#rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching S.O.S. Part 1

A day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent: you have barely put your best friend’s deceptions behind you and the fallout from the latest internal squabble has just started to settle when your former temporary not-boss is murdered, a whole community of powered people is duped into thinking you are the Gestapo and the young agent you’ve been mentoring for the better part of the year doesn’t trust you and flings you across a courtyard.

And you have just begun to contemplate the very real possibility you might be forced to go against another superpowered mother and daughter duo, after the first time it happened it almost destroyed you, when you discover that your traitorous former teammate and dalliance has kidnapped one of your friends and now there’s a second crisis to go with the first.

Yeah. It’s not a fun day to be May.

It’s not an easy day to be Daisy, either (is it ever?). Everything is crashing down, again, another promise of a home destroyed, again, and she’s faced, again, with a choice between her biological family and her found one. And for the first time since she stepped on the Bus, she doesn’t choose the latter, even if it doesn’t last.

And why not. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had been really guilty of what her mother frames them for, opposing them would have been the right, if painful, thing to do.

But they aren’t. And when she finally understands what her mother is doing, there is no hesitation. Skye chooses S.H.I.E.L.D. unreservedly. After all, they haven’t murdered anyone in the past 24 hours (well, unless Nameless Inhuman #3 died when Agent Trigger Happy shot him 😏) and aren’t gearing up for a massacre.

Before that, however, there is the little matter of not trusting May and, if nothing else this season, she had earned the right to be trusted.

I like that May stresses to Coulson - who is by far Daisy’s biggest stan, honestly 🤣 - that Skye chose, although when they fight I think she was mostly running on impulse (“I don’t exactly over-analyze. I just act impulsively and then I freak out after the fact” -- 1x19).

The actual choice is bringing the charm (I hope that’s a correct term for it) back to Jiaying later (“Bring this back to me if you decide to join our fight”), and therefore much more significant because it is a reasoned choice, not a hasty reaction with the sound of explosions and the accusatory words of her bleeding mom still ringing in her ears (not to mention the shooting of that unarmed Inhuman right in front of her).

Regardless, May is owned another apology. 😉

To Kill Like a Mockingbird:

Speaking of bad days, Bobbi’s trumps them all, courtesy of Ward and Wardette, because Kara is now gone completely over to the dark side.

Despite hours of torture, she still looks capable of getting the upper hand against Ward at least until Kara wakes up, making it likely that a well rested and unhurt Bobbi could have dealt successfully with both of them (and she had already made very quick work of Kara in 2x20).

Her mental fortitude is even more remarkable than her fighting skills. She mocks Ward relentlessly (“Take her to Hawaii”) and clinically dissects the abusive and beyond toxic partnership between him and Kara. Her outstanding profiling skills don’t fail her even under extreme duress and she remains unwavering when confronted by death.

And when Ward tries to draw a parallel between them (“Both of us, living one life on the outside. But who we really are, we keep that buried deep inside where no one can ever find it.”) she delivers the perfect rebuttal:

You're such a hypocrite. You say I betrayed her? You betrayed your entire team. How many people who trusted you have died? See, I've seen the real Grant Ward, the one buried deep inside. He's a coward who always has an excuse or someone else to blame.

It’s a shame she’ll never get the chance to thoroughly trash him.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All:

Alisha Whitley aka Ginger Ninjas (thank you, Mack) is the Inhuman answer to Multiple Man, capable of creating up to four duplicates of herself who can fight and take action just as effectively as their original, as long as Ashley Prime remains conscious.

She knows and controls what they are doing even when there’s significant physical distance between them, (in S3 she’ll do it from at least several miles away).

She’s also a very skilled martial artist (her actress is Adrianne Palicki’s stunt double on the show) and likely possesses superior strength and speed to the average human.

The death of one of her duplicates doesn’t harm her physically but it’s a severe psychological shock. And once a duplicate is dead, she doesn’t seem able to replicate another in its place, since by the time she is killed by a Kree Reaper in 3x19 she was down to only one double.

She’s Got The Powers:

Skye had already accidentally dismantled a gun with her powers in 2x12, here she does it on purpose, a feat she won’t repeat again until 6x01. She also uses her powers to create a concussive wave to knock May out, in what will become an infinitely more common display of her Inhuman abilities.

Beloved Frenemy:

After almost two years of being mostly a thorn in our agents’ side (no puns, I swear), Raina  basically dies so that our budding superhero can learn the depth of her mother’s corruption and rejoin the fold. Which is disappointing.

Personally, I would have expected her to manage it without dying and finding a way to exploit it to her advantage - a S3 Inhumans cult-like enclave led by the true Clairvoyant anyone? - but I’ve always had a soft spot for Raina, even when she was doing terrible things to characters I love like Mike Peterson. 

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Sir, there’s been gunfire. Skye’s mother’s been shot, allegedly by Gonzales. Yes. Very, very allegedly.

What about Gonzales? [...] -- Got what he always wanted. Oh, how I wish it were that simple, Fitz. But I appreciate your unwavering distrust in the man. 😉

Why would you let them do this to us? I thought you were on our side! By all means, guilt trip your daughter. You just lost all your cool mom points. Well, and also with the murder, that was bad, too. 🤭

Oh, hi Alisha. And nameless guy who is about to be shot.

Tell me, Agent Trigger Happy, what possessed you to a) shoot an unarmed and unthreatening person in the middle of this powder keg b) do it with your fellow agent in the line of fire? Enjoy your frankly well deserved asskicking.

Skye, stop! -- What have you done? Congratulations, Ms Johnson! Your membership of the “Assume the Worst of May” Club has just been renewed for the year! 😁

I don’t want to hurt you! -- You won’t. Echoes of their conversation during training in 2x12, when it was Daisy who told May she didn’t want to hurt her and May assured her she couldn’t. And in terms of physical hurt, she still right. Until Skye used her powers, the fight was one-sided even though May was hardly going all out.

I’m sorry, May. You’re not welcome here [woo-woo-woo-woosh] Well, now, that’s just cheating. 😁

And my brother's been on me for years, wants us to motorcycle down to Baja.[...] So there’s nothing I can say? -- To change my mind? No. Oh, that’s right, Mack, you resigned.🤣 First mention of his brother and love for motorcycles.

None of this would have happened if Gonzales hadn’t attacked. -- You can’t actually believe he would do something like this. -- Oh, no, Gonzales would never attack a base unprovoked. I think the Bus Kids have also formed the “Assume the Worst of Gonzales” Club. I’d proudly claim honorary membership except unfortunately I already know what really happened.

Gonzales was smarter than this. It's too sloppy. I like that Coulson seems to dismiss the idea only because he thinks Gonzales would have done it better, not not done it at all. Another member for the aforementioned club? 😉

I think you've helped enough. -- What is that supposed to mean? -- It means Jiaying was right, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't be trusted. But you convinced her otherwise. Guilt trip #2. What a fun day this is shaping up to be.

Skye feels as betrayed as we do, Lincoln. Maybe more. -- I don’t think we know the full story. Hold on to that thought, Daisy. This would be a really good time for your "mistrust of home superpower”(2x17) to manifest itself, btw.

You know, I am capable of finishing -- my own sentences. Yes, you are. I'm sorry. Well, at least something is going well. Fitz seems fully back to his old fast-speaking, fast-thinking self.

No, you're here to ask questions about what's gonna happen next. [...] Well, that's the tragedy. Because even if I were inclined to tell you, you wouldn't believe me, not with our history. It is a very fair assumption. However, it couldn’t hurt to try and actually explain? That’s the problem with clairvoyants. They become so sure the future they see is what will unquestionably happen, they don’t even try to change it. Unless they’re kids with a passion for crayon drawings...

Your mother isn't leading our people, she's misleading them. It's you who are destined to lead. Oh, what fateful words. Or not. Still working on that, I guess?

They're all willing to fight because S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked. -- What about your daughter? -- I'm hopeful she'll do the right thing. Oh, don’t worry, she will...😈

I'm a present, a gift horse...a peace offering from my family. I'm also an excellent Shanghai Rummy partner. -- Sir, I'm worried he's more of a Trojan Horse. Well, he just told you he is. “Gift horse”? C’mon.

Bobbi once set Hunter’s 1967 convertible GTO on fire. Reason #1047 I’ll be forever pissed Most Wanted didn’t happen.

What’s wrong? -- Everything. S.H.I.E.L.D. attacking, you getting shot, me fighting May, the threat of more people dying...this is way up there on one of the worst days ever. Quick, Jiaying, she’s entering the “freak out after the fact” phase and then comes the thinking and you can’t have her thinking things through. Say something unsettling and demanding of action! Or, wait, no, don’t. I’m not rooting for you. What the hell? 😳

Skye's mother orchestrated the whole thing. It was a performance. [...] Every Inhuman up there believes that S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked their leader and declared war. -- Including Skye. Don’t give Jiaying all the credit for that. S.H.I.E.L.D. bungled this Inhuman business from the beginning.

This reeks of Ward. He left Agent 33 here for this very purpose. [...] There’s a piece we don’t understand yet. -- There’s a piece that Ward doesn’t understand. When I find him, I’m going to kill him. Eh, the kids have been trying all season. He’s got plot armor made of vibranium right now.

I'm sorry you were in that safe house, but I did the right thing. The lives of the many outweigh the life of one. You swore to the same ideal when you signed to S.H.I.E.L.D. -- That's your apology? Ward, you’re the last person who can complain about half-assed apologies. And don’t knock it. She’s taking full responsibility for her actions, used “I” the whole time and even said the word “sorry”. It’s already miles ahead of what you delivered to your former teammates a couple of episodes ago. She was also fighting nazis instead of helping them, so, you know.

We may still have assets in there. -- Agent Skye? She could expose us. She knows every S.H.I.E.L.D. procedure. You're gambling with our lives because of one agent. The security of S.H.I.E.L.D. far outweighs the safety of Skye. -- It's not her safety, it's her usefulness. Eeehhh...I don’t know Phil...I’m pretty sure it’s at least both.

Mack, I thought you left. The Curse of Mack. He can try. But he can never leave. Mhwhahahaha! 🤣

What about the alien thing in the cargo hold? Could be what this is all about. It’s what started the paranoia on their side, that’s for sure.

I think [Cal’s conconction] is an ill-conceived attempt at super strength. -- Other than Cap, every attempt has been ill-conceived. Fanboy Phil, reporting for duty. 😁

Do you think it'll end with me? There's always someone else to blame. [...] I bet he started you off easy, a symbolic target. Maybe the doctor who made your mask. Ward probably started off easy, too. -- You're right. It was his dog. Garrett made him kill his dog. I know what you're doing, Agent Morse, and it's not going to work. Pity, because she nailed it.

Grant's already told me everything about his abusive family, about John Garrett, about having to kill Victoria Hand. But in the end, he overcame his family and the pain Garrett put him through. He remade himself. It's why I love him. And why no matter what he does, I will always stand with Ward. Well, I’ll be...sometimes the AoS writers are really not subtle, uh? 🤣

There's only one thing that can save the Inhumans from death and destruction. And it is neither you nor I. It's Skye. I've considered killing her and you, running from my fate. I’m glad you mentioned the kill option because that would have been my first question.

Peace? I built this community in the middle of nowhere so we would be left in peace. Yet, S.H.I.E.L.D. found us. I know. And you’re right. But nosy secret agencies aren’t an excuse for mass-murder.

I am planning for our future, your future. Daisy, I won’t live forever, and when I’m gone, you must lead these people, protect them as I have done. -- Protect them? You killed Raina. You are leading them into a war. If they need protection, it is from you! -- I'm sorry you feel that way. Kids, uh? They never appreciate all the things parents do for them...

When this is done, hopefully she’ll understand. I can’t tell if you’re finally fully delusional or just playing concerned mom for the kicks.

I never got [the formula] quite right. Always missing something. Highly unstable. Made me a little moody. Could it kill me? Sure. But it was worth the risk. That’s entirely a matter of debate.

Maybe they both just needed a holiday. Bobbi always liked Spain. Probably sitting on a beach, telling 33 what a lousy husband I was. I did have my faults. I would call that the “When Pigs Fly” scenario, Hunter. 😔

If you hurt anyone here, Daisy will never forgive you. -- Stop calling her that! -- Sorry. I thought...never mind. -- "Daisy" to me and her mother, not you, not anyone else! Right, Coulson, how dare you. It’s not like Cal spent half the season barking bloody murder at everyone who called her Skye. 🤭

You've always done her dirty work. She's the real monster. -- She's not like me. -- No. She's worse. Mhmmm...I think they’re both pretty bad and broken, all things considered. I wouldn’t make it a competition.

Get me an adrenaline injector, one milligram. Oh dear. I believe that would be the missing ingredient. 😬

Got to admit, I'm not hopeful [the Icers] will do anything but piss him off. -- There are more lethal solutions. -- Not yet. He's Skye's father or at least, he was. I'm hoping there's still a sliver of the man who [Cal breaks out of quarantine] oh-oh. Jemma’s quick sideye look is a thing of beauty and I can’t blame her. Coulson’s “let’s not ruffle one hair in the vicinity of anything Skye-related” policy was starting to wear *me* down. 😂

A day ago, I never wanted to talk to her again. Now she's all I can think about. -- Love's weird that way. -- I'm not sure it's love. More like a dance of desire, discomfort, and unreliable feelings. You say potato...

I wonder what you'll feel when you watch somebody else die because of what you did. And the Wardification of Kara is complete. Blaming others for her own terrible actions.

Do we have anybody left still fighting below? Well, there’s Mack and his axe so yeah, there’s plenty! 😎

You gotta admit, FitzSimmons make excellent bait. They look so harmless and helpless, with his cardigans, her sensible shoes and both their fresh faces...who could ever resist the lure to chase and slaughter them? 😁

All clear. The ship's been taken. [...] -- Now what? -- Now, we begin. Phase 2: Kill All the Humans.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x21 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #bobbi morse #lance hunter #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #grant ward #kara palamas #jiaying #cal johnson #raina #alisha whitley #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching S.O.S. Part 2

If it weren’t for a certain young scientist with two PhDs in allegedly unpronounceable fields being sucked into a portable Einstein-Rosen bridge, S.O.S. would be the closest AoS came, to date, to deliver an upbeat ending in a season finale.

S1′s finale had comatose Fitz and the uncertainity of the future, S3′s is a complete tragedy, S4′s had the prospect of jail time looming and the kidnapping to space and beyond and S5′s is a cryfest. And I’m not really counting S6 as it feels more like a midseason cliffhanger, but time travelling to the Prohibition era to stop a bunch of uptight synthetics from conquering the planet isn’t exactly a happily ever after scenario.

S2, however, leaves almost all the characters in reasonably good places.

Sure, Skye’s just lived through the worst family reunion ever and lost both her parents again but she’s endured, has finally all the answers about where she comes from and is looking to lead a team of her own, saving lives and making a difference, which is what she always wanted.

Phil lost his hand and May’s leaving but he’s full of plans for the future and S.H.I.E.L.D. is much stronger and rich of resources than it was when the season started. He’s succeded at the nigh impossible task of rebuilding after The Fall.

May’s going on vacation and has a second chance with Andrew and maybe at a life where S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t everything. She’s smiling, stealing whisky and packing red bikinis and guns, which is sort of a positive, too, because until now she didn’t want anything to do with guns unless absolutely necessary. She’s feeling better about herself.

Bobbi is traumatized and has a long recovery ahead but she is alive, which wasn’t a given, and there is no reason to believe she won’t pull through, and she and Hunter are in a good place with each other again (or look like they will be).

Lance has Bobbi back and he’s not the mistrusted merc with a fake cynical attitude he was at the beginning of the season.

Mack didn’t quit and is bossing British scientists around, in full control of one of the things he fears most, alien stuff.

And FitzSimmons are safe, sound and have a dinner date planned.

Yeah, even if Jemma hadn’t been eaten by Monolith Prime 15 seconds later, that would have been a red flag. 😉

Gotta Catch ‘Em All:

In Part 1 Jiaying’s gift revealed itself to be much less benign than everyone had been led to believe, audience included: not a simple passive tissue regeneration and/or a slower decay but an active, vampiric-like ability that requires her to willingly “absorb” somebody else’s vitality to heal and prolong her own life.

Given that her DNA is a key ingredient for the final version of the Centipede serum (5x19), it’s likely she does have some form of passive self-healing ability, too, but to heal serious wounds and to extend her lifespan over centuries, she needs “the generosity of others”, as she so very creepily understates in 2x21.

Going on Cal’s words, for many generations she did it out of a sense of duty, entrusted to carry on the Inhumans’ knowledge and traditions, with willing volunteers and while still trying to convince them otherwise ( “She would weep, scream, beg them not to” 2x22)

After Whitehall, she had to go through numerous subjects to heal  - an entire village, “supplied” by Cal - and taking so many unwilling lives likely burned out whatever might have been left of the compassionate and loving person she was described to be before her horrific ordeal.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

What we both want is to protect your daughter. Welcome to an all new episode of Agents of D.A.D.S.!

I'm not saying your wife is a monster, Cal. I think you already know she's a monster. What I'm saying is, you're not. I know you've thought so for a long time. But deep down, you're a good man. I believe that. I do. Honestly, I think they were both good people, once, and now they’re not. But, you’re trying to convince him to help you and Jiaying is unquestionably gone off the rails at this point.

You got a big heart, full of love. You wear it on your sleeve. Skye got that from you. You know, wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve sounds like a terrible trait for a secret agent.

Jiaying's out for blood, and there's no way in hell Skye will go along with that. Think about the danger that puts her in. She's not my daughter, but she's as close to family as I've got, and I will save her, no matter what the cost. Soooo, that stuff about “it’s not her safety, it’s her usefulness” you said last ep was you fronting, uh? I would never have guessed it. 😁

You want to lend me a hand getting these things off? Or a face? 🤣

Who’s with you? -- Just you and me, Tremors. "Just you and me, Tremors”. 🤗 I want more of just him and Tremors. Pls, S7? Also first time he calls her Tremors. 🤗

We have to show them what we're capable of. It's the only way they'll ever leave us alone. Actually, it seems like the perfect way to ensure humans wouldn’t leave you alone. And, powers or not, there’s like a gazillion more of them than you.

The problem is, [the S.O.S. signal] is hard-wired, clear on the other side of the ship, with a dozen Ginger Ninjas and God knows who else standing in the way. -- But we're still gonna try. -- Hell yeah. The totally excellent adventure of Mack and the Daisy. 😉 (though I expect the “D” in that title refers to Mr. Lemons).

I didn't think May would be with him. She could screw the whole thing up for us. Nice of you to not underestimate her.

[May radioes fake instructions to fool Kara] Hunter’s the only agent left -- She doesn’t know that. And look. She just screwed the whole thing up for them. 😎

And what about us? How dangerous are we? -- Very. We've always been. Now they know it. They’ve always known it, genius, they were scared shitless of you, that’s how (part) of this mess started. And you confirming their worst fears is how it’s ending. 😞

They have turned Jiaying’s own daughter against us. No, I’m pretty sure it was all the unprovoked murdering that did it.

She just killed them, all of them, didn’t even think about it. [...] And I fell for the whole act. -- [...] You had to choose between two sides that both mean something. I get it. You make the best choice you can. Sometimes, it works out. Sometimes -- It didn’t -- It did not. Is it possible you’re speaking from experience there, Mack? 😉

Try to hack the code and turn it off -- Wait. Where are you going? -- To find a power saw in case you can’t. Ok, now you’re just being insulting. In case she can’t hack it? What show have you been watching? 😄

I've modified my field generators to act in unison as a quantum-field disrupter. [...] The disrupter should keep him contained to a single space. This nifty piece of technology will be re-used in 4x21 to temporarily contain Aida who had acquired Gordon’s teleportation ability from the experiments in the Framework.

Let’s get her prepped for surgery. Unless Jemma graduated while she was infiltrating Hydra - and tbh I wouldn’t put it past her - it appears that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s best trauma surgeon is someone who doesn’t even have a proper medical degree. Could be much worse, though, the lead surgeon could be a mechanical engineer guided step by step by a field agent reading “Surgery for Dummies” on her tablet. 😁

Jiaying staged the whole thing. She murdered Gonzales, then shot herself to frame S.H.I.E.L.D. so we'd follow her to war. [...] -- Do you even hear how crazy that sounds? Says the guy who shoots lighting from his hands and is currently hijacking the ship of an organization that routinely deals with alien invasions and people with superpowers.

I was getting through to him. -- Right now, I’m in a “crack heads first, ask questions later” frame of mind. It’s fine, I wouldn’t worry, Lincoln’s pretty hard-headed. 🤭

How bad are we talking? -- There’s no way it will end well. Was she still fearing a Bahrain #2? Despite Coulson’s unwavering convinction, they didn’t know Skye was back on their side yet.

This? Now? You want to talk about this now? Indeed, awful timing. Neither of you is in imminent mortal danger, after all.😄

Sir, something’s happening with the S.O.S. signal from the boat [...] There's a pattern to it, like a code. -- It's Skye. What's she saying? -- That it's a trap. See, Mack? Of course she can hack it. 😎

Break the crystals. Release the mist. Either they’re Inhuman or they’re dead. I’m starting to see the wisdom in Mack’s “crack heads first” policy. Other than Skye, Lincoln seems to be the only Inhuman on screen who has a problem with murder.

It’s Gordon, right? -- And you are? -- I’m the guy who kills Gordon. As it turns out, you’re actually the friend of the guy who kills Gordon. Still iconic, though. 😉

There are descendants everywhere. I’m going to find them and build them a better world, where they’re not hunted, not afraid. -- And kill anyone in your way. -- Only if they’re in our way. Oh sure, when you put it like that, it sounds much more peaceful.

“No-eyes”?That is the best you can do? Hey, cut him some slack, he already came up with Tremors and Ginger Ninjas. Even the Homer of nicknames nods off sometimes.

What are those things? -- Quantum field disrupters. Should contain him here if he comes back. -- Of course. Why didn't I think of that? -- That's okay. You've been busy, and you're not a quantum physicist. It's completely understandable. 🤣

My head still hurts. -- I'm sorry. I didn't know. Well, not a “lengthy” apology but it’ll do in a pinch. They are a bit pressed for time, after all.

Skye, I’ll do it. I’ve done it before. -- No -- You have to be willing to -- I won’t hesitate. Whatever it takes. Yep, Bahrain’s definitely on May’s mind. And Skye just pledged to kill her other mom if it comes to it. This isn’t fun anymore. 😞

I'm trapped in here. That's not possible! What did you do?! -- Science, biatch. Speaking of iconic lines...

This war started decades ago, when S.H.I.E.L.D.was founded to guard the world against people like us. And it will never end. But you and I together...think of how powerful we could be. We could launch a revolution, side by side. -- I don’t want your revolution, because this isn’t about protecting me or your people. This is about hate. It’s consumed you. You can’t even tell right from wrong. “Join me and together we can rule the galaxy”. Oops, wrong Disney property. 😁 Props to Jiaying for speaking of a “revolution” though, she did learn at least something about her daughter’s inclinations these past few weeks.😉

Please. Stop. You don't have to do this. You don't have to live with that pain. I will. -- Cal, what are you doing? -- Keeping my promise. And how much worse of what Skye had imagined did the truth about her family turn out to be? Greek tragedy worse. 😭

Taking a bullet for me was stupid. -- Walking into a trap when you know it's a trap is stupid. Sounds like you’re made for each other, if you ask me.😁

But soon, you’ll be stable, and then -- And then, I can’t do this anymore. Add this to the list of “I really want to choke Ward” moments.😡

[Mack] respects you. But he still holds a deep distrust of all the alien artifacts you've encountered. -- That's why I put him in charge of them. And from the looks of it, Weaver and Jemma might eventually murder you for it. 😂

I'm your patient now? I wasn't your patient the other night when you and your ex-wife snuck into my office and drank up half my scotch. Was it Haig?

I got Fitz working on these designs. We'll need to be mobile. Hey, check those outs. The early schematics for the Zephyr One.

I'm glad you think Skye's ready for this. -- At this point, I think she's ready for anything. Not quite. 😭😭

You're better than I imagined, and I imagined you perfect. You're way more interesting than that. Ikr? 😎

She walked out on you? -- She drowned when her lungs filled up with blood. That’s one way to get rid of nosy bartenders. 😂

What's the plan, sir? Chaos? -- Closure. Because it worked out so well for you so far... 🙄

Just ask for Dr. Winslow. I'm sorry. And you are? -- Daisy. *dead*

If we do this, we need to be -- Anonymous. That's the idea. But it's not “if” we do this. We have to do this. We don't have a choice. It may feel like things have cooled down right now, but this? [shows the stump] This is my permanent reminder that we'll always be paying the price, that we'll never get ahead of the consequences that I, that you, that S.H.I.E.L.D. have set in motion. -- Like a ripple in the water. -- But this ripple won’t fade. It’ll grow and grow until it’s a tidal wave. It almost sounds like whoever wrote your dialogue (Jed&Mo) already knew there was going to be a deluge of new Inhumans next season... 😁

[noticing the open door of the Monolith’s enclosure] Ugh, what idiot... Your idiot, just now, I believe. Which makes this even worse. 😭

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x22 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #alphonso mackenzie #jiaying #cal johnson #bobbi morse #lance hunter #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #grant ward #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching One Door Closes

As AoS base invasions go, the first suffered by the Playground is very light on mayhem and destruction, as only a corner of the server room gets a real beating. It however hurts on a different level: once again it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. against S.H.I.E.L.D. and this time there are no bad guys.

That is, until Calderon and his goons chase Skye through the woods and almost kill her.😡  

Aliens and people with superpowers seem to be at the root of everything Real S.H.I.E.L.D.’s being doing and their fear of both, while grounded in very legitimate concern - Earth was invaded by an alien army just a couple of years prior after all - is now bordering on paranoia.

The fact that Gonzalez thinks Coulson is masterminding a secret army of superpeople, in particular, is kind of hilarious, since Phil and everyone else at Cool S.H.I.E.L.D. have so far been stumbling in the dark about all things Inhuman. Of course, he will end the season planning to build a secret team of superpeople so maybe I should give Gonzalez’s paranoia more credit. But, for the moment, it’s Hydra who’s trying to do what he’s accusing Coulson of, with the project that gave Wanda and Pietro Maximoff their powers (2x19).

While the Playground is exchanging landlords, the formerly resident Inhuman, now temporarily relocated to a sylvan retreat built to withstand the Hulk - which may be both scary and flattering - is having another hell of a day. Or night, as it were.

Gordon shows up and finally gives Skye a positive perspective she can’t easily dismiss - I think she clearly did with Fitz’s when she called it a “positive spin” - and a new mystery to chew on for her inner conspiracy nut (a group of people with powers that nobody knows anything about? Tasty!). He also tries - not very subtly - to instil mistrust toward S.H.I.E.L.D., something May’s warning (“who’s coming for me? -- S.H.I.E.L.D.” ) and the following attempted murder likely accomplished much more successfully than his arguments.

To Kill Like A Mockingbird:

Bobbi saved everyone on the Iliad, refusing to follow the orders of the commander who wasn’t on the ground - Fury - and the one who was but couldn’t see past protocols and the chain of command. In the present, she executes her inside (wo)man role almost to perfection. Her only true mistake is underestimating Simmons but by then it’s too late for what she has set in motion not to come to fruition. And finally, she saves Skye’s life, shouting a very timely warning. She gets a little trashed for her trouble but being the supercool gal that she is, she won’t hold a grudge.

May’s Boundless Badassary:

She wins her confrontation with Bobbi, even though the younger agent manages to escape, but the real feat is what happens after: she stalks the invaders hiding inside the walls of the base, gathers vital intel to warn Skye, takes out Gonzalez and two extras with impeccable flair and sends Coulson on the run while choosing to stay behind to protect FitzSimmons. Where would S.H.I.E.L.D. be without her?

Biochemical Shenanigans:

Sometimes in S3 Jemma will lament that she’s the only woman on the base who can’t kill with her bare hands but this episode makes it clear that she really doesn’t need to: she can kill, or disable in this case, with her brain. She completely fools Bobbi - someone who, we have repeatedly been told and shown, is an expert at catching lies - playing up her bumbling scientist persona. Those months at Hydra have clearly taught her a lot.

She’s Got the Powers:

Every object in this universe gives off a vibration. Did you know that? Nothing rests. Animals, trees, people, even this ratty couch. And you have the ability to tap into those vibrations. Don't you see? You could become magnificent.

I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how huge of a deal this is. If all matter vibrates and she can resonate with it - amplifying, reducing or matching the frequencies - Daisy can potentially affect anything around her and at a very fundamental level. It also means that she has been gifted a sixth sense of a sort, perceiving the world in a way the rest of us needs instruments for.

For now she has little to no clue how to use her amazing new talents. Everything is an incessant and uncomfortable buzzing (“1,000 bees are trapped inside of me”), the equivalent - one can imagine - of seeing a whirlwind of colors and light but not being able to discern objects and people. Almost instinctually, she discovers how to manipulate water in the first non destructive manifestation of her powers, and then the quickest way to turn a forest into firewood.😁

Wall of Valor:

In the comics Isabelle Hartley is Victoria Hand’s girlfriend, a connection this episode at least hints at, since in the Iliad’s flashback she says she’s heard from “Vic”, implying a high level of familiarity (Hand hated it when Garrett called her “Vic”, plus the fact they were in contact during such a crisis). A longtime friend of Bobbi and Hunter, her deep friendship with the couple is made very evident when she immediately recognizes the significance of the “Franny’s Saloon” keychain Bobbi asked her to deliver to Hunter. She spent years working undercover (2x01) and her marked preference for knives over guns solidifies the impression that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s agents are a quirky bunch. Had she survived the season premiere, she would have backed Bobbi’s infiltration, likely making Real S.H.I.E.L.D.’s takeover even more successful. She is survived by a sister, Jane, who is however battling breast cancer (2x02).

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Always with the nazi stuff. Here’s an idea: if you don’t like being associated with nazi, don’t associate with nazi.

What the hell is that? The herald of an Avenging Goddess. Or a smartphone. These things are easy to mix up.

Fury left us orders. -- To do what? To save S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury’s one hell of a demanding boss.

The path we've chosen...doesn't leave a lot of room for trust, does it? Cut to Skye, who he told last episode she was one of the few people he trusted. This can’t be good.

Skye’s distinct lack of enthusiasm for the gluten-free biscuits and the awkwardness of the promise to look for them makes me suspicious that she had already found them and promptly discarded them to the bottom of a cupboard.

The prototype gloves are laced with a microthread Jemma designed to accelerate bone healing and dampen vibrations.

I want you to be safe, Skye. You know that, right? -- I do. I do, too, even if I may have found exception with some of the proposed methods. It’s Fitz who needs convincing.

How's your science experiment going? -- I told you, Leo, I'm only trying to help. -- Whatever, Jemma. Oh, boy. First name basis between them, especially from her, is a bad sign. It occurs to me though that at least part of Fitz’s grumpiness might be motivated by the fact that Coulson had maybe already told him about Mack’s duplicity.

You went through rigorous testing when you joined my team. Were Billy or Sam Koenig the testers, by any chance?

Are you working with Hunter? Or is he just a pawn in this, too? Oh, God. Get May on the line, now. The moment you realize that there’s something much worse than two traitors in your midst: when one of them is Bobbi Morse.

I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I do. I swear. But you don't. -- Try again. Bobbi, you’ve just been YAML’ed. 😂

She said she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil. The real S.H.I.E.L.D. -- What the hell does that mean? Ultimately? A load of crap, if you ask me.🤭

That man there had an axe. Now I have it. Still, left quite a mark. Is there a more badass way to say “I killed the guy who wanted me dead using his own weapon but I was hurt and now I can’t walk”?

Troubleshooting a wired network connection? First, check if the cables are plugged. *pats Skye*

Fitz, why did you make me watch "Paranormal Activity"? Hey, it could be worse. He could have made you watch The Cabin in the Woods. I’ve never been able to look at any kind of cabin or isolated house the same way since.😬😂

I can see that you are afraid.You don't need to be. Not with me. I'm like you. And I've come here as a friend. Notably, Skye isn’t reassured at all. Not only she doesn’t let go of the poker, she readjusts her grip on it.

The real difference between the two of us is what happened after we went through the mist. [...] I knew from an early age how special I was, had a mentor, a guide of sorts. And the first thing she did after I transformed was embrace me. Tell me, Skye, what was the first thing that S.H.I.E.L.D. did to you? I see where you’re going with this, Gordon, and the answer is they put her in quarantine but, aside from the fact that they also fought two pretty powerful aliens for her and there was at least one hug, this is an unfair comparison because, unlike you and everyone around you, they had no real clue about any of it. Jemma’s reactions and behaviour, for example, will be quite different with other newly transformed Inhumans, when she knows exactly what she’s dealing with.

Honestly, I don't give a damn who they're working for. If they took Fury's toolbox, I bet that's not the only thing they're after. Cut to Skye, again. This is definitely not good.

What does it feel like, your gift? -- I don't know. It's intense. Like 1,000 bees are trapped inside of me. And I feel it all the time. It's always there. In the framework, she’ll describe it as an “hangover made of bees”. Props to Radcliffe, Fitz, Aida and the Darkhold for the accurate simulation. Props to Daisy for another of her precise, clinical descriptions 🤣. I really want to read her mission reports, dammit.

If I could just find this prototype. -- You know what? Maybe Fitz has it. We should go try to find him, make sure he's okay. When in doubt on how to deal with a FitzSimmons, mention the other FitzSimmons. It didn’t quite work this time, though.

Would you mind...could you give this to Hunter? -- Bobbi. He's gonna be pissed. You know that? -- Yeah. Hunter had the same keychain in 2x06 so I’m still not clear whether both have one or if Hartley delivered this one eventually, even if Bobbi didn’t die. I think the former but *shrugs*

I’m not gonna hurt you buddy. I would never hurt you, you know that. No, he doesn’t know that. The last guy he thought of as his buddy dropped him to the bottom of the ocean from a flying plane.

I'd like to officially withdraw my concerns about using the dendrotoxin gas. It's got style. Agent Asshole was against using the non lethal weapon. How surprising.🙄😡 

Weaver thinks [the alien blood] made you into some kind of a messenger for an alien race. Weaver reads too much sci-fi.

Remember, Skye's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, like one of us. Icers only. Yeah, I don’t think you convinced them, Bobbi. The agent Skye knocks out near the panel didn’t have an Icer either. 😡 

Let's just hope we don't live to regret this, Agent Morse. -- Let's just hope we live. Plain as day why Hartley and Hunter got along so well, that could have been his line.

So now you all operate as what? Five friendly faces who agree on everything? I don't see the other four here talking to me. Just you. -- I have no desire to be the director. Of course not. Gonzalez is charismatic and experienced enough that he can influence the decisions being made without needing a title.

Try and remember Project Insight was Fury's idea. Yeah, that was his bad. 😏

If you wanted to talk to me, Agent Gonzales, you should have talked to me. You put spies on my team, invaded my base, hurt my people. Fury's secrets didn't bring down S.H.I.E.L.D. Hydra did. Oh, thank you! Besides, there’s a word for people who begrudge secrets while doing things in secret and that word isn’t “trustworthy”.

So, what’s the plan, boss? The correct question is “who’s the plan” as the first item on Rogue Coulson’s to do list is going to be Skye.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x15 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #jemma simmons #bobbi morse #lance hunter #alphonso mackenzie #leopold fitz #isabelle hartley #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching Melinda

You're worried that I don't understand your choice. Well, sometimes that's the price of doing the right thing. No one will understand, and it hurts like hell.

May was dealt an extremely lousy hand in Bahrain, one of those nightmare scenarios where there are only different degrees of bad options. Yet she didn’t hide behind the “I had no choice” defense, not with others and not with herself, no matter how much she regrets it (and we know exactly how much: it’s still her biggest regret almost a decade later), and even though she thinks it was the right choice to make, as the quote above makes it clear. But she fully aknowledges it as a choice - in 2x20 she’ll reiterate that she “made the call”  - and she would not have been almost destroyed by it otherwise.

So she removed herself from a position where she could be called upon to make another “call” of that magnitude again, a voluntary exile from the field - when working in the field meant so much to her that she planned to stay even after becoming a mother - that would have likely lasted much longer than six years had Fury not decided to resurrect Coulson.

Of course, since AoS loves to torture its characters, not only she is in that position again, she has already faced the possibility of history repeating itself with someone she loves three times now (Coulson, twice, and Skye) and Season 3 is just around the corner.😭

Director Deceptor:

The secrecy surrounding Theta Protocol - quite the fancy name for what is ultimately a project to fix a big ship - is perfectly justifiable from an operational point of view but why keep May out of the loop? She is second in command and a person so close to Coulson that he told her about his carving obsession and asked her to kill him if things got too bad and then take over as director. I suppose there’s an argument for the compartmentalization of information but it’s easy to see why May felt so betrayed.

Real S.H.I.E.L.D. of course thinks he’s ammassing powered people but for once their paranoia isn’t unjustified because that could be something he probably shouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with May. Fixing a helicarrier so Fury can grandstand when the Avengers need backup just doesn’t seem to have enough weight to it.

Mommy Dearest:

Jiaying will manipulate her daughter very ruthlessly but starts their relationship giving her back the agency that Cal took away in Puerto Rico: “I wanted to run to you the second I saw you, wrap you in my arms. -- Why didn't you? -- Because you were forced into going through the mist. Joining our people had to be your choice. You deserved that.”

She also helps Skye understanding and accepting her powers. And she tells her the true story of Bahrain. Or does she?

Jiaying knows the facts but misses all the context of what May faced in the warehouse. We, as the audience, see it, but she never did as she wasn’t in there. And all of her life experience tells her that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t think much of “putting down” a dangerous person with powers.

And it’s not like she’s wrong about that. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents almost killed her daughter who is an agent and infinitely less malevolent and threatening than Katya was. So the truth as she knows it makes her point for Inhuman isolationism already. No need to spin it for her daughter’s detriment. I also don’t think she believes killing Katya was the wrong move. She says Katya had to be stopped but it was “her responsibility” which implies that she objects to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s involvement in the situation, not necessarily its outcome.

She’s Got the Powers:

Daisy moves a mountain, makes some music on purpose and glass confetti by mistake. Not bad for her first day of Inhuman school.

We also get this explanation of her powers, courtesy of Jiaying: “Everything's shaking already, vibrating at its own natural frequency. This stone, the wood in the trees...I believe you can learn to sense those frequencies around you and resonate with them so that not everything is shaking, only what you choose.”

This ability to sense the natural frequencies of everything around her and resonate (amplify) with them doesn’t apparently extend to alien swords that can insta-kill body-snatching fiends who align their atoms through harmonic resonance (resonant frequencies) and are vulnerable to its disruption.🤨 Or maybe she just forgot and nobody thought to ask her? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Gotta Catch ‘Em All:

Eva Belyakov (shouldn’t it be Belyakova btw?), a 35 years old Russian Inhuman, was pursued by both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Russian Intelligence. Her superpower was enhanced strength, of the standard “smashes cars and throws people around” variety. S.H.I.E.L.D. considered her an Index candidate and was hoping to make her an asset. Her daughter Katya was able to sense and “leech off like a parasite” other people’s emotions and exert a form of mind control over them, all initiated by touch. This ability was too much for her young mind and she went insane.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Yay, Andrew is back!

When you get back, maybe you and I can take a trip. Somewhere warm. I think this makes their eventual trip in between seasons the most belated vacation ever.

He's gonna be a hell-raiser. -- Not in my house. My house has rules. Hopefully those rules did not include no phone, no tv and a 7.30 curfew because that sounded a bit excessive.😄

You really leave your front door unlocked? -- I got the best security system in the world. His wife is an awesomely kickassing badass and he loves it.

Fury's quietly started a new initiative. Instead of this catch-and-release with powered people, we form a team, take Earth's mightiest to find out if they're heroes. It (Wa)s All Connected(tm)...

Well, I know you got the family-planning thing going on. -- I'm staying in the field. -- Good, 'cause you'd be great. And that way, we could keep working together. Aida really missed the boat on a much better AU than saving the girl and inadvertently triggering the fascist takeover: after a better outcome in Bahrain, May joins the Avenger Initiative, teams up with Natasha, pranks Starks and Cap relentlessly, swoons - very surreptitiously - over Thor and eventually saves Phil’s life. And at some point they pick up Daisy while she’s cosplaying around Stark Tower looking for avenues to hack into Jarvis and enlist FitzSimmons with extra cupcakes.😁

Let's hope Belyakov cooperates. -- And if she doesn't? -- Then I call in the Cavalry. Don’t call her...oh, right. You meant the boring kind of Cavalry. My bad.

Fitz has a lot of ideas. We're just making sure that he doesn't get any crazy ones. -- Like seeking out Coulson? Guys, that’s not even a 1 on the Fitz Scale of Ideas, crazy or otherwise.

Coulson doesn't bore me with the details of every little operation. Well, I’m no Bobbi but even I could tell you were covering a huge “HE DID WHAT?!!” there.

We're not talking a few black-bag operations. Take your entire current budget and match it with this one program. Okay, but their budget didn’t even allow Coulson to fly business so how much are we really talking here? 😁

I want to know where you’re from. Did you make friends there? This is such a mom question. I was half expecting her to ask if she was eating well and if she had packed heavier clothes after that. 😂

[S.H.I.E.L.D.] are like family. Or they were. -- Until you changed? They sent agents after you. -- I don’t know what happened. I know I impaled a guy. -- Who shot at you. -- No. I lost control. Yeah, you did, but don’t feel bad...it was very entertaining!

Agent O’Brien, be sure they don’t interfere. Unless he had a twin or a clone, O’Brien made it unscathed through the following seven years of S.H.I.E.L.D as the same actor is one of the two agents trailing Fitz in the tag scene. If memory serves, he will also be among the agents turned into Primitives in 3x21. So enjoy life while you can, O’Brien?

I don't think Coulson's a bad guy. But a secret as big as Theta Protocol...I can't ignore that. Whatever he's doing, it needs to be out in the light of day. This isn’t unreasonable. You guys should have led with this.

[Skye] got everything and I got thorns. Heh, I wouldn’t envy her too much... Although she’ll live and you won’t, so there’s that.

What's wrong? -- Nothing. That's just it. Everything is great here. It feels like home, which never ends well. [...] Something bad happens every time I feel settled somewhere. [...] S.H.I.E.L.D. was the closest I ever came to having a family. I belonged there, saw what I could be. Even that ended with agents hunting me through the woods. Yeah. *heavy sigh*. It’s not easy being Daisy.😞

We’re not gonna turn on you or abandon you. You had to say it... 😩 Ward told her the same thing in 1x03.

After your father pieced me back together, we scoured the Earth. We were ruthless in hunting for you. One morning, I woke up, and I barely recognized myself. Your father was buried in the new, horrible man he had become. He couldn't admit that our baby was gone. I thought I had to accept it. I'm so sorry. My sweet angel. I thought if I couldn't find you, maybe I could help protect others, so I came here. It’s hard to reconcile this woman who is so self-aware and upfront with the one who will be ready to kickstart a genocide and kill her own daughter.

Ah, May! Thank God you're back. Everybody keeps leaving. Reminder that Jemma was all alone there for a while, with nobody she could talk to or fully trust. Not as bad as her early adventure at Nazi Central but not fun either. Also May’s reactions to hugs are always something to look forward to.

They weren't too harsh on that awful ship? -- No, they were very fair. Having dragged Real S.H.I.E.L.D. for three write-ups, I have to admit they were indeed extremely fair and trustful with her. Since I’m petty, I’m crediting it all to Bobbi’s influence.😄

I've been through a lot with Coulson. He doesn't go off the reservation without a good reason. Did he have a good reason not to tell you, though? Jury’s out.

I can do this. It's all about slipping in and pulling them out. Oh, that’s it, uh? I see where your padawan gets it from now...

Oh, what are we saying this time? Nuclear? Bio? Eh, Bio always works. [...] A biological weapon was set off! Nasty stuff, flesh eating [...] -- Did you say “biological weapon”? -- Yes, I did. 🤣 🤣

You’re going in alone? Babe. -- Drew, they have a little girl. -- Okay. You’ve done this before. You always come home. [...] Do good, Melinda. but come home. She’ll make it through but she’ll never really “come home”. 😭😭

Bobbi wasn't lying, May. It's a whole other life. And -- What is it? -- Coulson met with your ex-husband. They've been consulting for a while. *Ouch*. It’s not what it looks like! Or, it is what it looks like, but it’s not what you think!

We think he's building another base, for powered people. In my opinion, Coulson's determined to explore people with powers. He's been on the front lines of it his whole career [...] --  Why blow up the alien city? -- Well, why go there at all? Mack, what do you mean “why”? Hydra? The Obelisk everyone thought was a superweapon? Potential mass-murdering? Am I ringing any bell here?

Oh, hi Ethan. I’d say “enjoy your trip” but... 🥶

My rules must be enforced. People have died when the process for selection and training has been ignored. -- But I already skipped that process. -- And I protected you from the swift response that usually brings. Yeah, it doesn’t sound like Katya’s chances of survival would have improved much if the Inhumans had caught up with her before S.H.I.E.L.D. did.

Hey, every agent who walked out of that building is alive because of you. -- The girl. I couldn't save her. She didn't understand. I tried. -- It's all right. You have to let the girl go, Melinda. Let the girl go. This last part of the speech we already knew from 1x09, possibly the most underrated episode of AoS.

I learned who my mother was today, and she taught me things. I've never had that before. That was possible because of you. And wasn’t this just the perfect thing to tell him? Well done, Daisy.

Wait. '88? I'm 26? That's so messed up. Yes, you’ll be a wrinkly old hag 10 months sooner now. /nudge Fitz

It's not a dream. Episode 2.17 and we finally have a true Clairvoyant in action.

Fitz? How did you open Fury's toolbox? -- Don't worry. It's safe. I stole it first. - You stole it? Fitz, you're amazing. I love how proud Fitz sounds that they stole the toolbox. And I think this was big for him, the first time on a mission all on his own.

Note: I think Tumblr ate the tags or something but if you made it this far you’ll probably be interested to know that I didn’t skip Afterlife and you can read it here. 😊

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x17 #melinda may #phil coulson #daisy johnson #andrew garner #jemma simmons #bobbi morse #lincoln campbell #leopold fitz #raina #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2 #text post

[ryder616]

Rewatching Scars

Fear. That’s what it is. [...] Fear drives us to do things we would otherwise never do.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fear of powered people and Jiaying’s fear of both the horror that befell her and humanity’s very poor track record when a group deems another as “different”, collide and the result is a tragedy. One that probably needed too many things to change to be avoided: Jiaying not being broken, S.H.I.E.L.D. not being pigheaded, the Inhumans not being predisposed to believe the worst and maybe Coulson putting his foot down and deciding “objectivity” wasn’t what the situation called for. True empathy and a real personal connection were sorely needed and Gonzales had neither.

I would also question his “objectivity”. He called Skye a “thing”, blamed her for Agent Asshole’s fuck-up, and seemed to view powered people as dangerous threats only. That’s not objectivity, that’s prejudice.

He tries, to his credit, to deal fairly but Jiaying’s wounds go so far beyond “normal” trauma, no wonder she’s outraged by his attempt to establish common ground. And his credibility to do right by the Inhumans is close to zero. He’s the guy who, as far as Jiaying is concerned, sent people to kill her daughter, another S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, because of her Inhumanity.

Coulson, on the other hand, was highly recommended - even Cal spoke well of him in his own special way - and probably would have known better than to compare scars, given his experience with T.A.H.I.T.I., or be better equipped to speak about the hurt that goes beyond the physical. And his care and affection for Skye would have rang true, where Gonzales with his gift can only appear manipulative.

Ultimately, Jiaying murders Gonzales while he’s extending a hand in friendship, to manipulate the Inhumans to follow her into a genocidal war and that torpedoes all the legitimacy her cause had. Her fear drove her to plan a bloodbath. She might have already been too far gone for a different approach to change her mind and if so, Gonzales’ insistence on an “objective” negotiator simply traded his life for Coulson’s.

Wall of Valor:

Robert Gonzales (who I kept calling Gonzalez for most of these ramblings of mine, sorry about that 😊) is another “company man”. A veteran officer who joined young, like Coulson, renowned for his strategic brilliance, loyal to the ideals of S.H.I.E.L.D. and “one of the best commanders S.H.I.E.L.D. ever had” (Coulson, 2x15).

He is certainly a charismatic and thoughtful leader.

Then again, when you’re portrayed by Edward James Olmos, a lack of charisma is hardly a concern.

As clichéd as that would have been, I kept waiting for the reveal that his dead wife - her passing prompted him to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. before coming back with renewed dedication - had been killed by a “gifted” or in some alien related incident because his hostility toward Skye felt very visceral and frankly irrational. It permanently soured me to the character, since bigotry and doing Daisy wrong are two main ingredients for the conconction to turn *me* into Mr. Hyde.😉

Honestly, Real S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed a costant exercise in overreaction. They overreacted with Coulson, with Skye and then finally with the Inhumans and without Phil’s reining in their worst impulses, Jiaying would have had no need to manipulate anyone.

I suppose it’s understandable. In the span of a couple of years the organization all these loyal agents had dedicated their lives to was partly responsible for an Alien invasion and then basically turned on them. That’s a lot. Still, it’s hard to look at the season and not imagine how much better everything might have turned out for everyone without their meddlesome trampling.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

I wholeheartedly approve of Sam Koenig’s choices in socks and bedding. 😁

Any update on Agent Gonzales? -- Unfortunately, no. [...] -- Keep looking. Reminder that Cool S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to build Full S.H.I.E.L.D. while Real S.H.I.E.L.D. was spying on them with Hartley and Mack already embedded at The Playground.

What can I say? I’m a company man. With the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury felt we needed a failsafe, something completely off the books, a “break in case of emergency” type of thing. I have this theory that resurrecting Coulson and giving him the Bus and an independent team partly outside of the standard chain of command was following a similar logic.

I tried to do it all alone. That was a mistake. Even Fury had a World Council watching over him, providing guidance. Ah, yes, the World Security Council. The guys that ordered to nuke New York in The Avengers and one of them was Gideon Malick btw (well, it was Powers Boothe, and AoS cleverly took advantage I think). Not a fan.

She says she wants to take him home, whatever that means. She won’t say much else about it. Not to me, anyway. I feel you, Jemma. I don’t think it’s personal. “Home” has never been a more complicated concept for Skye than it is right now, which is saying something.

You were undercover at Hydra with Agent Morse, weren’t you? -- Well, sort of. I didn’t know she was there at the time. She had very dark hair. a) I think Jemma, like Hunter, prefers Bobbi as a blonde. b) Kara already knows Bobbi is the one who gave the safe house location to Hydra so Jemma may have just avoided her own kidnapping and torture by revealing she had no idea about what Bobbi was doing at Nazi Central.

You’re safe now. Added bonus, you’re not naked with needles poking out of your skin. How is that an added bonus? Oh, for him. Gotcha. 😄

You never should have come for me. [...] the only thing that’s kept us safe all these years is that we were a secret. Now S.H.I.E.L.D. knows we exist. And they won’t stop till they find Afterlife. Willing to die horribly to keep people safe. Like we didn’t have enough self-sacrificing idiots in this joint.

Raina is living her best life. She’s special, revered and I do think she was initally scheming to climb on top of the food chain, despite her protestations to the contrary.

Last night, I saw something beautifully peculiar. It's hard to describe. It was a giant stone, but not a stone. And then, suddenly it was like an ocean, waves crashing against the shore. *badly imitating Spike* “It's a big rock. I can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big.” 😁

It’s Kree, dangerous, intended to destroy our people. -- But didn’t they make us? -- Then they decided we were a mistake. Would it make you feel better if I told you that it was just a faction and the modern Kree empire would be quite happy to enslave you all? No?

Things are getting back to the way they were. -- You really believe that? Or do you hope that if you forgive Coulson, Hunter will do the same for you? Uh? Is this projection? Because Coulson has done stuff to be forgiven for by May. But in the Bobbi-Coulson dynamic, if anything, it’s the opposite? 🤨

She convinced Gordon and Skye to go after Lincoln even though they knew it wasn’t safe. How little you know your daughter. Which, of course, you just met her after all. Raina didn’t convince Skye of anything. Mostly, she gave her ammunition to wear down Gordon’s resistance faster. She was going to go after Lincoln regardless.

I’ve never seen [Raina] not want something. -- What is it you think she wants now? I like that Jiaying is gathering information and seeking counsel, showing the better, thoughtful side of her leadership style. Unfortunately, anyone she can ask about Raina has a terrible (if perfectly well motivated) opinion of her.

So this is alien. -- Recovered from a dig site nearly a hundred years ago. Its energy signatures are unlike anything we’ve seen before. Filing for future reference. 😉

And does anyone have any idea what alien world it came from or what it even does? Oh, this new S.H.I.E.L.D. brain trust seems to be working out brilliantly. This is not helping either, Hunter. But 🤣 🤣

These are good people, Coulson. -- Are they? People, I mean. Phil. What. The. Hell. 😲

We don’t even know what to call them. -- Inhumans. *ding-ding-ding*

Maybe they’re just afraid of it, afraid of what Gonzales might do with it. Indeed. Listen to your kid protégé junior agent, guys.

This man teleported onboard, Skye. He’s clearly very dangerous. -- Well, same could be said about you, May. I heard about what happened to that little girl in Bahrain. [...] So you, of all people, should understand why they’d want to keep their location a secret, what they’re so afraid of. It would have been really nice if Daisy had handled this with a little more...shall we say, delicacy? She knows this is THE most painful subject for May. And she can certainly fill in the blanks of what Jiaying couldn’t tell her about the context of the situation. But her point stands. This isn’t a one way street. As Bobbi also said, “We’re all dangerous”.

You know where they are? -- We do. I think it's time we pay our new friends a visit. This is a Very Bad Idea(tm).

What’s our plan of attack? -- Who said anything about an attack? -- These people are a threat. -- We don’t know that. -- We don’t know anything about them. Remove Coulson from this conversation and a fleet of Quinjets filled with tactical squads ready to at the very least detain everyone -  and we’ve seen how well that went when it was just Skye - would have taken off for Afterlife by the end of the day. Don’t talk to me about objectivity.

We could use Skye as a liaison. She is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. -- Is that still true? -- Of course it is. -- Now’s a good time to find out where Skye really stands. Coulson’s unwavering faith vs May’s pragmatism. This is why they make a good team and good leaders together.

Enough! S.H.I.E.L.D. wants us to be afraid, to fracture us. But we're all tied together  a history that goes back thousands of years. They will not take that away from us. Hiding from the world was already plan B for Jiaying and it didn’t work. Time for plan C: kill them all. 😬

Look, at the very least, we need to find out how many people we're dealing with, assess their powers, place them on the index. You know how this works.You're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. -- I don't know what I am anymore. Skye started the season proclaiming that “S.H.I.E.L.D. was [her] life now”(2x02). Then Stuff Happened(tm) and this is where she is now.😔

We're locking her up? -- Don't tell me you empathize. -- She was one of us. -- So was Grant Ward. -- Look, when she takes your face, then we can talk. There’s a distinct lack of empathy for Kara’s plight in May’s words but as imminent events will show, it was too late for it anyway. The time to help Kara was much earlier in the season and unfortunately everyone was too preoccupied with other matters. 😥

Hunter's always worn his heart on his sleeve. I don't know how to do that. Maybe something's wrong with me. Mack, don’t just stand there looking sad and vaguely ill. This is the part where you hug her and say something comforting!

I spoke to Skye. This woman she keeps talking about, Jiaying... it's her mother. I was expecting at least a raised eyebrow, but okay. 🤣 🤣 

That girl wasn't killed in the crossfire, Phil. It was her or everyone around us, and I made the call. I only told Andrew. Back then, our boundaries were clear. I was married to him, and I worked with you. When you started carving into that wall, you asked me to watch you and put you down if you got out of control. I would never have shot you, but I should have stopped you. -- I never lost control. -- Skye is living proof that you did. So, the boundaries aren’t that clear anymore. Interesting. But I still don’t see how Coulson could or should have done anything different regarding the alien city, with what they thought the Obelisk was and Hydra having it. So if this is about “Skye’s getting powers is your fault”, I disagree. If this is about “you care about Skye too much to be objective”, then, duh. And I might have a kettle to go with that pot. 😁

Jemma saved the hula girl. Excuse me while I dissolve into a puddle of “awwwwws”.

But I'm sure you guys already have my blood from when I was out, right? -- It's protocol. Also a violation of medical ethics or something? He obviously couldn’t have consented to his blood being filed in some database while he was unconscious...

Gordon explained it. He can sense us. It's this thing called quantum entanglement, and ... Yeah, he'll find us. I can’t tell whether she stopped explaining because she can’t or because she felt Lincoln’s stink eye that she was about to reveal too much about Gordon’s powers.

We don't have to leave. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't want that, either. Nothing has to change. -- Sometimes, I forget how young you are. That and she trusts Coulson. Skye’s approach to the whole matter was way more sensible than what Jiaying’s will turn out to be anyway. I would make a Boomer vs Millennial joke but Jiaying is who knows how many generations older than a boomer, so... 😄

Coulson...he's a good man. He's...he's the only person who's ever tried to take care of me. And until now, he's the closest I've had to family. Oh this makes me so sad every time, picturing young Daisy growing up... but also, c’mon, Daisy. *First* person would have been more accurate.

You're too close to this. Skye's like a daughter to you. I didn’t remember the D-word being spoken so early in the show.

This is one of the greatest threats S.H.I.E.L.D.’s ever faced. Dramatic much? Though I suppose an argument can be made that Jiaying’s was a genocidal dictator waiting to happen as Afterlife couldn’t have gone hidden and undisturbed forever. Hydra was already zeroing in on them after all.

I did try to kill him, Fitz, and I'm kicking myself that I failed. The next terrible thing he does is on me. Jemma Simmons giving Daisy some hefty competition in the “blaming yourself for stuff that’s not your fault” category. Luckily (yeah...not quite) she will be soon too preoccupied with matters of survival to dwell on what will happen to Bobbi, I’d imagine.😥

Bobbi, Coulson wants us to scout ahead. Already locked in the coordinates. I think this means they used the Quinjet autopilot all the way through and that Kara really can’t fly and I guess Bobbi didn’t question why “May” wouldn’t fly it herself. I know it’s super minor but it bugs me.

The fact that Theta Protocol turned out to be a Helicarrier doesn't change things for me. Fury brought you back from the dead, and he used alien blood to do it. And you can't be blamed for what happened to you, but you can't be trusted, either. [...] I had my own brush with something alien, and I know better than to mess with things I can’t understand. But it seems like you haven’t learned that lesson. Your honor, I believe you may have chosen the wrong line of work if you didn’t want to mess with the crazy 😉 Anyway, good luck with that resignation, Mack. 🤣

Phil Coulson is my least favorite, but he does care about our Daisy. -- She was telling me about something called the Index. -- The Index? Do they want to? No, no, no. They will brand you, all of you. You have power here, lots of it. -- To do what? Openly attack them? Blast their planes out of the sky? -- Well, for a start. -- Our daughter wouldn't want that. And my people would never blindly follow me into a war. And here I suppose is when the plan starts forming. Which means we can blame Cal just as much as Jiaying.

There's not a single soul that knows you who trusts you, Raina. Very much a case of the Inhuman Who Cried Wolf. 😔

He's killed agents of yours, hasn't he? -- Uh, no. No, not SHIELD agents. I don't think. No, just people who had it coming. Please, Cal. The two guys you butchered in 2x05 might have been criminals but they had done nothing to you. And there was that psychiatric hospital security guard in 2x13 and I bet other similar “collateral damage” through the years.

What happened to Coulson? Did they do something to him? -- We all felt it was best to have someone more objective to meet with your mother. [...] -- Why can’t you be in there right now? -- I told you, we needed someone objective. From Skye’s perspective, this is extremely worrisome. Because “more objective” in this context obviously translates that both May and Coulson are too close to her. There are sensible reasons for why that would be seen as an issue under the circumstances but also *very* bad ones like, say, if S.H.I.E.L.D. had decided to eliminate her mother and cull the Inhumans...

I hope your mother is everything you wanted her to be. Well, I’m dead. I don’t know how Daisy’s still standing. Must be the GH 325.

I have lived enough life to see countless people profiled for their differences. It's amazing how many generations fall into the same trap. What is it that makes people feel they have the right to do that? Fear. That's what it is. [...] Fear drives us to do things we would otherwise never do. The last part sounds like she knows she’s driven by fear, too.

Why can’t we kill her now? Because Ward, in addition to his other faults, is also a sadistic SOB who aims to complete your transformation into someone just exactly like him. Also, there’s two more episodes and never enough drama. 😁

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x20 #phil coulson #daisy johnson #melinda may #jiaying #cal johnson #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #robert gonzales #bobbi morse #lance hunter #grant ward #alphonso mackenzie #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching The Frenemy of My Enemy

Sometimes leaders have to do things they don’t like, says Jiaying, and it’s a shame she and Phil never got to meet - without toxic alien substances involved - because especially after this episode they could have had quite a bit to commiserate together about that.

Enlisting Ward’s help is likely up there in Coulson’s “do not want” list and must smart, certainly trumping the small satisfaction of manipulating him. Or, rather, trying to, since Ward doesn’t buy it and, besides, he already has his own nefarious plans in motion. I do question whether Coulson had any intention to abide by their deal, since he makes a point to give his word “as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.” with quite the suspicious emphasis, considering that currently he is, at most, the Director of Three Rogue Agents and their stolen Plane (T.R.A.P. 😉).

“Expedient alliances with despicable characters” might be in the job description as Hunter knowingly points out but add the distateful matter of exploting a brainwashed Bakshi, Fitz’s distress at the mere sight of Ward and Mike becoming the bait for Mengele Jr. and this is definitely not the best time Coulson’s had since he let his tiger loose.

Not that things are much better at home the base or Afterlife.

May’s been left with “a mountain of lies” and no reason that would make her understand why and accept it as part of the job (like her own deception on Fury’s orders in S1), Jemma’s pissed at May and worried about her friends, Bobbi and Mack are questioning everything they’ve been doing with their Real S.H.I.E.L.D.’s pals, the Inhumans are finding out bad people are after them and Cal and Skye’s bonding trip is cut short by Hydra.

The end of the season is near and, other than Ward who’s relishing every minute of Coulson needing his help, nobody’s having any fun.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

I’m not a certified Fitz’s Outfits Tracker but I believe this is the first time he’s wearing a suit.

Mike? -- Hey, Fitz. Good to see you again. -- New hardware. Hey, how did you upgrade... -- Not now, Fitz. See, Fitz, if you hadn’t decided you couldn’t work *with* Jemma anymore - and boy do you look like the fool about that after the amazing Grand Theft Toolbox or what 😁 - you, too, could have played with the cyborg toys that her department designed in secret without even knowing what, or rather who, they were for.

Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the field solo. I admit I’m drawning a complete blank here. When was he solo in the field before now?

Desperate times, desperate measures. Count me in. -- I'm relieved to hear you say that. We're making a deal with Ward. I’m fairly sure Fitz wasn’t quite so desperate.

Poor Ethan. Pack for a camping trip, end up a dead lab rat.

We've both changed. We're not the people we used to be. To lament that is a waste of time. In retrospect, maybe a little bit more lamenting and little less accepting of the “change” might have been wiser.

They know you're not like us. [...] He doesn't exactly belong here. You know, I get the whole persecuted minority that can’t trust outsiders thing but you guys could try to be a little more inclusive. You’re all people with special abilities, what does it matter how you got them?

It bothers me that we've been so focused on Coulson and Fury's toolbox. I mean, we have a tail on Fitz, for God's sakes. It's not like HYDRA's gone. Coulson may be a lot of things, but he's not the enemy. -- You sound like Hunter. -- Well, he might have been right on this one. -- Yeah, I've been wondering that myself. And you couldn’t have wondered all of this like five episodes ago? Better late than never, I suppose.

It's time we have it all out in the open. -- It's not exactly quite so simple. -- Simmons, what did you do? Well, if that wasn’t another epic YAML (Yet Another Mom’s Look). And the exasperation that went with it, I think she just had flashback of the Hub and unconscious Sitwell, poor May.

Wipe my memories? Well, that sounds like a threat, not a carrot. Can’t disagree with you there. I wouldn’t do it either.

Tahiti will erase all the bad, let you be the man you want to be, start over. Free and clear. I give you my word as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Except you’re not the director at the moment...what an interesting loophole...

We want to find Skye, yes, but we are making a deal with -- The devil. I'm afraid it's in the job description, mate. Expedient alliances with despicable characters. -- You'd work with Bobbi? - No, not a chance. *outraged sputtering* You did not just compared Bobbi to Ward!?!! 😡

You know how he'll get when Gordon just abandons him in the middle of nowhere. -- Not nowhere, we're taking him home. -- It doesn't matter. He will feel abandoned, and people will get hurt. -- Those people aren't my concern. Yes, well, your progeny is, generally speaking, not a big fan of being unconcerned with people’s wellbeing. This could become a bit of an issue.

We have the upper hand. Whatever Coulson's endgame is doesn't matter because he is gonna help us get to ours. Their endgame being that whole kidnapping and torturing Bobbi thing though I don’t think they knew it was going to be her until next episode.

So, where are you going? China? -- What makes you think I'd go there? No. God, no. He sounds positively appalled. Probably too many bad memories linked to the country,  the kidnapped wife, the lost baby daughter, and that massacred village...

I don't want to hear about the people you think you're responsible for. Exhausting, isn’t she? And you’ve skipped her militant “save the world from evil government agencies” phase. That was a handful 😁

Just let me go with him. I'll talk to him. I'll soften the blow, let him know I'll visit and that he hasn't lost us forever. This is all very commendable but boy will she make a bit of a mess of it.

It's not about sides, it's about the truth. Coulson left us with a mountain of lies, and the only way to understand his reasoning was inside that box. -- Honestly, I don't care what's in it. The only thing I know is that Coulson was just trying to protect Skye. Well, no, in a frankly shocking turn of events the toolbox has nothing to do with Skye, but I can see how one might assume otherwise since pretty much everything else does. 😂 

Oh, there's this great, little Mom-and-Pop bakery just around the corner. Swedish place. Swiss. I don't know. I mix them up. That noise in the background? That’s the European audience collectively rolling their (our) eyes. 😁

Oh, it was gonna be perfect. I was gonna drop you off every morning and pick you up, help you with your science-fair project... the volcano, because who doesn't love a volcano, right? We'd go to the father-daughter dances together, get ice cream. Ah, the life we could have had...should have had. I'm sorry. Memory lane isn't always that fun to visit. This is all beyond sad but at least Daisy got to know where she came from and what her parents were like. Bare minimum, but it is still something.

Does it matter? You got a cyborg on board with rockets in his arm. -- He's not a cyborg, he's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. With rockets in his arm. Coulson standing up for Mike’s humanity but then he just can’t help himself with the cool.😉

Fitz [who’s being choked with a knife pointed at his throat], you all right? -- Yeah, I'm delightful. 🤣 🤣

You pull anything like that again, I'll throw your ass off this quinjet at 20,000 feet. I can’t say I hate that idea...

Bookstores, dead. Video stores, dead. Old-fashioned ice-cream shops, dead. The Internet killed everything. Enjoying your grumpy old man, Skye? 🤣

I regret letting her go, but at least Lincoln's there to protect her. This “protect Skye” thing is getting a little out of hand, if you ask me. She’s survived on her own all the crap life threw at her for 25 years and now she’s a secret agent with superpowers. The way Coulson, Jiaying, Lincoln and even somewhat Jemma go about it in this episode, you’d think she was still a helpless infant. Guys, chill. She can handle herself.

Have you heard of quantum entanglement, Mr. Bakshi? No, I'm afraid not. [...] -- Quantum entanglement? Sounds like a method of torture. You guys should read more 😁

Johnson...is that your last name? [...] Daisy Johnson. Huh. Well, it’s officially official. The “more sinister” name Cal hints at is of course Zabo, which I don’t believe was ever mentioned in the show.

I had one of these. -- Coincidence? I think not. Genetics. Dear S7, I don’t suppose you could give me the origin story for Daisy’s hula doll, uh? Pretty please?

The drawer from which Cal pulls out his grandfather’s field kit also contains a yellow walkman with a number of music tapes (“I miss my tunes”) and three vials of the green concotion that turns him into Mr. Hyde.

We're not all back together. You can't hang on to the past like this. You need to move on. We all do. Jiaying...she's responsible for all those people, and I...I'm an adult now. And as much as you want to turn back the clock to the time of science fairs and father-daughter dances... -- They're gone, yeah. I know. I know. -- But, look, it doesn't mean that we can't see each other. I could visit. -- Visit? Where are you going? Good, good, let’s ease him into it, no reason to just spring it to him as an afterthought at the end of an uncomfortable conversation about what’s lost and can’t never be regained, that might go over badly...

What's S.H.I.E.L.D.’s doing here? - It's not S.H.I.E.L.D. it's HYDRA. Please try to remember that for your parents they are pretty much the same thing.

I know I said I had missed the early signs of Daisy and Lincoln impending romance but that was during Afterlife. I had completely caught on by now, what with them falling on top of each other which is basically like hitting the audience with a hammer and yell: “They’ll bang, okay?”. And the hammer is Mjölnir. 😂

Skye’s here! [...] -- the Skye who shot you three times? -- Four. Good times. 😄

I’m a friend of Skye’s. -- Sure. And I’m the Hulk. No, but you are a wee bit impulsive sometimes. Right now, for instance. You and Daisy totally don’t have that in common.😁

And Ward saves Coulson’s life. The open mouth look Coulson gives after is how I feel in retrospect. At the time I thought he was going to end the season as a begrudged ally. It was great to be that completely blindsided even though I’m not a fan of the Bobbi thing.

What the hell happened here, Coulson? -- I'll tell you all about it back at the base. Take me to your leader. See, he agrees with me that Gonzales is really the one in charge. That, or he’s a giant nerd who can’t help but quoting sci-fi catchphrases any chance he gets.😁

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x18 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #jemma simmons #bobbi morse #mike peterson #lincoln campbell #leopold fitz #grant ward #kara palomas #jiaying #cal johnson #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2 #text post

[ryder616]

Rewatching Aftershocks

Everyone deals with it in their own way.

I generally love episodes coming right after a Big Event because they tend to focus on the characters, showing how everyone copes with whatever the disaster of the previous week was. And in this particular category for AoS, Aftershocks might just be my favorite.

Of all the various reactions to Puerto Rico’s tragedy the episode explores, Skye’s, Coulson’s and Jemma’s get the most attention. They are, ostensibly, the most affected by Trip’s death and neither of them is dealing with it particularly well. Where they go from there is, however, quite different.

Skye, of course, is a mess. A friend is dead, another’s traumatized, everyone’s hurting and on top of that she has a crazy power she can’t understand or control. And if this sentence sounds familiar that’s because it’s almost verbatim what Skye herself had said way back in Repairs (1x09) when strongly empathizing with Hannah Hutchins’ situation.

If she could, maybe she’d run (Is that what you want to do, run? -- Sometimes. You? -- Couldn't even if I tried) but she’s stuck in a fishbowl and has to watch helplessly and increasingly distressed how what she’s blaming herself for is affecting everyone else. It’s a feedback loop of grief, guilt and fear and given the way her emotions play up with her powers it’s a miracle she doesn’t accidentally bring the base down.

While Skye is directing her grief inward, Coulson finds an outward target, a very easy one considering they’re the ultimate guilty party. Cutting off the heads of Hydra in one fell swoop by exploiting their inherent scumbagginess is the most ruthless he’s ever been yet but one can’t argue with results. Well, ok, one could, I suppose, but it’s Hydra and the only reasonable regret here, as far as I am concerned, is that List had already left and von Strucker is out of reach.

Then there’s Jemma, who sacrifices her scientific curiosity and natural compassion - remember when she argued against terminal solutions for the Centipede soldiers, for instance - to advocate for an approach that’s against everything she’s done and been until now. I want to give Skye endless hugs but Jemma truly breaks my heart.

Biochemical Shenanigans:

Jemma’s caught a lot of unfair flack, in my opinion, for her reaction in this episode. She’s devastated by Trip’s loss, has to witness - and escape - Raina’s slaughtering spree and then deal with the possibility that the friend she can’t imagine [her] life without (1x14) is contaminated by something unbelievably scary and dangerous a few months after her best friend in the world (1x22) was almost lost.

We, the audience, know what’s really up and are, I’d imagine, looking forward to it (I certainly was. Superpowers, baby!🙌). But she doesn’t. And her previous experience with alien things were a highly contagious and deadly virus that almost killed her and blood that made people go graphomaniacally insane. Of course she’s worrying about an epidemic. And if her reaction feels extreme, that’s because everything she’s dealing with is.

Daring Engineering:

Maybe I just need a hug.

As hug therapy goes, Fitz’s approach in this episode is flawless. He gives Skye acceptance and comfort, relating to her in a way no one else is able to and delivering one of the best lines in the entire AoS run: You’re just different and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I suppose his methods could be considered flawed - he falsifies data and springs Skye out of quarantine when he can’t be certain yet that Jemma’s fears of an epidemic are in fact entirely off base - but can he really be faulted for it? Everyone was going a little mad and his heart is definitely in the right place.

Gotta Catch ‘em All:

Technically Gordon isn’t the first Inhuman we see on screen using his power but he’s the first to do so willingly and purposefully. And as powers go, the ability to teleport is one that would be absolutely awesome to have in RL. Manipulating vibrations sounds incredibly fun (and potentially god-like) and perpetual youth is one of humanity’s collective obsession but never dealing with Airport security or rush hour traffic again? That’s truly life changing.😁

Gordon’s power came packaged with the loss of his eyes but, thankfully, not sight, albeit his works differently.

His teleportation ability is grounded in Physics as, according to Hydra’s research, it works by creating a “quantum entanglement bridge” (2x18). Through quantum entanglement he can also sense other Inhumans and their location (2x20). He’s also stronger than a regular human but this is something all Inhumans seem to (and should) share if in different degrees.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

We prepared for this his whole life, readying him for whatever may come. [...] It's terrifying. [...] even with the years of preparation, without your warmth to guide them through their transformations, these poor souls, they would be lost. *cut to Skye in quarantine* I believe this qualify as  “laying it on thick”. Thank you AoS. I wasn’t feeling bad enough for Skye just yet.

The obelisk triggered a massive earthquake. Imagine how much worse it could have been If he hadn't destroyed it. He died a hero. He died because he was a hero as destroying the obelisk was sadly useless and the very thing that killed him. 😭 😭 😭  

Once medical clears you, we'll get you out of there. You'll just be stuck underground, like the rest of us. Yes, about that, are you guys taking your vitamin D and stuff? All that time away from natural light can’t be healthy.

Don't blame yourself. Phil, you’re asking the impossible. That’s her third superpower, after hacking and quaking.

A Baroness, a Sheikh, a Banker and some other self-important dude walked into a bar room...

You underestimate S.H.I.E.L.D. Constantly, it would seem. Seems only fair. S.H.I.E.L.D. underestimated Hydra for decades to the point they thought it was gone forever and instead it was festering within its ranks.

I could spend a year down here answering these questions. [...] let's flood this cursed place. Destroying instead of researching. There’s no better illustration of how distraught Jemma is.

I was beginning to feel like a leper. -- Are you kidding? You managed to be taken hostage by three known murderers, you gunned Ward down, then were blasted by an alien chemical weapon and walked out unscathed. Leper? I think you're a rockstar. In all the awww-ing for Fitz awww-worthy support of Skye in this episode, Bobbi’s visit is often overlooked. But she’s apparently the first, excluding Coulson, to check on Skye trying to cheer her up. Also, the extended version of this scene that was, I imagine, cut for time, highlights Skye and Trip’s closeness, hinting - if you look for it - at the possible romantic connection that could have been.

I know what you're going through. -- Really? You know what it's like to lose control, to be trapped inside your own body, unable to tell it what to do, to watch yourself hurt the people that you care about?! -- Yeah. -- I'm sorry, buddy. -- It's okay. Fitz’s empathy for his friends’ struggles is doing overtime this episode.

I don't want anyone else falling prey to this alien crap. Uh-oh. Mack already wasn’t a fan before Puerto Rico and now he has a very personal reason to reinforce his instinctive dislike.

Are you saying we shouldn't have gone in to save her? -- I'm saying there wouldn't have been anything to take if you and Skye hadn't been obsessed with the alien messages in your damn head. Judgy MacJudge is once again in session. 🤣 Hydra had been after the obelisk long before Coulson knew anything about it and was planning to use it to engineer mass murder on a planetary scale. And with Cal’s involvement, Skye would have always been a target.

I shouldn't have to ask any of you to save one of our own. -- You never ask! You just give your orders, no matter how cracked out they are! Ok, but...he’s the boss? 🤨 If you don’t like orders and hierarchies, which is a very valid position I happen to sympathize with, you shouldn’t have joined a paramilitary organization? 🤔

Incidentally this little family spat happens in front of everyone in the lab as they're there to include Skye in the planning, which is very thoughtful.

If Trip was here, he wouldn't be arguing, he wouldn't be bitching. He would be gearing up to do what needs to be done. Yeah, I miss him, too. 😭 😭 😭

"You'll never take us alive"? Really? A little over the top, don't you think? -- I only had a day to come up with this whole thing. Besides, if I let you write the script, no one would say anything. 🤣 🤣 🤣

Well, can you fix it? Get a look at Skye's biological data? -- [...] I think so. I won't know what half of it means until Simmons gets back, anyway. You’re underestimating yourself again, Fitz.

The money will be there! I swear it! If not, I'll pull the trigger myself! If Hunter had truly been who he was pretending, this would have made him shoot Bakshi.

Her dna didn't just rearrange. It contains extra macromolecules. I wouldn't think that even possible. -- That's amazing. -- It's horrific. Normally, Jemma would be amazed and intrigued. This is entirely unlike her but completely believable at the same time under the present circumstances.

Well, and I feel responsible. -- There's nothing you could have done! And the shoe is on the other foot! See how frustrating it is? 🤭

What about me? You...you have to help me. -- I did. We helped each other, achieved our goals. You're on your own now. [...] I can't live as this repulsive creature. -- Then don't. Cal’s being an asshole to Raina again. I do not like it.

You and Mack have something up and running, and you avoided backing him in that argument for fear you'd reveal it. You can’t fool Hunter, Bobbi. He knows you too well.

We're in a support group, okay? Then again he seems to buy this for a minute here...but I don’t think he ever truly did.  When Bobbi start distancing herself, he’ll go straight to Mack and ask for the truth.

I hope I didn't blow my chance to work on Lola one day. -- After that little r.c. version you built for me, I'm genuinely considering it, although I couldn't figure out how to make it fly. -- It doesn't. Poor Mack. He built the cutest and super clever spy device and people keep fixating on the one thing it can’t do.

Your heart rate was recorded at almost 300 bpm. -- That's very fast. -- That's inhuman. What a peculiar and entirely coincidental choice of a word. 😁

Yeah, but I've never seen Coulson like that before. He seemed so cutthroat. -- Yeah, I've rarely seen him like this myself. For Coulson, Trip was the embodiment of the principles he wants S.H.I.E.L.D. to be built upon: compassion, loyalty, heart. And that is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strength. And Trip's death reminded Coulson that Hydra doesn't have that, and that is their weakness. I don’t care what Mack and likely Bobbi think. It’s a brilliant plan. *pouts*

Skye is your bunk made? -- No. No, it's a mess. -- Well, maybe you could get her some clean sheets. [...] Yeah, I mean, I would do it, but last time I was in there, there was lots of ladies' things, and she's a slob. This entire exchange is to get Jemma out of the way so they can talk privately but it’s very cute, regardless.

We're gonna laugh a lot less. That's for sure. Well, post-Trip’s S.H.I.E.L.D. has been an almost unrelentless stream of tragedies...

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x11 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #bobbi morse #lance hunter #alphonso mackenzie #raina #text post #rewatchingaos2 #rewatchingaos

[ryder616]

Rewatching What They Become

We finally get to find out what we become.

Skye’s specialness has been carefully seeded since day one, even before TPTB had fully settled on Daisy Johnson for her real identity. In the Pilot, Mike Peterson almost broke the 4th wall remarking “it’s an origin story” right before the camera cut to Skye in her van and just one episode later Coulson had already compared her to an 0-8-4.

Among all the foreshadowing, the hints and the pseudo hints - because there’s always at least a bit of “making it up as we go” in tv writing - that followed, my favorite remains the monologue Coulson had at the end of Seeds (1x12), after he had told Skye what he then knew about her origin: “The world is full of evil and lies and pain and death, and you can't hide from it, you can only face it. The question is, when you do, how do you respond? Who do you become?”

Skye’s definitely faced all of that and then some and she has responded dedicating herself to the business of saving lives with S.H.I.E.L.D. (“S.H.I.E.L.D. is my life now” 2x02), convinced she had finally found a place, a purpose, even the family that had always eluded her. And she has become a skilled field agent. These beliefs and her hard-earned role will be tested quite mercilessly by the rest of the season.

Fathers’ Day:

Coulson wins the Battle of the Fathers, because Skye chooses him, but Cal gets at least part of what he wanted, as his daughter goes through terrigenesis. Despite the occasional slip-up, Coulson is definitely the superior dad when it comes to respecting Daisy’s agency (he’s also less likely to go on a murdering rampage, which is another plus 😁). Cal is too wrapped up in pain and revenge and has been coveting the idea of a daughter rather than considering the real person. He will basically admit it with his “I’d imagine you perfect” speeches later in the season. He put her in serious danger, forced a radical transformation and imposed a tremendous burden on her without once considering, let alone asking, if Skye wanted any of it. That she repeatedly refused it and got caught in it only because she thought she had to stop Raina just adds to the injury.

Skye High:

She keeps it together in the midst of Hydra, the emotional control May’s been teaching her strained to the limit by Daddy Dearest, shoots Ward’s traitorous ass, takes a firm side in the Dad-off and then fails to stop a threat that was never what she and everyone else feared, unwillingly (for now) receiving her “birthright” but losing a friend in the process.

Both Philinda and Ward remark on what a capable agent Skye has become but I would counter that adapting and surviving isn’t something she learned at S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D definitely gave her more tools for it but season 1 Skye was already “smart, tough and capable”, even when she couldn’t shoot people. 

Her ability to keep it together under extreme circumstances extends to the delayed payback for Ward’s many offenses. It was a long time coming. She was already kicking herself in 1x20 for not letting him die, a regret that must have increased tenfold after what happened to FitzSimmons and since then the bodies have continued to pile up.

But she doesn’t just try to kill him, something that must have been on her mind for sometime as there was a lot of convinction behind that “put the son of a bitch down” she said in 2x09. Nothing really seemed to prevent her from shooting him straight in the head and be done with it. Instead, she aims for the lower chest area and then leaves him to bleed out. This was for herself as well. It’s probably the darkest thing not-hived Daisy has ever done but...I’m still happy she shot him and she probably shoud have aimed for the face.😉

May’s Boundless Badassary:

Her “fancy flying” (and the Hydra pilots’ lack of imagination) saves everyone on the Bus, the best display yet of her skill as a pilot which clearly rivals her skill as a martial artist. Then she basically spends the rest of the episode worrying about Skye and Coulson, who share the endearing but also often exasperating trait of taking personal responsibility for everything bad that ever happens. 🙄

Wall of Valor:

Never the phrase “we hardly knew ye” has ever been more appropriate, I think. Trip’s been with us for a little less than 20 episodes and what we know about him isn’t much but it’s all positive: brave, loyal but not blindly so, unfailingly heroic, owner of a 100000 watts smile, he’s a specialist who managed to preserve a sunny disposition and the ability to communicate verbally (😉). He’s been flirting with Simmons since his introduction but at some point must have decided not to push beyond that, probably sensing the complicated situation with Fitz, whose fits of jealousy he very gracefully shrugged off last season. And he’s been a good partner and friend to Skye, at a time when Coulson was distant, Jemma was away and Fitz was struggling and she didn’t know how to deal with it. That he died thinking he failed to save her just makes everything more tragic and unfair.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

You think they’re coming back? May’s expression of exasperated incredulity is just glorious. Thank you, Agent Koenig.

The only word for that kind of flying is "fancy”. -- Redirect us to San Juan. I'm gonna have to let Coulson know that Hydra has Skye. Well, talk about a buzzkill.

So Ward called an audible when he saw her on the plane. -- Or had his own agenda the whole time. Bingo! Give the awesome lady a new leather jacket.

A few hours at most after Fitz told her he couldn’t work with her, he and Jemma are working together to puzzle out the alien city’s defenses. And it’s a bit (well, a lot) awkward but their brainstorming is as effective as ever. Food for thought, little bear.

What if the city didn't kill Mack, but co-opted him, made him a part of it? - Like zombie ants? - Yeah. Maybe it's like the fungus ophiocordyceps. It possesses and transforms ants into creatures that do its bidding. Oh crap. Mack’s an Infected. 😱

I heard what happened with Mack. -- Then you know it was my fault. -- [...] You did what had to be done. It’s a few seasons too early but - spoiler alert - I loathe that phrase.😡

I might know a guy. Want me to see if he's available? -- Is he good? -- Good enough to know you're keeping a thumb drive from him. There’s no fooling Hunter. He’s much smarter than anyone ever gives him credit for.

You made the right call. -- The right call would have been to put two of these in Ward's head. With all these fuzzy feelings everyone’s been harboring for Ward I'm frankly surprised his head hasn’t already exploded all on its own.

How's your marksmanship? -- I don't know. Hand me your side arm. Let's find out. I’m gonna go with vengeful. Also, Ward, just F.Y.I., (not at all) subtly reminding her of your mentorship days is not going to work out the way you think.

Maybe you don't remember, but we've played this game of "let's kidnap Skye" before, and it didn't end well for you.  Bit of a vague warning I suppose, especially compared to Jemma’s a few episodes back, but a warning nonetheless.

I’m Cal. I’m your father. Oh, hey Skye, Luke Skywalker just called, wanting to let you know that the “MDIMM - My Dad Is a Mass Murderer” support group is meeting every Wednesday and you’re invited.😁

Thank you for meeting with me. -- "Thank you for..." Are you serious? I was kidnapped off a plane at gunpoint! Well, Coulson kidnapped you from your van with Ward in tow and I’m pretty sure they had guns under those suits. Is it really that different? (well, yes, lol, but it’s still funny. Right?😁)

Those little almond cookies, you know? Amaretti? 🤨 Debbie cakes are more her speed. Sorry, Cal, you’re losing points to the other dad.

Well, I don't know what you know about me. -- You're a monster, a murderer, a trail of death wherever you go. -- Those are all true. Look at her expression. She was hoping for a denial. 😢

You were born in China. Your mother was Chinese. It’s quite possible that Daisy hadn’t known about her precise ethnic heritage until now. Though she probably suspected after learning she had been found in Hunan.

I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you, that I couldn't protect you. That I couldn't teach you about the stars. Or sing you to sleep. The life that never was.😢

What's bad? -- Diego's early, and he's wearing a suit. -- Uh, yeah, you're gonna have to connect the dots on why that's bad. -- He's never early, and he never wears a suit.-- Oh, well, that clears everything up. Give it up for Diego. He knows Bobbi is smart and observant and counted on it.

Ah, the classic “let’s kiss to look inconspicous” maneuver. I bet this is in the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s handbook.

Also, San Juan looks beautiful.

You work for Whitehall and for Hydra. They are the bad guys. That makes you a bad guy. Trying really hard to reduce the situation to the simplicity of the binary code. 1 and 0, good and bad. If only.

But first, now that he's served his purpose, I'm gonna kill the man who destroyed my life. Best day ever. He’s a man of simple pleasures. 🤭

Where's your brother been hiding? -- Well, all this excitement fried his circuits. His cooling system kicked in. Now he's recharging his batteries. -- I know what you're doing. The Koenigs should be doing more of this. If I had a bunch of twins I would never relent with the clones and the LMDs jokes. Uhm. Maybe the Koenigs are simply less annoying than me. 🤣

If things go radically south here, I'll need you to implement the theta protocol. Right, the thing you have been working on in total secret that will save the day in Sokovia and hurt May’s feelings. Very cool and totally not cool, Coulson.

I'd like you to pick it up. -- You first. Sassing in the face of danger.

Two goals: stop the drill, find Skye. -- Aren't you forgetting a third? -- What's that? -- Don't die out there. We tend to remind each other not to die. -- Thought that was implicit. -- He likes to hear it. -- Who doesn't like to hear it? And again, I’m with Hunter. It’s a fairly important part of any plan, especially when in the company of the self-sacrificing types.

Discovery requires experimentation. I killed your wife. And before I kill you, I want you to watch what I do to your daughter. Ewww. Hands off my superhero, you nazi creep!

Never turn your back on the enemy. You taught me that. So, do you finally get it, Ward? It was over the second she discovered Eric’s body. *exasperated sigh*

What did you do?! -- You're welcome? -- You killed him! He was mine, and you killed him! I’m not usually this bloodthirsty but a shot to the heart is too good and clean for Whitehall.

Kara’s aim rivals a Stormtrooper’s. 🤣

Join S.H.I.E.L.D. Travel to exotic, distant lands. Meet exciting, unusual people. And kill them. Hell of a job, uh?

I'm her father, not you! How about he gets her for the school year and you can have her for the holidays? 🤭

I’m not going down there. [...] -- Why can’t you see it’s a good thing? -- Maybe it’s all the dead bodies laying around or the fact that Hydra wants it. Sound reasoning. *whispering* but it’s going to be really cool...eventually... 😏

I'm so sorry. I couldn't kill him. I couldn't kill him, and I wanted to and I couldn't. I'm so sorry. I'm gonna make it right. I’m gonna find the Obelisk. I’m gonna stop the drill. I’m gonna make it right. Apologizing because you can’t kill your own father is a new...something. Props to Chloe who switches tone and manner of speech - almost sounding like a pleading child - after Cal’s gone and she’s speaking to the battered Coulson. And as soon as she started saying “I’m gonna make it right” Coulson went “no!”, because he knows exactly where she’s coming from. And in fact, a couple of scenes later...

I put her on this path, I have to try to make it right. There you go. Cut from the same cloth and all that.

Raina escaped into the tunnels with the Obelisk. -- I wouldn't lose any sleep. The place is gonna blow in less than -- Skye and Coulson went in after her. -- Damn. Oh, Trip. 😭 Hats off to B.J. Britt who I think really sells the moment Trip swiftly decides to risk his life for theirs.

Our whole lives have been leading to this moment. -- Sorry. I don't buy into the whole "this is your destiny" thing. We're taking the Obelisk, and we're leaving. There are too many lives at stake. Nice plan. Doomed to failure the second you stepped in there, but A+ for purpose.

If you want to leave, now’s your chance. Eh...bit of a curiosity killed the cat situation at this point and that goes for you too, Raina.

No, Trip! What are you doing here? Being a hero. 😭 😭 😭

Are you seeing this? There's someone new. Exciting, isn’t it?

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x10 #daisy johnson #phil coulson #melinda may #antoine triplett #raina #cal johnson #bobbi morse #lance hunter #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #text post #rewatchingaos2 #rewatchingaos

[ryder616]

Rewatching Who You Really Are

Where are all the decent Kree at? Vin-Tak, who has the distinction of being the very first Kree (with a pulse) in AoS, feels like one for about 10 minutes, until he starts advocating for ethnic cleansing.

Sure, Inhumans can be dangerous but so can Kree, Asgardians and plain, regular humans and there’s a lot more of all of them to worry about.

Lady Sif’s solution - taking Skye to Asgard where one hopes they’d have taught her to use her powers and not locked her up in some dungeon - would make for a great What If. I still prefer the version we got, where everyone pitches in to defend their friend/teammate and Philinda’s quasiparental protectiveness hits a new high.

Once we go from actions to words, however, things are less heartwarming.

Jemma’s understandably hurt by the lie and even more so by the implication that she could do something bad to Skye, which if we’re honest is preposterous (sorry Fitz). But if “Skye’s (her) friend, she’s different!”, doesn’t that imply that if it were all happening to Guest Star #3 Fitz’s concerns would then be on point?

Bobbi and Mack’s grievances would have some merit but lose almost all weight when considering what kind of secret they are concealing. Sorry, guys, you don’t get to spy and prepare a coup and also complain about other people hiding things from you. Pick one or the other (I’d go with complaining but then the season would be much shorter).

And Fitz indulges in some pettiness, which is unbecoming for the guy who said “you’re just different and there’s nothing wrong with that” and makes his motivations a little murkier.

So we’re left with Hunter as the only person in the room who hasn’t really done or said anything wrong. And the episode rewards him with a chokehold and kidnapping. 🤭

Between Vin-Tak and Lady Sif, we get quite a bit of backstory for the Inhumans arc.

The Diviner was found in Chaves, Portugal, digged up in 1945 by Whitehall and this may very well be where they also found the dead Kree that became project T.A.H.I.T.I. In any case, both were confiscated shortly after by Peggy Carter and the S.S.R. as seen in the 2x01 flashback.

The Diviner was originally brought to Earth - together with at least five more who eventually made it into the Afterlife Inhumans’ possession - by “one vicious faction” of the Kree, “eons ago”, when the very unaptly named “blue angels” had been warring amongst themselves for quite a long while. This faction was trying to create enhanced soldiers for its ranks by genetically modifying the DNA of other species. The experiments failed everywhere except on Earth where another Kree faction eventually shut them down. The current Kree Empire is unaware of this one success or would likely descend on Earth to resume making superhumans or at least pick up the ones left behind (hi, Kasius family, how you’re all doing? Please get lost in a black hole, thank you 😁).

The Diviner itself is basically just a metal container - alien metal, highly toxic to humans - for a “Terrigen” crystal, the element needed to activate the DNA modification in a process called “Terrigenesis”. The ancient Kree city under Puerto Rico had a special room - the “Temple” - engineered to turn on the Diviner and trigger Terrigenesis. This isn’t however the only way to do it, despite Coulson’s confident assertion that destroying the city makes it now impossible to activate the other diviners.

May’s Boundless Badassary:

She grabs the girl and runs like hell (right? 😎) and then prepares to defend her fighting hand to hand with one of the aliens who have inspired Norse Mythology and also happens to be twice her size, wearing heavy armor, and holding a double-bladed sword. Yeah, Sif didn’t stand a chance. 😁

She’s Got the Powers:

Skye still has no control or understanding of her powers but she already does something quite interesting with them, accidentally dismantling her own gun by, seemingly, vibrating its individual parts until they shake loose. A neat trick she’ll learn to replicate for the season finale (and also in S6). She also causes two localized earthquakes, strong enough to very visibly shake a Portoguese hospital and the base.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

I didn’t wanna hurt you. I didn’t wanna try to hurt you. Another glorious May face. Does this count as foreshadowing, though? Given their future little brawl in 2x21.

It seems the thing that always came between us was your dedication to S.H.I.E.L.D.  Now we're on the same team. Well, crap. Bobbi, I think you’re in trouble.

The last Stark copper jackets. I'll make sure Hill puts them on the list. Wait, wait, what? Maria Hill is giving you guys tech from Stark Industries? So either Tony knows Coulson’s alive or has been told someone else in in charge or doesn’t know jack and she’s going behind his back 🤯

You're a force to be reckoned with, Mack. --  Okay, but violence isn't really my thing. Mack’s a field agent now. While still working as chief mechanic and engineer because S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are all overworked, hold like six different positions simultaneously, hardly ever get any time off even when they’ve been repeatedly shot, stabbed and/or beaten and really they should just unionize and strike for their rights.

Oh, you'll want everyone on the bus for this. Yay, family road trip!

How did you subdue her and get her to wait? -- No subduing. She stayed willingly once I told her I'd found "Kava" and he was on his way to meet her. -- Oh. But I'm not Kava. -- I'm glad I'm not the one who has to tell her that. I think you need to recruit this guy, Phil.

I'm sure a clue will turn up somewhere. -- Twitter. Skye found it. Of course she did. 🤗

Sir, the Science Division has loaded the team with heavier suppression artillery. After Raina's vanishing act, we advise that when you find this man, you contain him first, ask questions later. This is a bit chilling but when they later capture Vin-Tak the only “heavy suppression artillery”-looking gun shoots an electrified net.

New icers? -- The mechanical design is still top-notch, but we're looking into a more concentrated dendrotoxin formula. -- And wouldn't that be dangerous? -- But effective. Given these elevated threats, we can't risk it not being. This is almost the same argument from 1x11, when the “elevated threats” were the Centipede soldiers, but in reverse. Back then it was Jemma worrying that the dendrotoxin’s concentration stayed at a safe level for the targets. Also a reminder that Fitz is currently working in the garage with Mack, so he doesn’t know the day-to-day of the lab.

What about Thor? -- I do not know this word, yet when you say it, I want to smile.  Why?  -- Who can explain the mysteries of the Asgardian brain?  -- I can. Alright! Agents of S.W.O.O.N. is back on!

We're uploading some information to you. A portable scanner that can wirelessly relay biological and chemical data for further analysis. Nifty.

Only seven intelligent species across the known realms require heightened levels of nitrogen gas, none humanoid. I learned this as a child. Did you not? Lady, we barely learn the composition of the air we breathe...😂

The guy was blue, like he just tested some Willy Wonka gum-blue. What a precise technical description🤣 Daisy’s mission reports must be a hoot to read.

You also learn other species' entire languages as a child? Look, I think we’ve already established that the Asgardian School System blows all the Earth’s ones out of the water. Let’s just move on.

I thought that I could handle it. But I can't. It's too much. I think we have to tell Coulson what's happening. Yes, that might have been for the best. But we would have missed out on some highly entertaining drama coming up.

Sorry to interrupt whatever this is. It’s a good thing that the only secrets Hunter was concerning himself with involved his ex-wife because Fitz doesn’t lie much better than Jemma and Skye’s nerves could power the entire base right now.

I don't want him here in case he takes their side. He's a friend. I don't want him fighting against us. -- He would never. --  He loves you, and he probably will always love you.  But I still think he might be capable of killing you. Yeah, no, I don’t believe this for a second. Way to oversell it, Mack.

How very Kree. He needs a weapon to make a point. Asgardians do not like Kree.

Asgardian. Well, that explains a lot. And Kree do not like Asgardians.

So, someone was transformed. A Kree slave warrior created. Have you put it down? And you were shading all Kree just a moment ago because Vin-Tak wanted his memory-wiping stick?😒

You were there? What did you see? - I-I didn't...I mean, n-nothing. Yes, very convincing. They will never suspect you now.

You must understand, these creatures are weapons. Abominations. And I was just starting to like you...🙄

Skye. You want to talk to us? With the Kree exterminator and the Asgardian watchdog in the room? I’m guessing not.

Imagine what will happen if your powers grow.  It may not stop at breaking glass. You could bring down buildings, tear continents apart. I wouldn’t worry so much. They don’t have the budget for it. 😁 There will be some post apocalyptic lunatics framing her for destroying the entire planet but that will be mostly due to, frankly, the poor deductive skills of the survivors and their even poorer ability to relay information reliably across a couple of generations.

Fitz, we need Bambino! OMG. He named the gun he used on Loki? 😮 🤣 And he named it that? 

You knew you couldn't stop me. So what was the point? -- Just wanted the attention. HA! 🙌 You don’t get the drop on Mockingbird twice, blue dude.

She harmed herself!  Even though she knew it meant giving up her freedom. All to save the rest of you. Yeah, she’s silly like that.

Asgard is millennia beyond you in our pursuit of science, of knowledge, and we have learned  there are some things that can never be understood. --  Is this little talk one of them? 🤣 🤣 🤣

Look, most of the time, I believe what I see. [...] But you died. You were brought back with a map to a city encoded in your DNA. Our team's first mission?  -- We picked up Skye. -- Last week, we took her to that city.  I can't help but remember what Lumley said.  -- Wherever Skye goes -- Death follows. I wonder whether any of this will find its way back into s7. 🤔

We should be protecting her. -- No, Fitz!  We're the ones that need protection from her. Mack: get over it and hurry up. You have a friend to kidnap in about a minute.😁

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x12 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #bobbi morse #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #lance hunter #alphonso mackenzie #lady sif #vin-tak #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching Face My Enemy

I remembered this as “the one where May fights in a silver dress” which, aside from being wrong since the one in the silver dress is Kara, doesn’t do the episode justice because it’s packed with goodies.

Philinda undercover are again delightful, Hydra almost gets the upper hand being clever and tricky and the junior agents have some nice bonding scenes before and after their own crisis ensues, with Fitz making a few more steps out of his shell and adding Hunter to his growing list of new friends.

“Hard choices are coming. I need you to make this one for me”.

Last season May struggled with the possibility of having to “put [Coulson] down” (her words, not mine) if T.A.H.I.T.I. had messed him up irreparably. And here we are again, except this time he’s asking her to. He makes sense: going the way of Garrett feels like a horrible thing on its own but if it happened to the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. that would likely be disastrous.

Still, it’s one hell of a thing to ask your best friend, especially one who has already gone through a devasting event related to killing someone she didn’t want to. Then you remember May will face a similar dilemma the following season, not to mention everything after, and, well...😭

May’s Boundless Badassary:

May endures some pretty gruesome torture - first the dancing then the electric wire 😁 - then frees herself as soon as there’s a useful distraction. Bakshi’s terrifed look is well earned and the fight with Kara is fantastic, setting the new and very high standard for fights coreography in the show. But my absolute favorite thing is her casual strolling through the laser grid while Coulson was preparing to twist himself through the maze. Absolute Icon.

Daring Engineering:

Fitz figures out what’s wrong with the Bus, which is easy, and is able to explain it to everyone else, which is currently much harder, and then talks Hunter through a crucial bit of repairs. Earlier, he was hovering on the outside of the group, basically debating with himself how not to be left out, and the question finds the most obvious answer: just being himself did it.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Was the fire in the church an accident or did someone set it on purpose? And who carved the back of the painting? Was Sebastian Derik, the former T.A.H.I.T.I. patient turned creepy killer (2x07), responsible for both the carvings and the fire?

May rode a black motorcycle just 2 episodes ago and here Skye rides an aqua green scooter (with matching helmet). There’s metaphor for something there but I’m not entirely sure what it is 🤔

Tickets cost $25,000? -- Each. That's why I'm going for the five-finger discount. Ah, yes. My beloved cyberspace queen is back at it.

Mack really wants to get his hands under Lola’s hood which seems fairly understandable considering he’s a mechanical engineer and Lola is a very special machine. But given what we know now, I have to wonder if this wasn’t part of a plan to ingratiate himself to Coulson and look for an opening to sniff out Fury’s little black box.

I will pay you 500 dollars right now for a pair of flats. Says the woman who wears heeled boots with her tactical outfit.

Director, are you sure you don't want me there? [...] No, keeping it to two agents allows us to minimize detection in a small space. I hope you don't need me to explain covert operations again. Skye’s getting increasingly displeased with Director Dad. First he’s elusive, then he’s not telling her things and now he’s holding her back when she’s clearly chomping at the bit, wishing to be on the mission rather than running backend.

Turning off the comms during undercover missions, the go-to move of all spy couples. I bet the rumor mill about Coulson and May was buzzing something fierce in the lower decks after this.

Dance elective at the academy. Of course, I dropped it two weeks later. So May learned to dance in just two weeks? I’m not surprised.

Skye’s asking the usual too many questions. Hehehe, I bet.

She just said more words than I've heard her say in a year. -- Alright, Agent May -- That’s very alarming. 🤣 🤣

May can speak Spanish, in addition to Mandarin and next season we’ll learn she also speaks Russian, although her pronunciation isn’t the best by her own admission (3x13).

He’s your husband? -- We’re modern. 🤣 🤣 🤣

This isn't the op we anticipated. Everything's gonna be a little more fast and dirty than we planned. -- Only makes it more interesting. -- See? The exuberance of youth. The exuberance of the reckless, impulsive youth. 🤭

Fascinating says Whitehall when he sees the picture of Coulson and May. Did he recognize Coulson as the guy who supposedly died and so he’s now planning another vivisection to see what makes him “special”? 🥶

I assume this all makes you happy. -- Why would this make me happy? -- We failed in our mission. We're outnumbered, trapped, hoping not to get killed. Feels like the old days to me. In a much better universe than ours, AoS not only gave us several concurrent and post series spin-offs plus a movie trilogy (Quake: Secret Avenger😎) but also a prequel series following the adventures of young Coulson and May. If anyone has a spare dimensional portal so I can travel there pronto, please let me know.

Hey, this is the part I do. It will make up for all the dancing. -- You liked it. -- No, I didn't. -- Little bit? -- Little bit. She liked it so much she will still be grousing about it three seasons later 😉

Don't remember Coulson asking you to do extra research on this thing. -- I'm being industrious. -- Or are you digging into a top-secret mission to find out about the parts they're not telling us? Now, Trip, what could have possibly given you that idea?🤣 To be fair, Coulson did order her to research the alien writings and that’s what she’s doing after all. Loophole, meet exploit 😎

It didn't work out because interspecies relationships are hard. I was a human, whereas she was a demonic hell-beast. [...] Hey, at least you got away from your ex. The guy I had a crush on is now the psycho living in our basement. Skye’s prodding and delight for Hunter’s recollections of his ex wife anticipate Daisy’s focus on her friends’ relationships, possibly because hers are generally tragic, in both senses of the word.

It’s really very fortunate for Hydra that Kara’s build and coloring match May’s.

Either Skye’s been sleeping on the software security or she hasn’t got around to the phones yet because Hydra decrypted May’s phone way too easily.

The Bus is being assimilated by the Borg. Look at the creepy spidery gadget Kara left over there.

Where are you based? -- Currently? About five feet from kicking your ass. -- I don't much believe in empty threats. Neither does she, you silly nazi sidekick.

S.H.I.E.L.D. would need leadership, a new director. I trust you - just you - to do this. I gotta be honest Phil, this habit of dumping S.H.I.E.L.D. on your nearest and dearest whenever you feel like dying is a bit aggravating.

I can’t believe I’m the only one seeing this right now. Don’t worry, you’re not! *grabs popcorns*

Hydra is really the evil version of S.H.I.E.L.D., they even have the same compulsion of slapping their symbol on everything - see the octopuses on their tac team’s backs for instance - despite the fact they are supposed to be working in the shadows!

Okay, well, if you need any help with the nothing, you just let me know. Oh, Trip. No pointy fingers, no guilt tripping, no trying to talk her out of it, just an offer of support should she need it. You were really too good for the world.

I am not shooting you in the head. I will never shoot you in the head. Unless an evil body-snatching alien possesses you in order to wake up her old partner who had been stowing away in Phil’s cloned body replicated by space magic rocks, that is. Completely hypothetical and far-fetched scenario, of course.

I once operated on a woman on and off for a full week. And Raina very likely knows this story already🥶Stop it right here, Karma. I know she’s been awful, but this is way too much.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x04 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #antoine triplett #lance hunter #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #alphonso mackenzie #rewatchingaos #text post #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching Love in the Time of Hydra

At the end of the previous episode, May looked shocked by Andrew’s recommendation for Skye to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. while Coulson’s main focus appeared to be the danger posed by powers in general and how to stop them.

But here we have May recommending for Skye to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. while Coulson seems shocked by the idea that she could be dangerous.

What happened?

Well, with May it’s easy. Andrew pulled out the Bahrain card and that, plus her obvious respect for his professional opinion, made her reconsider to the point that she’s now seeing Katya in Skye.

As for Coulson...I guess Agent Dad took the helm from Director Coulson. The latter needs to be pragmatic and prepare for the worst. The former loves Skye and can’t believe she would pose a danger to anyone but herself, which is after all a fair assessment based on actual events.

So Skye is sent away to the Retreat, with the best intentions and for her own safety, but it’s easy to imagine how the entire thing - from the various levels of distrust exhibited by all but one of her friends to aliens wanting to kill her to her mentors deciding she can’t stay home at the base - must have played with Daisy’s long history of abandonment.

You can't tell me where we're going, can you? -- You're gonna want to pack a bag. (2x14)

I'm 25, and I have never spent more than two years anywhere. The second I made friends at the orphanage, gone. And God forbid I called a foster family "home”. It's "pack your bags”. (2x17)

There’s a lovely bit of prop continuity that I think works beautifully - and maybe intentionally - to illustrate Skye’s state of mind: when she exiled herself to the cage in 2x12, she had the same travel bag she first arrived with on the Bus in 1x02. Her own, personal bag she likely had for years, not something S.H.I.E.L.D. issued, and it’s the same one she has packed now to go the cabin. She called S.H.I.E.L.D. her home ( “it’s the only home I’ve ever known”,1x19, “S.H.I.E.L.D.’s my life now”, 2x02) and here she is again, packing her bag(s).

While Skye is reliving her childhood, Hunter meets and greets the very fine people at Real S.H.I.E.L.D.

In order of “I get you, I sympathize, I don’t know who you are, I couldn’t care less and What. The. Hell”, we have:

Commander Adama, pretending he’s not the one ultimately calling the shots just on the strength of his personal charisma alone. Nice try, good speech, I don’t buy it. *fistbumps Hunter*

The former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, yet to crossover to Freeland. Probably traumatized by Hydra slaughtering half her students, helped by the other half and at least one powered individual she had to fight to defend them (2x15).

Some bearded dude, whose job must be looking dour at all times so everyone appreciates the gravity of the situation. Considering what’s going to happen to him in the finale, I can’t really blame him for his gloominess.

One unredeemable asshole. There’s a tree branch with his name on it and that’s really sad because he won’t be around to be turned into stone in place of Dour Dude later.😈

And of course Bobbi and Mack, who are entirely too cool for this crowd. You guys...I love you guys, but how can you even exist in the same reality as Agent Asshole, let alone work with him?

I mean, I do get it. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s fall was a huge trauma and betrayal of everything all these people have fought and sacrificed for. They are looking for a better way to run things because one person in charge holding all the secrets didn’t work out so well before and it’s questionable at the best of times. I’m actually on board with that.

But they’re biased as hell and they’re judging with the benefit of knowing the outcome and no actual direct knowledge, as even Bobbi and Mack never got the full picture. Hydra was always going to go after the Obelisk and wanted to weaponize it to “kill millions, perhaps even billions” (2x04). And they made a power play that Real S.H.I.E.L.D. apparently decided to do nothing about, outside of Mack’s and Bobbi’s contributions, all because they were too busy fretting about Phil Coulson.

If they had helped Cool S.H.I.E.L.D. with all their resources instead of sending spies and plotting a coup (oh, the irony), things in San Juan might have gone a lot better.

Quake Rumblings:

Jemma made a pair of fingerless long sleeve gloves that emit a surge of electricty to inhibit Skye’s powers. Coulson says that the goal was to decrease their magnitude so they wouldn’t hurt her. Lincoln will however scoff at this idea, blaming the gloves for Skye’s rough transition (2x16) and they will be used in the season finale to keep her powers contained. However, it’s easy to speculate - we never got to see it, sadly - how the same technology, refined by a better understanding of Inhuman physiology and Daisy’s own powers, became the foundation for the combat gauntlets she’ll be wearing with her Quake uniform from S3 onward.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Kara is so screwed up by the brainwashing that she doesn’t even know what food she likes anymore. 😟

That Natural Born Killers-like scene in the diner is cool, I suppose, but why exactly can’t Ward and Kara quietly kidnap the nano mask expert without all that fuss? And wouldn’t that work better for them? I’d assume they wouldn’t want to attract S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention at this stage. Nor the cops.

Great. I tried to go zen to keep my powers in check only to find myself  back on the D.L. In S3 Lincoln will remark that she has a “natural zen thing” with her powers. Except she doesn’t, it will take a lot of pain and effort to get there and he, more than most, should have known that.

It's okay, Fitz. You don't have to put a positive spin on this. -- I'm not doing that. I would never patronize [...] Well, isn’t this telling. Mack, stop plotting with the Clown Academy and come back to give him a hug!

So maybe if you can learn to control this, then you could have Avengers-level powers, something like Captain America, even. Captain America is a very athletic dude who can hit like a truck and be hit by a truck. She’s way cooler than that. No offense, Cap.😉

If there is an Avenger equivalent, right now I'm afraid it's the Hulk. Yeah, no, call me crazy, but I feel like this comparison might not be what she needs to hear right now. Sorry Jem, Fitz wins this one.

I'm sorry, Skye. This really isn't about you. -- I'm pretty sure it is. Well, yes and no. Given Fitz’s resentement about Jemma’s leaving something was always going to cause their current rift. It just happened to be their friend gaining superpowers. That’s sort of cool. In a really weird way. 😏

This isn't about categories on the index, May. We're talking about Skye. -- And as her S.O., I am telling you, I have no idea how to handle her. -- You'll find a way. You always do. -- Not always.-- This isn't Bahrain. Okay? We know who we're dealing with here. -- Don't fool yourself. Skye's changed. Maybe not on the surface, but inside. She doesn't know herself anymore. I suppose, but she still shot herself to keep the rest of you safe. Take a deep breath and repeat after me: Skye is not Katya. Skye is not Katya. Skye is not Katya.

Well, then I guess it's fair to say we all hide our true selves, don't we? -- Or we just wait for the right time to reveal the truth. Or we are found out and then make lame excuses. 😒 

You must be Lance Hunter. -- And you must be crazy. *hearts Hunter*

I won't deny you have a few good points. But why not just take it up with the man himself? Well, but that would be reasonable.

Is there something else? -- It's just possible repercussions. -- We've been over this, Agent Simmons, and I'm aware of the consequences, but this is my decision to make. Okay, first, what repercussions? I *need* to know these things. And second, wouldn’t this be a decision for Skye to make? 🤨

Thing I remember most about my dad is he was a car guy. [...] Wasn't till we finished that it hit me. That car was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. And all the time we'd spent together working on it gave me an appreciation I never would have had otherwise. -- Hold on. Was that car a red 1962 Corvette? -- Yeah [...] Well, he'd be very proud. Your red Corvette flies. How cool is that? It's pretty cool. -- But I think the thing he'd like most about it, at her core, she's still just a red '62 Corvette. -- Just to be clear, I'm the Corvette in this story. Right? See, Jemma? He compared her to a beautiful vintage car that flies. This is how you do it if you want people to feel a little less crappy about themselves.

Now you want to tell me where we're going? -- We're almost there. So, Phil, what’s up with this? I get why you wouldn’t tell her at the base but why not on the plane? If someone’s bugged the Quinjet, they’d likely have access to its flight plan as well anyway. But I’m sure not being told where she was going did wonders to quell Skye’s insecurities. 🙄

Whatever I may have thought there was between me and Skye, she made it pretty clear the feeling wasn't mutual. I’m not insane. Not insane, no, but perhaps a teensy bit delusional? The girl had to shoot you four times for you to get it. Great to see you’re finally both on the same page, though! 👍

I know what're you going through. My family did a number on me, stripped me down, left me hollow. I was a shell. So, when someone finally did come along and offer to build me back up, I didn't resist. Even though what he really did was make me a killer. And now you’re doing it to her. Lovely. 🤢😡

But then I paid my family a visit. They were surprised to see me, but I think that, eventually, we were able to dig in, really express our feelings. This actually made me laugh. I’m a bad person. 🤭

That poor lieutenant working as Talbot’s assistant... 🤣🤣 

Skye, I'm afraid I have to pull you from active duty. -- I get it. I do. I just didn't think that you'd lock me up, like a werewolf during full moon. Someone’s feeling like a monster. 😭 The cabin looks lovely, tbh, but Skye’s probably a city kid - if her St. Agnes is Matt Murdock’s St. Agnes, she basically grew up in New York in between all the moving - and she may not be into woods and rustic life all that much. Especially rustic life delimited by laser fences.

What would you do if you were me? -- I don't know. These are uncharted waters, but if anybody can find a way through them, it's you. Coulson’s full confidence in Daisy will never not be heartwarming.

Is that everybody? -- All female personnel are accounted for, sir. I think you need more female personnel. That’s just twenty people or so.

No, no, trust me the only threat this guy poses is to himself. Psst, Mack? She doesn’t trust you and she’s not believing a word you’re saying. Just a FYI.

I gave your name to Coulson because Hartley needed backup. I never thought you'd stay, let alone care. Oh, I had totally forgotten about this conversation. Then I owe you an apology, Bobbi. You weren’t planning to involve him at all.

Walk away. Right now. You and I, we can leave all this mess behind, just start over, be new people, be better people. Not a small thing to ask, when he knows how important S.H.I.E.L.D., whichever version she happens to be affiliated with at the time, is to her.

I don't want to change Skye. The Diviner did that. I'm just trying to fix her! There’s nothing to fix... 😏

You never used to be this scared [...] You're afraid. 'Cause of what happened to me and Skye, how we both changed. Well, you know what the scariest change is, Jemma? It's you. No, no, no, Fitz. This is unfair. I’m not calling back Mack to hug you anymore.😋

Earlier today, with Skye...it just didn't feel right. -- You made the right call. There's just too many things in play right now for her to be here. -- Yeah, maybe. But you ever get that feeling like you mishandled something important? Well, had she turned supervillain instead of superhero, this would have been the moment you’d regret, yes. But she’s just gonna side against you guys for like half a minute. Cheer up!

So, Mack you believe him? -- Nope. -- Me, neither. Aw, poor Mack. I bet he thought he was doing well with that “ships in the night” crap😂

Oh, come on. We all know Bobbi could have taken out that tea cup anytime she wanted -- I might just have to test that theory out on your face. Feel free. I have popcorns.

Coulson and his secrets, that's the threat. Dammit, Bobbi. And you were so close to a good thing with that “punching Agent Asshole in the face” idea.

If I obey, will my compliance be rewarded? -- To be honest, it really won't make a difference. Oh, great. Here comes Wardette. 😬😡😭

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x14 #phil coulson #daisy johnson #melinda may #lance hunt #bobbi morse #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #grant ward #kara palomas #alphonso mackenzie #text pos #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching Afterlife

Watching for the first time, I thought Afterlife was creepy. “Potentials” being brought in to be indoctrinated but only a few selected to gain powers, ominous mentions of yet unseen Elders, nobody knowing where the place even was other than the only guy capable of accessing it and of course Lincoln’s wide-eyed surprise every time Skye didn’t know something that was unreasonable to expect she did. I was so suspicious of him, I missed all the early signs these two were going to become an item (I might have still missed them, but being distracted imagining terrible conspiracies didn’t help 😁).

Then Jiaying popped out, looking better than any woman who had been vivisected and left to rot in a ditch 25 years earlier ever could. Waiting for 2x17 was agonizing.

In retrospect, though, Afterlife isn’t a creepy place. Just...sad? It exists because Inhumans wouldn’t be safe (and won’t and aren’t) in the world at large and would face (and will and are) fear and rejection, because the lure of power can bring out the worst in people, alien genes or not, and because Jiaying is irremediably traumatized and too broken to see anything but enemies and threats. Notably, however, her first solution - well, after a couple of crazy mass-murdering years...hey, it worked out for Hawkeye... - was isolation and not violence.

Meanwhile, in Real S.H.I.E.L.D.’s world, Skye and Coulson have just nuked the Twelve Colonies and are now hunting the survivors across the galaxy in designer clothes. Or something to that effect, I’m not entirely sure, I tune out the opening rant after the “Love Boat Captain” (Hunter... 🤣) calls Skye a “thing”.🤬

With Mack still high on the anti-alien Kool-Aid and Weaver, Gloomy Beard and Agent Asshole likely sharing Commander Adama’s distress over the failure to destroy the cylon murder apprehend (🙄) Skye, Bobbi is the only bastion of reason, standing up for the “fugitives” and lobbying to involve May and FitzSimmons. She’s still committed to the larger goal, though, so it’s up to the Science Wonders to score one for Team Coulson and together they pull an absolutely EPIC fast one.

Honestly, the way they fool all those trained, seasoned spies with their performance deserved to be immortalized in songs and stories for the ages. Psychically linked, indeed.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All:

When I came out of the mist, every cell in my body had a different electrical charge. I felt like I was burning from the inside out. But I learned to manipulate them, concentrate them, even transfer them onto something else, like static electricity.

Lincoln Campbell is one of the most powerful Inhumans in the show. His ability to manipulate electromagnetic fields could also have a ton of non combat applications though it’s never explored how long he can sustain it and how much, if at all, it stresses his body.

Lincoln is also quite accomplished beyond his superpowers. A med student from Cincinnati - he will be a full doctor next season - he’s an expert on Inhuman physiology, tasked with helping the Afterlife Inhumans recover after Terrigenesis and, at least at this stage, somewhat of a mentor for them, too. He certainly is one to Daisy, who will credit him for helping her stop feeling like a cursed monster and embrace her Inhumanity (3x03).

His current equilibrium was hard-won and his introductory episode already hints at his struggles: “I felt lost before I came here, too. Looking for answers in all the wrong places”. In season 3 it will be revelead that one of those “wrong places” was a bottle, his way of coping with a feeling of emptiness other Inhumans also share.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

You know, I look at you, and I see a man who's played it safe his whole life, but lately feels like he's stuck in a rut. Life's lost its thrill. The kids are monsters. The wife's taken to muumuus. And now you're thinking, "it's time to let the tiger loose”. Uhm, let’s see...May’s still wearing black leather jackets. The “kids” are all brilliant and dedicated. And considering he’s on the run from the spy organization he used to lead and may now try to kill him, a boring life isn’t a top concern. So, Eddie? Epic fail.😂

Hunter is my kind of shopping pal. Coulson was buying a clunker while he had already picked up the best car in that joint.

Sorry, Eddie. The tiger's been loose for a while. Roar? 🤣🤣

I need to go. They need me. Something bad has happened. Daisy! You just woke up naked, in a strange place with strange men, all stitched up with strange needles like a pincushion! Would you please think about yourself for a second?

Leaving now wouldn't exactly be...you ever made microwave popcorn? Leave it in too long, and it's charcoal. Take it out too soon, and it's a bag of kernels? Oh, hello, cute scruffy guy with goofy food analogies. You look like a Love Interest(tm).

Who are you? -- Sorry. I thought...I’m Lincoln, your transitioner. I keep forgetting you’re new to this. You “keep” forgetting? She’s just arrived. She’s been unconscious for two days. This is the first time you’re speaking with her.🤨

There are no prisoners here. We are all S.H.I.E.L.D.agents. I’m sorry, did the definition of “prisoner” change while I wasn’t listening to your bigotry? Agent May is currently detained against her will in the same dungeon that used to house Grant Ward, you ginormous hypocrite.

You should have brought cupcakes. Meh. He would have managed to pick all the stale ones anyway. 😝

[He’s told of all the crazy things he’s missed] Seriously? I was only gone a week. Hunter, it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. They can doom the planet and save it over a weekend.

You're not very trusting, are you? You are aware of what she does for a living, right?

Gordon didn't explain? 🙄 No, Lincoln, he didn’t. Maybe when he brought you in he gave you the full rundown first but she didn’t even get the cliff notes, as it should be evident to you by now if you’re paying any attention.

Are you kidding? This has never happened. [...]  This tradition has been passed down through countless generations.[...] And not only did you go through without permission or prep, but you did it old-school, with a diviner in a Kree temple. That hasn't happened for thousands of years. So. Even among all the special people, she’s...special-er. How unexpected.🤭

We were pursuing Hydra because that's our job. It's what we should all be doing right now instead of wasting our time on some witchhunt! As usual, Agent May cuts through the BS with a hot knife. Forget a seat on the board, just put her in charge.

There's too much bad blood out there. They think we're traitors. Well, some people are weird. You lie to them and spy on them for months then take over their base ousting their beloved boss and, shockingly, they resent it.

Coulson's a good man, Mack. -- Yeah. He's a good man who's been compromised. Coulson should be in the index with Agent Skye. And you’re a good man who should know better than this, Mack.😔

You of all people know what happens when powered people lose control. You had to put one down. Isn't that why they call you the Cavalry? Don’t. Call. Her. That. 😡

Screw their side. There are very few people in this world that I'd throw down with, but you're one of them. Gonzales, the Love Boat Captain? Not if hell froze over. And you guys were worried about his loyalty once...

Relax? This will be like my fourth bed in the past week, and I've been locked up, quarantined, psychoanalyzed...that was fun. Oh, c’mon. Andrew is great.

I'm gonna take a closer look at these. And keep them around, possibly modifying them so they could be used as quake-inhibiting handcuffs at a later time, perchance? I see you, Sparky.

I'm sorry. I thought you knew. The transition is irreversible.  Lincoln. FFS. What part of she’s just arrived and doesn’t know squat isn’t clear to you yet? 🙄 Seriously, dude. I know she’s pretty but please focus.

Plus, it's pizza night tomorrow night. Deep dish. Gordon brings them in from Chicago. You can't miss it. Does this count as asking her out? And, excuse me for being too Italian here, but Gordon can go anywhere he wants and you can’t think of other places to get your pizza from? Americans.... 😉😁

I was thinking about what you said last night, about bad options. -- I meant have another drink! And he got “call my cyborg friend for help, lure our pursuers, steal their ride and then make a deal with the devil”. How is that different? 😎

Icers only. -- Oh, you can't be serious. -- Those are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents out there. We're not gonna hurt them. -- I somehow doubt they feel the same about us. I guarantee you they don’t.

It may not look like it, but this place was built to withstand a hulk-size force. On the other hand, let's just hope they didn't bring a battering ram ... 'cause then we've only got about an hour. You and your supposedly impregnable locations, Coulson. Shall I remind you of Providence “It'll take some major artillery to make a dent” base?

Take my hand. I know it's so awkward, but you strike me as someone who's generally more curious than afraid. Oh, look at that. You do pay attention to some things.

The picture of him and Jemma that Fitz grabs while packing looks taken in front of the Incan Temple from 1x02. And of course there’s a monkeys statuette.😄

I hate to see you leave, Turbo. -- Only my friend Mack can call me that. -- I'll always be your friend, Fitz. Hopefully, someday, you'll understand why I had to do what I did. [...]  I'm here because I don't want you to leave, man. You could start with an apology, Mack. "Had to do it” isn’t one. For future reference for the other party in this conversation as well.😉

She's scanning the surface dimensions and routing the data through. Why would she do that, unless... Unless she’s building a dummy version so you can get the real one back to Coulson? Yeah, can’t think of another reason either (actually, that’s a big fat lie 😁: until the part where Jemma repeats she wants things back to “normal” and Fitz rebukes they can’t, I had thought Bobbi had truly convinced her. There the lightbulb finally turned on for me too).

Where are the reinforcements? -- I don't know. Stuck in traffic? -- Are they traveling by clown car? How many are there? -- Actually, there's one. -- One? That's not reinforcements, that's a gravedigger. -- Well, there's not many agents I can trust right now. a) Hunter has clown issues b) Mike Peterson belongs to the very short list of people Coulson trusts and that would honestly be enough to make the episode for me. 🤗

Trip and Fitz built together a Howling Commandos kit for Coulson. I’m just going to be over here, bawling my eyes out for a minute or two. 😭😭

You've made a lot of people afraid, Skye. Afraid our secret won't be safe for much longer. Yay, something else she can blame herself for! Also, Lincoln, I would watch out what you say around her, she’s been doing her too many questions routine since she woke up and it’s not just idle curiosity, buddy.

Why can't I see her? -- Because you have no self-control. Your lack of discipline has risked everything that we have built. You have not only sealed your fate, but the fate of your daughter, as well. In retrospect, this was perhaps unnecessarily ominous. Anyway, whatever terrible fate the elders had in store for Cal and Skye, Jiaying put a stop to it. Though, in the larger context, Gordon’s sadly correct. Afterlife is now on borrowed time. Though it probably always was, with Hydra out there.

Then there's the small matter of who's gonna fly that thing. Do you even know how? -- I've watched May fly. I know a little. 🤣 🤣 🤣

At some point, you might have mentioned that backup was a lethal cyborg. -- Truthfully, I just wanted to see the look on your face when he showed up. Priceless. Phil Coulson, Director of T.R.O.L.L.S.

You're a piece of cake, compared to the other one. Total physical transformation, and we still have no idea what her gift is. -- You told me I was the only one. [...] You said that I was the first person to transition here in a really long time. [...] She’s here. You lied to me. There, busted. I did warn you, Lincoln.

You have brought nothing but pain into my life. My father, the mist. My friend Trip died in there because of you! -- I didn't make you follow me into that chamber. You wanted to go. You needed to go, because we're the same, Skye. We were the same before, and we're the same now. Even in her current less than untroubled frame of mind, Raina can still identify exactly what buttons to push with people.

My name is Jiaying. You're both guests in my house. Hello, supposedly dead woman. You have to excuse the girls, they’ve had a rough couple of weeks. If it helps, you’ll murder one and try to kill the other, so I think you can overlook their admittedly poor manners right now.

All I ask is for a few days. I'll look after you, train you, watch you grow. All the things she never got to do.😭

If you think I'm a traitor, now's your chance to do something about it. Pick it up. Pull the trigger. Let's end this right now. Or you can hear me out. Personally, I quite like Option 1.

We cannot afford to be enemies to each other when there are new threats out there waiting for the moment we are at our weakest. A house built on shifting sand will fall. And without a strong and united foundation, S.H.I.E.L.D. will fall again. Nice sentiment. Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s current state of internal strife is your fault, so excuse me if I roll my eyes and scoff. Repeatedly.

There's only one man who's connected to both sides of this equation. If we're gonna find Skye, we need to find him first. -- And who's that? -- Our bad option. Grant Ward. And here I was worried you were at the “desperate measures” stage of planning already.

It's way beyond anything I've ever encountered. Without Coulson or some miracle, I'm afraid it's just a worthless piece of junk. *enthusiastic clapping, hands her a flower bouquet and a tray of freshly baked cupcakes* Flawless performance, Dr. Dr. Simmons. And I hope you used real buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto in that sandwich and not some imitation because your stage partner deserves no less.👏👏👏

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x16 #phil coulson #daisy johnson #melinda may #lincoln campbell #mike peterson #jiaying #cal johnson #jemma simmons #bobbi morse #leopold fitz #lance hunter #alphonso mackenzie #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching One of Us

First things first: Ming Na Wen and Blair Underwood make a stunning couple. No wonder FitzSimmons forgot all about their interpersonal strife and immediately fell into shipping mode.😁

Any civilian marrying a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent would have to be a pretty awesome individual because it’s a crazy job that’s quite hard to relate to even when the rest of the world doesn’t think they’re all nazi-adjacent terrorists.

Dr. Andrew Garner is pretty awesome. Warm, smart, accomplished, entirely too charming and, as we’ll see in 2x17, completely supportive and not even a little bit threatened by his awesomely kickassing wife.

He also manages to make Daisy open up in just a couple of conversations, despite the fact that she’s at her most recalcitrant and defensive yet. Why S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have a psychologist on staff permanently with all the craziness they endure will forever be a mystery. Too much Star Wars, not enough Star Trek in Coulson’s Netflix queue, perhaps?🤭

The episode also shines a (brighter) light on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s treatment of “gifted” people and it’s not a pretty picture. Cal’s new associates are “highly dangerous” criminals (Karla was an abuse victim first and we aren’t told much about Angar. Levi has no moral compass and Francis was a mob enforcer) but stashing people away in secret floors of mental institutions, subjecting them to physical implements that look like borderline torture (Angar’s especially) is a little fucked up, regardless.

May insists to Andrew that it’s a different S.H.I.E.L.D. but they’re dealing with Skye’s powers following the same old rules and preconceptions. Skye has exiled herself in the cage and Jemma is considering a pharmacological solution to “dull her emotions [...] as a stop gap measure” which parallels Francis’ containment. They’ve put her on the index and at this stage her powers are viewed exclusively as a danger to contain, a threat to assess (notably, by Skye herself as well). They’re making her comfort food and calling in charming psychologists but Andrew’s “None of it has changed” has merit.

And then Mack introduces us to “Real S.H.I.E.L.D.”. With hindsight, if that’s the change, I’m quite happy with the status quo, thank you. 😁

Daddy Dearest:

Cal forms his own little team of misfits to go on an ill-advised crusade against S.H.I.E.L.D., adding a few more dead bodies to his ledger and taking a bunch of high schoolers hostage in the process. Apparently, he hasn’t figured out yet that putting innocents in danger is *not* the way to his daughter’s heart. This little team leadership gig earns him a time-out in the company of the yet unidentified Inhumans and we learn that, on top of everything else, Cal is also a terrible house guest. Note to self: if deranged parents of future superheroes come to visit, hide all the furniture.

She’s Got the Powers:

The bruising was caused by capillary ruptures in your arms. X-rays showed more than 75 hairline fractures from your clavicle to your fingers.

Gordon will say that most (Inhuman) gifts come with a price and this is Daisy’s, though at this point is still strictly presented as a  control issue. Trying to “lockdown” her powers just redirected them inward. The risk to herself when she overuses her powers for an extended period of time will be introduced later.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

S.H.I.E.L.D. implanted Levi with a chip to make it impossible for him to use electronics. I suppose it’s a good thing they had bracelets by the time Skye came around, uh?

I know. I sound bat-guano crazy. Except S.H.I.E.L.D.’s not so mighty anymore. A handful of agents. Director is a door-to-door salesman of a man. You don’t sound bat-guano crazy. You are bat-guano crazy. You’re also not the first to underestimate Coulson. FYI, it never ends particularly well for the underestimator.

I got to say, Director, no doubt, the best grilled cheese I’ve ever had. -- Secret ingredient. Don’t ask. I will not disclose. Head-canon: he disclosed it in The Letter(tm), that’s what made her laugh.

I assume you’re putting me on the gifted index. -- We are. And doesn’t she look thrilled. Just so you know, I’m side-eyeing you right now, Phil. Also doing my hate face. There may even be glaring.😒

My entire life, I've been searching for my parents, and my search ended with answers that are so much worse than I could have imagined. And yet, this isn’t as worse as it’ll get.

Protocol is anyone on the index undergoes a full psych eval and threat assessment. Normally I would snark about your stupid protocols that were after all constantly ignored or sidestepped in S1 but frankly you could all use a good therapist. Mack’s first hire when he got the director’s job should have been one. There’s only so much that beer and pizza nights can do.

The mist triggered something inside them, something waiting to be activated. But how Skye is able to [...] create a vibrational force? That I don't understand at all. Well, her newly activated macromolecules contain a protein called Plotin, which is responsible for all kinds of fascinating metabolic reactions and...nevermind, it’s a long explanation. I’ll send you the paper 😁

We're spies. We lie for a living. Stab in the dark here, but it sounds like you may have some trouble separating personal and professional.

I have to accept that he's different now and our relationship won't ever be what it was. -- Little early to sound the funeral bells, don't you think? -- A betrayal of trust like that, it changes everything. Can you feel it? The five years old emotional imprint of millions of shippers crying out in terror?  😉 Also, Bobbi, are you worried about you and Hunter just yet?

Culver University. The go-to higher learning institution for the academically-inclined Marvel characters.

Why me? Is Skye that bad? -- She’s that good. Good agent. I’m her S.O. Yes, Andrew, it’s all out of very professional concern as I’m sure you will figure out 30 seconds into your first conversation with Skye.

You show up asking for a favor, but when I called you after S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed to check if you were all right, not a word. -- It was a busy time. Well, I think there was at least that one night at the motel with everyone chilling...but I won’t rat you out. 🤫

My sessions with her are in private. My evaluation won't be. She gets a copy. My duty is to her, not S.H.I.E.L.D. Oh, I love him already.

I did not know that you were married. -- Now you do. -- He seems nice. Fitz trying personal small talk with May. A year ago he would never have dared.

I appreciate the extensive and thorough debrief, Agent Simmons. -- My pleasure. I know that look, Jemma. And I fully agree. 😍

Did you guys have actual conversations? You know, like, pillow talk, or was it just pillow stern looks?🤣 None of the Bus Kids can reconcile the May they know with the May that married Andrew but the sad reality is that the laughing, teasing May that surprises Fitz a few scenes later is May. Or used to be. And Daisy’s attempts to avoid talking about herself are inadvertedly picking at a very painful scar.

Of course. You're an agent. And I imagine you must be afraid that you're gonna lose that. There’s no fooling, stalling, flustering or derailing this one, Daisy.

How does it feel when it's happening? -- It's terrifying. One of Daisy’s “happiest” scenes is in S4 when, about to regain her powers in the Framework, she grins in gleeful anticipation, welcoming what the first time around was terrifying and marred by tragedy. Then of course S5 happened and her powers were once again something she feared.😩

A little gossip won you some points. -- I appreciate you giving me permission to disclose details when necessary. It’s so sweet that May did this and that she knew it would work.

Yeah, they're a bizarre pair. He listens for a living, and she doesn't speak. 🤣 FitzSimmons are shipping Meldrew hard enough that it distracted them from their current friction and they slipped back into their comfortable back and forth.

So he got his hands on some experimental steroids. Left him incredibly strong. Brains? Not so much. -- God doesn't give with both hands. Says the stunning statuesque blond who is a martial arts expert, is fluent in several different languages, has a PhD in biology... 🤨😁

Sir, these people are on the index, but they're not exactly gifted. -- They were considered highly dangerous. A larger part of the index functions as more of a watch list. Which is fine. For people with a criminal history. The fact that the same watch list houses the crazy serial killers and people who are only there for a quirk of dna or the occasional freak accident is a bit of an issue! (yep, glaring now).

Coulson was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where his dad was both the high school football coach and history teacher (is that common in American HS? Seems weird). He died when Phil was nine and was a car enthusiast as we will learn next episode. Cal is also - likely - from Wisconsin as well. He owns property and had a practice in Milwaukee where he and Jiaying had planned to raise their daughter.

How about you show me an inkblot and I'll tell you about my first time? -- Humor. So that's your thing. [...] Good pep talk. Thanks. -- Sarcasm. Same purpose. Avoidance strategy. Oh, he’s got you pegged.

Dinner. Got your favorite. Hawaiian. Meat and fruit? Doesn't really work for me. It works, but not on a pizza! *cries in Italian*

Hey, look, man, I'm just doing what has to be done. Oh, good grief, not you too.🙄

Look. You put me on the index. You're doing my intake assessment. How about we let my dad know? So he can become...angrier? 🤔

Here's a fun fact. He killed the man I had been plotting to kill for 2 1/2 decades! Disappointment! I hear you, buddy. I’m still a bit peeved Whitehall went out that clean.

What did you do?! -- Took a cue from S.H.I.E.L.D. We took their potential and contained it, inhibited it like you do. -- To criminals, not cheerleaders. Is this a bad time to inform you that you’re basically gonna order Jemma a pair of quake-containing gloves by the end of the episode? Though I suppose Daisy is not a cheerleader either and you were worried about the bigger picture. *calming breath* 😤

You won't kill her.  Yeah, he’s crazy, not stupid.

We need to understand more about their powers, especially how to stop them in case that becomes necessary. This is a priority, Agent Simmons. [...] And, Agent Simmons keep this between us. Don't bring anyone else in. “Anyone else” mostly meaning Fitz, I think.

I'm recommending Skye leave S.H.I.E.L.D.altogether. It's too much for her to deal with. Emotionally, physically. She needs to be somewhere safe to do that. Well, there is this cozy little cabin in the woods but paranoid assholes will wreck it. And this even cozier place somewhere in the Himalayans with her mom but then the same paranoid assholes will show up and her mom will react...poorly... 😩

She is safe with us. -- You really believe that? After Bahrein? You, better than anyone, know how badly this can end. Five years ago me was likely screaming at this point, as (im)patiently waiting for full disclosure of relevant characters’ backstory isn’t my strong suit. 🤣

We’re as close to a family as Skye has. Coulson said it in 1x14, Skye said it in 1x19 and now it’s May’s turn.

But now Bobbi and I work for an organization, an outlier that came out of the wreckage from what Fury left. [...] S.H.I.E.L.D. The Real S.H.I.E.L.D. My very dear Mack. Your “I’m the guy who kills Gordon” face is wasted for this. And the rounded shield logo looks better. 😛

There is no "us." You're not one of us. You're a science experiment. Well, technically, so are Inhumans. You’re just a few millennia removed from when the experiment took place.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos 2x13 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #andrew garner #bobbi morse #jemma simmons #leopold fitz #cal johnson #alphonso mackenzie #lance hunter #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching A Hen in the Wolf House

Who’s the hen, I’ve always wondered. Is it Jemma, (almost) alone at Nazi Central with her cover blown? Or is it Raina, trapped between Whitehall and Cal, with Coulson as the third, and very unsympathetic to her plight, party? Or is it Skye, wandering through her father’s underworld “clinic”, confronted by the atrocities he has committed, the most recent one still warm in front of her eyes and the past ones she had only read about in her file but can now connect to him? Or is it Bobbi, mother hen to the imperiled Jemma? Maybe it’s several hens in a few different wolf houses.🤔

Skye High:

It’s not every day that you learn you might be an alien, your biological dad is really alive but very murderous, your surrogate dad has been keeping some pretty big stuff from you, including him going slightly nuts, and one of your friends is again in mortal peril (okay, no, the last one is basically every week). Skye navigates her hell of a day in typical Skye’s fashion: irriverently, bravely and a little rashly. She keeps snooping around, undeterred by Coulson’s exercise of authority, demands answers, and rushes out on her own: she’s been waiting for over 20 years, she’s done being kept in the dark and this way she’s only risking herself. In the end, she chooses, again, to forgo her personal quest because people are in danger and her “found family” over the lost one. It’s not the first time she does it and it won’t be the last.

Biochemical Shenanigans:

While Skye’s having her hell of a day, Jemma is concluding her hell of a (four? five? six?) months: after briefly joining the brain trust of the Immortal Nazi, she’s harrassed by uptight & evil Bobbi and frames (or was the sleight of hand Bobbi’s?) Dr. Turgeon, only to discover that her identity has been compromised in a scene that resembles a nightmare. She keeps her wits about her throughout, just to lose them the second she meets up with Fitz again. Talk about awkward you could cut with a knife there.

Enter the Mockingbird:

Having Bobbi Morse join the cast in a season whose buzz was all about superheroes coming to S.H.I.E.L.D. feels like a nice misdirection. I don’t think it quite worked, if that was really the intention, because the hints that Skye wasn’t just Skye are already in the pilot and at this point Cal’s similarities to Mr. Hyde were beginning to pile up. By now some fans had already guessed Daisy Johnson or were very close to. Regardless, as an established Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a member of the Avengers in the comics, Bobbi is a powerhouse. We’ll only have her for less than a season and half and, as far as I am concerned, she will be missed forever. Her introduction is pretty spectacular and she’s the reason why I was never really too angry at Coulson for the Jemma’s gamble: he had Bobbi taking care of things, that’s as safe as it gets.😎

Take Your Daughter to Work Day:

You know, keeping her in the dark won’t end well.

As other, subsequent, dire predictions for Coulson and Daisy - the “she’ll never forgive you” after he iced her to drag her back to the past in S5 comes to mind - this one, too, ultimately proves to be an overstatement, at least in the context of the episode. Her (legitimate) anger subsides quickly and by the end they are again sharing a huge secret, just like in season 1. And just like in season 1, the only other person that knows about it is Melinda May, except this time Coulson told her first and she didn’t have to bug a medical pod to learn it.

Director Deceptor:

Coulson’s on a roll. He’s been deceiving Skye (yes, yes, with good intentions). He’s been deceiving Hydra with no less than two operatives embedded in their organization and they would still be none the wiser if Raina hadn’t been snooping and desperate. And he wins the “who blinked first” contest with the flowers enthusiast extraordinaire, which by itself it’s quite the feat but comes with an added bonus: the calculated gambling with Jemma’s life (or free will, as she was headed for Compliance City if captured).

Quake Rumblings:

That’s not her name.

We knew Skye wasn’t her real name since the pilot (“What’s your name? -- Skye -- What’s your real name?”) and then we learned the (quite tragic) name the nuns had saddled her with (1x19). This is however the first direct comfirmation that this “name” thing will be important. And of course there’s the first explicit indication that she might be alien-y (first hinted in 1x14 and 1x15). We also learn the true name of the Obelisk: The Diviner.

Daddy Dearest:

There are still no real hints that Cal isn’t going to be the Biggest Bad of the season nor a straight-up villain. We do get an explanation for why his hands are always dripping with blood that doesn’t involve anything really sinister but the fact that he performs surgery with his bare hands - this will never not creep me out - doesn’t exactly improve his image. And his volatility reaches new heights: he almost strangles Raina, he butchers his two clients, rages when he sees the other dad and finally brutally kills two Hydra goons while repeating to “stay calm and keep our heads about us” (“us” likely being him and his "Hyde” personality. I don’t think he cares about what the Hydra goons are thinking, feeling or doing). He calls Whitehall a butcher and insists that he’s only trying to put his family back together but then still allies with Hydra, seemingly because he’s mad at Phil’s superior dadness. “He’s a bad guy”. Yes. And no. Sort of. It’s complicated?

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Eight went down dead -- And the others? -- Some sick, everyone else scared, but very much alive. -- How disappointing. The everyday frustrations of mass murderers.

Any progress on your end? -- I put some feelers out to my Rising Tide contacts about the painting we recovered in Miami, and no one has seen anything like it. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first reference to the Rising Tide since 1x19.

I already answered the question [...] but if you continue questioning my authority, then you and I are gonna have a very different conversation, one you will not be comfortable with. I gotta ask, Phil, did this "I’m the Director” routine ever work with her? Because she looked chastised for half a minute and then immediately went back to dig up all the classified things you weren’t telling her.

He scares you more than I do? Let’s see. You would kill her quickly and maybe even regret it after. He is going to make it last as long as possible and enjoy it. Crap choice either way but still...

Daniel Whitehall will cut me to pieces. -- Yes. He will. I suggest you go back to his office and beg to him. Maybe he's turned soft in his old age. Ow. I don’t think a butchered wife and a kidnapped baby daughter entitle you to be such an asshole, Cal.

Do you have any idea what this means? We could kill millions of people, perhaps even billions. -- Pretty awesome, huh? Turgeon answering the question why would anyone want to work for Hydra. And making us feel not so bad that he’s set up to take the fall for Jemma.

Mack certainly has an impressive physique, wouldn't you say? I have been known to remark about it once or twice myself, yes.

Well, why are you still staring at me? -- Because you just admitted that I'm not real. -- Oh, please. I'm not gonna have this conversation with myself again. This is amusing and saddening all at the same time. AoS 101.

I mean, I still miss her. -- But she left and moved on. Maybe it’s time you do the same. Fitz is thinking of moving on just when Jemma is about to come back. As usual, FitzSimmons’ timing is kind of atrocious.

I was a fat baby. -- You know this is, like, a religious painting, right? Oh, hey, what is this, Catholic upbringing raising its head?

Coulson used to be different. He wasn't always so closed off. -- I'm telling you, my ex was the same way, always keeping secrets. Drove me absolutely mental. There really is only one way to handle people like that. Dig deeper. Invade their privacy till they go crazy themselves. Agreed. And as it happens, Skye excells at that.

Do you not get it? Raina played you. She found your weakness and then used it against you. Yes. And she used the truth to do it, which is what she usually does and why her manipulations generally work.

To be honest, I was almost relieved when S.H.I.E.L.D. put him down. The Garrett I knew was long gone once the writing started. And whatever took his place, I don't think it was meant to survive. You absolute idiot. If you felt that way, why the hell did you stick by him, literally begging him for orders?

Please, I know it's you, so just be honest with me. Are you okay? Her first question is about his wellbeing. Color me unsurprised.

Yeah, right, like I'm an alien. Hold on. Are you saying that I am an alien? [...] That is not something you just say like it’s no big deal. -- I was trying not to rattle you. -- Well, guess what: Epic fail. Oh, shush. You’re part alien. You’ll get superpowers. It’s very cool. Amidst all the tragedies.

Two PhDs in very advanced fields. For crying out loud, can we please finally know what they are?

You ask too much. My food, it suffers from this intrusion. Personally, I wouldn’t mind having Daisy and May in my kitchen. Of course none of us would be eating anything decent, since both me and May are terrible cooks and I suspect Daisy’s only cooking skill pertains the heating up of pre-packaged food in a microwave.

The tiny girl in the flower dress? That's who everyone's making such a fuss about? Looks can be deceiving, my very dear Hunter. If anyone should know, that’s you.

You've changed, Agent Coulson. Heh. A little. Betrayed by the organization he had worked for his entire adult life, saddled with the directorship, fate of the world in the balance, crazy carvings, alien daughters agents...it’s been a lot.

Just because something's powerful doesn't make it dangerous. Mhmm....

I want you to keep something in mind, Agent Simmons: HYDRA is everywhere. Translation: don’t go babbling to yourself inside bathroom stalls or other seemingly private places.

Stand down, Skye -- Were you not listening? If I don't go out there, Simmons is gonna die. -- Coulson has a plan. -- He also carves alien writing into his desk, so maybe his judgment is not what it used to be. -- I said stand down. Jemma is in danger, rash mode engaged. Of course, this isn’t like planning to take on an entire base full of Kree-rash...it’s actually rasher. Because this is Melinda May and Daisy doesn’t have powers yet.😁

What.Is.Happening? Jemma Simmons, may I introduce you to Barbara “Bobbi” Morse, aka Agent 19, aka Mockingbird, formerly known as Huntress? She, too, has two PhDs: biology and asskicking.😎

I had to assess other security issues that were in play. -- Yeah, like every HYDRA agent receiving an e-mail blowing my cover? -- Yeah, that was a curve ball. And still you hit a homerun. 🤗

Remember what Lumley said about Skye? "Wherever she goes, death follows"? Yes, but Lumley was a drama queen. 

And, Skye...Where's Skye? Where do you think?🤭

Have you been drinking? -- I was working. Had to maintain my cover. -- Your cover as what, Ron Burgundy? -- I can see why she frustrates you. Skye and Hunter played off each other so well. Well, Hunter plays off everyone fantastically.

Whoever did this -- We all know who did this. Look at what he did. And it keeps getting worse than anything she might have imagined. 😭

If it hadn't have been for Bobbi, I would never have made it out. Probably be brainwashed, happy to comply to who knows what. She's amazing. Don’t tell me she wasn’t crushing on Bobbi at least a little.

Simmons. Is that really you? -- Of course it is. Who else would it be? His subconscious? You’ve missed a lot, Jem.

What's the deal there? -- Hunter ever tell you stories about his she-devil ex-wife? -- All the time. Damn. We’ve been hearing him talk about his ex-wife practically non stop since the premiere. And now here she is. I really, really like how they went about Bobbi’s introduction in the show.

You know, I've spent all my life wondering who he was and why he left. But after today, I just don't care anymore. All I care about is that we stop him, and I just wanted to let you know that. Whatever it takes to do that, I'm in. Whatever it takes. The same words she will say to May before going to confront her mother in the finale.

I don’t even have a theory. -- I do. It’s a map. Well. That isn’t too far off, is it?

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x05 #daisy johnson #melinda may #phil coulson #bobbi morse #jemma simmons #lance hunter #antoine triplett #leopold fitz #cal johnson #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2

[ryder616]

Rewatching The Writing on the Wall

As jumbled bosses go, Coulson isn’t too bad, is he? His desperate measures in this episode are relatively tame, considering the strain he’s been under. And after months of living with an increasingly debilitating condition, the breaking point arrived just when May, who is his main support and contingency plan -  the assisted suicide request that he made to her in 2x04 - wasn’t available to help.

He’s also not that jumbled. Both Garrett and the other T.A.H.I.T.I. patients were much more extreme in their reactions to the GH 325. Whether that’s because Coulson still has crucial gaps in his memory “protecting” him from the worst of it or because he has a much stronger self-awareness and control over himself, the episode doesn’t care to explore so we’re left to draw our own conclusions.

While Director Dad is freaking out the kids at home, Deputy Director Mom is taking the rest of the family on a wild goose chase after their former reluctant house guest.

Out of the basement and into the wild, his allegiances murky but his actions ever despicable (add using a kid and assorted civilians as human shields to the list), this was the time when Ward the character was, in my opinion, at his best.

Good Ward was only interesting (to me anyway 🙂) as a foil for all the quirkyness around him. Garrett’s Ward had no real agency of his own, doing what he was told despite a huge and mounting pile of evidence that whatever loyalty he felt to his mentor was thoroughly misplaced and his best interests laid elsewhere. And future Hail Hydra Ward will be a little too mustache-twirling for my taste, ending his days once again in service of an evil scumbag even worse than Garrett (Gideon Malick).

This Ward, right now, however, I do find interesting, a wild card in the quickly approaching showdown between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra: he’s not directionless when left to his own devices - he’s clearly done quite a bit of plotting in preparation for his day of freedom down there in the dungeons - and he’s not a tool for somebody’s else agenda.

By episode end his objectives seem clear:  gaining “closure” with his family, as he’ll later call it to convince Kara of the merits of revenge murder, and getting to Skye. She’s the one team member he still somehow believes might accept him back, now that Fitz almost killed him, Jemma promised to and Coulson rebuffed him in no uncertain terms. As for May, even him can’t harbor any delusions about her acceptance or forgiveness. Assuming he cares about hers at all.

The Blue Chalice of Eternal Life:

The doctor in Coulson’s memory machine flashback says that the host body - the dead Kree whose blood they’ve been harvesting to produce the G.H. 325 serum - is “thousands of years old, pre-dating the Pyramids”, a timeframe that dates back long enough to be connected to the original Inhuman experiments. The Kree Reapers that Hive will lure to Earth in S3 had been orbiting in stasis the Solar System for thousands of years, “a failsafe if the Inhuman experiment ever got out of control”(3x19). Is the dead Kree a Reaper that fell to Earth in his stasis capsule? Then Hydra got him somehow, only to be later confiscated by Peggy Carter and finally put into service for Fury’s Avenger Revivification program. How did the body remain so well preserved from World War II to the 21st century is another, less interesting question.😉

Quake Rumblings:

“The host's genetic material may be implanting its own genetic memories onto theirs, creating the psychic schism”. Which didn’t happen to Skye because she already has some of the host’s (Kree) genetic material. This is more fodder for Skye’s alien-y nature.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Well, maybe the reason we think we know each other is because it was our destiny to meet tonight. Right, the artistic Enya fan who believes in destiny and corny lines has invited creepy tattoo guy back to her place. This is going to end so well.

May gave us specific instructions, you go on a date with the crazy wall, I have to chaperone. Mom’s out of town for the weekend and left the youngest daughter in charge because dad can’t be trusted to properly take care of himself. Hi-jinks ensue. Next on Family Spies.

Do I look like I’ve been sleeping? Yes? Sleep-deprivation and baggy clothes don’t look the same on TV characters as they do on regular people, you know.

It's all connected. Everything. Ward has information about my father, who just happens to have the alien buzzkill device, which is somehow connected to the writing, that is related to the G.H. serum that is in our blood. Nice recap of events. Thank you, Skye, we’re all caught up now.

I've got eyes on the prize. I've got a clear shot and a trigger finger that needs some love. I support your trigger finger, Trip, but could you possibly look any less inconspicuous, wearing the Marvel Hero’s Cap of Undercover Disguisement(tm) and unsubtly hiding behind that display?

I don’t know how, but he knows we’re on him. I know how. He has eyes.

One of my sources, this guy Micro, he's kind of a crime-scene junkie, he came across something. Likely shoutout to The Punisher’s character.

You know, we're breaking about 14 laws right now. Since when do you care, exactly? Is this May’s influence? I don’t like it, please stop.

This had to happen on my shift? You couldn't wait till May got back? Have you always complained this much when you’re worried? I never noticed before.

How'd you two manage to acquire a body? -- Corpse diem. Seize the dead. HA! Good one, Fitz! (except diem is day not seize. I wish I didn’t know that).

Like I told my man here, you want something in life, you got to grab it and walk out like you own it. -- Is that all it takes? Really? Because I always thought if you wanted something in life, you had to work hard and earn it. Jemma shading Mack and looking more than a little irritated with him. I couldn’t possibly imagine why. 🤭

Would anyone like to leave before we get started? Simmons knows her audience well.

[the book] can't be that interesting.-- Why do you say that? -- Because you were on page 117 when you were waiting outside. And you're still on page 117. Aside from this little slip-up, I think Bobbi was trying a little too hard here, Cowboy Hunter wasn’t that off mark.

Oh, no. Just as I suspected. She had GH-325 in her blood. Jemma remembered Garrett’s carving obsession, noticed the similarities to the cuts on the body and ordered the blood analysis, suspecting the GH 325 involvement. I love it when characters are as smart as they are supposed to be, remember what has happened before and draw the logical conclusions.

Don’t look at me, I didn’t do it. Oh, shush, you grumpy baby.

If you don't know anything, then how are we gonna find them? -- You're gonna have to torture it out of me. Is that all? And here I was worried.

This is my call. I was put in charge of the T.A.H.I.T.I. project, so those people are my responsibility. If going back in this machine saves even one life, then it's worth the risk. Another day, another self-sacrifice.

Stealing bodies, talking about aliens, and bringing the dead back to life. What kind of creature feature did I sign up for? Another grumpy baby. Of course he does have a point. But if this was your treshold for weird, Mack, you sure will be stretching it in the future.🤣

Blink and you miss it, Rebecca Stevens’ patient file shows the almost complete description of what T.A.H.I.T.I. stands for: Terrestrialized Alien Host Integrative Tissue...something starting with “I”.

Skye? Coulson?! Anyone. -- When the cat's away... the head mouse straps himself into a dangerous contraption, tricks the other mice and takes off on his own after a dangerous killer.

Coulson went into the memory machine. -- What?! And you let him?! -- It wasn't my call. Mom is disappointed. No, but seriously, what was Skye supposed to do. He’s the director. Plus, she’s all fretting about breaking laws this episode and I blame this sudden respect for authority on you, May. 😁

His name was Sebastian Derik. He was an assassin from the dark side of S.H.I.E.L.D. So, in addition to all the nazi traitors, you guys also had another dark side? Uh... 😬

Replaced memories, jumbled memories...how the hell is he supposed to keep everything together? What if he forgets what team he's on? You know, I like my bosses un-jumbled at all times. -- Yeah, he is, or he will be. He'll recover. He did before. Besides, brains never delete files. They just lose connections. But there's always a backup. Just a matter of digging and finding them. Fitz standing up for and empathizing with Coulson. And giving us some insight on his current personal struggle and how he’s overcoming it.

Coulson did this to you? - You think? Grumpy, grumpy baby.

I have every reason to believe that your life is in danger. By all means, don’t sugarcoat it, Phil. The guy doesn’t look freaked out enough. 🤣

You're sure no one saw you? -- I didn't blow my cover. -- You’re suggesting I did? -- It's okay, it happens. What did you do, come on too strong? Subtlety is key. -- You were dressed like a cowboy. -- Enough. May’s gonna need a full week of tai-chi and alone time after the exasperation of this day, between Coulson and Huntingbird.

Agent Coulson, I've got bad news. The lunatics are running the Asylum. Oh, no worries, he’s kinda used to that.

What the hell is Tahiti? -- T.A.H.I.T.I. was designed to revive a fallen Avenger. That's how it got started. -- Captain America, Iron Man,  those Avengers? -- Those are the ones. -- How the hell could Coulson forget that? What, does he have alien blood, too? Man, can you imagine that? S.H.I.E.L.D. being run by a man that's part alien? -- Yeah, imagine that. If Mack had any reservation over his undercover mission for Real S.H.I.E.L.D., the events of this episode must have lessened them considerably. But poor Skye, who by now has a very strong case for her own alienness, confronted with his attitude. Shape of things to come...

I can't imagine I was happy being a spy. And how right you probably are. Look at all the crap our agents have had to endure over the years.

To answer the question on everyone's mind, no, I'm not crazy. Always open a work meeting like this. I’m sure it puts everyone at ease.😁

I hadn’t noticed way back when but Ward is already all set up to go after Christian and torch his family’s house: there’s fuel cans and a shovel in the back of the room and matches and a tape recorder in the bag.

I have to go now, Skye. I have a few personal matters to attend to. But I'll be seeing you soon. I promise. Oh, good. Stalkery Almost Boyfriend is out, about and thinking of her. Perfect conclusion to the day you all just had.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x07 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #grant ward #leopold fitz #jemma simmons #bobbi morse #lance hunter #antoine triplett #alphonso mackenzie #rewatchingaos2 #rewatchingaos #text post

[ryder616]

Rewatching Making Friends and Influencing People

There are times when I think we overestimate the dadness of Coulson. Yes, he feels that special connection to Daisy and yes he cares deeply about all of them, but he is the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and they’re his subordinate agents and these people are professionals. Right?

Then an episode like this comes along where he shows up with a bag of healthy groceries, scolds one of those “subordinate agents” for her very poor nutritional choices and cooks her a wholesome dinner before actually getting down to the pressing, world-threatening business and all I can think about is how come nobody has ever given him a “The World’s Greatest Spy-Dad” mug. Because, seriously. He’s the daddest not-a-dad ever.🤗

Biochemical Shenanigans:

So, Jemma hasn’t abandoned anybody (/nudge Skye), she’s been working undercover at Hydra, and boy if that isn’t a frightening thought. On the grounds of last season - that old chap Doctor Nugent, gorgeous heads, absentee American fathers and their prostitutes (plural), the C.I.A. people - a “what the hell were Coulson and May thinking” reaction wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate. But it’s clear that between then and now Simmons has learned a thing or two about undercover work, starting with how to make her nervousness while lying work in her favor (“You’re a surprisingly bad liar -- I know. But I’m getting better at it” 1x17). The only one she won’t fool with that will be Bobbi, who already knows she’s a mole (and she’s Bobbi, several magnitudes of cleverness above the Bakshis of this world).

Skye High:

If he doesn’t somehow resurface next season (his body was never found), Donnie is Skye’s first kill and it's a bit of an accident. Unless she’s a decidedly crappier shooter with the sniper rifle than she is with a pistol, she shot to incapacitate him, not kill him, as he’s hit on the shoulder. Unfortunately for both, the impact throws him off balance and overboard. Later we see her checking for news about him in the comforting surroundings of the Bus so I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that she’s not feeling great about the outcome. But she obviously had already accepted the possibility, even the necessity, of taking lives when choosing to become a field agent and her understated reaction tracks with that. After Terrigenesis she and Andrew will have this conversation: “I dreamed I was on a mission, looking through the scope on my rifle. The next thing I knew, I was on the other side. The rifle was trained on me. -- Pretty on point, going from being an agent to a --Yeah, to being on the index. And I know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s policy for people on the index. I have executed that policy.” (2x13).

Daring Engineering:

Skye is currently forced to keep her emotions in check - with mixed success - while talking with Ward but Fitz has no such concerns and the results are brutal. He’s the first of the Bus Kids to almost kill him and unlike Skye and Jemma later in the season, he doesn’t fail, rather he stops himself before it’s too late. One has to wonder what would have happened if Ward hadn’t had vital information that needed to be immediately relayed to the field team but I don’t think Fitz (not pre-Framework Fitz at any rate) would have gone through with it regardless, although Ward really didn’t help his case insisting he had “saved” them by throwing them off the plane (“And Ward: no more talking to people” -- Coulson very on point in 2x19).

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Jemma’s new haircut is absolutely the best hairstyle she’s had during the entire run of the show. Clearly, going undercover at Hydra beats scouring the galaxy for the alternate version of your deceased husband, at least where hairstyles are concerned.

Don’t get cocky. What? No! Please do get cocky! May, why do you want to ruin my fun?

You’re wondering if I’ve ever taken anyone out. Not that I know of. You haven’t, not yet. Trust me, I pay a lot of attention to the things you do. 😎

They got to [Agent 33] first. I read a theory somewhere that Bobbi alerted Coulson to extract whoever might have been hiding in the safe house she had to burn to solidify her cover at Hydra. If she did, this is the aftermath.

I’m damned tired to lose our best and brightest to Hydra. Cut to Simmons working for Hydra so half the audience can pass out in fright.🤣

Donnie Gill makes himself an iced coffee in a cool (no pun intended) everyday use of his power. Dear show, where is the scene where Daisy casually heats up a cup with her own powers, as she does in the comics?

By the look of things, Hydra’s been having some recruitment issues of their own as the two operatives sent to retrieve Gill are painfully incompetent. Especially the guy that stands there with a fish-like expression without even attempting to raise a gun while his partner is being frozen. Or maybe he’s just way smarter than he looks, as that likely saved his life.

I usually advance much more quickly. Not only they’re evil, they also can’t recognize brilliance and I love that she’s pretty peeved about it.

You weren’t asking out of concern for my feelings. No, but can you blame her for misunderstanding? He’s been an absolute dad up until now.

Oh. Garrett is the reason you're a cold-blooded killer.[...] Right. I seem to remember you blaming your brother. Or was it your parents? Man, I can't keep up...It’s actually pretty easy: it’s always somebody else’s fault.

While a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is considering right and wrong, Hydra has already taken the shot. Don’t you dare listen to him. Keep considering.

Loyalties can be tested. Yeah, how come Hydra doesn’t have a fancy lie detector or something?

An iceberg in the Middle East? Gill’s not subtle. Wait, what? Morocco is in North Africa. Did Trip study geography on the same book Dr. Franklyn “I’m going to sink Malta into the ocean that’s 2000 km away from here” Hall did?

They’re keeping things from me. Uh-oh. Listen to Imaginary Simmons, Fitz, she’s most definitely your better half right now.

We’ll have your back every step of the way. That’s...not as reassuring as you might think.

It's okay to be scared. -- - I'm not scared. -- Maybe you should be. I packed your chute. And according to my ex, my folding skills are abysmal. Look at Hunter, quoting the ex he’s so over he can’t stop talking about her for a damn minute 🤣 and taking care of the rookie, who’s brushing him off because she’s a big bad agent now and big bad agents don’t get scared, okay? Though I suppose skydiving with no parachute on a flying car that isn’t working would probably make anything else seem rather tame by comparison.

I wanted to save you. [...] I gave you a fighting chance to find a way out. This is called revisionist history Ward and given your former (?) association with Nazis, Nazi sympathizers and Nazi enablers, I’m not really surprised that it belongs to your bag of tricks.

You don’t give the orders, Trainspotting. My, somebody’s touchy. Also, a full year with Fitz and you can’t tell Hunter is not Scottish? And that the Trainspotting characters are?🤨

[Simmons] Your source? -- My source -- That’s crazy. Trip has experienced undercover Simmons firsthand so I think we can excuse him if he sounds a little skeptical about the wisdom of such an assignment.

What are you doing here? -- I don’t know. It reminds me of before. That’s a very loaded before, isn’t it? Before Ward betrayed them, before the “family” was broken, before she had taken a life...

Simmons is on an assignment. That's why she hasn't been in contact. That's why she left. -- And, um did she ask to go on the assignment? Did she want to leave? Oh, Fitz. You can’t take anything at face value, can you?

Your father’s alive. He’s looking for you. Yup. He’s also psychotic, murderous, highly volatile and has a weird disdain for surgical gloves. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it’s going to be bad...before getting even worse.

#agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #aosrewatch #aosrewatchs2 #aos season 2 #aos 2x03 #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #jemma simmons #donnie gill #leopold fitz #grant ward #antoine triplett #alphonso mackenzie #lance hunter #text post #rewatchingaos #rewatchingaos2