how she was on the team to keep an eye on Coulson's sanity. Something she can't do because she's out on missions as ordered by the new Director of SHIELD. Just one of a few weird moments.
Oh, the macguffin of this week? It's an 084, an item of unknown origin. But it's not just any 084, it's the first 084. According to secret Fury files the only thing anyone knows about it is that it does a really good job of killing people.
Bulletproof guy from the secret buy gets into the back of a delivery truck. He connects with his HYDRA handler. Bad Guy is given a reward - some fancy diamond-like gem, very rare. "He believes," HYDRA says "that you'll find the structure quite... pleasurable." Bulletproof guy takes the gem in hand and then turns his hand into a gem-like structure. (Cue Marvel knowers pointing at the TV and gibbering excitedly.)
Commercial break
When we get back from commercials, Xena and Team Merc are enjoying some break time and witty banter when May tells them Coulson wants to see them. They act surprised because, as was stated earlier, Coulson doesn't see people. Or at least not very often. There's a nice casual joke where one guy says to another "Don't look [Coulson] in the eye when you get up there. He doesn't like that." You know, shorthand for we might be killers for hire but we also have a sense of humor.
May then confirms that Skye took a piece of [something] that was recovered from the encounter with Bulletproof Guy to the lab. "Yeah," Skye sighs "but I don't know what it will get us." Prompting May to ask how the mood is down there, and really there are no good answers for us.
Down there in the lab, Simmons is encouraging Fitz to continue his tests on the [something] that was recovered. Fitz's brain, if you don't remember, was deprived of oxygen for longer than a brain should be deprived of oxygen when last we saw him. Though he is ambulatory and has almost all of his faculties, he's not all there. It looks like he's able to do all the science things but he has trouble talking about all the science things.
In the meeting between Coulson and Team Merc, they're talking about Bulletproof Guy as well as their motivation for being a SHIELD team. Since they're mercinaries (except for Agent Xena), obviously they're talking about money. May interrupts the brain trust with news about Bulletproof Guy. Turns out his real name is Carl Creel, a former boxer who went by the name of "The Crusher." Oh, and he was supposed to be dead. The person who had crossed Creel's name of the Index? John Garret. (Also: More Marvel fans squeeing because ABSORBING MAN.)
Skye and Triplett are trying to figure out what the deal is with the other Agent Koenig. How many brothers can one man have anyway? And we're also given some tease about the glyphs from last season, which is to say, we're not given any information at all. Skye was tasked with figuring out what they are and not only is she stumped but so is google. Coulson interrupts their reverie with a new task for Skye: She gets to ask Woodbored what he knows. Because, as Coulson says, she's the only one who can.
Down in the depths of new SHIELD HQ, Vault D houses the dangerous but still mystifyingly useful liar and murderer. Because Agents of SHIELD is a tech-tech show, of course he's not imprisoned in a regular jail cell - because he might use it to kill himself. (Ward tried to use a metal button from his prison uniform to slash at his wrists. He's also tried running at the wall.) And I guess building a Lecter-like plexiglass cell was too expensive - (even though you'll see one later in this very episode). He's caged on three sides by regular walls, the fourth wall is an "inertial confinement laser construct" to keep him in place. The actual interrogation between Skye and Ward is as dull as you can imagine, even though Dalton's creepy Ward impersonation is the best thing he's allowed to do. He promises to always tell the truth and she is having none of his nonsense. The interview closes before Woodbored gets to tempt Skye with what he knows about Skye's father. (JUST. ALL OF MY VOMITS, OKAY.)
Woodbored does tell Team Coulson that HYDRA could be communicating by using "white noise between the quantum blah blah between the tech-tech," because that's how they were doing it when SHIELD was still running. As it turns out HYDRA as an beauracratic entity is just as bad as any other government or corporation what with their lack security protocols and everything. They're still using that method to inform and direct their operatives around the world. A quick signal ping also reveals that there are a lot of HYDRA in the world that SHIELD has to shut down. Like. A lot.
Cut to: General Talbot in Washington DC. He's walking around with his fambly when Triplett a complete stranger accidentally bumps into him. Hint: It wasn't an accident. A moment later Talbot's phone is ringing. (Hint: It isn't his phone, rather it's the one Triplett a complete stranger just dropped into his pocket.) Coulson calls to warn Talbot that his life and possibly his family's life is in danger. Talbot doesn't take this news very well. And since he's the Head Guy in Charge of hunting down SHIELD and HYDRA (which in his mind is the same thing) he hangs up on Coulson and calls in his own squad of highly trained and well armed soldiers.
It only takes seconds for them to arrive, but before they do Talbot is under attack from ABSORBING MAN. Talbot takes a few swings at him, but he gets knocked down and then May comes flying in with a well timed kick. Before ABSORBING MAN can build up any momentum Skye is on the spot with a shotgun fired taser. Carl Creel goes down. Slowly. But he goes down. May and Skye take advantage of the chaos to run off. General Talbot orders someone to "SECURE THAT BASTARD," before being escorted from the scene (by two cleverly disguised SHIELD agents).
The USAF takes Absorbing Man into custody and is placed in a plexiglass cell. I don't know why they put him in there. There's no mention of any protocol with regards to cell type when dealing with abby-normals. No one gives any indication of being aware of his unique morphing abilities. And even knowing that, there's no reason to believe that if he could use the cement, glass, plastic or metal of a conventional cell to escape. Stay tuned as this part of the story develops.
General Talbot finds himself strapped to a chair in the special interrogation room that SHIELD loves. (A "honeycomb kill room" is what Talbot calls it. I'm keeping it.) Coulson and Talbot trade barbs with Coulson getting the better of the situation by mentioning Talbot's family in a roundabout threatening way. The SHIELD team uses some special tech-tech in the chair to scan Talbot's fingerprints.
Coulson reveals that Creel's attack on Talbot may have been a false flag. That he was just using it so that he could be captured and transported to the central facility where all things SHIELD/HYDRA and TECH-TECH from both are being stored. Talbot responds with the stereotypical USA bravado and threatens Coulson to let him go or he's going to kill him. Coulson responds by shooting Talbot...
... with a Nite-Nite of course.
There's an emotional scene between FItz and Simmons running parallel to Talbot's interview. Fitz thinks that he's the one who should be running the fingerprint analysis and some of the other things he sees Koening doing. Fitz talks about his progress since the accident, and how he only really feels whole or has any hope is when he's talking with Simmons. He thinks he's getting better but he doesn't have the confidence because he can't express himself with anyone else except her.
Talbot wakes up in a car somewhere. He immediately calls in his position using his personalized access code. So, you know what that means. The whole capture the guy and make him think he's being interrogated so you can release him and he can lead you to where you really wanted to go with all the information you need to break in. Koening is on the other end of the line promising (falsely) to do all the things that the General is demanding. (Double the detail on The prisoner and having the walls crawling with autos and dispatching a car to his location.)
Back at HQ, Team Mercinary is debating the intelligence of storming a US military installation that's crawling with soldiers whose job it is to hunt down SHIELD agents and mercinaries just to save them from some Absorbing Man (Agent Xena is the first to call him that, fyi) and recover a box of [macguffin]. Agent Xena floats the balloon that the USA isn't one of the really bad guys and Talbot is all right, she guesses, even if he's tried to kill them a couple of times. The rest of Team Merc feels about the same, but if this is what SHIELD wants to pay them to do who are they to really argue the morality of it all.
Coulson arrives to finish their briefing to tell them that this is a make or break moment for SHIELD. He's sending what he has left|available to recover [macguffin] to keep it out of the hands of the ignorant and the evil. If it succeeds, SHIELD has a better chance of being better and if it fails, it's all over but the arrests and the torture and special rooms at Gitmo for the lot of them. Oh, and he cryptically hints that [macguffin] isn't all they're trying to recover.
At the facility two guards are talking about nothing. One turns around to check on The prisoner and *gasp!* he's completely disappeared. Rather than lock the door to the room that the locked special plexicell is in and call for reinforcements or alert anyone in particular that there may be a situation, they both go investigate. Complete with opening the completely clear plexiglass cell that doesn't look tampered with in any way that might indicate an actual escape. Then and only then do we get to see the refractive outline of the Aborbing Man who just absorbed himself invisible or at least see through.
At the front gate, Trip dressed as a visting General, attempt to infiltrate using the tech-tech they lifted from Talbot. This requires Skye to hack into the facility to place "General" Trip and his entourage onto Talbot's schedule. It also requires a phone call from Coulson who uses tech-tech to sound like Talbot to give the poor Private a dressing down for just doing his job. It takes a stupid amount of time to hack and call but eventually they are allowed to pass.
At the Ordinance Depot, where the [macguffins] are kept, May uses Talbot's fingerprint scan to access the storage facility. The teams split up to look for the 084. It's Agent Xena who's lucky enough to find it but not before she blithely walks right by a human shaped section of gray wall. It's the Absorbing Man! Who somehow was able to get inside a fingerprint code locked and alarmed building who knows how many minutes after he escaped from another locked and patrolled holding facility that apparently only had a couple of guards.
Now, the smart thing to do right now is to grab the box the 084 is in tell everyone you found it and get in your vehicles and gtfo. But for some reason, Agent Xena says that she found it and then proceeds to open it. Absorbing Man makes his move but you don't get to be long-term undercover Agent Xena of SHIELD without learning some skills. She tries to cut him open but Creel has turned part of himself metal. Agent Xena decides now is a perfect time to see what this 084 can do.
Well, it starts attacking her hand. The rest of the team converge on Xena's location and Absorbing Man doesn't like his odds and figures running away is a good option. Xena can't let go of the 084 and it's steadily infecting its way up her arm. The team is divided on what they should do: Abort and seek medical aid or continue the mission. Coulson tells them to finish the job. The team splits up anyway. Team Merc takes Agent Xena and Team SHIELD does that other thing that Coulson told them to do.
Team Merc effects emergency egress post haste. They blow through the front gate without issue. No one is following them and no one really tries to stop them. (It's a really bad day for poor Private Tillman.) Agent Xena's condition worsens by the second. She says that she can feel the [macguffin] killing her. She turns to one of her mercs and tells him to cut it off of her. There's an abrupt emotional debate about the pros and cons of the decision, but he quickly aquieces.
Parallel to the Team Merc's escape, Team Coulson is in a running firefight with security forces. They're fighting their way onto the flightline. That's where we see Quinn jets parked. Because it's a bad day for US military security, Skye and Tripp succeed in absconding with one of the cloak equipped aircraft and additionally May gets to ride off on a conveniently parked motorcycle.
All while Coulson narrates and exposits. Here it's revealed that Fitz is more far gone than we've been lead to believe. See, a few months previos Gemma thought her presence at HQ wasn't helping, but in her absence Fitz's condition was only getting worse. There's a brief and heart wrenching scene of FItz talking to himself thinking she's there.
As Team Merc is making good their escape, the evil counterpart to serendipity gives them the middle finger. They just happen to be driving on the very road where Absorbing Man is walking. Absorbing Man is no dummy or has magical knowledge or something. He absorbs himself some asphalt and makes a human speed bump causing the SUV to crash and flip. And by some evil doppleganger of fortune he's able to retrieve the [macguffin]. (Detailed aside: When the [macguffin] is touched, familiar glyphs appear on its surface. The glyphs appear to be similar to the ones Ward saw in that lab and that both Garret and Coulson drew on whatever surface was handy.)
The last minute stinger reveals that is Daniel Whitehall, the Kraken, who running HYDRA operations now. This neatly bookends this episode as it is Whitehall who Peggy Carter foils and captures in the beginning.
And those are the events as I witnessed them. Overall, not a bad episode. Though if you weren't in favor of it for the first season there's nothing new for you here. If you're curious the best I can recommend is to read recaps on your favorite geek site. I think Comics Alliance's recap was the best this week. It gave a good rundown on the events with little editorializing.
The show is still commiting the sin of over-zealousness. Too much reliance on tech-tech to magic up solutions instead of stronger writing. And they've really, really done a disservice with splitting Fitz-Simmons. As a pair they were the best source for lightening the mood. Iaian and Elizabeth have the best chemistry of any other set of characters on the show.
My single least favorite part was how Team Merc stumbled onto Absorbing Man at the end. It simply makes no logistical sense. An escaping prisoner wouldn't be walking down the middle of the street in the middle of the day. And I do mean walking. And somehow this multi-lane road near a military installation somewhere in Virginia was empty except for Absorbing Man and Team Merc.
They were all so close to a pretty good episode and that just upset it all for me. But, okay, here's the good: High profile, very powerful and seemingly long term enemies: Absorbing Man and Kraken.
What bugged me was not that Absorbing Man was walking slowly down the street, but that he'd stopped to put on pants at some point during his flight.
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"freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order."
- Justice Robert Jackson, West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette