Amph Agents of SHIELD Discussion Thread (and Slingshot)

Doesn't the show, at some point, though, have to have some kind of major development? Can it really continue as "the disposable, irrelevant side adventures of people who happen to be in the same universe as the MCU"? It's never going to be on the level of the films, of course, but if it never does anything big with its premise, if they never make it feel like essential viewing on some level, I think the audience will eventually check out. I think they'd be foolish not to use it as a launching point for something major eventually. Maybe not right now, but I think, somewhat perversely, if they want to make it feel less like a cheap cash-in, they have to tie it in before Avengers 2. So that it's got some kind of role in the larger universe, rather than just being the kid sidekick tagging along, where the films are relevant to it but it's never allowed to be relevant to the films.

I think they're setting up Paxton and Tripp for Winter Soldier. They were introduced as the rival heavies before they decided to cooperate, which warmed us and the team up to them, but Paxton especially never really stopped being a heavy with a strong nasty edge -- the interrogation and all that. We just liked him because he was our nasty badass now. But in the event of a S.H.I.E.L.D. split, Paxton seems like exactly the kind of low-conscience, follow-orders agent with a mean edge you would expect to end up on Redford's side. I expect Paxton and Tripp to end up facing off against Coulson's team over Winter Soldier, and Tripp to be the guy who's torn between loyalty to Paxton/Redford and the team/Fury. Or perhaps, between loyalty to Paxton/Redford and his crush on Simmons -- the guy Coulson and company are telling "come over to our side" during whatever conflict the Winter Soldier tie-in sparks.

 

That seems likely, but Paxton is so genuinely likeable that I think it'd be a shame if he was "just" a blindly loyal agent. I think the reluctant "SHIELD, right or wrong" mentality would be more beneficial in the long run - maybe Paxton's the guy on the inside Coulson convinces of SHIELD's wrongdoing?

Or maybe I just really like Paxton

 

Yeah, I'd say so.

 

At some point, he's gonna have to say, "It's game over, man!"

 

lowest ratings to date

I contributed. I tend not to stay up later than 8, and I have not made even an On Demand attempt.

 

Shame this newest one was definitely one of the best the show's had to date.

 

Well, they may end up converting him, too. The show hasn't exactly been hard-edged so far.

He's definitely a big shot in the arm to the ensemble -- great chemistry with everybody.

 

Besides Hand have we really seen anyone in SHIELD that seems likely to be BadSHIELD? I mean Fury and Hill were all demanding updates on the search for Coulson and seemed to divert the whole agency to finding him while Hand ignored it and focused on Centipede. Sitwell from what we've seen is just a normal agent. Blake was a bit more menacing in his appearance than he was in Item 47. And even if they all have done morally questionable things it shouldn't be a surprise for Coulson or May and probably Ward as they've probably done the exact same stuff.

I mean everyone we've seen with SHIELD so far has been helping Coulson and the team or reasonable in their reasons not to. The only person who hasn't been was Hand and she wasn't particularly malevolent. Unless Winter Soldier causes all those people 'removed' and replaced with obvious bad guys.

 

SHIELD as an organization is made out to be evil and negative by simply denying kidults their impractical and unreasonable demands.

 

My favorite theory out there is that Loki is the Clairvoyant.

 

Skye could be Kree, and the thing in the tube is related to her.

 

Heck I've heard one theory the Clairvoyant is Coulson himself in a split personality, since they both want to discover how he was brought back.

 

Are people having trouble with it? Everybody seems to have responded well to Paxton. The thing is just that it's not a nice-guy action. Bond's a dark character; Paxton is similarly a dark character.

That said, I really wish the show would go darker and let the titular S.H.l.E.L.D. agents be more secret-agenty, less smiley clean-cut good guys.

 

If the show would make up its mind for what tone it's going for, it'd solve a lot of problems.

By far the weirdest thing is Ward straight up complimenting May on her ability to beat up people in custody. "I like watching you brutalize our prisoners."

 

I chalked that up to Ward being awkward around May and not sure what to do/say with regards to their relationship.

 

io9 is definitely all over it with comments along the same, so yes.

But I agree with Quest... we kinda like Bond to do the same.

 

Has anyone brought up that the Clairvoyant might be Ultron? Stereotypical AI power to predict near future scenarios due to access to all human information? Wouldnt that be a big enough of a "in" for AOS to be taken seriously along with the movies?

 

I think that the Clairvoyant could be

Spoiler

The High Evolutionary. He has clairvoyant powers, uses technology, he debuted in the pages of Thor's series and has ties to Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Sure, he's mostly into evolving animals into humans, but they can work around that.

 

They could just make The Leader the Clairvoyant so they don't have to tie it up in a stand-alone Hulk film since they don't appear to want to do another stand-alone...

 

I think people take this as a superhero show and therefore go with "What would Captain America do?" I think it might be a decent story arc at some point if the cast winds up with introspection on the matter, as to wether they should conduct themselves like Bond or Cap, that sort of thing.