Tag: agents of shield

Agent Carter, Inhumans, & I Have No Idea What’s Happening in the Marvelverse Now

March 9, 2015 • 8 Comments

*Warning, if you’re not caught up on Agent Carter or Agent of SHIELD, there are spoilers below!

I watched the first half of this season of Agents of SHIELD excited every single week. The show was finally just consistently good. Then the mid-season finale hit and… I don’t know… I felt like my tires got deflated. It was really hyped up by Marvel, and in some ways it was good, but I felt sort of like I got punched in the stomach and then the offender just ran off. I wrote a long blog post about it that I never published on the blog, because after I wrote it I thought maybe I just needed to get my feelings out and I was actually fine now that the words had been written.

Thankfully, Agent Carter was there to divert my thoughts for a while. If you know me, you know I’m a Peggy Carter fangirl, and I was super stoked about the show. When it started I was… confused… about the direction it was going in and the plot. I thought it was sort of going to pick off where the Agent Carter one shot left off, but it actually feels more like it never happened. I thought Peggy was supposed to be in charge of the beginning of the SSR, I mean, this had been alluded to in the one shot, in Captain America The Winter Soldier, and in Agents of SHIELD. Instead, she’s just the glorified secretary to the boys. But after a few episodes, I decided to enjoy it for what it was. I still loved Peggy, as well as many of the new secondary characters, such as Jarvis, Angie, and Sousa.

I ultimately enjoyed the season. I still never completely understood what the plot of it had to do with the Marvel universe at large, but I hoped for a second season to help sort it out some more. And I still want that.

Then Agents of SHIELD returned, and we’re one episode in and while it was a fine episode, I’m still feeling uncertain about what’s happening. Fitz finds out what’s happening to Skye but he’s going to keep it a secret. Raina’s essentially a demented porcupine. Bobbi and Mack are up to something, but what? Are Fitz and Simmons ever going to talk again? OK, I know they won’t let that drop, but I want it now, dang it. I have a hard time caring about the Inhumans storyline at the present because I’m still very worried about the humans on the show. I am completely not over Trip’s death (that was what my unpublished ranting blog post was about, essentially), I worry about Fitz-Simmons, I worry about all of them.

Except Ward. He wasn’t in this last episode and I did not care or miss him for two seconds. They made me hate him that much. (Or maybe that indifferent to him.) I just don’t like feeling this way. I guess I’m not supposed to like feeling this way. No one said this was a Hallmark movie. But just the thought of him popping up again just makes me feel… ugh. I just don’t care about him. I want him to leave. I want Trip back (not matter how impossible). I want to smoosh Fitz and Simmons’ faces together, and then we can carry on with Hydra and Inhumans and whatnot.

I’m happy that this next episode features Lady Sif, because I love me some Sif (not quite as much as Peggy, but still a lot). I just hope things will make sense soon. When the season ends, I want it to feel like the story is heading in the right direction. The season one finale left us hanging, but it was good and left me wanting more in the right ways. I know there’s some time and I shouldn’t worry, I suppose I just hoped that after such a long hiatus I would get something I was hoping to see, instead of basically nothing at all that I cared about (other than Coulson yelling and bringing down some Hydra folks, because that was good stuff).

Also, how is this going to tie into Avengers 2? What the heck is that movie about anyway? That first trailer really gave me chills in the best way, and this newest one is just not nearly as interesting to me. I’m sure it will all work out, but I’m just curious about what direction the Marvel universe is actually going if there’s supposed to be Civil War and so much other crap going on. I’m sure someone with comic book cred could help me out.

What are your thoughts on Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, and the various Marvel storylines?

A Few Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD Season 1 Finale “The Beginning of the End”

May 29, 2014 • 4 Comments

Alright, so I’ve gotten behind on things, as I really wanted to discuss the last three episodes of SHIELD and I simply got busy and by this point I’ve forgotten details, but I remember that they were AWESOME. Especially the finale, which I did rewatch (while multitasking, which generally results in me not actually absorbing as much of it as I would have liked, but I have a weird thing about rewatching TV episodes I’ve seen before when I’m home alone where I always feel like I have to do something else at the same time, I don’t know why!). But I wanted to share a few of my thoughts.

* WARNING – SPOILERS! *

– It was basically perfect. I thought the storylines that needed to wrap up did so nicely and without getting too tropey. Ward wasn’t redeemed and is still an antagonist in the eyes of the team. Garrett was killed in the most awesome way. But of course, there were things planted to make way for new storylines in season two (and there is going to be a season two, yay!).

– Fitz + Simmons = OMG FEELS. Look, I know I’ve been kind of obsessed with the Fitz-Simmons development lately, but seriously, the chemistry! These two will break your heart.

So my prediction for these two in season two, with Fitz being alive but possibly not quite the same, is that he’s going to lose some of his memory and forget that he admitted to Simmons that he had feelings. He may even forget that he started to develop feelings for her. Meanwhile, Simmons will have to grapple with knowing while still trying to figure out if she feels the same way.

Elizabeth Henstridge has been quoted as saying that “Fitz is going to be her main priority. 100%” in season two. So yeah, I’m dying. I NEED SEASON TWO NOW.

– Nick Fury tells Coulson it’s his job to rebuild SHIELD, and to do it right. I’m sure this will be a big part of Season 2. And I’m hoping that in doing this, by Avengers 2 he can finally let the Avenger crew know that HE’S ALIVE!

– AGENT KOEING LIVES! Sort of… So at the end of the episode we’re introduced to Agent Billy Koeing in a new secret facility of SHIELD, twin brother of Eric Koeing perhaps? And by twin brother, I mostly mean clone, because I’m thinking there must be several Koeing clones in these secret bases. I mean, he says the same exact things! It seems a bit unethical but… I’m game to have Patton Oswalt back on the show.

The show did start off slow, but there was a point where it really started to pick up and would deliver week after week, often times getting better week by week. I finally grew to love and care about the characters, there was a lot of action, some fun cameos and references, and some back-stabbery. Now that SHIELD has found its footing, I really can’t wait for season two, and especially with Agent Carter being picked up alongside it! I love Haley Atwell as Agent Carter and I’m really looking forward to how they translate her character for TV.

Share your thoughts on the season finale of Agents of SHIELD, as well as your thoughts on the show overall and what you’d like to see in season two!

My Thoughts on Agents of SHIELD Since Winter Soldier

April 25, 2014 • 7 Comments

This probably goes without saying, but just to be safe, this post is filled with spoilers from all released episodes of Agents of SHIELD.

As I mentioned in my review of Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier, the show Agents of SHIELD was clearly building up to the movie. And it was obvious after the movie that the repercussions of what happened there was going to bleed onto the show. It all started just days after the movie released, with the episode Turn, Turn, Turn.

The whole episode is fashioned in such a way that we are constantly questioning who is loyal to SHIELD and who is loyal to Hydra, as well as make you wonder and guess and re-guess who “The Clairvoyant” is. Needless to say, I really did not see it coming that it would be Agent Garrett!

Triplett: “But hey, if we get questioned, let me talk. You’re a surprisingly bad liar.”

Simmons: “I know. But I’m getting better at it.”

This episode was jam-packed with action and misleadings, and also many character moments. Coulson still doesn’t trust May completely, even though she is an “ally.” Fitz is crazy worried about Simmons. Ward tells Skye that he has feelings for her and they share a kiss. And of course, we learn the truth about Garrett. And then at the end, we see Ward kill Agent Hand and nod towards Garrett. But then he seems distant as Garrett starts telling stories of his grand escapades of the past. What’s going on with Ward? Surely he’s a double or triple agent, right? We never heard him say, “Hail Hydra!” and besides, it doesn’t seem to fit that he would be bad.

Next was Providence, in which everyone starts to question what’s next as SHIELD has obviously shattered. Coulson makes an impassioned plea to his team that they are Agents of SHIELD, not Agents of Nothing, and they must continue to fight for what they know is right. And meanwhile, Ward and Garrett go to the Fridge to spring out those being kept there, and to grab anything that can be beneficial to the cause of Hydra.

Raina: “So you’re a liar. You’re a fraud.”

Garrett: “An artist. A con artist, perhaps, but an artist all the same.”

From the coordinates that light up on his SHIELD badge, Coulson is able to find a secret SHIELD facility called Providence where ~~Remy the rat~~ ~~Adam Goldberg~~ ~~Patton Oswalt~~ Agent Koenig is waiting for them (or at least for Coulson). He tells the team that Fury is dead, though reveals to Coulson in private that Fury is actually alive, but only a few people can know, and that the rest of the team will have to pass a lie detector before they are trusted.

I have to say I loved Agent Koenig so much in this episode and the next, and I’m so sad we won’t get to see more of him! This episode also solidified, at least in my mind, that Ward is really working with Garrett, at the very least, and he is allegiant to him first and foremost. It will be interesting to see if anything happens with that allegiance if Garrett dies or if he makes Ward choose between him and Skye. At the end of the episode, Garrett sends Ward off to get Skye’s hard drive encrypted, and of course poor Skye has no idea who Ward truly is when he reunites with the team at the end.

Ever since the episode “FZZT,” I’ve been all aboard the Fitz-Simmons ship. Fitz has a couple of moments where you can see that his feelings for Simmons have truly gone past those of a brotherly/sisterly nature and have turned into more of a romantic love for her. But of course, Simmons is clueless.

Simmons: “Did you mean what you said earlier? About Coulson?”

Fitz: “I don’t know know, Jemma. I want to believe that Coulson knows what he’s doing but…”

Simmons: “Well, we still have each other.”

Fitz: “Yeah. Good. Cause the last thing I want is for things to change.”

Simmons: “It’s too late for that.”

This week’s episode was The Only Light in the Darkness, in which any previous caring I had for Ward before is absolutely gone by everything he does, May leaves, we finally meet Coulson’s lovely cellist, and the Fitz-Simmons feels only grow. It starts off with everyone going through the lie detector test Koenig mentioned to Coulson in the previous episode.

The lie detector sequence was great because it provided even more insight into each character. When asked, “Why are you here?,” May decidedly says Coulson. Simmons admits she’s not sure. When asked if they were stranded on a deserted island with a box, what’s in the box, most people have practical answers, but Simmons declares she wants the TARDIS, and after asking for the variables of the box and being told to say what first comes to mind, Fitz finally says that Simmons would be in his box. (*FEELS!!!*)

When Ward has his test, his readings are all over the place. Koenig starts to suspect him. But then Ward is able to work around it through half truths, convincing Koenig at least temporarily that he’s a good guy. Unfortunately, Koenig pays for that mistake and Skye finds a dead Koenig and with this, the truth about Ward. And though she has her freak-out moment, she is able to pull herself together enough to think and act. I’m really glad Skye is wise to the truth now and I’m interested in seeing how she handles herself in the next episode as she is off with Ward.

I loved Amy Acker in her role as Audrey Nathan, AKA, the cellist. Her plot involves a villain of the week who Garrett released from prison, obviously to keep Coulson busy in chasing after him to protect Audrey. But it was all so sad that Coulson had to just watch her from a distance. And then when he kissed her on the forehead and told her he was there and then ran off before she woke… ACK! FEELS!

“Why don’t you tell her the truth? That you’re still alive? … It’s just – the way she talks about you, it sounds like the two of you had something nice… So it’s not because you’re afraid to talk to her?” – Fitz

Yes, more Fitz pining at the end, with more clueless Simmons. My heart is breaking for Fitz. TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL, MAN!

And then the episode ended with May and… Mama May!

May doesn’t know who to trust , other than her mom, and is on the hunt for Maria Hill, who will be in next week’s episode. I’m intrigued by all this.

In short: I’m enjoying the direction of the show and how it keeps bringing its A game. I love Fitz-Simmons. I’m so over Ward, though I am somewhat interested in his backstory. I loved Koenig (RIP!). I continue to love Coulson. I’m curious to see what happens with May, Skye, and Triplett too. And the finale, I have a feeling, is going to leave us with a brutal cliffhanger.

What are your thoughts on these last few episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist

January 21, 2014 • 35 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is my Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.)

Seeing as I do write, while compiling this list I wondered: Why aren’t I writing these stories? And the answer is, I haven’t been so particularly inspired to yet. But who knows, maybe one day I will! But in the meantime, if someone else wants to write on of these stories, that’s be great because I would love to read them! This week’s list is in no particular order, and all these are YA story ideas unless otherwise specified.

1. WWII Historical Fiction Set in America

There’s been a fair share of WWII historical fiction lately, set in other countries: The Book Thief, Between Shades of Gray, Code Name Verity, etc. And I’m grateful for these, because for those of us who do live in America, sometimes we need to get outside of our USA bubble and see how the rest of the world sees things. But remember Molly from American Girl?

I’ve been interested in WWII history for a long time, so even as a girl I was fascinated by the story of a girl my age and how she coped with the war at home in America. I would absolutely love to see a YA story like this!

2. Story Set in Monaco

Once upon a time, I saw something about the country of Monaco on TV, and since then, I’ve been mildly curious about it. We see books set in France, Italy, Australia, etc., but what about Monaco? How’s life look like there? I actually wrote a short story about a teen American girl visiting Monaco when I was in high school, but I haven’t been able to find it and quite frankly, I knew very little about the country. I’d love to read the story from someone who knew what they were talking about.

3. A Little Women Retelling

It’s no secret that I love Little Women. Because of this, I have attempted a couple different retellings, but neither of them have stuck for me yet, but we’ll see… maybe one day something will. I love this story and want to see a truly justifiable retelling of it, either in a contemporary or futuristic setting. Also, bonus points if Jo and Laurie hook up this time. 🙂

4. Jane Austen Contemporary Retellings, a la Lizzie Bennet and Emma Approved

Basically, I want to see stories very similar to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and Emma Approved as novels, and obviously more suited for that than the video format. I suppose they would be more New Adult, but I would want them to not be too focused on sexytimes, but rather stay true to the nature of Jane Austen’s stories. And I know there are Jane Austen retellings out there, but I would love for the same author to write six books based on Jane Austen’s six books and that would be in the same universe, and be as awesome as these Pemberley Digital videos. I would DEVOUR these books, so someone give them to me!

5. Retelling of Alice in Wonderland that Involves Traveling to Other Worlds/Dimensions

I came up with this one very randomly. I have nothing else to add, but I think it sounds awesome.

6. Set in Well-Known Cities That Aren’t LA/NYC/Chicago

I love big cities, but it seems the same ones get all the love. Why not more books in Seattle, Houston, Phoenix, Nashville (though I think this one is rising in popularity… I just wish we could see more Nashville stories NOT involving country music), etc.? I’ll admit I don’t think much about where the story is set when I seek out a book, probably largely because I’m usually reading things set in the future, but if a book was set in Houston or Nashville (the two areas where I have spent the vast majority of my life) my interest would be at least piqued.

7. Teens Who Work in a Comic Book Store and Go on Geeky Adventures

I think this one is self-explanatory, and would be so fun!

8. Teen Science Geniuses a la Fitz-Simmons

Fitz and Simmons are the two scientists on the show Agents of SHIELD, and they’re also my favorite characters from the show. They totally play off each other with their science facts and geeky quips and I want a book with a duo like them! But since I fail at science, I will not be writing it.

9. Teen Olympian Athlete

Eiskunstlauf: Tara Lipinski zeigt ihr WM-Gold — Was anyone else totally into Tara Lipinski, 1998 Olympic gold medalist?

As someone who has never been particularly good at sports, I have long been fascinated by the ability of Olympian athletes, and would love to read a YA book about a teen playing in the games, particularly a gymnast, a swimmer, or an ice skater. I would love to read a realistic look of what it takes to train for, qualify for, and be in the Olympics as a teen athlete.

10. Teens/Young Adults Flying in Space, a la the Red Squad from Star Trek

In the Star Trek franchise, there are references to an elite group of cadets from Starfleet Academy called Red Squad who receive special and advanced training flying in space. In an episode of Deep Space Nine called “Valiant,” the Red Squad cadets were aboard the U.S.S. Valiant with an adult crew, when all the adult crew were killed in enemy fire and the cadets were forced to step up and take charge of the ship. It was a very interesting look on how a spaceship run by young people would work, how they would respond to having to answer to one another as officers, etc. Basically, I would love to see some of the ideas from this episode expounded on and explored in a book (something other than a Star Trek book). And I would love to hear the perspective of the specially trained teens about flying in space and their hopes for their future in a space career.

So what’s on your reading wishlist?

In Which I Fangirl About Fitz-Simmons

November 9, 2013 • 10 Comments

A while back I shared my thoughts on the first three episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I expressed that I felt the show had its share of flaws, but with such lovely quips and hints of more to come, it left me satisfied enough to keep tuning in. The show continues to get better each week, and this last episode, FZZT, seriously gave me ALL THE FEELS. It finally made me fall in love with two of the show’s characters: Fitz and Simmons. It starts off like a normal case of the week, but halfway through when they’re wrapping the case up, you know there’s more to go. (Not only because it’s wrapping up quickly, but also becuse virtually nothing from the preview for the episode has happened yet!)

Basically this episode was all about why you should ship Fitz and Simmons if you don’t already. OK, not really, but I think that’s what some of us got out of it, myself included. I tried to hold out, but now it’s hopeless. When Fitz yelled, “Jemma!!! NO!!!!!!!” it was all over. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

One thing I lamented about when I talked about my first thoughts on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was that I didn’t really love any of the characters yet (except Coulson, who we already knew), and that was just so weird for a Whedon show (based on my experience with Firefly and Dr. Horrible; I haven’t seen any other Whedon shows yet). And lately, everything has felt so Skye-centric and I’ve just gotten tired of her. So to have the focus to shift on the scientists of the group, who have always had such quirky conversations but we knew so little about, was great. We knew they went to school together, but what is their history exactly? At first, before I caught that they had different last names, I thought they were brother and sister because of their obvious connection but lack of romantic behavior toward each other. Then I learned they were just long-time friends, and of course your mind jumps to the conclusion that guy + girl + friends = future romance, but there are an equal number of guys and girls on the cast of this show and somebody needs to keep it platonic, right? That’s what I told myself anyway, as it was obvious they wanted to set up Skye and Ward for future romance.

There was some great dialogue that I think revealed a lot about Fitz and Simmons’ friendship without spelling out all the details of their background together.

Every minute of every day you’ve been stuck in a lab right beside me. At the academy. At PSYOPS. This plane. You’ve been beside me the whole time. You have to fix this. -Fitz

We’re doing what we always do. We’re going to fix this. Together. – Fitz

It wasn’t Ward by my side in that lab searching for a cure. It wasn’t Ward giving me hope, when I had none. it was you. -Simmons

But seriously, despite all my ship talk, I don’t want for things to get ruined by them rushing into romance too quickly. A lot of times when couples hook up on shows, the dynamic is suddenly a lot more boring. I don’t think that has to be the case with Fitz-Simmons, but I don’t want to see any hyper-acceleration into a relationship either. And if and when they get into one, I want them to still be normal, not all lovey dovey. I want them to have the same kind of fights and say the same kind of things to each other. I just hold a personal belief that best friends can make great life partners.

And honestly, other than Simmons’ thank-you kiss to Fitz, I don’t think the episode was actually trying to be heavy-handed with a romance potential. Obviously Fitz is worried about his friend and lab partner, because they are so close. I just love how pure-hearted their friendship is, and seeing those kinds of relationships usually make me want to see it become more, but still remain pure-hearted. Typically TV shows like to dramatize these things though, and honestly, I’d rather them be friends forever than see a ruined romance. So I’m not thinking ALL about romance here. I just want what’s best for their friendship, and them, because now I love their characters.

Another highlight of this episode was seeing Fitz, Simmons, and Skye poke fun at Ward, and then to see Ward loosen up and poke fun at himself. And then also we got to see Coulson open up to May, and it continues the mystery of just what happened when Coulson died, and just how much May knows about what happened to him, and perhaps if she knows something about dying herself. Overall, this was the episode that made me care the most about everyone, and I think that’s a sign of a strong episode, fangirling aside.

For differing thoughts on this episode, check out what Nashville Bookworm had to say.

If you saw the episode “FZZT,” where were your thoughts? Are you a Fitz-Simmons shipper or do you want it to stay platonic?

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