Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: ...Ye Who Enter Here
December 3, 2014 10:46 AM - Season 2, Episode 9 - Subscribe

S.H.I.E.L.D. discovers the ancient city but uncovering the secrets may require a major sacrifice.

Enjoy this quick recap and speculation post as you ponder how many Koenigs are in the world.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (29 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Having more Patton Oswalt on the show can only be a good thing. I'm in for 13. I'm starting to imagine that this show has a few more years in it, and that I'd love to see. Though it still feels like an ABC show. (How do networks seem to preserve that feel, I wonder?)

I'm glad I picked this as the final show of the night to watch, after SoA and Flash. This season's been getting better as it goes on.

I think the stuff with Mac hasn't been very developed. And wasn't he almost dead last episode? In one scene he's warned about pulling his stitches out, the next he's the one being lowered by ropes into a pit. I'd expect that sort of logic avoidance from Doctor Who, but not AoS. But anyhow, Mac has seemed so far just to be a character for Fitz and Simmons to bounce off of. I can't recall any serious discussion of his past or development of him as a character. Yes, he did say something like, 'You all are pretty freaky around here, not like what I'm used to." But it seems all he's been around for is for Fitz (and possibly Simmons) to want to get freaky with.

At least we are getting some great ass-kicking fights out of this show. I know it's all stunt doubles and blocking, but it's great to see the fights sprawl out for a few minutes, because COMICS! In fact, I'm a little dismayed whenever a gun battle erupts. What I'd love to see is Fitz come up with some version of a cordolaine signal. That would be all sorts of awesome, and would change the show quite a bit.

Looks like this season is going 22 episodes, with one next week and then a break. I'm sure we'll have some big reveal next episode. I hope there's some Inhumans down there to heal Mac.
posted by Catblack at 2:09 PM on December 3, 2014


I think the stuff with Mac hasn't been very developed. And wasn't he almost dead last episode? In one scene he's warned about pulling his stitches out, the next he's the one being lowered by ropes into a pit.

It was Trip getting the stitches, I think. Mac was not involved with the shootout with Hydra last episode. I knew Mac was in trouble this episode though because he got more screen time than he has in about the last 4-5 weeks.

However, they could be setting up for something interesting - if Mac is still alive and can be recovered, he might have a much better understanding and appreciation of Coulson.
posted by nubs at 2:18 PM on December 3, 2014


Tripp was on the plane being stitched up and talking to the Koenigs. Mac is the mechanic and went into the hole - and had that little aside with Mockingbird. What was that about?
posted by the man of twists and turns at 3:19 PM on December 3, 2014


I think the stuff with Mac hasn't been very developed. And wasn't he almost dead last episode? In one scene he's warned about pulling his stitches out, the next he's the one being lowered by ropes into a pit.

All black guys look same? :P That was Trip who was shot and had stitches.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:07 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


...if Mac is still alive and can be recovered, he might have a much better understanding and appreciation of Coulson.

It's comics. No one stays dead except Uncle Ben. Given that whatever gave Mack the superstrength allowed him to shrug off Icer bullets, I'm guessing that it also allowed him to survive that 100ft drop.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:11 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


It was great when Skye suddenly started dishing out Bruce Lee moves on evil Melinda. The fight choreography was excellent for a network TV show.

I don't know if this is the first time that they replaced Fitz's cheesy "golden retrievers" with the much more plausible quad-copter surveillance drones, but I'm glad it happened.

Ward continues to develop as a wildcard major player, with potential to do serious damage to either side. This is an awesome turn-around for a character that some mocked as agent Abercrombie & Fitch in the first season.

And I have no complaints about infinite Patton Oswalts. Keep'em coming.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 8:27 PM on December 3, 2014


#13pattonoswaltsinthemovies
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 8:50 PM on December 3, 2014


And I have no complaints about infinite Patton Oswalts. Keep'em coming.

There'd better be a factory churning him out.

... actually, we could use one of those in real life. :)
posted by mordax at 9:10 PM on December 3, 2014 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I totally got those two guys mixed up, my bad.
posted by Catblack at 11:26 PM on December 3, 2014


had to pause the episode to ask this, without reading the rest of the comments so sorry if it's been already asked:

When you've got a Quin jet on top of a big airplane, how do you get from one to the other? Do airplanes have... doors? Docking bays? Umbilicals?
posted by rebent at 6:38 AM on December 4, 2014


It's never really answered, but obviously there's some sort of docking tube. One in the floor of the Quinjet and one on the top of the Bus.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:45 AM on December 4, 2014


If Marvel knows their business, they'll allow us to get our own personal Patton Oswalts, for use at home. Or maybe I'll get two, so I can listen to them crack each other up.
I logically get that this episode didn't advance much of the story, but when it's a lot of fun, it doesn't matter nearly enough. The cloaking umbrella, Skye and Not!May fighting (and clearly she's been trained and is doing very well but unsurprisingly ended up losing to a more experienced agent), Coulson getting to try on hats in Puerto Rico - I loved all of it. I also assume Mac isn't dead. I do wonder what he and Bobbi have cooked up, though.

Just to emphasize my love of a particular thing, the entire relationship with Fitz and Simmons is heartbreaking and so well done. Love and guilt and frustration and embarrassment and deep care for another person - it's all there and it's incredible to see play out onscreen.
posted by PussKillian at 6:48 AM on December 4, 2014


some other thoughts:

the scene between bobbi and mac in the quin jet - WOW, it was SO TIGHT, so spot on. after watching hammie hammie dialogue that just doesn't work in arrow and flash, this is like a revelation, this is good story tv.

fitz and simmons - I have a hard time seeing them as adults. Especially compared to the muscly kick-ass people. They have silly nerd kid problems, not like these real adult problems. But the bit between them about half way through the ep, wow. So solid.

OH GOD that ending... i haven't been that surprised by a tv show in a long time, and with this type of show you expect people to die... Although something tells me we haven't seen the last of mac
posted by rebent at 7:09 AM on December 4, 2014


As someone who has pretty recently been to Fort San Cristobal in San Juan, I was very disappointed that the rangers made no mention of an alien city buried under the fortifications. Because I would have wanted to see that... well, based on Mac's example, maybe not.

But I was also amused that after Coulson and Morse have a (weirdly phony sounding) discussion of their next steps along a walkway, they turn and walk off into one of the fort's sentry boxes - which is a dead end space about the size of a refrigerator with nowhere at all to go except back out the way you came. What were we supposed to think that was? An elevator?

Also was going nuts trying to figure out where I'd seen the "worthy" Asian woman (who I'm now assuming is Skye's mother). Finally figured it out. She was Suren the vampire, Aiden's great vampire love from the US version of Being Human.
posted by Naberius at 7:42 AM on December 4, 2014


So much fun! This show has been moving at a breakneck, non-stop pace all season. And it's just getting better.

There was a lot of guessing over on Reddit about what Mac/Bobbi's thing was. I have no idea, but here's the dialogue again:

"Just wondering if it means you're bringing Hunter in on the other thing?"

"That? No."

"I figured after we lost Hartley, you'd try to..."

"No. He has no idea. And I'd like it to stay that way."

"Copy that."

A lot of people were guessing she was pregnant or had been in a relationship with Mac, but the Hartley comment doesn't fit there. I can't see them springing another HYDRA spy on us. Reporting to Fury would kind of make sense, especially considering her dialogue later with Coulson. But they also did that already with May last season, and doing it now would completely undermine Coulson as director of SHIELD.

Any guesses?
posted by 2ht at 8:19 AM on December 4, 2014


I wondered if she was thinking about leaving SHIELD and setting up shop as an independent mercenary group, something like what Hartley was running. That would pull some characters out of the cast but still keep them in for occasional guest visits. Her not wanting Hunter and all the complications of their relationship as part of the group would make sense.
posted by PussKillian at 8:26 AM on December 4, 2014


They're running some sort of mercenary op of their own, the scope of which I can't figure out. I do suspect it has to do with Hydra in the sense of them being willing to do some sort of work for anyone who signs checks.

Bobbi was really worried about Bakashi bringing up things she had done to get into Hydra, things that she doesn't seem bothered about at all, but doesn't want others to know. After that interrogation, Hunter started questioning what she was up to and she got all touchy feely with him, they had sex and his questioning of her stopped.

They might be running an op to steal stuff from the alien city and sell it to either the highest bidder or Hydra.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:36 AM on December 4, 2014


It is probably something equally benign, but prior to joining SHIELD Hartley, Hunter, and that other guy who died were already mercenaries. And Mac with them? He showed up at the same time, but not sure. We didn't meet Bobbi until later. Although she clearly knew that crew, she had been a SHIELD agent since before the downfall. So the three of them breaking off as a merc team doesn't seem to make sense to me, especially excluding Hunter.
posted by 2ht at 8:37 AM on December 4, 2014


I'm pretty sure Mac is SHIELD, just in a different capacity than Bobbi. So if she's thinking of taking off and doing her own thing, she's technically poaching talent from an agency that is understaffed and struggling, so she'd keep it quiet although it's not a betrayal on any great level. Why would she want Hunter along? All that roller-coaster stuff she described to Simmons, she wouldn't want to bring him onto whatever new thing she's planning.
posted by PussKillian at 9:01 AM on December 4, 2014


Yeah, Mac and Bobbie are long time SHIELD agents, Hunter isn't and only signed up recently.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:06 AM on December 4, 2014


A few episodes ago, Mac wasn't too thrilled to see Coulson strapped into a machine, going insane, and attacking his own agents. He and Morse might have some kind of alliance loyal to SHIELD, but skeptical of the director.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 9:28 AM on December 4, 2014


"Just wondering if it means you're bringing Hunter in on the other thing?"

"That? No."

"I figured after we lost Hartley, you'd try to..."

"No. He has no idea. And I'd like it to stay that way."

"Copy that."


S.W.O.R.D.?

It would explain why she's wary of blowing up the tunnel.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:39 AM on December 4, 2014


Patton Oswalt is such a breath of fresh air on this show. He and Coulson provide great humorous counterpoint to the more grimdark drama stuff going on in the rest of the cast. Overall I think this show has finally nailed the comic book tone, I hope the Gotham showrunners are watching and taking notes.

No way Mack is dead. Although I hope they aren't just setting up another Deathlok.
posted by Nelson at 10:53 AM on December 4, 2014


When I saw the exchange in question, my gut reaction was that she had a terminal illness.

But marvel doesn't seem to work that way, so I'm going to guess it's in the other direction - she's got some secret embarrassing superpower
posted by rebent at 2:27 PM on December 4, 2014


My guess is that they're working for Fury and keeping tabs on Coulson. They've both been nonchalantly asking probing questions about Coulson's leadership style lately, and Fury's way too much of a control freak to just hand the keys over to anyone without a contingency plan.
posted by Uncle Ira at 3:48 PM on December 4, 2014


I really hope Mac is okay. I enjoy the chemistry he has with Fitz.
posted by brundlefly at 9:32 PM on December 4, 2014


Working for Fury is the most reasonable idea I've heard, it works on lots of levels.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 1:14 AM on December 5, 2014


She was Suren the vampire, Aiden's great vampire love from the US version of Being Human.

Dichen Lachman; she was also in Dollhouse, another Whedon property.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:38 AM on December 5, 2014


Looks like Mac went to the Prometheus school of "in an alien environment, touch everything with your bare hands, because that will turn out well." Seriously bad training; they already know there's a related artifact that will kill almost anyone who touches it and they haven't come up with a protocol for this shindig?
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:26 PM on December 7, 2014


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