...The “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has met their new major
enemy for the rest of S2 – and it is them. Back on the day when S.H.I.E.L.D.
had fallen to Hydra, a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had broken away from Fury’s
decree and survived instead, rather than blowing their – S.H.I.E.L.D. – warship
with all hands on deck instead. That group featured Captain Gonzales, Bobbi
Morse, Mack, and agent Hartley (also known as Lucy Lawless and Xena, Warrior
Princess, cough), who died in the beginning of S2. Hunter was not a part of the
core group, but he was around – an important distinction, for as the S2
continues to develop, more of the ‘other S.H.I.E.L.D.’s’ back-story will come
to light, as will Hunter’s, for he is a part of both S.H.I.E.L.D.s, so to
speak, unlike Ward, who is a part of neither now, and whose role in the “Agents”
universe has become largely diminished especially as Hunter does join up with
Coulson and officially becomes a part of his team at the end of this episode.
Captain Obvious points out that this is a repetition of
Angel/Spike dynamic back in BtVS, save that for “Agents” it took roughly 2
seasons – not 5 or more as it was for BtVS; besides, Grant isn’t completely
gone: in her confrontation with Morse May refers to him, albeit not mentioning
his name: here, Grant (and Hydra) serves as a foil/contrast to this season’s
take-over of S.H.I.E.L.D.: unlike Hydra, captain Gonzales and his crew aren’t
heartless murderers or brainless drones; they’re people just like Coulson’s
team, with beliefs and convictions and determinations to fight for their
beliefs – on one hand.
On the other, we have Mack and Morse who are more merciful
than Ward was, they aim to incapacitate, rather than kill, and Mack actually
saved Fitz, when Gonzales went to storm the Playground at last. Given the
propensity of “Agents” to surprise their audience with twists and turns, it
just might be that Gonzales’ people will become ‘the good guys’ in the eyes of
the general populace (of the Marvel-verse), and Coulson and co will become the
villains – Ward and Kara will certainly appreciate the irony should they learn
of it.
Skye, on the other hands, will not. This civil war of
S.H.I.E.L.D.’s (reminiscent of the greater civil war story arc in the Marvel
comics) had caught her already unbalanced by the visit of the Inhumans’
representative, who offered to help and train her in ways that S.H.I.E.L.D.
cannot. As Skye’s takedown of one of Morse’s underlings had shown, she is
already a competent fighter, but her powers of vibration are another story, and
to a person who doesn’t know her back story, she can be easily seen as a
villain or a monster; to a person who had been hurt by Skye’s vibration strike
(epic scene, that) – ditto. Odds are that the future episodes of “Agents” S2
will feature a manhunt for Skye, putting extra pressure on top of what her
father is trying to do to her too: their last showdown had been rather
inconclusive, especially for Cal, who is crazy (bipolar, most likely).
In good news, Fitz and Simmons are finally back together – a
sign of their personal growth and competence. Gemma was able to capture Bobbi,
however briefly, so if she and Ward will meet again, she just might kill him,
for the main team, Coulson’s team, are growing in competence, and Ward has
stopped, and his influence in series has become diminished, as have the chances
for the SkyeWard ship.
That is unlike the ship FitzSimmons, which is stronger than
ever, and the ship PhilMel is showing evidence of being in being as well: the
way that May has sacrificed her freedom to save Coulson is impressive; the
audience will have to wait and see if Captain Gonzales’ team can offer anything
like it. Considering that agent Weaver, FitzSimmons’ old mentor from the
Academy is on the good captain’s team, this idea should not be dismissed out of
hand.
So: Coulson’s team is captured and split, and he can only
count on Hunter for help at hand, at least for now. Skye is off to parts
unknown, seeking to learn the ways to master her new powers. S.H.I.E.L.D. is in
full throes of a civil mini-war.
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