I'm quite chuffed I guessed that Lola was going to be the way out, just that I didn't expect it quite like that. And no doubt there'll be a lot of flak for the poor fx but I think it was a nice bit of cheese to break up the intense scenes before.
I'm quite chuffed I guessed that Lola was going to be the way out, just that I didn't expect it quite like that. And no doubt there'll be a lot of flak for the poor fx but I think it was a nice bit of cheese to break up the intense scenes before.
I agreed with everything you said until the last sentence, miscast really? While I agree there was no chemistry between ward and Skye, the chemistry between garrott and ward and Skye and coulson and even fitzsimmons, has been brilliant and while not my favourite characters they are not the weakest link and they are good actors, bad!ward was brilliant but I will agree like most I think that good!ward was bland and rather boring while Skye has grown and her story arc for next season should show how good a character she is.
Maybe I should clarify. My reason for Dalton and Bennett not making the cut is not based on their non-chemistry but as individual actors. Both are decent enough actors but I find them limited in terms of their acting ability. I like bad Ward and Dalton seems to play the baddie much better but he lacks presence. I'm not asking for charisma like Downey Jr. Just that extra little "something" that makes the character compelling even if he's the straight good guy. Difficult to put a finger on it.
Example : Mark Harmon's Agent Gibbs in NCIS is pretty deadpan in his expressions and he hardly talks. Yet there's so much expression in his eyes. I just feel drawn to the character. And Gregg imo is a better actor than Harmon. In an ensemble cast, you have to make every character count, no dead weight as it can really drag the show down. Unless you have a Simon Baker in The Mentalist or James Spader in The Blacklist, where one person can carry the whole show.
My beef with Bennett is with her facial expressions. She just doesn't have the range. Although I quite like her Skye character, she reminds me too much of those teen shows from Nickelodeon. Her acting isn't over the top but it lacks subtlety. It's fine when you have to act angry and she was kick-ass good in verbally taking down Ward in this latest episode (thanks also to some kick-ass good dialogue-writing) as it doesn't require much subtlety. She may still improve. Let's see.
This is where I think NCIS got it right with it's cast. And their strong characterisation ensured ( in the earlier seasons anyway ) that the audience were willing to forgive sloppy writing and plotlines in some episodes, heck, even some seasons lately.
Just pictures via the internet, but a nice gesture. Seeing Ward standing up against cancer made me gain a little sympathy for him!
Not enough to stop me wishing Skye had let Deathlok kill him tonight, though. If Ward had died, then Deathlok would be the murderer, not Skye. I didn't expect her to crumble that easily. But then I also didn't think she'd be stupid enough to think a bunch of regular cops could take Ward, either. She must have known he'd take them apart.
It was also a shame that Deathlok was on the bus and ruined Coulson's rescue mission. I loved the way he so casually said he could take Ward. Ward has been portrayed as such a badass fighter that I was really surprised at how calmly Coulson said he could take him. That was a fight I wanted to see.
I expect Ward now realises that Garrett doesn't have his back and will end up putting a bullet in him for his troubles. Not expecting Ward to get redeemed by doing so, but I think he's no longer Garratt's pet dog. I wouldn't mind Ward sticking around as an ongoing villain or maybe even a dark antihero - not trusted by the team, but occasionally on the same side.
EDIT: oh and I also loved that Skye actually went and invoked Godwin's Law on Ward! He deserved it, though.
I thought Chloe Bennett was fine in the episode. Maybe the kissing/romance scenes aren't the best but when she figuered out that Ward was HYDRA I thought she acted it well.
I don't think she's top-notch as an actress, but I think she's perfectly okay. It hasn't helped that it's taken the writers a while to give her interesting stuff to do, and that most of her scenes have been with Ward and Coulson, who aren't the most dynamic characters either.
I'm quite chuffed I guessed that Lola was going to be the way out, just that I didn't expect it quite like that. And no doubt there'll be a lot of flak for the poor fx but I think it was a nice bit of cheese to break up the intense scenes before.
I thought Chloe Bennett was fine in the episode. Maybe the kissing/romance scenes aren't the best but when she figuered out that Ward was HYDRA I thought she acted it well.
Skye was never supposed to be in love with Ward, so she wasn't supposed to have that sort of chemistry with him. She was sometimes concerned for him, but as a friend. She offers to let him talk, and then a few episodes later when he wants to take her up on it and turn it into a date, she was all, "I was offering conversation, not sex." Given he's her supervising officer, he's probably off-limits for her anyway. And then she finds out he's Hydra so was faking it.
Anyway, I loved this week's episode. The show is great now.
Not enough to stop me wishing Skye had let Deathlok kill him tonight, though. If Ward had died, then Deathlok would be the murderer, not Skye. I didn't expect her to crumble that easily.
I mostly agree, but later she mentions to Coulson that she left a surprise in the drive, so maybe her caving wasn't as bad as it looked at the time.
But then I also didn't think she'd be stupid enough to think a bunch of regular cops could take Ward, either. She must have known he'd take them apart.
She'd have escaped if it wasn't for Deathlok, which is all she can have hoped for. If she'd thought Ward was stopped, she'd have felt safe to hang around, but she just used the cops to distract and slow him (and presumably she alerted Coulson to her predicament at the same time, at least indirectly).
She'd have escaped if it wasn't for Deathlok, which is all she can have hoped for. If she'd thought Ward was stopped, she'd have felt safe to hang around, but she just used the cops to distract and slow him (and presumably she alerted Coulson to her predicament at the same time, at least indirectly).
It didn't seem like she planned it like that, though. It seemed like she thought they'd just arrest him. She was so sure of it, that she happily told Ward she'd just tipped them off. She ran only when Ward fought back and then tried to get herself arrested as way of protection. Then she only stole the car because Ward shot the cops. If she had got away, it was blind luck and not because she'd thought it through.
My beef with Bennett is with her facial expressions. She just doesn't have the range. Although I quite like her Skye character, she reminds me too much of those teen shows from Nickelodeon. Her acting isn't over the top but it lacks subtlety. It's fine when you have to act angry and she was kick-ass good in verbally taking down Ward in this latest episode (thanks also to some kick-ass good dialogue-writing) as it doesn't require much subtlety. She may still improve. Let's see.
Speaking of NCIS, Skye is very much like Ziva. The goofy character who doesn't understand what is going on around her (in Ziva's case because of the fact that she is foreign and in Skye's case because she doesn't understand anything regarding SHIELD).
Whatever you might think of her (before), the last 2 episodes she was really good (especially for a 21-year old). In fact, who would you say are better characters at the moment on the show? Coulson perhaps (though I do think Harmon is the better actor) and Garrett (for the campy side of things). Oh, and I have a soft spot for Raina
The rest of the characters are rather bland (blame the writing or blame the actors, who knows where the problem is coming from).
Even with backing from The Mouse, there's still a limited budget for the show. And the Bus' take off probably ate into the CG pot.
Or am I just being too kind? ^_^
I think with home media technology having moved on, expectations are a bit higher. My teenage son was laughing at the flying car scene and telling me how easy it was to produce it by using the angle of the camera (or something like that). Out of the mouth of babes.
Speaking of NCIS, Skye is very much like Ziva. The goofy character who doesn't understand what is going on around her (in Ziva's case because of the fact that she is foreign and in Skye's case because she doesn't understand anything regarding SHIELD).
Whatever you might think of her (before), the last 2 episodes she was really good (especially for a 21-year old). In fact, who would you say are better characters at the moment on the show? Coulson perhaps (though I do think Harmon is the better actor) and Garrett (for the campy side of things). Oh, and I have a soft spot for Raina
The rest of the characters are rather bland (blame the writing or blame the actors, who knows where the problem is coming from).
"Goofy" is not the word I would use with Ziva ;-) She's the closest thing to a Mary Sue character ( besides River Song ) and I love them both. Ok, akward maybe, as she didn't get the cultural references. I also found Ziva more interesting than Kate, her predecessor. And age shouldn't be an excuse. Cote was mid-twenties when she was cast. Karen Gillan was 22 when she became Amy Pond. So although Skye has shone in the last 2 eps, really liked her exchange with Ward and calling him a Nazi, I still have reservations about her.
Character writing aside, if you don't have the skills of an A grade actor, then you have to fall back on personality, a way to connect to the audience. Like Coulson. The guy's not oozing with charisma. He's in fact the opposite, very normal and unassuming. Unflappable, capable and efficient. Middle management type which should equate boring. Yet Gregg has somehow made his character in the movies compelling enough that he got his own TV show.
So yeah, Coulson is the main reason I'm watching this show. Better characters ? FitzSimmons show a lot of promise. Garrett and Raina ( creepy ! She'd make a good mentalist ) stand out as villains. I'm ambivalent towards Mike aka Deathlok. May's character is too similar with Ward but I prefer her of course.
Btw, compare Harmon's performance in Hiatus (Season 3) with Gregg's in A Magical Place. I like both guys equally but Coulson edges Gibbs here
If Ward had died, then Deathlok would be the murderer, not Skye. I didn't expect her to crumble that easily. But then I also didn't think she'd be stupid enough to think a bunch of regular cops could take Ward, either. She must have known he'd take them apart.
I'm not she crumbled that easily. If they'd tried torture then we might have seen more from her. She would have still felt responsible for Ward's death so her decision was as expected but she did have a backup so it made things easier.
I think she did think the cops would be able to overwhelm Ward with numbers.
Even with backing from The Mouse, there's still a limited budget for the show. And the Bus' take off probably ate into the CG pot.
Or am I just being too kind? ^_^
We do expect a lot. On the whole the FX for the show are actually pretty decent, but there have been two or three instances - of which this was the latest - where they are noticeably poor. A shame, seeing as it was a pivotal scene in the episode that was supposed to get our hearts racing. Sadly, I found the clunky effects a bit distracting. Skye's hair and Coulson's expression when they 'parked' though were funny.
He is too clean-cut & too much of handsome & suave hero to be an out-&-out bad guy.
He's murdered two superior officers, at least four SHIELD guards, was going to kill May before he discovered she was leaving anyway, killed a bunch of cops, shot a helpless, innocent disabled man, tried to shoot Coulson - have I missed anything?
I thought he might turn out to be a triple-agent at one point. Killing Hand and her men might have been a set up to gain Garret's trust (ie. they weren't really dead). But since then he's clearly murdered too many people and there's too much evidence that they are actually dead.
He might well turn on Garrett for ordering Deathlok to stop his heart, though. I can definitely see that happening. But that will only make him a bad guy who turned on his backstabbing boss. He's killed too many innocents to be anything but a bad guy now.
The only way he could turn out to be a good guy is if somehow he didn't actually murder any innocents and it was all faked. But I can't think of an effective way they could do that and not look really contrived.
He might well turn on Garrett for ordering Deathlok to stop his heart, though. I can definitely see that happening. But that will only make him a bad guy who turned on his backstabbing boss. He's killed too many innocents to be anything but a bad guy now.
I agree. I'm sure he really has a soft spot for Skye and he may end up doing something really courageous to save her but that just means he's a killer who's fallen for a girl. I can't see him being at all redeemable at this point.
I thought it was a brilliant episode, by the way. I only just got round to watching it yesterday and it had me on my feet with excitement at some points. I loved how Skye managed to set up all those clues for the team before she left and I can't wait to see what booby trap she's put on the hard drive for Hydra to trigger
I agree. I'm sure he really has a soft spot for Skye and he may end up doing something really courageous to save her but that just means he's a killer who's fallen for a girl. I can't see him being at all redeemable at this point.
I thought it was a brilliant episode, by the way. I only just got round to watching it yesterday and it had me on my feet with excitement at some points. I loved how Skye managed to set up all those clues for the team before she left and I can't wait to see what booby trap she's put on the hard drive for Hydra to trigger
Yep, I think he does really like Skye and I think he is probably someone who had a really bad childhood and got sucked into a bad life because of it. He kinda reminds me of Matt Damon's character in "The Departed." He is a bad man, but he had little choice in being roped into an even worse man's world.
There was no way Damon's character could be redeemed, even from the opening scenes of that film. The difference was "The Departed," set him up as a villain from the beginning, whereas Ward's allegiance's were kept secret for most of the season. As a character, both were screwed too early to be anything other than villains - but they both still have a scrap of humanity to make them identifiable, too.
They both deserve to die, though. Regardless of their sad youth, they're still murderers.
Yeah they totally played that one for comic relief. No need for the show to be completely po faced.
No doubt that doesn't sit well with some fans either. Even the more serious (and better) Arrow has its light hearted moments.
Arrow is nowhere near as good as AoS but i agree that the light hearted moments are more than welcome and work well.
its based on a comic world people, the car scene wouldnt have been out of place on the page so i am glad they went with it on tv.
another great episode, been extremely strong first season. i cant wait for last 2 episodes, its only behind GoT in tv priority for me. the characters are brilliant and i find myself thinking about them and the story lines once the episode has ended which is always a good sign.
Comments
Can't wait for the finale!
Maybe I should clarify. My reason for Dalton and Bennett not making the cut is not based on their non-chemistry but as individual actors. Both are decent enough actors but I find them limited in terms of their acting ability. I like bad Ward and Dalton seems to play the baddie much better but he lacks presence. I'm not asking for charisma like Downey Jr. Just that extra little "something" that makes the character compelling even if he's the straight good guy. Difficult to put a finger on it.
Example : Mark Harmon's Agent Gibbs in NCIS is pretty deadpan in his expressions and he hardly talks. Yet there's so much expression in his eyes. I just feel drawn to the character. And Gregg imo is a better actor than Harmon. In an ensemble cast, you have to make every character count, no dead weight as it can really drag the show down. Unless you have a Simon Baker in The Mentalist or James Spader in The Blacklist, where one person can carry the whole show.
My beef with Bennett is with her facial expressions. She just doesn't have the range. Although I quite like her Skye character, she reminds me too much of those teen shows from Nickelodeon. Her acting isn't over the top but it lacks subtlety. It's fine when you have to act angry and she was kick-ass good in verbally taking down Ward in this latest episode (thanks also to some kick-ass good dialogue-writing) as it doesn't require much subtlety. She may still improve. Let's see.
This is where I think NCIS got it right with it's cast. And their strong characterisation ensured ( in the earlier seasons anyway ) that the audience were willing to forgive sloppy writing and plotlines in some episodes, heck, even some seasons lately.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/newmedia/2014/05/16/16634/capforstrat-the-avengers-give-a-real-dying-man-his/
Just pictures via the internet, but a nice gesture. Seeing Ward standing up against cancer made me gain a little sympathy for him!
Not enough to stop me wishing Skye had let Deathlok kill him tonight, though. If Ward had died, then Deathlok would be the murderer, not Skye. I didn't expect her to crumble that easily. But then I also didn't think she'd be stupid enough to think a bunch of regular cops could take Ward, either. She must have known he'd take them apart.
It was also a shame that Deathlok was on the bus and ruined Coulson's rescue mission. I loved the way he so casually said he could take Ward. Ward has been portrayed as such a badass fighter that I was really surprised at how calmly Coulson said he could take him. That was a fight I wanted to see.
I expect Ward now realises that Garrett doesn't have his back and will end up putting a bullet in him for his troubles. Not expecting Ward to get redeemed by doing so, but I think he's no longer Garratt's pet dog. I wouldn't mind Ward sticking around as an ongoing villain or maybe even a dark antihero - not trusted by the team, but occasionally on the same side.
EDIT: oh and I also loved that Skye actually went and invoked Godwin's Law on Ward! He deserved it, though.
Anyway, I loved this week's episode. The show is great now.
I mostly agree, but later she mentions to Coulson that she left a surprise in the drive, so maybe her caving wasn't as bad as it looked at the time.
She'd have escaped if it wasn't for Deathlok, which is all she can have hoped for. If she'd thought Ward was stopped, she'd have felt safe to hang around, but she just used the cops to distract and slow him (and presumably she alerted Coulson to her predicament at the same time, at least indirectly).
It didn't seem like she planned it like that, though. It seemed like she thought they'd just arrest him. She was so sure of it, that she happily told Ward she'd just tipped them off. She ran only when Ward fought back and then tried to get herself arrested as way of protection. Then she only stole the car because Ward shot the cops. If she had got away, it was blind luck and not because she'd thought it through.
Speaking of NCIS, Skye is very much like Ziva. The goofy character who doesn't understand what is going on around her (in Ziva's case because of the fact that she is foreign and in Skye's case because she doesn't understand anything regarding SHIELD).
Whatever you might think of her (before), the last 2 episodes she was really good (especially for a 21-year old). In fact, who would you say are better characters at the moment on the show? Coulson perhaps (though I do think Harmon is the better actor) and Garrett (for the campy side of things). Oh, and I have a soft spot for Raina
The rest of the characters are rather bland (blame the writing or blame the actors, who knows where the problem is coming from).
Even with backing from The Mouse, there's still a limited budget for the show. And the Bus' take off probably ate into the CG pot.
Or am I just being too kind? ^_^
I think with home media technology having moved on, expectations are a bit higher. My teenage son was laughing at the flying car scene and telling me how easy it was to produce it by using the angle of the camera (or something like that). Out of the mouth of babes.
Good to see Agent Robin Sparkles again. She and Ward would make a handsome couple IMO and are better matched heightwise.
Talbot's fake moustache was freaking me out. I thought he was going to eat it for a moment when chomping on his apple LOL.
The guy who plays Deathlok is awesome but in that outfit he looks like he's going to play laser tag.
Fitz continuing to behave like a brat and throwing tantrums. He's so annoying that I'll rather they killed him off instead of Ward.
"Goofy" is not the word I would use with Ziva ;-) She's the closest thing to a Mary Sue character ( besides River Song ) and I love them both. Ok, akward maybe, as she didn't get the cultural references. I also found Ziva more interesting than Kate, her predecessor. And age shouldn't be an excuse. Cote was mid-twenties when she was cast. Karen Gillan was 22 when she became Amy Pond. So although Skye has shone in the last 2 eps, really liked her exchange with Ward and calling him a Nazi, I still have reservations about her.
Character writing aside, if you don't have the skills of an A grade actor, then you have to fall back on personality, a way to connect to the audience. Like Coulson. The guy's not oozing with charisma. He's in fact the opposite, very normal and unassuming. Unflappable, capable and efficient. Middle management type which should equate boring. Yet Gregg has somehow made his character in the movies compelling enough that he got his own TV show.
So yeah, Coulson is the main reason I'm watching this show. Better characters ? FitzSimmons show a lot of promise. Garrett and Raina ( creepy ! She'd make a good mentalist ) stand out as villains. I'm ambivalent towards Mike aka Deathlok. May's character is too similar with Ward but I prefer her of course.
Btw, compare Harmon's performance in Hiatus (Season 3) with Gregg's in A Magical Place. I like both guys equally but Coulson edges Gibbs here
There are still two episodes
I'm not she crumbled that easily. If they'd tried torture then we might have seen more from her. She would have still felt responsible for Ward's death so her decision was as expected but she did have a backup so it made things easier.
I think she did think the cops would be able to overwhelm Ward with numbers.
Woohoo!
Yeah they totally played that one for comic relief. No need for the show to be completely po faced.
No doubt that doesn't sit well with some fans either. Even the more serious (and better) Arrow has its light hearted moments.
I agree with this.
He is too clean-cut & too much of handsome & suave hero to be an out-&-out bad guy.
He's murdered two superior officers, at least four SHIELD guards, was going to kill May before he discovered she was leaving anyway, killed a bunch of cops, shot a helpless, innocent disabled man, tried to shoot Coulson - have I missed anything?
I thought he might turn out to be a triple-agent at one point. Killing Hand and her men might have been a set up to gain Garret's trust (ie. they weren't really dead). But since then he's clearly murdered too many people and there's too much evidence that they are actually dead.
He might well turn on Garrett for ordering Deathlok to stop his heart, though. I can definitely see that happening. But that will only make him a bad guy who turned on his backstabbing boss. He's killed too many innocents to be anything but a bad guy now.
The only way he could turn out to be a good guy is if somehow he didn't actually murder any innocents and it was all faked. But I can't think of an effective way they could do that and not look really contrived.
I agree. I'm sure he really has a soft spot for Skye and he may end up doing something really courageous to save her but that just means he's a killer who's fallen for a girl. I can't see him being at all redeemable at this point.
I thought it was a brilliant episode, by the way. I only just got round to watching it yesterday and it had me on my feet with excitement at some points. I loved how Skye managed to set up all those clues for the team before she left and I can't wait to see what booby trap she's put on the hard drive for Hydra to trigger
Yep, I think he does really like Skye and I think he is probably someone who had a really bad childhood and got sucked into a bad life because of it. He kinda reminds me of Matt Damon's character in "The Departed." He is a bad man, but he had little choice in being roped into an even worse man's world.
There was no way Damon's character could be redeemed, even from the opening scenes of that film. The difference was "The Departed," set him up as a villain from the beginning, whereas Ward's allegiance's were kept secret for most of the season. As a character, both were screwed too early to be anything other than villains - but they both still have a scrap of humanity to make them identifiable, too.
They both deserve to die, though. Regardless of their sad youth, they're still murderers.
Arrow is nowhere near as good as AoS but i agree that the light hearted moments are more than welcome and work well.
its based on a comic world people, the car scene wouldnt have been out of place on the page so i am glad they went with it on tv.
another great episode, been extremely strong first season. i cant wait for last 2 episodes, its only behind GoT in tv priority for me. the characters are brilliant and i find myself thinking about them and the story lines once the episode has ended which is always a good sign.