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Agents of SHIELD
Damn, people. That was actually an awesome episode. I feel like I've been seriously rewarded for sticking with this show. Spoilers, naturally. ALSO this episode spoils Captain America: Winter Soldier, not in specific detail but if you're avoiding spoilers for the movie I'd avoid this. Also, note this review is mostly me just incoherently flailing.
I knew someone on the bus would turn out to be Hydra, and I would have been ok with it being anyone except May or Jemma, who are the two characters I love most. (I even would have been ok with Coulson, because they could have made it something he was programmed with after his death or something of that nature), but I was really, really hoping it was Ward. And when Skye handed him the memory stick of classified-ness, I knew it was going to be him, which was only reinforced when he volunteered to go with Agent Hand, so I was totally expecting that ending, but DAMN. I actually got up and jumped around with happiness. That makes everything about him SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING, especially his ridiculous relationship with Skye.
I can't, honestly, decide if I'd like it better if he's actually playing her, or if he actually is in love with her and it's going to be some over-the-top Romeo and Juliet tragedy thing. The humor value of the DOOMED DOOMED love between the 2 characters I like least (though I actually kind of like Skye now) cannot be undervalued, but I assume it's actually going to turn out that he's playing her, which makes thebreakup fight conversation he had with May about his inability to manage his emotions very ironic. It also explains his very uncharacteristic "emotional" shooting of the fake Clairvoyant.
I was also really happy that it turned out that Agent Bill Paxton was the Hydra sleeper, because Agent Hand was a little obvious. (Though she did have me persuaded for the first part of the episode. In fact, even after that great little scene with Jemma and Triplett--and Jemma being so damned brave!--I still thought maybe she was pretending to be a SHIELD agent just to get under their defenses and therefore get to Coulson, and I thought that was excellent writing). I kind of love the twist that he still liked Coulson and that he would have rather had Coulson (and Fitz) come over to his side, and that he wasn't a true believer, just someone who saw which way the wind was blowing.
I was a little sad that they killed Hand, just when I had actually started to respect her, but I knew that she had to die for meta purposes (clearly Coulson's team on the bus is going to be the last remnants of SHIELD, at least until Maria Hill rebuilds it under the Stark umbrella), and especially because she was choosing summary execution of Agent Bill Paxton, which we know the really good guys shouldn't do. It's a little alarming that whatever's in "the Fridge" may come under Hydra control, though. (Still, the idea that the show's new direction is going to be Coulson's team v. Hydra is much, much more exciting than any plotline on the show so far.)
There was also a lot of good character stuff, too. Does anyone else think they're moving in a May/Coulson direction? I mean, obviously Coulson is going to be feeling betrayed for a while, but the fact that Agent Bill Paxton knew that whatever way Coulson went, May would follow is very telling, as is the fact that she was the one that picked the team! What a completely and totally awesome reveal!!! And it makes so much sense to me that Fury wants Coulson back but also knows that bad things could come from injecting people with alien bodyfluids, so is keeping an eye on him. And wow, the depth of Coulson's sense of betrayal just demonstrates how strong their history is. I'm not sure how I feel about the show going a romantic direction with them, but I do like that we got a greater sense of the depth of their relationship just when it is fracturing.
I also loved Jemma in this. I was worried that she was setting herself up for betrayal by trusting Triplett, but thank goodness that turned out not to be the case. She and Fitz were both so enormously brave when it looked like they were going to die--those scenes actually made me tear up, a little. And while I was really kind of skeeved by Skye/Ward when I thought he was a good guy, now I am strangely intrigued. I'm invested enough in Skye now that I don't want her to get hurt, but on the other hand the fact that Ward is good enough of an actor to fool May into thinking he's secretly falling for Skye (and meanwhile guilt tripping May for compartmentalizing too much and being too good at playing people--DAMN. The irony, it burns), and that he may in fact return to the group and convince them he's a good guy--that's just going to be 1000 times more interesting than anything so far, so I'm really looking forward to it!
Though dammit, dammit, dammit, I guess this episode confirms Sitwell is really Hydra, not just a double agent for Fury undercover in Hydra. I think. Dammit.
I knew someone on the bus would turn out to be Hydra, and I would have been ok with it being anyone except May or Jemma, who are the two characters I love most. (I even would have been ok with Coulson, because they could have made it something he was programmed with after his death or something of that nature), but I was really, really hoping it was Ward. And when Skye handed him the memory stick of classified-ness, I knew it was going to be him, which was only reinforced when he volunteered to go with Agent Hand, so I was totally expecting that ending, but DAMN. I actually got up and jumped around with happiness. That makes everything about him SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING, especially his ridiculous relationship with Skye.
I can't, honestly, decide if I'd like it better if he's actually playing her, or if he actually is in love with her and it's going to be some over-the-top Romeo and Juliet tragedy thing. The humor value of the DOOMED DOOMED love between the 2 characters I like least (though I actually kind of like Skye now) cannot be undervalued, but I assume it's actually going to turn out that he's playing her, which makes the
I was also really happy that it turned out that Agent Bill Paxton was the Hydra sleeper, because Agent Hand was a little obvious. (Though she did have me persuaded for the first part of the episode. In fact, even after that great little scene with Jemma and Triplett--and Jemma being so damned brave!--I still thought maybe she was pretending to be a SHIELD agent just to get under their defenses and therefore get to Coulson, and I thought that was excellent writing). I kind of love the twist that he still liked Coulson and that he would have rather had Coulson (and Fitz) come over to his side, and that he wasn't a true believer, just someone who saw which way the wind was blowing.
I was a little sad that they killed Hand, just when I had actually started to respect her, but I knew that she had to die for meta purposes (clearly Coulson's team on the bus is going to be the last remnants of SHIELD, at least until Maria Hill rebuilds it under the Stark umbrella), and especially because she was choosing summary execution of Agent Bill Paxton, which we know the really good guys shouldn't do. It's a little alarming that whatever's in "the Fridge" may come under Hydra control, though. (Still, the idea that the show's new direction is going to be Coulson's team v. Hydra is much, much more exciting than any plotline on the show so far.)
There was also a lot of good character stuff, too. Does anyone else think they're moving in a May/Coulson direction? I mean, obviously Coulson is going to be feeling betrayed for a while, but the fact that Agent Bill Paxton knew that whatever way Coulson went, May would follow is very telling, as is the fact that she was the one that picked the team! What a completely and totally awesome reveal!!! And it makes so much sense to me that Fury wants Coulson back but also knows that bad things could come from injecting people with alien bodyfluids, so is keeping an eye on him. And wow, the depth of Coulson's sense of betrayal just demonstrates how strong their history is. I'm not sure how I feel about the show going a romantic direction with them, but I do like that we got a greater sense of the depth of their relationship just when it is fracturing.
I also loved Jemma in this. I was worried that she was setting herself up for betrayal by trusting Triplett, but thank goodness that turned out not to be the case. She and Fitz were both so enormously brave when it looked like they were going to die--those scenes actually made me tear up, a little. And while I was really kind of skeeved by Skye/Ward when I thought he was a good guy, now I am strangely intrigued. I'm invested enough in Skye now that I don't want her to get hurt, but on the other hand the fact that Ward is good enough of an actor to fool May into thinking he's secretly falling for Skye (and meanwhile guilt tripping May for compartmentalizing too much and being too good at playing people--DAMN. The irony, it burns), and that he may in fact return to the group and convince them he's a good guy--that's just going to be 1000 times more interesting than anything so far, so I'm really looking forward to it!
Though dammit, dammit, dammit, I guess this episode confirms Sitwell is really Hydra, not just a double agent for Fury undercover in Hydra. I think. Dammit.