Roundtable Discussion: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “A Life Earned”

The next new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired on ABC, introducing us to a new Inhuman, learning what Kasius is really up to and being reunited with a lost member of the team.

Here is the official tagline for the episode entitled “A Life Earned”:

“Coulson and the team discover their captors’ true intentions.”

Please join Roz, Rueben and Karen as they discuss what happened in the episode:

We meet a new inhuman this week, who has the ability to read minds, and to pass the ability on to others. *grabby hands* I like how the Kasius storyline allows us to get these new inhumans seamlessly interwoven into the narrative. What did you think? Convenience or good writing?

Rueben: Quite honestly, I was just SO relieved that the new inhuman had the ability to pass thoughts on to Jemma, allowing her to tell Kasius the same story as Daisy because I was really freaking out about what he might do to them in their stories didn’t match up. I really liked the inclusion of this new inhuman too.

NOTE: The actor who is playing the new inhuman, Ben, is Myko Olivier, who played Pi on Castle. It was driving me a little nuts as to why he looked so familiar and then I checked IMDB and the light bulb went off over my head.

Roz: It’s convenient, but it helps to further the plot and I’m all in favor of it. We need to get some answers to this issue with what the Kree want beyond more Inhumans.

Karen: Okay Rueben, THANK YOU for the tip-in on Myko. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him! I noticed him immediately when he had a tiny part in Community, but I think I was blinded by my cougaring. I made sure to tweet him about it today – he’s adorable. I love Ben’s power, and while it *is* convenient, I think it’s also logical, and a good way to convey the information between Daisy and Jemma. I’d like to see them use powers like this more often. They’ve missed opportunities with them in the past, and I was impressed here.

Jemma has an ally now in Daisy. It’s not without problems since she can’t hear, but I’m sure they’ll find ways to work together. They also got a bit of a surprise at the end of the episode. YAY! FITZ!

Rueben: Yes, that was a great reveal! I didn’t expect it to be Fitz until just as he was removing the mask. Jemma needs an ally in her corner given her current situation, but short of sign language I don’t know how Daisy is going to communicate with her without Ben’s help – when they have his implant turned off, of course.

Roz: Fitz! Honestly Jemma needed someone to know where she was and what she’s doing but she gets two people now.

Karen: OMG! Fitz doing his best “Leia the bounty hunter” impression was amazing. It means that he knows how to get to them, and I hope it means he knows how to get them out. Fixing things that may have disrupted the timeline may be more problematic, so I’m thinking that will make up a lot of the tension once the team starts working together as a whole. They’re still fractured, but I can see the paths back to each other starting to form.

Okay, Deke. What do we make of him? Is he out for himself first and foremost? He seemed to be walking on the lighter gray side of things this week. Ugh. I just can’t decide.

Rueben: I can’t decide either. I was so pissed at him last week, but this week he was really helpful to May and Coulson, and I actually felt sorry when he got hurt. I just can’t get a read on him.

Roz: I don’t know what his endgame is and I find that frustrating. He needs to tell the team more if they are going to trust him.

Karen: Roz, Rueben… I AGREE. So frustrating. I need to get a handle on him. Maybe that’s what they’re trying to do. Make him “intriguing”. It’s leaning towards irritating for me – it’s a good thing he’s a bit on the cute side. (did I just type that?)

Mack and that damn framework PTSD. I feel like we’ve left it behind, and then ROAR… he’s threatening to take away some guy’s kid and he has to turn to Yo-yo for comfort. I’ve been pretty tolerant of the framework stuff, but why does Mack need to suffer?

Rueben: Yeah, I have to agree. I think we had enough of the framework that we need to move on from it; and allow the team to move on from it too. Are the other members having PTSD too and they just haven’t focused on what they are dealing with or is it only going to be Mack. And if so, why only Mack. Didn’t he go through enough as it is?

Roz: We need someone to have pain from that Framework, but this is just too much.

Karen: I’m okay with repercussions, although it’s a show. They can let it go now. When I saw it pop up this season, I figured Daisy would let the others know it’s still around and they’d work to shut it down. Maybe do something in the past to eradicate it in the future. That’s plenty.

Coulson knows what Kasius is doing with the inhumans now, and he’s got a firmer handle on where his team members are. So when do you think we can see a Coulson/Fitz/May “meeting of the minds”? Next eppy?

Rueben: Well, from the clips for next week that were shown, it looks like we’ll get to see Fitz’s side of what happened after the team was taken from that diner so I have a feeling that we won’t get to see a meeting of the minds until either at the very end of next week’s episode or probably the next one.

More importantly, I want to know what happened to May after she battled Kasius’s right-hand woman. Do we even know if that woman has an actual name? Regardless, I really hate her and want to know just what the hell she did to May.

Roz: I just need to know that the team is all together in one place so we can work as a unit. Seeing what Fitz went through will help to get to get on the ship.

Karen: I can’t wait to see what went on from the other side! I know that I want to see a little more from this storyline as well too. Maybe they’ll dovetail? And then we’ll get a full coming together when the show comes back after the New Year. Or at least the “quest for the team” arc.

VIP/Standout scenes?

Rueben: My choice for the standout scenes was May taking a stance against that woman, allowing Coulson to get an injured Deke out of Level 35. And, the relief I felt seeing Fitz. It was only a moment, but it made me feel so good.

Roz: May hands down.

Karen: I agree too. May was great. And Ming-Na Wen is doing a great job coming back after her injury.

What are your thoughts on Friday’s episode? Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.

The next new episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air on ABC on Friday, December 22 at 9/8c.