Do you have any sympathy for Ward now that his connection to Garrett has been revealed?

I have mixed feelings about this. I desperately want Ward to be redeemable, at the same time, I'm not sure that he can be. Garrett saved an impressionable young man, dumped him in the woods, and left him to survive or perish. When Garrett returned, he was all the kid had and indoctrinated him.

Garrett's life was saved through determination and HYDRA, while Ward's was saved by Garrett. That type of connection is difficult to overcome, especially since it was ingrained from a young age and in difficult conditions.

My problem with finding even the tiniest justification for his actions is that Ward spent 10 years as a SHIELD agent.

Watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 21 Online

Unless new information comes out, that should have been plenty of time for him to break free of Garrett enough to recognize that SHIELD was a noble organization and HYDRA was not. He had the free will to let Buddy the Dog live, so he wasn't brainwashed to the point of losing his decision-making abilities.

I felt for Fitz throughout Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 21. He desperately held out hope that the Ward he knew and cared for was still there. He was wrong. Or was he? Before Ward released the container holding Fitz and Simmons into the water, he said he did and it was his weakness.

At first, I thought he was acting in contrast to his weakness to prove himself to Garrett. My view changed when I saw the container fall into the water. The plane was flying low to avoid detection, so Ward could have released them from the plane in order to save their lives. On the plane, they would have remained in danger, while in the water they at least had a chance to survive. Plus, it's a container from the Bus, so it could have special characteristics which would help Fitz and Simmons survive.

Garrett's actions should help Ward realize that his mentor is not a good guy. Raina mentioned that Garrett was only concerned with prolonging his own life. The GH-325 was necessary to overcome his demise, but it had a greater effect on him. Garrett had the Centipede tech in him, but he never gained powers like Mike because of his weakened physical condition. 

With the GH-325, his body went through a metamorphosis which appeared to heal his body and activate those Centipede powers. An empowered Garrett will be a very dangerous weapon. Ward understands Garrett, which makes him the best person to take his mentor down and prevent him from harming others. That could be his path to redemption. 

Ward's future is far from pre-determined.

In addition to Ward's history, Raina provided insight into how Skye came to be in SHIELD's care as an infant. Her parents were "monsters" who destroyed a city trying to find her. I guess that makes her a "monster" too. If her parents could destroy a city, she probably has innate powers as well. With the super soldiers ready to attack her, Coulson and May, it's the perfect time for her strengths to emerge!

They have to succeed and get that jump drive into HYDRA's computers. It's the break they need in order to clear SHIELD and set up the rebuilding of the organization for next season. It would also help stop Quinn's sale of the super soldiers to the Department of Defense. There is hope.

Overall, "Ragtag" was an tense episode but there were a few lighter moments that helped break the dark tone which was nice. I loved everything that had to do with the old-school gear that Triplett's father had. Fitz got the best play out of them when he lighted the curtains on fire and then used the EMP to shock Garrett.

Which lighter or funny moment was your favorite?

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.