Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. V: You Joined the Cavalry.

[LaZodiac]

ouch... I'm not sure that's a great idea

Spoiler

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What happens when he changes back?

I agree that I LOVED Hunter & Bobbie. With so little Fitz-Simmons these days It feels like I'm watching Game of Thrones. All my favorites are leaving or dead and I'm not sure who is going to pick up the slack.

Well I mean...unmelt them. That's...that's possible. Okay so yeah this isn't the best idea.

[themaque]

I do like how vauge they have been about Creel's powers or where he got them. Leaving... possibilities.

This summer Doctor Strange introduces REAL magic to the MCU and I'm curious if it's influence will be felt in Shield. It's been... hinted and toyed at in Daredevil but always in the shadows.

[ryuplaneswalker]

So, I think I have a problem with the show a big one.

I think I hate Daisy again. With the whole cure thing she has basically returned to the early season 1 era of "Hacker with a holier than thou cause" character but now with super powers. Thinking back to the last 2 episodes I can't think of anything she has done outside of "Annoy me with preachy crap and play with computers"

[LordRahl6]

@LaZodiac: Yeah, that's still a risky proposition at best. Reminds me of what Oda, Author of One Piece, said of stabbing his main character.

@themaque: Actually, Doctor Strange is this autumn, and regarding magic on a limited basis lets not forget the other Netflix show Jessica Jones.

Meanwhile, its been confirmed that the actors who played Bobbi and Hunter were needed to shot the Pilot for their yet-to-be picked up spinoff Most Wanted. Still not looking forward to next week with more of Daisy being a Total Inhuman Jerk.

[Red Fel]

So, I think I have a problem with the show a big one.

I think I hate Daisy again. With the whole cure thing she has basically returned to the early season 1 era of "Hacker with a holier than thou cause" character but now with super powers. Thinking back to the last 2 episodes I can't think of anything she has done outside of "Annoy me with preachy crap and play with computers"

It feels like the show is trying to go down the moral ambiguity path, and she's spearheading the movement. Compare.

Spoiler: Spoilers for previous episode

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In the stinger from the last episode, we saw Malick shooting skeet with his daughter. This is obviously an attempt to humanize him - one which no doubt will later prove horrifying when we realize that, inevitably, the daughter is an even-more-evil Malick and will probably succeed him when he dies, which will most likely be at the hands of Not!Ward. Further, we saw Malick preaching at the Russians, sounding somewhat like a zealot - perhaps he truly does believe that he is bringing about a better world.

Problem is, he's the head of an organization that was formerly a Nazi one, dedicated to the return and domination of a parasitic lifeform that ostensibly eats people.

Versus.

Spoiler: Spoilers in the teaser for the next episode

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Daisy is on the warpath, having apparently decided that, when it comes to protecting Inhumans, she is the law, civil liberties be damned. This is the Daisy we all knew and hated from the first half of Season 1, the whiny brat who knows better than the rest of us, only now she's a walking nuke. Awesome. As Ryu pointed out, for the past several episodes she's been intent on telling people - human and Inhuman alike - what they need to know and do about Inhuman rights. She's opposed to a vaccine, because Inhumans should want to have their powers, because they're supposed to and stuff... Kind of sounding like Mother Dearest a bit, which isn't a good sign. And now she apparently is prepared to stomp the faces of ordinary humans who are legitimately frightened of Inhumans who are just springing up all over the place. Are they horrifying racists? Sure. But they're also legitimately scared of normal-looking people with amazing powers, and Daisy has decided that the best way to help bridge the gap is to terrorize them with her amazing powers.

So, you know, well-intentioned extremist.

In short, I think this part of the season is going to focus on "Is SHIELD really the good team here?" Which is a stupid question, because it's been tried in the past, and answered. "Yes, because the other guys are Nazis who serve a man-eating monster who is also Ward."

And yeah. I think removing Bobbi and Hunter was not only a poor choice in terms of removing enjoyable characters, it was premature; to my knowledge, the spinoff hasn't been confirmed yet, which means there's a chance they got burned for nothing. Beyond Bobbi and Hunter - who were awesome in this episode (particularly with respect to mushroom soup) - the episode itself was draggy and pointless, doing very little for the overall plot. Which is a sin in my book - we suffered from that in Season 1 before they learned their lesson and ramped up the story speed, let's not go down that road again.

[Rogar Demonblud]

MMW was approved a while ago. Among the announced cast is Oded Fehr, who I honestly cannot remember seeing in anything since the second Mummy movie.

[huttj509]

MMW was approved a while ago. Among the announced cast is Oded Fehr, who I honestly cannot remember seeing in anything since the second Mummy movie.

*checks IMDB* Huh, he voiced Ra's Al-Ghul in Young Justice.

Let the cross-continuity speculation...begin!

[ryuplaneswalker]

It feels like the show is trying to go down the moral ambiguity path, and she's spearheading the movement. Compare.

See, I feel it is the exact opposite.

Daisy is still looking at things in Black and White.

Season 1

Skye : "My hacktivisim is the right thing because SHEILD is wrong cause they are spies and spying on people and being all secretive"

Coulson : "That is really not right skye, there are lots of shades of grey here"

Season 3

Daisy : "Mutants Inhumans are the right thing because I am an Mutant inhuman and it makes me feel super special cause I won the power lottery and making a vaccine is wrong cause this is a poor analogue to racism/sexism/homophobia/bigotry"

Doctor Palpatine (No i can't remember his name) : "But there are people who might not want super powers, so there are some shades of grey here"

[Pex]

MMW was approved a while ago. Among the announced cast is Oded Fehr, who I honestly cannot remember seeing in anything since the second Mummy movie.

He's a popular low budget movie action star for those into such movies. Among his high budget movies are a couple from the Resident Evil franchise.

[Hopeless]

MMW was approved a while ago. Among the announced cast is Oded Fehr, who I honestly cannot remember seeing in anything since the second Mummy movie.

He played a master villain in Charmed, I think he's been in a couple of other series since then but can't remember the specifics though.

[Red Fel]

MMW was approved a while ago. Among the announced cast is Oded Fehr, who I honestly cannot remember seeing in anything since the second Mummy movie.

I officially want to watch this now.

I mean, having Hunter and Bobbi is great. I love them. But Oded Fehr? That guy is magnificent. Yeah, Mummy was lame, but Charmed? Burn Notice? His voice acting? Guy's fantastic.

With the kind of writing we've come to expect from a Marvel product, he would totally wreck. In a good way.

That said, MMW was announced awhile ago, but I don't remember hearing about a pilot or any formal approval. All I've heard has been anticipatory chatter and planning-stage what-ifs.

[LaZodiac]

New Episode!

Spoiler

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Nitromine is back! That's pretty cool. This is a pretty good episode, lot of stuff to talk about. Felix Blake is back too! Quite an interesting situation, ESPECIALLY since...I mean lets be honest. This is an uncomfortable episode plot wise because they're talking about domestic terrorism and radicalization of hate groups and extrajudicial/gestapo-esque behavior. Kind of hard to discuss because it's a lot of very clear metaphors/parallels going on here. Especially given some of the **** that Mac's bro is going through! This is a heavy damn episode! It even ties into the Sekovia Accords and Civil War.

The episode's also going a long way to making us like Lincoln, or at least see what kind of guy he is. I also think that the complete lack of chemistry between the two is 100% intended now. Daisy sees it as a fling, a "see where this goes" type thing. It's also...quite a thing to see Daisy go dark, even for good reason (though it's still really messed up). She also almost got Fitz killed due to some questionable tactics.

We also get a really good bit of moments with Simmons and May. The latter doesn't want hope anymore, not for this. She just wants closure, for Andrew to get some rest. It's a really hard sentiment to hear, honestly.

The confrontation between Blake was great. I figured something like a hologram or something, and I like how Coulson used it as a test! Pretty awesome, all things considered. I'm coming around more to Lincoln personally.

I loved the ending. Mac's okay but hurt, but he got to use a shotgun-axe! Sort of, anyway. We also get the idea that make Little Mac will join as a wheelman! We also see that Blake's not actually healed, and that he really is working with Gideon...and being played the fool. Most important though is...a nuclear missile. Given how Carter left off I think I know what kind of missile it is too...they didn't brig up Dark Force last episode for anything. I think it's the other Darkforce Missile. Just a theory, but still.

Point is, fantastic episode. Excited as hell for next episode.

[Palanan]

Well, not their greatest episode. A few decent moments, a couple good lines, but most of it felt awkward, contrived, even a little forced.

Overall extremely meh.

Spoiler: Best Line

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Mac: "I'm a mechanic. I hate this stuff."

In a genre that's built around violence, especially over-the-top violence, it's great to hear from a character who genuinely dislikes it.

Although "I'm the guy who kills Gordon" was clearly an exception. Maybe Mac is just more of an axe guy.

Spoiler: Phil Coulson, Hard*** Boss

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We've gotten so used to Coulson being huggy with Daisy that it's nice to see a different aspect of his leadership style. His attitude towards Lincoln seemed a bit harsh, but you can't fault his reasons--and Lincoln has an edge of easy arrogance that cries out for a little sandblasting.

But Coulson's "test" of Lincoln in the field was absurdly contrived, especially Lincoln's reaction to using lethal force. I don't pretend to be an expert on small-unit operations, but I'm pretty sure a kill order isn't something you issue in the field unless your people are intensively trained and ready to execute without an instant's hesitation. You do not engage in principled ethical debates when guns are drawn and mission objectives are on the line. Lincoln's exchange with Coulson was the sort of thing that needs to happen in a training simulation, not a live operation.

And beyond that--it seems ridiculous for Coulson to demand Lincoln use lethal force, and then pat him on the head when he uses sublethal instead. I'm not sure what message Coulson is trying to send.

Spoiler: The Pitfalls of Family Visits

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One of the most disappointing aspects of this episode was the attempt to explore Mac's family background, which was extremely awkward and unconvincing. Everything in his exchanges with his brother was stilted and artificial; there wasn't a single genuine moment in which I felt the two of them were actually brothers.

And the fact is, meeting Mac's brother didn't really tell us anything more about Mac. This was just another iteration of the "normal family member who learns deep secret" scenario, and it wasn't handled with much creativity or even minimal interest. As with so much else in this episode, it felt very bland and paint-by-numbers.

Spoiler: Home Alone With Mac

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Those big Watchdog masks must really make it hard to see or hear anything--especially Mac and his brother loudly whispering tactics in detail as they slowly move through their home. Like the family drama, the fight scenes in the family house were muddled and uninteresting, with no authentic tension.

And I'm not sure why Watchdog goons supplied with super-advanced implosion rounds wouldn't have basic infrared scanners, or some other way of finding targets in a house.

Spoiler: SHOTGUN AXE!!

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It was awesome that they finally did this. I've been waiting half a year to see that in action.

Sadly, the action itself was underwhelmingly less than awesome. But it definitely looked cool.

Spoiler: Torturing Bad Buys with Superpowers

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On the one hand, it's nice to have a long-overdue discussion about the ethics of abusing prisoners with Inhuman powers.

Unfortunately, as with everything else in this episode, the actual discussion was sketchy and without much real heart to it. I'm also not sure why Daisy could simply go off and do what she liked without clearing it with Coulson beforehand.

Spoiler: Liquid Nitrogen on Bare Skin

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I've had this happen to me. It hurts, badly. It leaves large, angry blisters that take weeks to heal.

So Fitz should've had a star-shaped reverse scar all around the nitramine-acetate-whatzsis thing on his neck. He should've been in pain when Daisy spritzed him, and more pain once the implosion round came off. Serious science fail on this one.

Spoiler: What Happened to Mac's Head?

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After Mac comes home late from the ATCU implosion site, he has a bloody blotch high on his forehead, which remains there for the rest of the episode. But it seemed to appear suddenly, without any explanation.

I'm guessing there was a deleted scene in which he was hit by something or someone, and the makeup was added for continuity before the decision was made to cut the earlier scene. Otherwise I'm not sure what caused it; I can't remember him being clonked on the head before that.

[huttj509]

Spoiler: Hoosier nitpick

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"Hey, that's the same style plate as is on...my...wall...wait..."

Indiana changed the white on blue plates to a blue on white design for the (Edit: State) bicentennial. Driving with expired plates? Hydra, will you never stop!?

[Pex]

Spoiler

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Disappointed the Watchdogs are HYDRA's useful idiots. No, violent attacks are not the answer, but with HYDRA fronting the Watchdogs it's now easy to dismiss them as stupid villains and their point of view as moot. SHIELD is against them so we're supposed to not like them, but it would have been more interesting if they weren't so easily disliked. I also would have preferred a more "diverse" Watchdog membership, but I guess a message had to be sent. I was hoping Mac's brother would have already been a member and overhearing Mac's phonecall warn the Watchdogs who would then ambush the team.

[dehro]

The suspense was lost two weeks ago when the episode description went up; everyone could guess who was leaving due to Marvel's Most Wanted being a thing.

We can't blame the people running the show for the rabid hunger Internet and media have for spoilers, anticipations and being "in the know". Before internet all you could do was to sit tight and wait for the extra episode, now there's a wealth of sources that sometimes spoil things for you, unless you choose to ignore those sources.

That said, I'm going to watch the new episode

[Bulldog Psion]

We can't blame the people running the show for the rabid hunger Internet and media have for spoilers, anticipations and being "in the know". Before internet all you could do was to sit tight and wait for the extra episode, now there's a wealth of sources that sometimes spoil things for you, unless you choose to ignore those sources.

That said, I'm going to watch the new episode

Yes, I very seldom look at any kind of entertainment news. I was totally unaware of what was going to happen in the episode until I watched it. The only news I usually look at is "when is the next trailer for a film I'm interested in coming out."

[Kitten Champion]

I found it particularly funny when the clickbait nerd entertainment sphere made several variations of an article for the express purpose of telling everyone that Chloe Bennett cut her hair, because she tweeted about it.

Anyways, I enjoyed the episode. It was nice seeing Mack and Lincoln get some character stuff, that the writers are clearly willing to make Daisy rather brazenly flawed for the sake of an arc, that they haven't forgotten Lash exists in general, and that they aren't pussyfooting around their whole political allegory thing by sugarcoating what they mean with the fantastical.

[LordRahl6]

Another Hoosier (family) nitpick, US 31 goes through South Bend, Indiana. US 41 enters the Chicago metro area through the Highland, Munster, and Hammond vicinity.

Also, Daisy was DEFINITELY cutting it close to that moral line with the interrogation. However, in regards to her argument with Mac earlier, I believe that he has the right frame of mind to see the big picture of what's happening around the world. Also, liked how even though the back talk with Coulson with Lincoln, which would probably been out of place if Phil wasn't already clued in regarding Blake, Lincoln ended up going through with the order.

Good to see the Nitromene again, and also Place it in Context unlike the Ant-Man movie.

Also, despite some of the buzz, the "Cure" seemed only to take side show stasis as "hope"(unwanted) for May regarding Andrew.

Finally, Oh Felix, Felix, Felix. I can just see Blake getting his ticket punched by Gilyera, It, or someone else in HYDRA.

[Pex]

Finally, Oh Felix, Felix, Felix.

I know what you did there.

[Red Fel]

Also, Daisy was DEFINITELY cutting it close to that moral line with the interrogation. However, in regards to her argument with Mac earlier, I believe that he has the right frame of mind to see the big picture of what's happening around the world. Also, liked how even though the back talk with Coulson with Lincoln, which would probably been out of place if Phil wasn't already clued in regarding Blake, Lincoln ended up going through with the order.

Cutting it close? Nothing. That was classic "When I'm done destroying this inanimate object, I'm going to do the same thing to your face" interrogation. Moreover, the worrying part was just how justified it all was in her mind. Despite everyone around her being the Greek chorus of morality (and preaching at us like a David E. Kelley show), she was all, "Nope, let's go Wild West on some hate groups, it's fine, they're not real people anyway."

Finally, Oh Felix, Felix, Felix. I can just see Blake getting his ticket punched by Gilyera, It, or someone else in HYDRA.

Spoiler: Rant incoming. Don't read if you haven't watched the episode yet.

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Yeah, that bothered me. I mean, it's one thing when, in the earlier bits, Daisy-then-Skye was jabbing Ward over "Hydra? You guys are Nazis!" and he was getting all defensive about it. Hydra was Nazis, it's Nazi-influenced, but they're not going around preaching about master races or anything. The Watchdogs, on the other hand, are classic hate group, which allows the show to engage in lazy writing - we, as viewers, are completely allowed to absolutely not care what happens to them or anyone affiliated with them, because they're hateful racist people and we can all enjoy their misfortune.

I mean, I'll enjoy their misfortune anyway, but you don't have to telegraph it for me.

But then they bring in Blake, as if they're going to try to make us care. And then they try to swing him as a well-intentioned extremist, as if we haven't seen those in every season of this series. Let me see if I can guess the pattern. Figure emerges who either was once friendly with Coulson, or will become so, who leads a group of trying to do the right thing people faced with an impossible threat they don't fully understand. Rather than work with Coulson, they double down on stubborn. Then, they either (1) experience a realization, side with Coulson, and die, or (2) clash with Coulson, lose, start to die, and realize their error all too late.

Gee, I wonder what's going to happen to Blake.

Not to mention that, we have the Designated Bad Guy group, Hydra, which we've just learned is pulling the strings of the Watchdogs. Let's compare. Hydra has been there pretty much since the beginning of the series (or since it began in earnest). Watchdogs are new. Hydra has a delightful assortment of goons-with-names, including Malick, Not!Ward, Malick Jr. (new! now with breasts!), Magneto Dacascos (a personal favorite), and Specs McGee. Watchdogs have Blake and a bunch of nameless, faceless thugs. Hydra has elaborate, world-spanning plans and schemes. Watchdogs have hate speech and guns. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how this will play out.

But what irks me - what actually irks me - is that they expect us to care. I know this. Blake is a face. We're expected to see him as a person. And look at previous people who sat in the chair Blake now occupies as leader-of-antagonist-force: Talbot. Hand. Gonzales. Zabo. And so on. With the exception of Talbot, what's happened? Tragic sympathetic revelation, moment of horrified introspection, pfft, death. (Exception: amnesia.) So, clearly, we're going to be expected to sympathize with Blake for trying to do the right thing, and then he'll snuff it when he's no longer useful to Hydra.

Problem is, Blake is different. Talbot is a military man protecting his country. Hand was trying to work for SHIELD and do much the same. Gonzales was trying to consolidate power necessary to rebuild the SHIELD he wanted to believe in. Even Zabo just wanted to rebuild his family. But Blake? He formed and heads and arms a hate group. Bunch of violent faceless racists. We'll be expected to care about the inevitable betrayal and death.

I'm not sure I can, thanks.

[dehro]

He just appeared... Who knows, maybe they'll give him and his goons a bit more screen time and that time will be spent in making you care

[Giggling Ghast]

Spoiler: Hoosier nitpick

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"Hey, that's the same style plate as is on...my...wall...wait..."

Indiana changed the white on blue plates to a blue on white design for the (Edit: State) bicentennial. Driving with expired plates? Hydra, will you never stop!?

HYDRA is committed to doing evil in every capacity, including the flaunting of traffic laws.

Nothing too exciting about this episode. I think it was just a breather after the previous week's heartbreaker.

[Bulldog Psion]

Overall, I enjoyed the episode.

My objections -- and I do have some -- are pretty much a Red Fel Lite version. So I don't need to repeat much of anything.

Spoiler

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I like the shotgun axe; however, did Mack manage to insta-kill several guys with bird shot? What kind of birds was his dad hunting -- Phorosrhacos?

EDIT: Oh, yes, and what fatheaded thing was going on with Coulson and Lincoln? What was Lincoln supposed to pick up from that? That he should pretend to follow orders while secretly subverting them, or what?

[Joran]

Overall, I enjoyed the episode.

My objections -- and I do have some -- are pretty much a Red Fel Lite version. So I don't need to repeat much of anything.

Spoiler

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I like the shotgun axe; however, did Mack manage to insta-kill several guys with bird shot? What kind of birds was his dad hunting -- Phorosracos?

Spoiler: birdshot

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I was under the impression that the bird shot incapacitated and didn't kill anyone.

I was also surprised it knocked down someone with just one shot (especially because I think they're wearing body armor) and that Mac didn't give himself the assault rifle.

[huttj509]

Overall, I enjoyed the episode.

My objections -- and I do have some -- are pretty much a Red Fel Lite version. So I don't need to repeat much of anything.

Spoiler

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I like the shotgun axe; however, did Mack manage to insta-kill several guys with bird shot? What kind of birds was his dad hunting -- Phorosrhacos?

EDIT: Oh, yes, and what fatheaded thing was going on with Coulson and Lincoln? What was Lincoln supposed to pick up from that? That he should pretend to follow orders while secretly subverting them, or what?

Spoiler: Lincoln

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I think the intent was this:

Lincoln has had issues with anger and possibly aiming to kill rather than incapacitate.
The hologram was pissing Lincoln off, but he was holding himself back.
Try giving him permission to let loose and see what he does.
He holds back and then goes for an incapacitating shot rather than a kill shot.
This indicates that he is conscious of his issues, and trying to correct them, plus he recognizes that the kill order out of the blue is out of character for Coulson, rather than looking for an excuse to cut loose.

If Fitz (for example) had had the same reaction he might not have gotten the pat on the back, because Fitz has different things to improve on.

As to the orders thing, Coulson isn't training a hit squad. He doesn't want a hit squad. He knows he can get tunnel vision, like many on his team. In that circumstance taking 3 seconds to verify "are you sure" is not a bad thing. It's better than someone mishearing an order over the radio and acting blindly.

So, Lincoln:
Held back when being provoked.
Received a bizarre order and confirmed rather than acting blindly.
Acted on that confirmation, though he did temper it despite being provoked by the guy.

[huttj509]

Another Hoosier (family) nitpick, US 31 goes through South Bend, Indiana. US 41 enters the Chicago metro area through the Highland, Munster, and Hammond vicinity.

Mack's home is in Naperville, IL, near Chicago area. So that actually scans. When was US 41 mentioned?

[Giggling Ghast]

Small note for those also watching Daredevil Season 2, but there were apparently a few shoutouts in last night's episode. One that's been widely-discovered was in the news report of the Watchdogs, which stated:

"GANG WAR RAGES IN HELL'S KITCHEN; AUTHORITIES SEARCHING FOR SOLUTION."

[LordRahl6]

Mack's home is in Naperville, IL, near Chicago area. So that actually scans. When was US 41 mentioned?

While watching the episode Huttj509, my parents picked up on them as being flipped as South Bend mentioned with US 41. Also you shouldn't double post like you did Huttj509.

@CandleJack: Always nice to lay connections around the verse.

@Pex: It was just too good a line to pass up.

[BRC]

Cutting it close? Nothing. That was classic "When I'm done destroying this inanimate object, I'm going to do the same thing to your face" interrogation. Moreover, the worrying part was just how justified it all was in her mind. Despite everyone around her being the Greek chorus of morality (and preaching at us like a David E. Kelley show), she was all, "Nope, let's go Wild West on some hate groups, it's fine, they're not real people anyway."

Which I think was kind of the point.

In season 1, Daisy (Then, Skye) was the anarchist hacker living in a van, railing against the Shady Government Goons in their dark suits.
Season 2 saw Skye the Loyal SHIELD agent, who became Skye the Inhuman Warrior once she found her family.
Season 3 has Daisy the self-appointed defender of Inhumanity crossing lines left and right, effectively acting as the Scary Government Thug With No Accountability that she railed against in season 1.

Spoiler: Rant incoming. Don't read if you haven't watched the episode yet.

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Yeah, that bothered me. I mean, it's one thing when, in the earlier bits, Daisy-then-Skye was jabbing Ward over "Hydra? You guys are Nazis!" and he was getting all defensive about it. Hydra was Nazis, it's Nazi-influenced, but they're not going around preaching about master races or anything. The Watchdogs, on the other hand, are classic hate group, which allows the show to engage in lazy writing - we, as viewers, are completely allowed to absolutely not care what happens to them or anyone affiliated with them, because they're hateful racist people and we can all enjoy their misfortune.

I mean, I'll enjoy their misfortune anyway, but you don't have to telegraph it for me.

But then they bring in Blake, as if they're going to try to make us care. And then they try to swing him as a well-intentioned extremist, as if we haven't seen those in every season of this series. Let me see if I can guess the pattern. Figure emerges who either was once friendly with Coulson, or will become so, who leads a group of trying to do the right thing people faced with an impossible threat they don't fully understand. Rather than work with Coulson, they double down on stubborn. Then, they either (1) experience a realization, side with Coulson, and die, or (2) clash with Coulson, lose, start to die, and realize their error all too late.

Gee, I wonder what's going to happen to Blake.

Not to mention that, we have the Designated Bad Guy group, Hydra, which we've just learned is pulling the strings of the Watchdogs. Let's compare. Hydra has been there pretty much since the beginning of the series (or since it began in earnest). Watchdogs are new. Hydra has a delightful assortment of goons-with-names, including Malick, Not!Ward, Malick Jr. (new! now with breasts!), Magneto Dacascos (a personal favorite), and Specs McGee. Watchdogs have Blake and a bunch of nameless, faceless thugs. Hydra has elaborate, world-spanning plans and schemes. Watchdogs have hate speech and guns. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how this will play out.

But what irks me - what actually irks me - is that they expect us to care. I know this. Blake is a face. We're expected to see him as a person. And look at previous people who sat in the chair Blake now occupies as leader-of-antagonist-force: Talbot. Hand. Gonzales. Zabo. And so on. With the exception of Talbot, what's happened? Tragic sympathetic revelation, moment of horrified introspection, pfft, death. (Exception: amnesia.) So, clearly, we're going to be expected to sympathize with Blake for trying to do the right thing, and then he'll snuff it when he's no longer useful to Hydra.

Problem is, Blake is different. Talbot is a military man protecting his country. Hand was trying to work for SHIELD and do much the same. Gonzales was trying to consolidate power necessary to rebuild the SHIELD he wanted to believe in. Even Zabo just wanted to rebuild his family. But Blake? He formed and heads and arms a hate group. Bunch of violent faceless racists. We'll be expected to care about the inevitable betrayal and death.

I'm not sure I can, thanks.

[/QUOTE]

Spoiler

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I don't think they're trying to paint Blake as anything but a hateful villain and willing puppet.
Although It bugs me that at the end he was talking about how he didn't want "Repurposed Stark Stuff", when he was apparently obsessed with figuring out how to use that EXACT same stark stuff for most of his career.

But anyway, I very much doubt they're going with any sort of "Good Intentions" theme here. A closer parallel is probably Skye's Mom from season 2. Was once a good person with a noble purpose, but has since gone off the deep end, and is now willing to cross lines and commit atrocities in the name of "Protection". The difference is, while Jai Ying had most people fooled until the end, Coulson and all the other SHIELD Vets already know that Blake is no good.

It's pretty obvious where they are going with this. Blake and the Watchdogs threaten Inhumans, HYDRA offers them sanctuary (With a side of brainwashing).