Agents of SHIELD Roundtable: “Who You Really Are”

In “Who You Really Are,” Lady Sif returns in pursuit of a Kree who was detected landing on earth. He’s there to find Skye and Reina, and reveals the origin of the mysterious diviners. His people used them to create an army, at least that was the plan. He wants to destroy those who have transformed before his people learn about the success and resurrect the plan. Skye gets nervous at the worst possible time and everyone learns her secret when the room starts to shake. Hunter and Morse temporarily grow closer, but she pushes him away to keep him from learning what she and Mack are hiding. Hunter is smarter than given credit for, and realizes those two are involved in more than a support group. Mack panics when Hunter confronts him. Skye feels more alone than ever when she hears her friends discussing needing protection from her.

1. Was Coulson right to insist on keeping Skye close to the people who love her while she learns to deal with her new found abilities?

Leah: I think keeping Skye close was the right thing to do. I’m sure it won’t be an easy road but she is family and family (no matter how messed up) sticks together.

Rueben: For now I think it’s better that Skye is with Coulson and the team because it keeps her away from whoever else has been affected by the Diviners; but I have a really bad feeling that something else is going to change and Skye will start to feel the pull of the other Diviners and leave to join them. Not that I want to see that, but I have a feeling…call it a premonition, perhaps.

Liz: I think he’s right. He won’t want to use her power as a weapon, nor does he want her destroyed. He’ll keep her safe from his team and from the outside world until she can control her power. He’ll be what he’s always been to Skye.

Louise: I think Coulson wants to keep his team as together as he can – given everything else – but I don’t know if Skye will benefit from being around everyone in the team when it seems she’s so unstable with her power.

Jan: For Skye’s sake, yes. Her fate likely wouldn’t be kind elsewhere, and Coulson will look out for her. I’m not sure it’s the safest thing for the team though, until she learns a little control.

2. All of the diviners missing from the crate can’t be a good thing. Who do you think has them? And is there an army of Skye’s and Reina’s looming on the horizon?

Leah: I think the “children” of Skye’s mother has them. Whatever Skye’s Mom was doing to usher in the chosen she was doing with those diviners. A few episodes back when Guy With No Eyes (I’m sure that’s his given name) “saw” his diviner glowing and he got a call that there was another “one”. They must all still be in contact. I wonder if it is because of Skye’s maternal genes that she didn’t change outwardly like Reina. I always assumed it was a diviner that changed Skye’s Mom into an immortal of sorts.

Rueben: It’s not a good thing at all! I have to go with Leah on this that whatever Skye’s mom was doing with the man who has no eyes, they have the Diviners. And now that they have Reina, since the man with no eyes popped in, taken her from that army of men, then I think it’s safe to say they have the other Diviners too. The clip for next week’s episode also showed other people with mutations so we’ll learn soon enough.

Liz: We’ve already seen that the Sightless Man has one. It will be interesting to see who has the others. At this point I can’t speculate because I don’t know all the players.

Louise: Right now I can’t even think of where all these diviners are going, but it can’t be good for the SHIELD team and anyone else.

Jan: I’m not certain who has them, but I’d be willing to bet Skye’s dad is high on the suspect list. It seems there aren’t many who can handle the diviners without dying, so it might not be quick to build an army with them. All it really takes is one to cause some mass destruction though.

3. Mack and Hunter! Is Hunter dead? Temporarily unconscious? What or who is “backup”? Whether Mack and Morse are bad guys or some other faction of good guys, can Mack be redeemed after attacking Hunter?

Leah: Mack is not who I thought he was. I want to believe Hunter is still alive, the he is just unconscious but Bobbie loves Hunter and if Mack killed him then that won’t go over very well.

Rueben: Yeah, I’ve been dumbfounded by this pairing (Bobbi and Mack that is); but what is really going on? Hunter is just unconscious, they wouldn’t write him off that easily nor is Mack that kind of person (at least not yet). I can’t figure out what “backup” is all about, but I have to wonder since Nick Fury isn’t really dead in the Marvel world, perhaps Mack and Bobbi are on a secret mission for him, but to what end I haven’t quite figured out. One thing is for sure Hunter is gonna not only want an explanation but also he’s gonna want to kick some ass; and I won’t blame him at all.

Liz: I’m so confused by this. We know that they’re not working for Hydra, but who it could be I haven’t a clue. The government? I don’t think Hunter is dead, but there’s going to be trouble now. He’s not going to keep quiet about Mack and Bobbi and Mack knows that. I think that’s why he was not happy that he had to take Hunter down. He knows they’re compromised now. They may be a faction of the good guys, but clearly not for Coulson and his team. They want to take SHIELD down. Phil’s going to be so mad.

Louise: My mind doubt’s that Hunter’s dead right now, but it’s also hard to think of what all Mack and Bobbi were talking about and what it all means.

Jan: I haven’t been sure I wanted to trust Mack from the beginning, to be honest. But even still, I get the feeling there is more to what he and Morse are up to than I seems. Hunter, if he’s okay, sure won’t be quick to forgive him after this. Maybe this will propel Mack to bring Hunter in on whatever they are doing, to keep him quiet.

4. What was your favorite scene?

Leah: Eddie McClintock playing the Kree at the end when he didn’t have his memory. He wondered why his hand wasn’t blue and Lady Sif’s eye roll at his assertion that he was going to go keep watch. For some reason that cracked me up.

Rueben: A couple of small scenes were my favorite: when Lady Sif smiled when Thor’s name was mentioned – we all noticed it and so did she even if, at the time, she didn’t know quite why. Also when she was addressing the older man at the booth that the Kree destroyed, she called him “elderly man” (or something similar) and neither meant it crassly or in rage just in a so matter of fact way. Oh, and that one tiny moment when Eddie McClintock as the Kree got his weapon back from Coulson and hit Lady Sif with it (to give her her memory back) and then dropped it right away, raised his hand and had that look on his face of “I had to do that, but meant no harm”, it was just kind of priceless and such an “Eddie” move if anyone ever watched him in Warehouse 13.

Liz: My favorite scenes were anything with Lady Sif. The conversation about Thor killed me!

Louise: In a weird way, watching Skye’s power come out when Sif was in the room.

Jan: It wasn’t really one particular scene, but I particularly enjoyed Lady Sif’s sharing things she learned as a child with Coulson. Lady Sif had a number of really good lines this episode.

5. Who was the MVP of “Who You Really Are”?

Leah: I have to go with Fitz again. He has Skye’s back.

Rueben: While a lot of the episode was focused on Lady Sif, I have to say that Fitz was the MVP this time around, protecting Skye and even lying to Simmons about the supposed DNA “simulation” he was running.

Liz: I think I’m going to give it to Fitz. I really loved the way he put everyone in their place when he stood up for Skye. He was right in everything he said to Bobbi, Mack and even Jemma.

Louise: My heart wants to say Sif because of how much the story revolved around her and how much her knowledge forwarded the audiences’ ideas about Skye, but there’s another part that wants to say Fitz again because of how much he stands up for Skye.

Jan: Once again I have to go with Fitz. He really is a rock star, and I’m glad Skye has him because she feels so alone.

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