Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. SE01 EP02 - "0-8-4"

0-8-4's a moderately generic, albeit enjoyable, second outing for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While portions are steeped in somewhat familiar tropes, the episode ends up being a fun romp further fleshing out our characters and the team as a whole.

Episode Name: 0-8-4
Original Airdate: October 1, 2013

After a quick flash-forward, teasing us with a disaster on the mid-flight the Bus (the plane of Coulson's team), we're taken 19 hours earlier, immediately following the Pilot.

Skye empties out her van, deciding to come aboard the plane and join Coulson's team as a "consultant." Neither May nor Ward want Skye there, both believing her to be a risk and liability (Ward's main concern being that Skye's a member of the Rising Tide, a hacking organization, while May's gripe is that along with Fitz and Simmons, they'll now have a third individual not fit, nor trained, for combat). Coulson defends Skye, stating that the fact she thinks differently than SHIELD is a positive, along with the fact she's extraordinarily gifted in terms of her ability to hack. 'She hacked into SHIELD twice from a laptop in a van', Coulson states. 'Imagine what she can do with SHIELD resources.'

May and Ward arguing with Coulson over Skye

FitzSimmons (technically two people, though it's hard to tell) awkwardly welcome Skye onto the Bus, and lead her to her small room. Over the intercom, May (who pilots the plane) informs everyone to get ready to go airborne, and Ward, clearly unhappy, tersely gives Skye an overview of the safety procedures of the plane, telling her to read it.

Simmons and Fitz welcoming Skye

Simmons and Fitz giving a tour of the Bus to Skye

As stated at the end of the last episode, a '0-8-4' was discovered in Peru, meaning an item of unknown but potentially dangerous properties. Skye asks Coulson what the last 0-8-4 was, to which Coulson replies, "A hammer" (for more information, see Thor).

Upon landing in Peru, we have some cute dialogue between Fitz and Simmons, along with Coulson letting Skye know that one of the reasons she's here is to, if need be, throw the people off the scent of the 0-8-4 if it becomes dangerous (or, in other words, lie to the people, which is something that, as a hacker, Skye takes issue with), Coulson reasons that panic is best avoided to allow professionals to quietly take care of the situation.

The 0-8-4 itself seems to be mechanical in nature, and lodged into a 500-year old Inca temple, though it's been there much longer than 500 years, according to assessment done by FitzSimmons. Simmons suggests it could potentially be alien in nature, whereas Fitz believes it to look almost like German engineering.

A side-view of the 0-8-4

Meanwhile, Ward briefly speaks with May, calling her the "Calvary", a sort of nickname she earned from her actions in Bahrain. May, however, seems hesitant to accept this tribute, and doesn't want to be referred to by that name. This discussion is shelved, though, as military forces from the Peruvian government converge on the temple, led by Camilla Reyes, a former colleague of Coulson's. While at first alarming Coulson's team, they claim they're here to protect the 0-8-4 from the local rebels in the area.

Reyes and Coulson

Surprised at seeing Reyes here, they talk and reminisce about their past, as Ward goes back into the temple and alerts Simmons, Fitz, and Skye of the new developments, sparking a heated discussion between Skye (who seems to support the local rebels, as they're standing up against the government's mining policies) and Ward (who doesn't like the violence caused by the rebels).

Ward's reaction to Skye's support of the rebels

When local rebels attack, Ward directs them to leave the temple, arguing with Fitz over the procedure to remove the 0-8-4. While Fitz wants a special container for it (as it has a fluctuating power core), Ward, who feels that's a waste of time in this situation, just grabs it out of the wall. After some combat, Ward and May are able to safetly get Simmons, Fitz, and Skye back to the Bus, with Coulson and Reyes close behind. Without major casualties, they're able to take off, bringing Reyes and her men with them.

Beforehand, though, Fitz explains what he's been trying to explain for the past five minutes - that the 0-8-4 seems to be fueled by Tesseract energy (think Hydra and the first Captain America movie), and it's unstable. It's full of lethal amounts of gamma radiation, and could well be a danger to all on board.

Fitz explaining the energy behind the 0-8-4

Coulson's team taking stock of the dangers of the 0-8-4 (contained within the black bag)

Coulson unsuccessfully tries to apologize to May, as he promised her that she'd see no combat as the pilot of the Bus. May, as drenched in as much seriousness as ever, appears unmoved by Coulson's attempt at apologizing. Meanwhile, the rest of the team bickers over various things, due to their lack of communication and understanding - Fitz and Ward arguing over Fitz's inability to explain the dangers behind the 0-8-4, Ward arguing to Coulson that he's a specialist, and could have eliminated the enemy if he wasn't bogged down by non-combatants, etc. Skye chimes in with saying that given the fact the team's only on their second mission, she might as well be team leader, given the dysfunction apparent, and more so, simply that Ward and FitzSimmons "don't like each other."

Coulson's attempted apology toward May

Ward and Fitz arguing

Coulson agrees that there's work to be done, and gives them this great quote:

We still need to iron out the kinks, but Ward, you can speak six languages. Simmons, you have two PHD's in fields I cannot pronounce, and Fitz, you are a rocket scientist, so work it out.

Fitz and Simmons further look into the 0-8-4, concluding that they're lucky their electromagnetic devices didn't set it off earlier, and that it could shoot out an immensely powerful laser, giving them even more reason to worry for the safety of those on the Bus.

Skye tries to fix up her relationship with Ward, bringing him a drink, and explaining her feelings behind the Peruvian uprising: for the first time in history, the downtrodden are combining their forces and working together for a common goal, each one with one part of the solution, so the whole combined could possess the complete solution, which Skye finds both beautiful and inspiring. Ward admits that the two of them see the world differently, and that while Skye finds it admirable that each person brings a piece of the puzzle, Ward was trained to be the "whole solution."

Ward speaking with Skye

While Skye and Ward are connecting, Coulson is becoming suspicious of Reyes, especially due to the fact she's coming onto him far more forcefully than what he remembers. Ward, after noticing that Reye's men aren't drinking their alcohol, subtly tips off Skye. This is all for naught, though, as May is taken out with sleeping gas, and Fitz is caught by another of Reyes' men - effectively, Reyes has taken over the Bus.

Reyes' men prior to taking over the Bus

One of Reyes' men with a scalpel to Fitz's throat

Coulson is held captive by Reyes, as she needs him to verify the change of route to SHIELD headquarters when they call in. If he doesn't, SHIELD will blow the Bus from the sky. While Coulson suggests that maybe that's the best option, as it would keep the 0-8-4 from Reyes' hands, Reyes knows Coulson well enough that he wouldn't risk the lives of his team in such a fashion.

In bondage, the rest of the teams bonds together - Simmons apologizes to Fitz for pushing him into the field, Fitz claims he should have learned kung-fu, and from both Sky and Ward, FitzSimmons learn that May is the "Calvary," and immediately believe that they're going to be okay (as the name has legendary status among all those in SHIELD).

May (off camera), Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and Ward tied up

We learn from Reyes that Peru commissioned the creation of the 0-8-4, but it was lost during a conflict years back. Reyes wants it back so that Peru can end the rebel conflict and stabilize her country again, or as Coulson sees it, "take control over" Peru.

Reyes speaking with a tied-up Coulson

Meanwhile, working together, the five of them formulate a plan (step one, getting untied, becomes an easy one to complete, as May simply breaks her wrist to free her hands, and easily takes out the guard), and are able to set off the 0-8-4, blowing a hole in the side of the plane. Many of Reyes' men get sucked out, and Ward almost suffers the same fate, but is saved by some quick thinking on Skye's part. May is able to get to the cockpit and stabilize the plane, and Reyes is tied up by Coulson after he saves her life.

The five captors discussing how best to get free and save Coulson

Coulson saving Reyes

Ward being saved from flying out the plane by Skye's quick thinking

Coulson, Ward, Skye, Fitz, and Simmons after disaster is averted

At a secret SHIELD base named 'The Slingshot,' the 0-8-4 is flung into the Sun while the team watches. All seems well; May encourages Ward to become Skye's supervising officer, and the team finally seems united, when Skye receives a text from the Rising Tide (a hacker organization she's a member of), and after a delay, replies, "I'm in."

The team watching the 0-8-4 launch off

In a humorous ending, we get a surprise appearance by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) chastising Coulson for getting the plane blown up after only six days back in the field. He further forbids Coulson from making any additions to the original schematics, after which Coulson quietly informs Fitz that he'll have to scratch the fish tank idea.

"Don't talk to me about authority."

As a whole, 0-8-4 is a pretty fun, albeit occasionally generic, episode.

The plot in itself isn't anything overly special - what really makes it work is the team dynamics and different characters the show has to work with. I discussed my first opinions of the characters in the Pilot, so I'll examine them all again with what we learned from this episode.

Coulson continues to show himself as the type of leader you'd want to be following: he has faith in his team (even when many wouldn't), he has faith in Skye, and he stands up for the actions of his team when push comes to shove. Obviously, the team isn't functioning at it's highest level at the moment, but Coulson consistently believed that his team could work out given time, and he's proven correct. His faith in Skye is well-placed, as she really came through when she saved Ward's life. On a side-note, if she really is working with the Rising Tide, as the ending suggests, I get the sense that Coulson, while believing the best, is aware of the possibility.

His background with Reyes, which seems to be a romantic entanglement, didn't stop him from doing what needed to be done, and while he can harbor emotional feelings toward others, that doesn't make him freeze up when doing his job. At the same time, he shows that he cares about his team - his apology to May, while it ended with a comedic line, was sincere, and one could tell that he really felt bad about the fact May got into a combative situation.

Whatever plot lines down the road Coulson will have to deal with (such as his death, which was alluded to in the pilot), I feel that he'll be strong enough to overcome them, and more so, with his team, I don't see anything being thrown his way that he won't be able to deal with.

As I said in my analysis of the last episode, Ward doesn't see eye-to-eye with Skye at all, though the two of them do connect more in this episode, and if Ward does become Skye's S.O., then the two of them really might be able to connect better. Truth be told, I fully expect some type of romantic sub-plot between the two of them to develop, and it'd probably be pretty cute, given that they're two entirely different types of people, but given the same fact, I don't know if it'd end well. If anything, May's personality is far more in-line with Ward's, and if he ever was looking for some romantic company, he might go in that direction.

All-in-all, though, that wouldn't happen until much more down the road. Ward is a very serious customer, and takes his job extremely seriously. Hopefully he'll grow to have more patience when dealing with Fitz and Simmons, and they really seem to have difficultly communicating (which isn't entirely Ward's fault). Ward was trained in a specific way for a specific task, and breaking that mold will be hard. At the end of this episode, though, when he gives Fitz a friendly pat on the back, perhaps hope is to be had.

We learn a bit more about May, and why Ward looked up to her with such respect in the last episode. Whatever May did in Bahrain, apparently her reputation truly precedes her. At the same time, May seems utterly against the nickname cast onto her, and seems to likely want to forget the whole thing. I don't know if it's some tragic background that we'll eventually get to down the line, but the fact that May's a better fighter than Ward is, yet chooses to pilot the plane, tells us something about her character.

Much like Ward, May doesn't much trust Skye, though it's more due to the fact that Skye's just another untrained individual that May may end up having to protect down the line, which as aforementioned, wasn't in the job description when Coulson recruited her. Mostly, though, May's a bit of a blank slate right now. She's not shown too much of a personality outside of her silent act toward Coulson during his apology, so before much else can be said, I think we really need to know more about May and where she's coming from.

Whatever Skye's up to, I don't know if it'll be too much a concern. Sure, if she's working for the Rising Tide to infiltrate SHIELD, that's a problem, but as she was one of the focus characters of the opening episode, I don't believe for a second that she'll turn away from SHIELD or Coulson during their time of need. Skye's not going anywhere in the long-term, no matter what types of texts she may or may not send out.

Skye's willingness to work with and connect with Ward is an admirable trait. Though the two of them are about as different as can be, she's willing to smooth over their rough beginning and start again with him. If she does train under him, I suspect that she'll quickly begin to harbor romantic feelings toward him, and while Ward, as professional as he is, may avoid a relationship with her, I don't think the same could be said of Skye. She doesn't seem the type to hide her feelings toward others. This may bring an interesting element down the line, in which Ward knows that Skye cares for him, but Ward also suspects that Skye's loyalties are not entirely with SHIELD. Whatever happens between the two of them, it's bound to be interesting.

Lastly, we learn that Simmons pushed Fitz to leave the laboratories and go into the field, a move that Fitz seems to regret given the consistent danger they're in. The two of them are still insanely cute, and I hope we see more episodes in the future with them as the focus, as their mannerisms are deeply enjoyable to witness.

While neither Fitz nor Simmons seems to much care for Ward's personality, Fitz seems to have a more difficult time with him. I suspect that's due to the fact that Ward's a strong, physical man, and if, let's say, Fitz harbors some feelings toward Skye (as seemed to be mildly indicated early on in the episode) or even Simmons, then Fitz could easily see Ward as competition he'd not be able to beat. Like I said, I don't know how much romantic subplots are going to play into the show, but it's something to look out for should they rear their heads.

0-8-4 was a team-building episode, in which a dysfunctional team is given a common goal and finally works together and all become hunky-dory. It's a bit of a played out trope, and for that reason, this episode's on the more generic side, but I still think that it worked out decently well, if only due to the fact that the characters are a hoot to watch. I'd like the show to trend a more unique path down the road, but for the second episode, I think that 0-8-4 is about what one would tend to expect.

Rating: Above Average

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. SE01 EP01 - "Pilot"

The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Perhaps one of the finest accomplishments from Marvel in some time. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a spin-off of The Avengers films, and occasionally interconnects with the events from the various movies after The Avengers. I've seen the first season of this show, along with half of the second season, so to a point, I do know what's going to happen. As best I can, though, I will divorce that knowledge when writing my analysis.

Episode Name: Pilot

Original Airdate: September 24, 2013

A man, Mike Peterson, and his son Ace are in downtown L.A. when an explosion occurs. Mike tells Ace to stay back, and he races to see if anyone needs help. Once he determines no one is watching him, he climbs up the wall of the building, showing that he possesses superhuman strength. Mike's able to rescue a woman, hoping his hooded jacket prevents his identity from being blown. A young woman manages, though, to catch the incident on her cell, along with seeing his face. Mike's able to run away and blend back into the crowd with his son before the woman can say anything.

In Paris, France, Agent Grant Ward is informed by a superior that his mission must be aborted, as an organization named the Rising Tide released the location of the package he is after. Still, he is able to obtain said package after some brief conflict, and meets Maria Hill to deliver it, which is shown to be alien technology from the invasion, which criminal Vanchat was able to get his hands on.

It is here in which Agent Ward is granted Level 7 clearance, and learns that Agent Phil Coulson is alive, after having been stabbed in the heart by Loki [which took place in The Avengers].

Agent Phil Coulson

Agent Coulson informed Ward that while he is alive, his heart stopped beating for eight seconds, though it felt much longer than that. Once out of ICU, Fury himself forced him into vacation time at Tahiti. Coulson then shows Ward the footage of Peterson, though they don't know name - just that he is an unregistered gifted, and his life is going to become very hectic, and so SHIELD wants to get to him first.

Maria Hill tells Ward that he's been assigned to Coulson's mobile unit. Ward protests, saying that he's been trained as a specialist from day one - he goes his missions alone, and gets it done his way. While Coulson admits that Ward isn't much of a team player, he could be greatly beneficial to the unit. A doctor comes in and lets Ward know that his team has been approved, the caveat being that Fitz-Simmons isn't cleared for combat, which is fine with Coulson.

After Coulson makes another comment regarding his time in Tahiti, he takes leave, and the doctor and Hill converse about Coulson not knowing the truth, and that "he can never know."

Maria Hill and Doctor Streiten

The woman who saw Mike's face follows him, and at a diner, sits down with him, with the intent of giving him advice on how to move forward. Her name's Skye, and she's a hacker. She offers to help Mike come up with an identity, and tells him that he should openly state he's a hero. As Mike is financially crippled, and looking for a job, Skye doesn't think it would hurt. Lastly, she warns him about SHIELD, worried that if they knew about him, they'd "clean up the story." She offers to help, and let's him know that her van (or office, as she calls it) is always parked out back if he needs assistance. He thanks her and hurries out, but not before Skye is able to pickpocket his driver's licence, and learn his name.

Meanwhile, Coulson recruits another agent, Melinda May, who is working a desk job at SHIELD. He ensures her that it's not a combat operation, and that she is simply to drive the "Bus," or mobile command unit, which turns out to be a rather large plane. Agent May agrees to join.

The "Bus"

When Ward enters the bus, he meets Fitz-Simmions, being British biochemist Jemma Simmons and Scottish engineer Leo Fitz. Coulson than drives up with his car, which he has named Lola.

Agent Grant Ward

Jemma Fitz and Leo Simmons

The pilot, Melinda May, seems to be known by Ward, who is surprised to see her. Agent Coulson lets him know she's simply the pilot, which makes Ward wonder what Coulson's playing at.

Agent Melinda May

They are able to track the source of the unknown gifted, and pick up Skye, who is revealed to be a member of the Rising Tide, a hacker collective. During interrogation, she mentions a program called Centipede, which neither Ward nor Coulson have heard of, greatly amusing Skye. To gain her trust, Coulson injects Ward with a truth serum, and allows Skye to question him.

Coulson and Ward interrogating Skye

Once the trust is gained, she reveals where she filmed Mike, and Fitz-Simmons, along with Agent May, go to check out the site. They find alien technology, along with a burnt out camera, and bring it back to the Bus to analyze them. Meanwhile, Mike Peterson goes back to the factory he was let go from, and threatens his former boss, eventually claiming he now sees the world for what it is, and assaults him.

Mike Peterson's centipede program

When Skye finds out about Mike's actions, she goes back to her van with May in order to send some audio to Fitz, which is needed to provide them a clear picture of how the explosion happened. Mike goes to the hospital to meet the woman he saved, who turns out to be a scientist, and the building which exploded a lab for superhuman enhancement program known as Centipede. Mike, from the doctor's perspective, is losing it, much like the individual who blew up the lab. Mike states that this isn't the end, but an origin story.

With the audio Skye sends them, they now have a clearer picture of how the explosion happened. A man, with the same device that is also on Peterson's arm, caused the explosion himself. Fitz-Simmons suspect that within two hours, the same will happen to Mike. At the van, after Skye hides something on her person from Agent May, Mike knocks Agent May out, and forces her to help him and his son.

While she is able to send her location to the Bus, along with wiping out Peterson's identity, Fitz-Simmons are having trouble coming up with a way to take Mike out which doesn't involve killing him. Ward and Coulson go to the van, parked outside Union Station, and let him know that they just want to ensure his safety.

Mike escapes the van, dragging both Ace and Skye with him into the station. Skye cleverly is able to get Mike to let her and his son go. Outside, Mike's doctor sends in someone dressed as a police officer to take care of Peterson once and for all.

From here, it's hectic. Upon realizing that there is a third party here, Coulson and Ward split up. Mike is able to catch up with Skye, who begs him to just listen to reason. The fake police officer then shoots at the two of them, pegging Mike in the arm. As he falls down to the center of the terminal, the police officer takes aim at Skye, though May, with fantastic fighting skills, is quickly able to take him down.

Coulson calmly approaches Mike, disarms himself, and talks to him. Mike insists that he won't blow up - that it matters who he is, that he's a "good guy." Mike states that he could be a hero. Coulson agrees, saying "I'm counting on it." Peterson is then shot in the head by Ward, using what Fitz calls a "Night-Night Gun," which ceases the poison running through Mike's body.

Mike Peterson, on the verge of exploding

Fitz and Ward, with the "Night-Night Gun."

Simmons pleased that Mike's alive

Ace is left in the care of a SHIELD safe house, and Mike is being cared for and watched over by SHIELD. Skye is offered by Coulson to join SHIELD, and help find out more about Centipede and who funded the experiment. She's unsure, but once Coulson gets a call from Ward, stating that they have to go confirm an "0-8-4," Coulson lets her know she has ten minutes to decide what she wants to do. In Coulson's car, Lola, they fly off to the Bus.

Skye and Coulson in Lola

I was skeptical about this series when I originally watched it. As such, for the most part, I was wrong.

This pilot isn't the most amazing thing I've seen, no doubt, but it does supply an interesting mix of characters, along with bringing back Coulson. I know how their story arcs go for this season, though, so I am hesitant to say much about them. I will speak a bit, though, about what I like or dislike about some of them.

Coulson is an extremely fun individual, and perhaps the ideal boss. He can be funny and have a good time, but when he needs to be, you can tell that he's someone who doesn't waste any time. Basically, he'll get the job done, and have fun doing it.

What I suspect he won't have fun, with, though, is whatever the doctor and Hill were speaking about. What "truth" does Coulson not realize? Well, most likely, it has to do with the length of his death. Hill says eight seconds - Coulson states it felt much longer. You could tell both the doctor and Hill were hesitant to send Coulson back out to the field, so whatever the truth may be, it seems pretty serious, only further confirmed by Hill stating, about the truth, "he can never know." 

We don't learn too much about Ward here. He's a serious specialist, and not at all used to working in teams. If Skye does stay with SHIELD, I suspect that Ward will have a hard time with it, as Skye seems the type of girl to get on his nerves. It's also mentioned that Ward has had a troubled background with his family, but that was perhaps just thrown in there to give a reason why his social skills are lacking. Agent Ward did seem to know Melinda May, though, so I am deeply interested in the story behind that. All-in-all, while I don't much care for Ward's personality, I do think he'll be extraordinarily useful on the team, especially since he's willing to work with Fitz-Simmons in order to bring Mike down alive.

May, we know even less about. It's obvious that she and Coulson know each other, and were likely in the field together. More so, from the conversation they had, May seems a very good field agent, which is why Ward was shocked that she was simply the pilot. She is cold and distant, though, more so than Ward, partially because her job on the Bus keeps her away from people more effectively than Ward's job. May being attacked by Mike definitely rubbed her the wrong way, but I do think she is loyal to Coulson, and will stay on without a second thought.

Skye is a very fun character. Both she and Coulson had the best lines in this episode - Skye's personality and curiosity is quite different than SHIELD's, and especially Ward's, so should she stay, which I think she would, it should be interesting to see how everyone meshes. But coming from a hacker organization, along with hiding something from May, is potentially troubling. If she had to choose between SHIELD and the Rising Tide, at this point, I'd think she'd be leaning more toward the latter.

Lastly, we have Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. Oh, how can you not love them? Their banter is insanely cute, and how they speak over each other - just adorable. There was no indication that they are a couple here, but if they don't become a couple, well, to put it lightly, I'd be quite disappointed, as I suspect many viewers would be. They are both very competent in their fields, and under pressure, are able to pull through and find a way that Mike can be taken alive. Fitz trying to get Ward to warm up to him, oblivious to Ward's displeasure, was amusing. And I think Skye can become good friends with the pair of them (they seem infinitely less judgmental than Ward). All-in-all, these are fun characters, and I hope to see quite a bit of them as time goes on.

Mike Peterson, by the way, seems to be the type of character who has a chance to appear again, hopefully this time on the good side. He really was the type of guy who was pushed around too much, and fired back. He did endanger his son, Skye, and many others by not listening to reason, but to a certain point, you can certainly see where he's coming from. Hopefully, should Mike appear again, perhaps even join the team, he will have his heart and his actions in the right place.

While this episode as a whole isn't amazing, I did think the last eight minutes were. Coulson, Skye, and May standing with Mike, trying to get him to calm down. Boom! Mike being shot, and you can tell initially that Coulson thinks Ward actually killed him. But a sweaty Fitz is standing next to a happier-looking Ward, and Simmons is barely able to keep herself from tearing up at the fact Mike's alive. The score in the background made this ending particularly potent.

Casting-wise, I think everyone was played well. Clark Gregg, who also played Coulson in The Avengers, reprises his role to great effect, and is sure to be one of the stand-outs of this series (providing he lives long enough). Ming-Na Wen, the actress behind Melinda May, plays the part of a serious, focus-minded individual extremely well. As does Brett Dalton, in his portrayal of Ward. Much like Gregg, I think that Dalton has a high chance of being a really stand-out actor, especially due to the fact he's not done all that much before this. Chloe Bennet plays Skye beautifully, and need I mention that Iain De Caestecker (Fitz) and Elizabeth Henstridge (Simmons)? The both of them work so well together, it's hard to believe they're not real-life friends.

Throughout the first season, there are ups and downs (which is true for most shows), but the one consistent pleasure this show brings us is the great cast. Overall, this first episode is a fine pilot and a pretty fun romp - a solid opening to this show.

Rating: Above Average

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