Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Roundtable: “One of Us”

Skye is still struggling with her powers and big guns are brought in to help her deal with her emotions – in the form of Agent May’s previously unknown ex-husband, Andrew. Before he could finish assessing her problem, the team had to take off for Wisconsin where Skye’s dad had assembled a rag-tag team of would-be villains to help him get under Coulson’s skin by threatening his hometown. After stopping the criminals and saving Coulson’s high school and it’s cheer squad, Skye’s dad is rescued by the man with no eyes. Hunter and Mack missed this escapade because of the fallout from their skirmish last week. Hunter spends much of the episode chained to a sink until Mack decides to take him to the base for his other operation – also known as S.H.I.E.L.D., Mack claims it is the real one.

1. Agent May has an ex-husband! Did anyone see that coming? What were your thoughts about Andrew and his short visit with the team?

Louise: I totally like Andrew and I wished he’d be around more often, but I understand why he probably won’t. But he’s a good calm foil to what we know of May in the field. It’s great to see that May has a softer side that isn’t all “Calvary” but there wasn’t enough time for that to be fully flushed out.

Leah: I loved Andrew, anyone who provides a glimpse into May’s life, I’m all for. Although honestly, how is looking at Blair Underwood supposed to calm a gal? That seems like a test far beyond my willpower.

Rueben: Yeah, that was a surprise in the storyline, as May doesn’t seem the type to be married, right?! I had a feeling that Andrew was going to have a backstory with May, but not necessarily as an ex-husband. I, too, thought he was a good calming affect for all the craziness going on right now. I doubt we’ll see more of him, though, as he made it obvious in his last scene that he couldn’t work with them.

Jan: It took me totally by surprise when it was revealed Andrew was May’s ex, but I loved that little insight into her past. It’s too bad he’s not sticking around, but I can understand them not wanting to reveal too much about her and killing the air of mystery surrounding her.

2. Skye is trying to keep her emotions inside to avoid causing quakes, but it’s causing her damage internally. How do you feel about her development so far since her transformation, and the fact that she is now on the dreaded “Index”?

Louise: Everything with Skye so far has been interesting and complicated – like it should be – but I worry about what sort of Inhuman Skye is, given what Eyeless said to her father. That she’s on the index isn’t my biggest worry right now; that’s a precaution to protect everyone else.

Leah: I think they are handling Skye’s transformation really well. No control. Control at your own expense. Hopefully next comes control with focused effects outside her own self. The Index doesn’t really bother me because Skye has always been an 084. Indexing her should have probably been done before.

Rueben: Skye has gone through so much this whole season and has transformed in more ways than just her new-found and hard-to-control powers. She’s trying SO hard to be just her, but her power isn’t going to allow that. She may end up really doing damage to herself if she keeps all that power internalized. I have a feeling her being on the “index” is going to be a bad thing, depending on what the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. may have planned.

Jan: I really like that Skye’s development with her new abilities is happening slowly. It always feels like a cop out when drastic changes happen overnight without problems or side effects. There are problems in this case, Skye is harming herself by trying to fight it and the obstacles just keep coming for her.

3. Skye’s dad is now in the company of the guy with no eyes, same as Reina. They picked him up because his vendetta against Coulson was making too much noise. Any thoughts as to what they are up to that they don’t want attention drawn?

Leah: Putting Skye’s Dad in the same room his late wife used to put Inhumans while they worked out their issues was genius. If the way Skye’s Mom treated them is any indication I don’t know that the Inhumans are up to anything evil. That is just wild speculation though as I have no idea what they are doing.

Louise: My idea for the Inhumans’ plans are non-existent, but I think it’s better that whatever happens plays out in its proper time and place.

Rueben: I really don’t know what to think about this whole situation. Skye’s dad is obviously very sick in the head, deranged shall we say; and depending who is running things with this group where his late wife was once involved is very hard to get a handle on, I just can’t think what might happen next. It’s a mystery!

Jan: I cannot imagine what they are up to. I found it interesting that they didn’t pick him up because he’s special in some way, but rather because he was drawing too much attention. It sounds like they have something big in the works, and while he’s not a part of it per se, they won’t want him mucking it up.

4. It was revealed that Mack and Bobbi are working for another S.H.I.E.L.D. What are your thoughts on this revelation, and do you have any suspicions as to whether alt-S.H.I.E.L.D. is legit?

Louise: I’m glad that they’re working for some other version of S.H.I.E.L.D. rather than something else, but I don’t know if I like the idea of one S.H.I.E.L.D. looking more like it has its roots in SSR than Fury might have instituted. However I’m suspicious about the group if only because anytime I see Edward James Olmos I think of the Old Man from Battlestar Galactica and how Adama worked.

Leah: Louise said exactly what I was thinking – Edward James Olmos makes me think of Battlestar Galactica and that makes me skeptical. Since we know that Fury made Coulson Director any S.H.I.E.L.D. that isn’t Coulson’s S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t feel right to me. You can call yourself anything you want, that doesn’t make you right or good. I kept thinking about Alias where the bad guys told all of their agents they were working for a black ops CIA division. They were not.

Rueben: I have to really question what the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. is all about and whether Mack and Bobbi are simply being doped by another head of Hydra coming out of the rubble, ya know? I don’t think Mack and Bobbi are stupid enough to be taken in, but this whole “real” S.H.I.E.L.D. is still giving me the willies right now. I don’t trust them.

Jan: I’m a bit troubled by this other version of S.H.I.E.L.D. Why does Mack think it’s the “real” S.H.I.E.L.D.? I suspect it’s going to turn out to be less legit than he thinks, and can’t wait to see how it plays out.

5. What was your favorite scene in “One of Us”?

Louise: Watching all the insanity of Skye’s Dad’s plans at that high school. I’m weird.

Leah: Fitz seeing May and Andrew joking around, that shock on his face and then relaying it to Simmons. “He teased her about it…and she laughed.” Followed by that look of awe.

Rueben: Can’t really say that I had a favorite scene this time around, truth be told, but I did enjoy the reaction of each of the team upon learning that May and Andrew were married. Skye, perhaps, had the best reaction, deflecting the reason for Andrew’s visit in order to talk about their marriage.

Jan: For me, that moment when Skye learned Andrew was May’s ex and did a total 180 about talking to him was awesome. I loved all her questions, and just the sheer happiness on her face to have had the gift of someone holding the answers to May’s past dropped in her lap.

6. Who was the MVP of this episode?

Louise: Andrew gets it from me because he figured out Skye’s issues and how they might work against her in this job.

Leah: I’m giving it to May. She had everyone’s back all through the episode. It’s her job but she doesn’t it really well.

Rueben: Have to go with Leah on this one and the MVP to May. She was there for everyone in the episode, and especially the way she took down that hyper-aggressive guy from Skye’s dad’s “team”. Wow!!

Jan: It’s a tougher choice this week. I’m going to go with May, who was not only the badass we have come to expect her to be but she also had the connection to Andrew that brought him in to aid Skye.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.