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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Purpose in the Machine

"Look, I know I'm being really annoying
right now, but you only need to put up
with it for one more episode. I hope."
"Being different can mean making a difference."

Thank the Celestials that's over and done with. Now can Fitz go back to being a likeable character again?

In my last review I talked about how I didn't like what the "Fitz searches for Jemma after she was eaten by a big rock" storyline was doing to Jemma's character, reducing her to a prize to be won, now I'm going to talk about how it has changed Fitz into a right selfish dick. His quest to save Jemma has turned him into a thoroughly unlikeable character who is only obsessed with saving Jemma and nothing else, not even the wellbeing of his friends. Did he even check on Skye Daisy after she collapsed or did he just go on tinkering with the machine? Not only has he become a jerk, he's stupidly reckless as well. Jumping into the portal was beyond stupid and only worked out for the best because this is television. If this was real life I imagine it would've all gone pear shaped.

Keeping the portal open put an enormous strain on Skye Daisy and Fitz had to know that it could kill her if she held it open too long. He's too smart to not have figured that out. I know that Skye's Daisy's love for Jemma is infinite, and she'd happily risk her own life to save her, but what annoyed me was that Fitz didn't seem to give a shit. You don't pull a stunt like that when your power source is your friend's life, Fitz. I wouldn't be too surprised if he didn't say thank you. I hope when she is feeling better Jemma says thank you and gives Skye Daisy a big hug and then asks what the hell this whole Daisy nonsense is about.

While I'm grateful this storyline is over and done with, I was surprised how quickly it was wrapped up. I thought we'd get to see a lot more of Jemma's adventures in space before she came home. Part of me was hoping that she'd find a way to save herself. I'm hopeful we'll get a flashback episode at some point and that this entire ordeal with have some impact on future story arcs besides forcing a Fitzsimmons romance on us. For now I want the focus back on Jemma. We've had two episodes of Fitz angst about this, it's time we found out how this has all affected Jemma. She's the one who went missing after all. Whatever happened to her, the experience has clearly left her traumatised. I expect she'll be spending the next few episodes on Andrew's couch.

Ward was back and when he wasn't hosting the HYDRA version of Top Gear he was out recruiting new members with deep pockets for his leaner, meaner HYDRA. His latest is Werner Von Strucker, the playboy son of the late Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, whom Ward sent to infiltrate Andrew's school as a new student. Is Ward planning to go after S.H.I.E.L.D. through their loved ones? Please, please tell me this means the writers are fully committing to Ward as a villain. I don't want to have to go through another season of them teasing a potential redemption arc just to keep the SWW brigade happy. Ward is always at his best when he is 100% villainous. Keep him that away. And then kill him off by mid-season, because the best villains are the ones who don't overstay their welcome. And how much time can Ward have left with both May and Hunter – who are sure to be an entertaining pair – now gunning for him?


Intel and Assets

--I'm waiting for Bobbi to call Hunter out on his overprotective bullshit. I know he's aiming for chivalry, but it is coming across as ever so slightly chauvinistic.

--James Hong was great as May's dad, William (he calls her Mellie). Can we have an episode with the entire May family, please? Maybe an awkward family dinner which Coulson and Skye Daisy do their best to escape from?

--I really liked the scene between Skye Daisy and Andrew where she explained her motivations for putting together the Secret Warriors.

--You expect me to buy that Melinda May didn't find the driver who hit her father? Unless it really was Ward, she found them alright and then made sure that no one else ever would.

--As fun as it was seeing Peter MacNicol as Prof. Randolph again, I feel he could've easily been replaced by a Google search.

--May was a ice skater before she switched to martial arts.

Coulson: "This is why I got rid of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. logos on our vehicles. It's like screaming for attention."
Bobbi: "You know there's a ginormous eagle symbol on top of our jet."
Coulson: "Yeah, sometimes I can't help myself with the cool."

Bobbi: "Don't die out there."
Coulson: "And Hunter... make sure he does."

Mack: "You did good, Tremors."

Two and a half out of four bunkers under the Louvre that may or may not exist.
--
Mark Greig has been writing for Doux Reviews since 2011. More Mark Greig.

7 comments:

  1. In total agreement about Fitz and Simmons. Very disappointed in the writers that they would treat her that way. But it's (hopefully) over now.

    I really feel like this was Skdaisy's episode. She put her life on the line (and very nearly lost it) to save Jemma and her speech about wanting Inhumans to feel like they had a home almost made me cry. She is a hero with a capital H and I wish the fangirls would stop swooning over how romantic Fitz was in this episode and redirect their admiration where it's more deserved.

    Bobbi and Hunter just seemed way too happy in this episode. Way too happy. Which obviously leads me to believe that something tragic will befall one or both of them soon. But there's the spinoff...

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  2. I'm sorry, Migmit, but I had to delete your comment because it contained a lot of spoilers of The Martian.

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  3. No, Mark, it's me who has to be sorry. I keep forgetting that not everything I've already read is old news. I'll try to repost it without spoilers:

    That's not the first time an ass-kicking-unstoppable-force woman in a Joss's show is revealed to have obsession about ice skating. In fact, it's one of my favourite scenes in BtVS season 2: Buffy skating, Angel watching, guy attacking, Buffy killing...

    Jemma Simmons is not The Doctor. In this universe it's not really possible to create intergalactic portals from nothing (ahem... Tony Stark. Well, he DID have a bit more than nothing). She's got lucky: she had something to make a knife from. And, presumably, something to eat. And nearest help was lightyears from her, which, coincidentally, is what a certain astronaut is facing in a book that recently became a huge hit, only turned up to 11. If that didn't break her... I wonder how strong it made her.

    As for Fitz... give him some slack. The guy's been through hell. I'm pretty certain Skye wouldn't mind not getting a thank you from him.

    P.S. I hope spoilers to BtVS season 2 are OK.

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  4. Usually love your reviews but have to disagree with your take. Skye is a leader now. The show took pains to point that out to us through Andrew. She has superpowers and her friends don't. She shouldn't want to be thanked. Also...I mean...you can't really compare AoS with real life.

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  5. migmit, while it would've been too much to expect Jemma to build a portal home out of nothing but sand and twigs, I still feel it was a disservice to the character to give her no agency whatsoever in this storyline. Why could she not contribute to her own rescue in some way? Maybe by figuring out a way to get a message back home. As it stands, Jemma is portrayed here as a damsel in distress, completely reliant on other, primarily male, characters for her rescue.

    Anon, I think you've misunderstood me. I wasn't saying that I think Skye should expect gratitude for her efforts to save Jemma, I wouldn't expect her too, but that Fitz, who was very protective of her last season, is now so focused on saving Simmons that he did not seem unconcerned about Skye's well being. I mean, she nearly died keeping the portal open so he could go in and get Jemma, whether she wants it or not, it would be pretty shitty of Fitz to not even say so much as a thank you.

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  6. I like the small touch that Coulson is the one having the hardest time making the name transition for Skye. It’s such a parental figure thing to do: to not stop calling you by the name they’ve always called you, even when you start going by a nickname or a different name with everyone else. It's a lovely beat that underscores the heart of their dynamic. Of course, I’m not ready to call her Daisy either, so maybe I just like that someone in the show is also keeping “Skye” alive. :)

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  7. I completely understand where Fitz was this story

    If the women I loved was taken I would lose my mind and try EVERYTHING too save her

    And I'm sorry but how can someone recuse themselves with no equipment????

    But I do agree that Daisy getting hurt was pretty selfish of him but she did offer herself

    I also thought that him jumping in was pretty dumb but like I said I would probably do the same thing in his shoes

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