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ryder616 · 4 years

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Rewatching S.O.S. Part 1

A day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent: you have barely put your best friend’s deceptions behind you and the fallout from the latest internal squabble has just started to settle when your former temporary not-boss is murdered, a whole community of powered people is duped into thinking you are the Gestapo and the young agent you’ve been mentoring for the better part of the year doesn’t trust you and flings you across a courtyard.

And you have just begun to contemplate the very real possibility you might be forced to go against another superpowered mother and daughter duo, after the first time it happened it almost destroyed you, when you discover that your traitorous former teammate and dalliance has kidnapped one of your friends and now there’s a second crisis to go with the first.

Yeah. It’s not a fun day to be May.

It’s not an easy day to be Daisy, either (is it ever?). Everything is crashing down, again, another promise of a home destroyed, again, and she’s faced, again, with a choice between her biological family and her found one. And for the first time since she stepped on the Bus, she doesn’t choose the latter, even if it doesn’t last.

And why not. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had been really guilty of what her mother frames them for, opposing them would have been the right, if painful, thing to do.

But they aren’t. And when she finally understands what her mother is doing, there is no hesitation. Skye chooses S.H.I.E.L.D. unreservedly. After all, they haven’t murdered anyone in the past 24 hours (well, unless Nameless Inhuman #3 died when Agent Trigger Happy shot him 😏) and aren’t gearing up for a massacre.

Before that, however, there is the little matter of not trusting May and, if nothing else this season, she had earned the right to be trusted.

I like that May stresses to Coulson - who is by far Daisy’s biggest stan, honestly 🤣 - that Skye chose, although when they fight I think she was mostly running on impulse (“I don’t exactly over-analyze. I just act impulsively and then I freak out after the fact” -- 1x19).

The actual choice is bringing the charm (I hope that’s a correct term for it) back to Jiaying later (“Bring this back to me if you decide to join our fight”), and therefore much more significant because it is a reasoned choice, not a hasty reaction with the sound of explosions and the accusatory words of her bleeding mom still ringing in her ears (not to mention the shooting of that unarmed Inhuman right in front of her).

Regardless, May is owned another apology. 😉

To Kill Like a Mockingbird:

Speaking of bad days, Bobbi’s trumps them all, courtesy of Ward and Wardette, because Kara is now gone completely over to the dark side.

Despite hours of torture, she still looks capable of getting the upper hand against Ward at least until Kara wakes up, making it likely that a well rested and unhurt Bobbi could have dealt successfully with both of them (and she had already made very quick work of Kara in 2x20).

Her mental fortitude is even more remarkable than her fighting skills. She mocks Ward relentlessly (“Take her to Hawaii”) and clinically dissects the abusive and beyond toxic partnership between him and Kara. Her outstanding profiling skills don’t fail her even under extreme duress and she remains unwavering when confronted by death.

And when Ward tries to draw a parallel between them (“Both of us, living one life on the outside. But who we really are, we keep that buried deep inside where no one can ever find it.”) she delivers the perfect rebuttal:

You're such a hypocrite. You say I betrayed her? You betrayed your entire team. How many people who trusted you have died? See, I've seen the real Grant Ward, the one buried deep inside. He's a coward who always has an excuse or someone else to blame.

It’s a shame she’ll never get the chance to thoroughly trash him.

Gotta Catch ‘Em All:

Alisha Whitley aka Ginger Ninjas (thank you, Mack) is the Inhuman answer to Multiple Man, capable of creating up to four duplicates of herself who can fight and take action just as effectively as their original, as long as Ashley Prime remains conscious.

She knows and controls what they are doing even when there’s significant physical distance between them, (in S3 she’ll do it from at least several miles away).

She’s also a very skilled martial artist (her actress is Adrianne Palicki’s stunt double on the show) and likely possesses superior strength and speed to the average human.

The death of one of her duplicates doesn’t harm her physically but it’s a severe psychological shock. And once a duplicate is dead, she doesn’t seem able to replicate another in its place, since by the time she is killed by a Kree Reaper in 3x19 she was down to only one double.

She’s Got The Powers:

Skye had already accidentally dismantled a gun with her powers in 2x12, here she does it on purpose, a feat she won’t repeat again until 6x01. She also uses her powers to create a concussive wave to knock May out, in what will become an infinitely more common display of her Inhuman abilities.

Beloved Frenemy:

After almost two years of being mostly a thorn in our agents’ side (no puns, I swear), Raina basically dies so that our budding superhero can learn the depth of her mother’s corruption and rejoin the fold. Which is disappointing.

Personally, I would have expected her to manage it without dying and finding a way to exploit it to her advantage - a S3 Inhumans cult-like enclave led by the true Clairvoyant anyone? - but I’ve always had a soft spot for Raina, even when she was doing terrible things to characters I love like Mike Peterson.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Sir, there’s been gunfire. Skye’s mother’s been shot, allegedly by Gonzales. Yes. Very, very allegedly.

What about Gonzales? [...] -- Got what he always wanted. Oh, how I wish it were that simple, Fitz. But I appreciate your unwavering distrust in the man. 😉

Why would you let them do this to us? I thought you were on our side! By all means, guilt trip your daughter. You just lost all your cool mom points. Well, and also with the murder, that was bad, too. 🤭

Oh, hi Alisha. And nameless guy who is about to be shot.

Tell me, Agent Trigger Happy, what possessed you to a) shoot an unarmed and unthreatening person in the middle of this powder keg b) do it with your fellow agent in the line of fire? Enjoy your frankly well deserved asskicking.

Skye, stop! -- What have you done? Congratulations, Ms Johnson! Your membership of the “Assume the Worst of May” Club has just been renewed for the year! 😁

I don’t want to hurt you! -- You won’t. Echoes of their conversation during training in 2x12, when it was Daisy who told May she didn’t want to hurt her and May assured her she couldn’t. And in terms of physical hurt, she still right. Until Skye used her powers, the fight was one-sided even though May was hardly going all out.

I’m sorry, May. You’re not welcome here [woo-woo-woo-woosh] Well, now, that’s just cheating. 😁

And my brother's been on me for years, wants us to motorcycle down to Baja.[...] So there’s nothing I can say? -- To change my mind? No. Oh, that’s right, Mack, you resigned.🤣 First mention of his brother and love for motorcycles.

None of this would have happened if Gonzales hadn’t attacked. -- You can’t actually believe he would do something like this. -- Oh, no, Gonzales would never attack a base unprovoked. I think the Bus Kids have also formed the “Assume the Worst of Gonzales” Club. I’d proudly claim honorary membership except unfortunately I already know what really happened.

Gonzales was smarter than this. It's too sloppy. I like that Coulson seems to dismiss the idea only because he thinks Gonzales would have done it better, not not done it at all. Another member for the aforementioned club? 😉

I think you've helped enough. -- What is that supposed to mean? -- It means Jiaying was right, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't be trusted. But you convinced her otherwise. Guilt trip #2. What a fun day this is shaping up to be.

Skye feels as betrayed as we do, Lincoln. Maybe more. -- I don’t think we know the full story. Hold on to that thought, Daisy. This would be a really good time for your "mistrust of home superpower”(2x17) to manifest itself, btw.

You know, I am capable of finishing -- my own sentences. Yes, you are. I'm sorry. Well, at least something is going well. Fitz seems fully back to his old fast-speaking, fast-thinking self.

No, you're here to ask questions about what's gonna happen next. [...] Well, that's the tragedy. Because even if I were inclined to tell you, you wouldn't believe me, not with our history. It is a very fair assumption. However, it couldn’t hurt to try and actually explain? That’s the problem with clairvoyants. They become so sure the future they see is what will unquestionably happen, they don’t even try to change it. Unless they’re kids with a passion for crayon drawings...

Your mother isn't leading our people, she's misleading them. It's you who are destined to lead. Oh, what fateful words. Or not. Still working on that, I guess?

They're all willing to fight because S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked. -- What about your daughter? -- I'm hopeful she'll do the right thing. Oh, don’t worry, she will...😈

I'm a present, a gift horse...a peace offering from my family. I'm also an excellent Shanghai Rummy partner. -- Sir, I'm worried he's more of a Trojan Horse. Well, he just told you he is. “Gift horse”? C’mon.

Bobbi once set Hunter’s 1967 convertible GTO on fire. Reason #1047 I’ll be forever pissed Most Wanted didn’t happen.

What’s wrong? -- Everything. S.H.I.E.L.D. attacking, you getting shot, me fighting May, the threat of more people dying...this is way up there on one of the worst days ever. Quick, Jiaying, she’s entering the “freak out after the fact” phase and then comes the thinking and you can’t have her thinking things through. Say something unsettling and demanding of action! Or, wait, no, don’t. I’m not rooting for you. What the hell? 😳

Skye's mother orchestrated the whole thing. It was a performance. [...] Every Inhuman up there believes that S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked their leader and declared war. -- Including Skye. Don’t give Jiaying all the credit for that. S.H.I.E.L.D. bungled this Inhuman business from the beginning.

This reeks of Ward. He left Agent 33 here for this very purpose. [...] There’s a piece we don’t understand yet. -- There’s a piece that Ward doesn’t understand. When I find him, I’m going to kill him. Eh, the kids have been trying all season. He’s got plot armor made of vibranium right now.

I'm sorry you were in that safe house, but I did the right thing. The lives of the many outweigh the life of one. You swore to the same ideal when you signed to S.H.I.E.L.D. -- That's your apology? Ward, you’re the last person who can complain about half-assed apologies. And don’t knock it. She’s taking full responsibility for her actions, used “I” the whole time and even said the word “sorry”. It’s already miles ahead of what you delivered to your former teammates a couple of episodes ago. She was also fighting nazis instead of helping them, so, you know.

We may still have assets in there. -- Agent Skye? She could expose us. She knows every S.H.I.E.L.D. procedure. You're gambling with our lives because of one agent. The security of S.H.I.E.L.D. far outweighs the safety of Skye. -- It's not her safety, it's her usefulness. Eeehhh...I don’t know Phil...I’m pretty sure it’s at least both.

Mack, I thought you left. The Curse of Mack. He can try. But he can never leave. Mhwhahahaha! 🤣

What about the alien thing in the cargo hold? Could be what this is all about. It’s what started the paranoia on their side, that’s for sure.

I think [Cal’s conconction] is an ill-conceived attempt at super strength. -- Other than Cap, every attempt has been ill-conceived. Fanboy Phil, reporting for duty. 😁

Do you think it'll end with me? There's always someone else to blame. [...] I bet he started you off easy, a symbolic target. Maybe the doctor who made your mask. Ward probably started off easy, too. -- You're right. It was his dog. Garrett made him kill his dog. I know what you're doing, Agent Morse, and it's not going to work. Pity, because she nailed it.

Grant's already told me everything about his abusive family, about John Garrett, about having to kill Victoria Hand. But in the end, he overcame his family and the pain Garrett put him through. He remade himself. It's why I love him. And why no matter what he does, I will always stand with Ward. Well, I’ll be...sometimes the AoS writers are really not subtle, uh? 🤣

There's only one thing that can save the Inhumans from death and destruction. And it is neither you nor I. It's Skye. I've considered killing her and you, running from my fate. I’m glad you mentioned the kill option because that would have been my first question.

Peace? I built this community in the middle of nowhere so we would be left in peace. Yet, S.H.I.E.L.D. found us. I know. And you’re right. But nosy secret agencies aren’t an excuse for mass-murder.

I am planning for our future, your future. Daisy, I won’t live forever, and when I’m gone, you must lead these people, protect them as I have done. -- Protect them? You killed Raina. You are leading them into a war. If they need protection, it is from you! -- I'm sorry you feel that way. Kids, uh? They never appreciate all the things parents do for them...

When this is done, hopefully she’ll understand. I can’t tell if you’re finally fully delusional or just playing concerned mom for the kicks.

I never got [the formula] quite right. Always missing something. Highly unstable. Made me a little moody. Could it kill me? Sure. But it was worth the risk. That’s entirely a matter of debate.

Maybe they both just needed a holiday. Bobbi always liked Spain. Probably sitting on a beach, telling 33 what a lousy husband I was. I did have my faults. I would call that the “When Pigs Fly” scenario, Hunter. 😔

If you hurt anyone here, Daisy will never forgive you. -- Stop calling her that! -- Sorry. I thought...never mind. -- "Daisy" to me and her mother, not you, not anyone else! Right, Coulson, how dare you. It’s not like Cal spent half the season barking bloody murder at everyone who called her Skye. 🤭

You've always done her dirty work. She's the real monster. -- She's not like me. -- No. She's worse. Mhmmm...I think they’re both pretty bad and broken, all things considered. I wouldn’t make it a competition.

Get me an adrenaline injector, one milligram. Oh dear. I believe that would be the missing ingredient. 😬

Got to admit, I'm not hopeful [the Icers] will do anything but piss him off. -- There are more lethal solutions. -- Not yet. He's Skye's father or at least, he was. I'm hoping there's still a sliver of the man who [Cal breaks out of quarantine] oh-oh. Jemma’s quick sideye look is a thing of beauty and I can’t blame her. Coulson’s “let’s not ruffle one hair in the vicinity of anything Skye-related” policy was starting to wear *me* down. 😂

A day ago, I never wanted to talk to her again. Now she's all I can think about. -- Love's weird that way. -- I'm not sure it's love. More like a dance of desire, discomfort, and unreliable feelings. You say potato...

I wonder what you'll feel when you watch somebody else die because of what you did. And the Wardification of Kara is complete. Blaming others for her own terrible actions.

Do we have anybody left still fighting below? Well, there’s Mack and his axe so yeah, there’s plenty! 😎

You gotta admit, FitzSimmons make excellent bait. They look so harmless and helpless, with his cardigans, her sensible shoes and both their fresh faces...who could ever resist the lure to chase and slaughter them? 😁

All clear. The ship's been taken. [...] -- Now what? -- Now, we begin. Phase 2: Kill All the Humans.

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