Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Nevermore]

At least it's not Nick Nolte.

[Evildrider]

At least it's not Nick Nolte.

And he's not the Hulk's dad.

[HaemishM]

The only thing that looks off on him to me is that he's wearing a shirt. Other than that, he looks like a good Crusher Creel.

[Khaldun]

Looks right to me. Maybe not quite as ugly as the comics guy. I am assuming Ironwood was being green text-y.

[Fordel]

Yea I don't see the problem. Absorbing Man is just a bald roid rage dude that can become rocks and steel and whatever horseshit he can get his hands on. Possibly literal horseshit!


He's clearly going to rip that shirt off any moment, you can even see the starting tear at the collar.  

[Fordel]

First episode was tonight.

Absorbing man was fucking great, everything else was shitty and stupid more or less.

[Lakov_Sanite]

So called that....

[jgsugden]

It feels like they're written into a corner right now....

[kaid]

Its a show based on comics. death is not a career ending injury.

[Abagadro]

Ya. "They are doing great things with robotics" was the giveaway.

[Merusk]

Not to mention the main draw character is a dead guy

[Velorath]

It feels like they're written into a corner right now....

[Evildrider]

It feels like they're written into a corner right now....

[Merusk]

I figured as much myself, particularly after grabbing the mcguffin but don't know enough about minor Marvel folks to even guess whose origin it would be.

[jgsugden]

Its a show based on comics. death is not a career ending injury.

According to multiple interviews, there is no announced intention to bring the character back this season and she is not booked for any further appearances. At this point, I'd be surprised to see them change that....

[Abagadro]

I seriously doubt that. You don't being in a guest star like that for 12 minutes of screen time in a premier episode.

[Evildrider]

I seriously doubt that. You don't being in a guest star like that for 12 minutes of screen time in a premier episode.

Plus her having worked with the executive producers on Spartacus is another point in her favor for returning.

[Velorath]

Right now it doesn't seem like she's going to be returning any time soon if at all, and that the timing just worked out that she was able to do the first episode.

Still a bit ambivalent on the new characters despite efforts to flesh out Mac and Hunter this episode, but it looks like we get some Simmons in the next episode, so I'm happy with that at least.

[HaemishM]

I think the first 3 episodes have taken the high point they finished on last season and raised the bar. I liked it a lot. They got Absorbing Man down perfectly. The new character dynamics are good and what is most wonderful is that Sky doesn't bother me anymore. I actually like her now.

As for the obelisk, when it touched people's skins, the first thing I thought of was Garokk. I'm sure I'm off but that was just the first guy I thought of. It would be cool if they went to the Savage Land but I'm not going to bet on that one at all.

[Velorath]

I think the first 3 episodes have taken the high point they finished on last season and raised the bar. I liked it a lot. They got Absorbing Man down perfectly. The new character dynamics are good and what is most wonderful is that Sky doesn't bother me anymore. I actually like her now.

As for the obelisk, when it touched people's skins, the first thing I thought of was Garokk. I'm sure I'm off but that was just the first guy I thought of. It would be cool if they went to the Savage Land but I'm not going to bet on that one at all.

I can't see any sort of satisfying explanation of what the obelisk is given that it seemingly has to tie into the alien writing and that Skye's father knows what it is.

[HaemishM]

You're right. It's most likely going to be something they come up with for the show or the cinematic universe.

Perhaps Ulton sent it back from the future. 

[Velorath]

I've noticed in most articles and interviews don't even pretend that Joss Whedon is involved in this show anymore (Jeph Loeb for instance recently referred to Jeff Bell, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen as the showrunners with no mention of Joss). Not surprising given that he's been busy with Avengers 2, but given that he's not listed as a writer for any episode past the pilot, it reaffirms the notion I had that he was never really involved in this show beyond maybe helping plot the outline of the first season.

More importantly, god damn did Ming-Na Wen look good in this episode. I'm not even going to say that she looks good for a woman of her age, she just looks good period.

[Raguel]

More May and Coulson is always good and yes Ming Na is hot. 

[HaemishM]

Ming Na is just plain hot. Her age has no effect on that whatsoever.

[jgsugden]

The Whedon family described Joss' role as advisory - he was involved heavily in the game planning established before the first episode aired that covers the first two years of the show's general direction, he gives feedback on the rough gameplan for each episode, and he (when available) trouble shoots problems as they arise, especially script problems.  He helped buy the bus, he checks the GPS to make sure it is on the road, but others are driving the bus, now.

[Fordel]

One day SHIELD will remember they have guns on a consistent basis.

[Abagadro]

Feh, that would have deprived us of Na-on-Na action!

[jgsugden]

As I see it: The Obelisk is tied to the language, which is tied to the aliens.  The aliens - most agree - are likely Kree.  Raina has an interest in the artifact and was worried whether she was worthy (both when talking with Skye's dad about whether she could touch it and when talking to Garrett about whether she was special) - and she also has a demonstrated interest in finding special people.  Kree are tied to genetic tests and manipulation of Earthlings, and we know Marvel has expressed interest in bringing the Inhumans to screens.  We also see that the Kree bodies used in the Coulson experiments were collected a long time ago.

If you add all of that up, I think the obelisk is actually a container with safeguards - and inside of it is a Terrigen Crystal (the thing used to give Inhumans their powers).  The only ones that can touch the obelisk are people that are descended from the test subjects from across the globe that the Kree experimented on a long time ago. 

Given that Joss Whedon was involved in establishing the storylines for the first two seasons of MAoS at the same time he was figuring out Age of Ultron, I would not be surprised to see them tie the opening segment of the movie to the MAoS storyline for this season.  If I'm correct, the twins in the Cap II post credit teaser (who were the survivors amongst a larger group of test subjects, much like only a small number of folks that touch the obelisk survive) might have gained their powers from another Terrigen crystal.  It seems there is a reason the opening scenes of Avengers II focus on Hydra (Strucker) and empowered characters and MAoS has kept a strong focus on both of those concepts throughout the first two seasons.

[Ironwood]

'Cause it wouldn't be a Marvel thread without paragraphs of Jgsugden speculation !

[Fordel]

Bobbi is a tall glass of water.

[Raguel]

Bobbi is a tall glass of water.

Yeah I was just commenting on that somewhere else.

I somehow no longer hate Skye. What's wrong with me? 

[Abagadro]

Bobbi is a tall glass of water.

Palicki is super-hot and funny to boot (also has done a lot of voice-over work).  I hope she becomes a big part of the show. I'm getting really hooked on this show but the ratings are starting to worry me. This thing can't be cheap.  I just hope all the network synergy crap works to keep a marginally rated but improving/good show on.

[Fordel]

No I still hate Skye, she still does incredibly annoying and stupid things on a consistent basis and is still a center piece of the show.


The show itself will stay on the air as long as they keep making movies.

[jgsugden]

I wonder if they'll try to jumpstart the ratings with a guest stint by a movie regular.  If they believe the show is better than the rankings, I think they could go for a stunt run to try to pull people back...

I think the biggest problem for the show: The Flash is out 'comic booking' them on the same night.

[Lakov_Sanite]

That because dc doesnt give a fuck what they do on tv. I've said from the start that shield has been hamstrung by the quality of characters they can put on the small screen and boy it shows.