AGENTS OF SHIELD: “Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire” {Roundtable}

Tuesday night’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. found the team relying on an unlikely ally to go up against the Watchdogs while Simmons had an unexpected reunion with Daisy during her search for a new place for her and Fitz to share and May recovered from her brought-back-to-life experience, meeting Aida for the first time.

Join us as Rueben and Roz discuss last night’s new episode.

1. Lola vs Robbie’s car started us on a limited partnership between Coulson, Mack and Robbie. What do you think was most successful? Why?

Rueben: Needless to say, we saw this coming (right?); and if Robbie hadn’t been with them, who knows what might have happened to Daisy and Simmons at that storage unit. He was needed to go up against James; no else could have survived that fireworks store explosion. Fight fire with fire, as they say.

Roz: I think the partnership worked because when needs must, you put aside differences and get the job done. There were issues, (but) between the three of them they could help or solve them. But behind the immediate needs, I don’t think Robbie trusts anyone but family.

Rueben: You are so right, Robbie isn’t going to trust anyone except his brother and uncle; but it comes down to need. SHIELD needs Robbie and whether he wants to admit it or not, Robbie needs SHIELD

2. SHIELD has a leak and it’s getting to Inhumans. Did you expect who was behind the hack? Or was it not shocking enough?

Rueben: I wasn’t expecting it to be James, but when they were standing in that storage unit hallway, I began to get the impression something bad was coming, and it did, but it wasn’t quite as shocking as I think TPTB were hoping for. James isn’t exactly the most moral of people and given his resentment towards Daisy, it made sense that it was him being the hack. But, it wasn’t all that surprising.

Roz: I didn’t expect James (Fuse) to help the Watchdogs and I think that’s a good thing. We’ve got to think that people out there (who) don’t like destruction and chaos from Avengers or anyone else.

Rueben: True! Everyone isn’t a fan of SHIELD or the Avengers, and that has to be played out on the small screen not just the big screen.

3. May meets Aida. How long until that secret is out?

Rueben: Yep, and her spidey-sense didn’t go off that Aida is an android (is this maybe a side effect from her “death?”) Not sure if that has to do with the trauma she’s been through or not. I don’t think the secret will stay hidden for long or else they wouldn’t have introduced her into the story. There is always a reason for each little reveal and it’s just how big and/or bad is that reveal going to be on the main characters.

Roz: Not soon enough until that secret’s out when Aida has the worst case of open mouth insert foot I’ve seen. Her direct answers were way too close to spilling the beans.

Rueben: I know…I was really thinking Coulson was going to figure it out. It’s only a matter of time.

4. Simmons and Daisy are teaming up to find out about the Watchdogs, but Fuse is working for them, not against them. Did you miss their friendship?

Rueben: Yes, I did, especially after seeing them together again. I get why Daisy left, but she can’t battle the Watchdogs on her own – especially in her current condition. She needs to come back into the fold – not only to heal but also to have the team around her to help with the overall mission.

Roz: I did miss that friendship, but I think fundamentally Daisy won’t go back to following orders now. Simmons will always do what is best, if not right, and I can’t see how that rift can be repaired to make their friendship stronger than it is now.

Rueben: You have a good point. Daisy won’t follow orders – she’s pretty much made that clear. Where their current situation is concerned, though, she may have to suck it up – for now anyway.

5. Robbie vs Fuse didn’t turn into a great fight, but do you want Robbie working more with the team now that his uncle is the key to the ghosts?

Rueben: The fight was a little lackluster if not CGI-filled, right? I think Robbie is essential to the plan because of his uncle’s involvement. I don’t think the uncle will cooperate any further if Robbie isn’t in the picture. And, quite frankly, I think the team is going to need him to fight those ghosts since nothing else in the SHIELD arsenal can stop them (at this point).

Roz: I think Robbie’s going to work with the team because it’s practical to his ends as well as theirs.

NOTE: Did anyone else notice that the comatose man who Lucy woke up with her powers is Dawson’s Creek alum Kerr Smith?

6. What do you make of Lucy Bower and her power play?

Rueben: If she’s supposed to be scary, she’s not. And, until we understand and/or know more about this book (beyond what Coulson told Daisy and Robbie about it), then it’s just a “oh, this book is scary” storyline without the scary.

Roz: Creepy! Is this how SHIELD can tie into Doctor Strange?

Rueben: See! This is where I need more knowledge about the Marvel Universe because I miss out on the Easter eggs and the backstories…

7. Thoughts, Concerns, MVP?

Rueben: I thought Simmons really stepped up this time – not only with the cute banter between her and Fitz over finding a new place for them to live together – but also in dealing with Daisy, James and the Watchdogs. She’s really coming into her own. I’m also finding that while the show is trying to be “darker” because of its later timeslot, it’s not darker. I want to see more edge of your seat stories. I feel like I’m only watching the show peripherally.

Roz:  All I got at the end was a sense of dread as I think of fitting this story into the MCU. Nothing good will come from that book, no matter who has it.

The next new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. entitled “Lockup” will air on ABC next Tuesday, October 25 at 10/9c.

Here is the tagline and a trailer for next week’s episode:

“As Robbie Reyes struggles to control The Ghost Rider, S.H.I.E.L.D. infiltrates a high-security prison to unravel the secrets that haunt them all.”