Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Round Table: Cal's Cronies
Henry A. Otero
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Skye's father, Cal, returned this week to cause some trouble on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 13.
Meanwhile on the bus, Skye continued to struggle with her powers and May sought professional help from her ex-husband; Dr. Garner
Join TV Fanatics Jim Garner (no relation to May's ex), Allison Nichols, Kathleen Wiedel, Hank Otero and Andy Behbakht of the Helicarrier Podcast as we discuss the supervillain team up, May's cool ex and plenty more in this week's round table. Feel free to join in!
Share your thoughts on the supervillain team up this week. Did they work for you or not so much?
Jim: They worked for what they were needed for, but really they were that "super" story-wise anyway.
Allison: It was a let down, honestly. Cal's plan didn't seem all that thought out. He wanted to expose S.H.I.E.L.D., but he didn't really pick all that public of a place to do it. Sure, he was broadcasting all of this, but on a local sports radio, and odds are if there isn't a game, no one is listening.
Andy: Honestly, I was sort of disappointed with it. How come they had to give us these random one-dimensional villains for just a one-shot when we could have gotten introduced to some new Marvel characters (other than Karla) and formed a little recurring group for SHIELD to fight every once in a while? It was disappointing for sure, although I never mind seeing Kyle MacLachlan on screen.
Kathleen: I'm pretty much with everyone else. They were just sort of there.
Hank: I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I thought they sucked. I was totally bummed out by this episode. It felt like an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 installment and we all know how many fans jumped ship last season; not good Marvel.
Which bad guy was the standout for you? As far as powers and their overall role in the episode.
Jim: The only standout for me was Skye's dad. You want to like him and hate him at the same time, and that's not even his ability.
Allison: You didn't really get to know the other villains all that much. We got a brief descriptions of their powers, and that was it. I'm going to echo Jim and say Cal because Cal is just so weird and crazy.
Andy: Other than Cal, I only cared about Drea de Matteo's character Karla Faye Gideon and even her I think they sort of wasted as I was hoping that someone as talented as her would be more utilized. She stood out more than the others, but it's not much when you look at who she was surrounded by.
Kathleen: The only one that sparked at all was Cal, primarily because he's just so freakin' crazy. Kyle MacLachlan seems to be really enjoying chewing the scenery beyond recognition!
Hank: The standout for me was Angar the Screamer, and honestly it's just because his power was cool and the visual effects were freaky. Also, he's the only character the baddies had to break out, which gave them a real mission. Other than that, the rest... lame!
What did you think of Dr. Andrew Garner, and his scenes with Agent May? Did he help Skye at all?
Jim: Well, as a fellow Garner, I was a fan from the beginning. But, that aside, I think we won't know if he helped Skye for awhile.
Allison: I enjoyed him! His scenes with May are great. I loved that he provided an outside opinion on S.H.I.E.L.D. and how it is doing under this new leadership, and Andrew says that things actually haven't changed at all. I think he helped Skye to realize that she isn't actually dealing with her issues, she is just pushing them aside.
Andy: I enjoyed his scenes with May for sure, although I wish we had learned MORE about their marriage because just the idea of May being someone who used to be married once, fascinates me. Did he help Skye at all? I would say yes to a certain degree, although I do think Simmons may have been more helpful in the end thanks to those casts, that might be a Easter Egg to Daisy's famous gauntlets in the comics.
Kathleen: I enjoyed his appearance, especially since we got to see a side of May that rarely appears. She's always so closed off.
Hank: As I mentioned in my Agents of SHIELD Season 2 Episode 13 review, Blair Underwood was the one highlight of this episode for me. I loved that his relationship with May allowed us to see a different side to her. He was also great in his scenes with Skye. When I rewatch this episode in the future, I will probably just skip to Underwood's scenes and forget the rest.
Do you find the Bobbi, Mack and Hunter B-story interesting? Or is it time to wrap that one up? What's the deal with the "real" S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Jim: I suspect what we are seeing is ground work for the creation of the MCU version of S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department) being form, as it was introduced to the comic universe by Joss Whedon, and Quake (Skye/Daisy) was one of the directors of S.W.O.R.D. That being said, given the show is called "Agents of SHIELD" so I don't expect anything dramatic soon.
I do have to say that I'm confused, Fury put Coulson in charge, now it looks like that was a decoy so the "real SHIELD" could be created??? And my bigger question,is the "real SHIELD" really just the command staff of the Battlestar Galactica? Between the logo and Edward James Olmos' appearance in the preview I thought I was having a BSG flashback.
Allison: I am definitely intrigued. It looks like we are getting answers in next week's episode. I am not sure what to expect of this "real" S.H.I.E.L.D., mainly because I'm not sure what exactly these people have a problem with. Is it just how Coulson runs things or are they also not fans of Fury's because he put Coulson in charge. It would be cool if what Jim said happens and they bring in S.W.O.R.D..
Andy: OK, I'm very mixed on this one. I know that there is more to this "real SHIELD" so I shouldn't blast off too much in advanced, but come on, Marvel! Why couldn't this mysterious group have been something new and major from the comics like SWORD, West Coast Avengers or something like that? I know that this can't be the works of Fury because if it's him, then what was the point of making Coulson the director of this new version of SHIELD.
I initially felt that this is in a way a bit of an insult to the show with what they are trying to establish and now there is this "bigger" SHIELD that we have to look out for. I just hope that whatever it is, that it's something that Coulson will get in charge of as another way to slowly bring back into the films again as well as his SHIELD.
Kathleen: "You'll know soon enough"?! Gah. This is the sort of thing that drives viewers absolutely crazy, and not in a good way. Anyway, I do not think that this will go over well when Coulson finds out what's going on. Fury made him Director and gave him the Tool Box; I'm admittedly curious to find out why these guys think they're the "real" S.H.I.E.L.D. Are we prepping for a S.H.I.E.L.D. civil war before the Avengers' Civil War?
Hank: I love Jim's theory, and if this is the start of S.W.O.R.D. that could turn out to be fun. I'm just frustrated with this B-story to be honest. It's taking too long to unfold and mostly just misleading and confusing. I'm with Kathleen, driving fans crazy by dragging things out is not cool.
Skye directed her powers inward... ouch! What's next for her? Will Simmons' investigation lead us to more Inhumans?
Jim: I suspect that at some point the classification "other" will become "inhuman" in the gifted database. As far as finding other Inhumans, I hope we see a few more, but I wouldn't want to see them just suddenly be "everywhere"
Allison: More therapy, hopefully. Skye needs to do some serious self reflection and start to not be afraid of her powers. I'm with Jim. I don't want to be swarmed with Inhumans. Sure, we can find like one other, but we can't go crazy all at once.
Andy: Like I mentioned above, those casts that Skye got from Simmons could be the introduction of Quake's famous gauntlets. I'm not sure how Simmons' investigation will specifically be a way to lead them to more Inhumans, but I do think her contribution will play an important part for sure.
Kathleen: Those bruises looked painful! In any event, I like the others hope Skye finds her way soon. I suspect Simmons's investigation may lead us to Mr. Eyeless and his group.
Hank: That's what I'm thinking too Kathleen. Simmons' investigation will lead the team right to the Inhuman society. I'm absolutely ready to meet those folks on the index classified as "other," not these enhanced humans we met in this week. Give me more teleportation, powers we haven't seen before with cool backstories to go along with them. That's how the writers are going to get my attention back, not with an episode like this.
NOTE: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 Episode 14 is titled "Love in the Time of Hydra" and airs on Tuesday, March 24.
