Lola is not anonymous, I'm just saying
Jun. 13th, 2015 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessAgents of SHIELD season2 finale
My strongest reaction was to the slo-mo (and it was negative, because one thing we can all learn from the Dark Angel season 2 finale* is that you don’t need the slo-mo. The second time it appeared, I was groaning. On the other hand, the effect of Skye’s life-force being drained away was really striking - I watched the whole thing through live on a big-screen TV, which felt like an achievement - and made me long to see Chloe Bennet in black and white.)
The biggest thing that happened was Jaying being taken down - I suppose the way they’d set it up, it had to be like that, by Cal. I expected him to be imprisoned and to come back for a two-parter next season rather than be mindwiped and let loose on animals. I would definitely pick Maclachlan as a recurring guest scenery chewer over Bill Paxton.) Do I wish they hadn’t made her such a monstrous villain? Of course, but it made sense according to the terms they’d set up.
Relatedly, I loved the moment Linc stopped May from killing the woman who could become multitudes – as he said, they’d been manipulated (I grudgingly accept that Gordon was in too deep, but the macho thumping him with metal sticks lost me, partly because it involved Mac, who is quite low on the list of characters I like.) I presume as the actor is going to have a regular role next year, that he’ll be part of Skye’s secret gifted team – although you feel she may end up leading the Inhumans, whether she likes it or not. And I welcome that team as opposed to whatever SHIELD, if not Coulson, thinks it’s been doing with them so far – other than the Avengers, of course. Maybe Mike Peterson can join her team too.
As for Bobbi and Hunter, I am a little sad that we won’t get ‘the further adventures of’. Bobbi sacrificing herself for him worked for me, although I don’t know how to read her ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’ line – several readings are possible.
Bobbi/Hunter will have to live with re-igniting Melinda/Andrew – while I can see that this is meant to be a positive step for May, harking back to Bahrain, I was disappointed, because I read one Coulson/May scene as ‘they’re practically married’. And making Simmons rethink her feelings for Fitz, about which I’m not bothered. Jemma was so not interested, and I could live with them settling into best friends forever once Fitz got over his feelings. I was amused at him asking her out for a date, the combination of awkward body language/attempted preening, shirt and cardigan. AND THEN SHE GOT EATEN UP BY THE ALIEN GOOP. Which: what? I suppose it’s the show recalling she did have some sort of fear-driven shoot the aliens plotline. But that and the carelessness over the crystals in the last few moments seemed like handing out cliffhangers for free.
Meanwhile, I expect Coulson to have a robotic hand in the next series.
I didn’t expect May to be allowed to make good on her promise to end Ward, and I didn’t expect him to kill her this episode, but killing Cara with May’s face because of her own hubris/underestimating Melinda was about as far as they could go.
But it all feels a little underwhelming – I think the real SHIELD business and Coulson reaffirming his leadership has been a detour. Knowing that SHIELD will still be battling HYDRA under Ward is not that exciting to look forward to, although I've enjoyed the antagonistic fall-out of season 1. The emotional heart of Skye’s choices – birth family or chosen family, Inhuman or SHIELD officer got a little blunted by Monster!Jaying and ‘WAR’, plus the fact that I was reminded so much of mutants. I think a couple of storylines suffered at the hands of this being such a big ensemble cast – and they seem to want to expand it all the time. But I have grown to like the show much more this season than in the first, when I was borderline hatewatching it.
I’ve never got a SHIELD icon. Part of the reason is that my feelings for characters have varied such a lot – except maybe May, but I think other fans love her more fiercely than I do. What I would love is some sort of group or four quarters one of the ladies: Skye, Melinda, Jemma and Bobbi.
IN OTHER NEWS: The rest of Parks and Rec is going to be shown in the UK on Dave, which is not the most obvious fit to me, but it they air it at a reasonable hour, that will be fine. Home Fires has been recommissioned, which I’m pleased about, and I think I will try to watch Humans.
*Actually, there are many things we can learn from the last episode of Dark Angel, like not letting the original showrunner back to stomp over what’s been happening recently on the show to go back to what he though it was about and fail to give fans closure when said show is cancelled. No thanks for dredging up these memories, Agents of SHIELD.
My strongest reaction was to the slo-mo (and it was negative, because one thing we can all learn from the Dark Angel season 2 finale* is that you don’t need the slo-mo. The second time it appeared, I was groaning. On the other hand, the effect of Skye’s life-force being drained away was really striking - I watched the whole thing through live on a big-screen TV, which felt like an achievement - and made me long to see Chloe Bennet in black and white.)
The biggest thing that happened was Jaying being taken down - I suppose the way they’d set it up, it had to be like that, by Cal. I expected him to be imprisoned and to come back for a two-parter next season rather than be mindwiped and let loose on animals. I would definitely pick Maclachlan as a recurring guest scenery chewer over Bill Paxton.) Do I wish they hadn’t made her such a monstrous villain? Of course, but it made sense according to the terms they’d set up.
Relatedly, I loved the moment Linc stopped May from killing the woman who could become multitudes – as he said, they’d been manipulated (I grudgingly accept that Gordon was in too deep, but the macho thumping him with metal sticks lost me, partly because it involved Mac, who is quite low on the list of characters I like.) I presume as the actor is going to have a regular role next year, that he’ll be part of Skye’s secret gifted team – although you feel she may end up leading the Inhumans, whether she likes it or not. And I welcome that team as opposed to whatever SHIELD, if not Coulson, thinks it’s been doing with them so far – other than the Avengers, of course. Maybe Mike Peterson can join her team too.
As for Bobbi and Hunter, I am a little sad that we won’t get ‘the further adventures of’. Bobbi sacrificing herself for him worked for me, although I don’t know how to read her ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’ line – several readings are possible.
Bobbi/Hunter will have to live with re-igniting Melinda/Andrew – while I can see that this is meant to be a positive step for May, harking back to Bahrain, I was disappointed, because I read one Coulson/May scene as ‘they’re practically married’. And making Simmons rethink her feelings for Fitz, about which I’m not bothered. Jemma was so not interested, and I could live with them settling into best friends forever once Fitz got over his feelings. I was amused at him asking her out for a date, the combination of awkward body language/attempted preening, shirt and cardigan. AND THEN SHE GOT EATEN UP BY THE ALIEN GOOP. Which: what? I suppose it’s the show recalling she did have some sort of fear-driven shoot the aliens plotline. But that and the carelessness over the crystals in the last few moments seemed like handing out cliffhangers for free.
Meanwhile, I expect Coulson to have a robotic hand in the next series.
I didn’t expect May to be allowed to make good on her promise to end Ward, and I didn’t expect him to kill her this episode, but killing Cara with May’s face because of her own hubris/underestimating Melinda was about as far as they could go.
But it all feels a little underwhelming – I think the real SHIELD business and Coulson reaffirming his leadership has been a detour. Knowing that SHIELD will still be battling HYDRA under Ward is not that exciting to look forward to, although I've enjoyed the antagonistic fall-out of season 1. The emotional heart of Skye’s choices – birth family or chosen family, Inhuman or SHIELD officer got a little blunted by Monster!Jaying and ‘WAR’, plus the fact that I was reminded so much of mutants. I think a couple of storylines suffered at the hands of this being such a big ensemble cast – and they seem to want to expand it all the time. But I have grown to like the show much more this season than in the first, when I was borderline hatewatching it.
I’ve never got a SHIELD icon. Part of the reason is that my feelings for characters have varied such a lot – except maybe May, but I think other fans love her more fiercely than I do. What I would love is some sort of group or four quarters one of the ladies: Skye, Melinda, Jemma and Bobbi.
IN OTHER NEWS: The rest of Parks and Rec is going to be shown in the UK on Dave, which is not the most obvious fit to me, but it they air it at a reasonable hour, that will be fine. Home Fires has been recommissioned, which I’m pleased about, and I think I will try to watch Humans.
*Actually, there are many things we can learn from the last episode of Dark Angel, like not letting the original showrunner back to stomp over what’s been happening recently on the show to go back to what he though it was about and fail to give fans closure when said show is cancelled. No thanks for dredging up these memories, Agents of SHIELD.
