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

Bobbi and Mack moved ahead with their plans to help nu-S.H.I.E.L.D. neutralize Coulson, although Bobbi didn’t appear to feel particularly good about it. May tried to make her feel a little worse in a little one-on-one combat. Ultimately though, S.H.I.E.L.D. as we know it was overthrown and the newer sense of entitlement S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Gonzales was left solely in charge. Thankfully, May ensured Coulson escaped during the melee. Skye was still in her cabin retreat, waiting it out and trying hard to believe her friends were still her friends. That was a little tougher to do when Gordon showed up and tried the “no pressure” technique to gain her trust and entice her with words about a place where she would be encouraged to be herself, not restrained. He left, but will with a promise to return when she’s ready. She’s ready when nu-S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up to take her away. When one of the agents tries, against Bobbi’s wishes, to shoot Skye, new powers develop and she blows up a tree. The power of the explosion she creates propels the agents backward. They aren’t seriously injured, but it buys time for Skye to whisper a plea to Gordon for help. Gordon suddenly appears, grabs Skye and disappears. In a bar on a beach somewhere, Coulson numbs his pain with a drink and readies to regroup, only to be joined soon by Hunter. They have to figure out their next move, but what he has been through has put Hunter firmly in Coulson’s corner.

1. Did the flashback revelations depicting the birth of the other version of S.H.I.E.L.D. strengthen their claim to the title in your mind, or did it lessen it?

Leah: Lessen it. Deciding you know best after Fury gave you direct orders does not make you right. It just means you have a different agenda. Besides, they snuck around this whole time. This is how they are making themselves known? Not a very good start if you ask me. Even if they feel they are doing what needs to be done…I’m not convinced they are the answer.

Louise: I’m always for origin stories, but this one felt shoehorned in for the purposes of making the audience want to care about Gonzales and his team. If you’ve already spent almost two seasons explaining what’s what with the people we see weekly, trying to do the same for a new group in half an episode doesn’t cut it. Nice try; better luck next time.

Rueben: Truthfully, it just showed that they could not only disobey orders (they are supposed to follow orders just like in the military) but that they also were almost like little kids not liking what their parents told them to do and doing what they want. They may think they are right, but that doesn’t mean that they are. Who decided they could be in charge: themselves. Doesn’t make them the “right” SHIELD.

Liz: It strengthened it. It seemed to me as though they were taking the same stand that Steve Rogers did in “The Winter Soldier”. Fury’s way of thinking was too broad and he didn’t always take note of everything that was involved in the decisions he made. He didn’t always measure the costs. Rogers took into account those costs and I think Bobbi did too. I believe they are SHIELD just as much as Coulson and his team are.

Jan: It lessened it for me. They are the ones who have no authority to call themselves S.H.I.E.L.D. They didn’t like Fury’s admittedly callous regard for agent’s lives, so they decided they would do things their own way. He may not have been right, but he had authority. He bestowed that authority on Coulson. The others just made up the authority themselves.

2. We now know that the guy with no eyes has a name, Gordon. He seems friendly enough, but do you believe it’s in Skye’s best interest to go with him especially given how vulnerable she is right now?

Leah: Oddly enough I don’t get a bad vibe from Gordon. Of course I don’t know what he has been up to since we saw him as a child but he hasn’t shown himself to be a bad guy yet. Besides at that moment he was exactly what Skye needed.

Louise: Gordon knows all about whatever Skye is and I think that means she’ll be safer in the long run – even if it means that she’ll be using her powers.

Rueben: While he “looks” creepy with no eyes, I didn’t get the vibe in this episode that he meant Skye any harm, but I’ll pass judgment once we see what his group – whoever they are – actually does to Skye or what they eventually “make” her do.

Liz: Yes, I do. Gordon was under Skye’s mother’s wing, remember. He honors her. He will always be what she influenced in him, so I think Skye is safe.

Jan: Skye was really ripe for the picking, whether his intentions are good or bad. She feels like a freak, and that her “friends” have isolated her. May’s call probably didn’t help, telling her that S.H.I.E.L.D. was coming after her without elaborating that it wasn’t their S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye had nowhere to turn, so she turned to the one person who seemed to understand what she’s going through.

3. How did you like Skye’s latest super capabilities?

Leah: Moving the water was cool and focusing her abilities instead of shaking herself into a mess of fractured bones was awesome.

Louise: It’s pretty clear that Skye’s powers are ever expanding and that’s cool, but there will be a point at which she does too much and she’s truly a liability.

Rueben: It was rather impressive how she manipulated the water, but when she defended herself, blowing down all those trees, as well as Bobbi and Calderon in the process, it just shows she has incredible, yet terrifying, power. It was an amazing sequence to watch though.

Liz: I loved them! She is so awesome and I can’t wait to see what Gordon can teach her.

Jan: Those were pretty awesome! I loved the water trick. The exploding tree thing happened just when she needed it most.

4. What was your favorite scene of the episode?

Leah: I loved the fight scenes. All of them. Whoever their fight coordinator is – they are amazing.

Louise: May’s entrance to “rescue” Coulson with the lone gun and taking out all those men.

Rueben: I have to agree with Leah that the fight sequences were really great; but it was that tiny moment between Fitz and Simmons when she touched his hand and then he put his hand on top of hers. After all they’ve been through and the disagreement they have over Skye, it was a tender little moment for them.

Liz: There are too many to list! The way Simmons took down Bobbi was epic. May getting Coulson out. Skye using new powers – and liking them! And then at the end, Hunter meeting up with Phil and signing onto his team, what’s left of it. It was a powerful episode.

Jan: I’m torn on this one. I absolutely loved Simmons playing Bobbi and taking her out, but May’s entrance announcing she had made her decision and clearing the room was pretty spectacular.

5. Who was the MVP of “One Door Closes”?

Leah: I really don’t have an MVP. I suppose I’d give it to May if I had to pick one.

Louise: May and Fitz I think. For different reasons. May’s figuring out the long game before anyone else and using it but Fitz is also being practical.

Rueben: Hands down it was May because of her lone gunman move to safe Coulson, her fight sequence with Bobbi and then her getting on the plane to warn Skye. She went above and beyond the entire episode.

Liz: Again, I think this was an ensemble MVP. Coulson, May, Skye, Jemma, Bobbi, all of them. They each had their moments. Even Mack and Hartley in the flashback scenes were quality.

Jan: Tough one this week. I’m going to go with May, because she was everywhere she needed to be throughout the episode. She was kickass when she needed to be, and blended into the walls (or behind the walls) when trying to gather information.

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