# Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D S01E18: Providence (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229 "2014-04-16T02:44:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/41 "2014-04-16T17:55:37Z")
Military moustaches have a way of looking fake in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/42 "2014-04-16T18:26:46Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Found this episode appropriately anti-climatic after last week’s roller coaster ride. Coulson’s team thinks they have a safe place to recover, but in reality they revealed the location to Hydra within 15 minutes of finding it… Well, Hydra is organized in a cell structure, too. So they only revealed the location of Providence to one subgroup; should be okay once they take that group out. Except it’s Ward, who we’ll probably have around as a long-term antagonist. Oops. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > His role was to get the TV series back on track. We want to see Coulson and his team out there fighting bad guys. But after the situation last week, there was no realistic way that was going to happen. Shield was half-destroyed and Coulson is the senior surviving leader. Under normal circumstances, he was going to spend the next year at the Hub slowly rebuilding Shield and directing its attacks against Hydra. > > And we don’t want to watch a show about that. So Talbot’s role was to head that off and give Coulson a reason to get back into the field with his team. We can assume that off camera Talbot showed up and took over the Hub and he’s now doing the administrative work that would have been Coulson’s job. In some future episode, we’ll be told that Shield is back in operation under American military control. Fury, Coulson, and a few others will meanwhile still be around as the unofficial “original” Shield. No, his role is to demonstrate that the Agents of SHIELD have to go underground to Fight The Good Fight. He’s an antagonist. He’ll be chasing Coulson’s team, thereby allowing the writers to play on the audience’s sympathy for their persecution when they’re Fighting The Good Fight. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I wondered about that myself. Taking the flying car to the base would have been a lot easier than walking. I guess we can assume it was damaged in the Hydra attack or something but it would have been nice if they had at least mentioned it. It is outside of Coulson’s characterization for Lola to have been damaged and he not have noticed it. Just assume there with too many people they were above Lola’s carrying capacity. (or, all the sfx budget for this episode was spent on other shots.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/43 "2014-04-16T18:52:11Z")
I wonder if Ward’s allegiance isn’t so much to Hydra but is more of a personal loyalty to Garrett. His line about how however much he owes Coulson, he owes Garrett everything seems to suggest a bond far stronger than mere loyalty. At the very least, Garrett may have control over one of the few things Ward actually cares about. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/44 "2014-04-16T20:59:30Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > You have to be on set, Mr. Adrian Pasdar, here take a couple pieces of electrical tape! Ha! You got me to look him up on IMDB: he voices Tony Stark in the Marvel Animated Universe! Cool! P.S.: Lola is _way_ too conspicuous to take looking for a secret base. On foot, they can keep a low profile and hide if they need to hide. Lola would be a flying bullseye. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/45 "2014-04-16T21:12:57Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Lola is _way_ too conspicuous to take looking for a secret base. > On foot, they can keep a low profile and hide if they need to hide. Lola would be a flying bullseye. I don’t know if you’re being serious but they weren’t trying to sneak up to the base. They were asked to come to the base. As for suspicions, Trip suggested they send some scouts ahead to check things out. Coulson said no and insisted they all just go in. And if the aim was to avoid Hydra or the military, I have a hard time believing anyone would be able to see a flying car but somehow unable to track a large plane. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/46 "2014-04-16T21:14:34Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Ha! You got me to look him up on IMDB: he voices Tony Stark in the Marvel Animated Universe! > Cool! I knew he was in Heroes and some other stuff, but I didn’t realize that he was Iron Man until looking on IMDB today as well. They need to mention Tahiti again so Coulson can say “It’s a magical place” automatically and then get miffed about it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/47 "2014-04-16T21:25:13Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Backwoods base can blow the balls off a metal horsefly but the most secure facility SHIELD has is guarded by two doofi who’ve never seen _Star Wars_? Yes, that was pretty stupid. For some reason, the guards immediately went from _“We don’t know you from jack so we need confirmation”_ to _“It’s now five seconds later and we trust you completely to the point of escorting you inside and turning our backs on you.”_ A more realistic scenario would have been the guards letting Ward and Garrett inside to get out of the helicopter’s gunfire range. But then one of the guards could have kept them under guard while the other one either called down for orders or went down in the elevator by himself. Jeez, guys, you just found out your organization has been infiltrated by traitors for the last few decades. Try and be a little suspicious. A separate issue is all of the stuff that turned out to be waited in the Fridge after it had supposedly be shot out into space. Garrett said this was Fury’s idea rather than taking credit for it for Hydra. So was this a Hydra idea to hang on to these weapons? Or was Garrett telling the truth and Fury was lying to his own people? ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/48 "2014-04-16T21:37:25Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Lola is Coulson’s flying red convertible. The plane itself is The Bus. Duh, yeah. I had said the same thing as they left the plane “you have a flying car!” ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/49 "2014-04-16T21:41:18Z")
Does Coulson still use Lola? Seems a waste to haul her around and not use her once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/50 "2014-04-16T22:15:21Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A more realistic scenario would have been the guards letting Ward and Garrett inside to get out of the helicopter’s gunfire range. But then one of the guards could have kept them under guard while the other one either called down for orders or went down in the elevator by himself. Jeez, guys, you just found out your organization has been infiltrated by traitors for the last few decades. Try and be a little suspicious. While I agree in principal, sometimes you have to truncate timelines to tell the story in the time allotted. Actually, you can change ‘sometimes’ to ‘often’ or maybe even ‘nearly always’. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/51 "2014-04-17T00:03:43Z")
> [@obfusciatrist](#): > > Duh, yeah. I had said the same thing as they left the plane “you have a flying car!” Heck, they were standing next to the flying car while they were having the debate about walking. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/52 "2014-04-17T01:28:30Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Because of the line, “I’m everyone’s type?” I think that means a black hole would have a hard time swallowing his ego. He was also referred to as having a “straight version,” but I wasn’t sure if they meant in the sense of heterosexual, or just as a good guy. Probably the latter. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/53 "2014-04-17T01:58:33Z")
Where did all the hydra agents that were assisting Garret and Ward at the station come from? If they were there, just waiting - why the elaborate ruse with the helicopter? Why even station guards? If the visitors were unexpected, a couple of id shooting gattling guns will do the trick. What were you going to tell me? oh - yeah - Fury isn’t dead. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/54 "2014-04-17T01:59:35Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Where did all the hydra agents that were assisting Garret and Ward at the station come from? Presumably, Ward and Garret let them in after they killed the guards at the door. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/55 "2014-04-17T02:07:04Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > It doesn’t quite match what they’re saying, but the scene is [online](http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agents-of-shield/video/cant-miss-clips/_m_VDKA0_5w58l4wi). Skye never talks, but they’re showing her at the fallen agents memorial while Phil’s voiceover is describing to May Skye’s reaction when he told her what he learned about her past. As he’s saying “The world is full of evil, and lies, and pain, and death, and you can’t hide from it. You can only face it.” the camera pans away from Skye and over to Ward. …I think that the biggest early sign that Ward was a bad guy was way back in “Eyes”, when he killed a no-name security guard without raising a sweat. It seemed a very uncharacteristic move from a “hero” and quite a few people commented on it at the time. Turns out he isn’t a hero: so it wasn’t that surprising after all. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/56 "2014-04-17T02:07:45Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Presumably, Ward and Garret let them in after they killed the guards at the door. They were allowed in and to the elevator and followed by the guards - the gaurds go to take them downstairs (wait, now who’s gaurding the door?) - Ward kills the two gaurds - Ward/Garret don gas masks and prepare the gas grenades \ - Ward/Garret and a group of other gas mask wearing dudes are walking down a hallway killing/stomping on non-gas mask wearing dudues until Garret says the air is clear. Now - I agree that they "could have’ let in some other men after killing the two would be guards - but there is nothing in the chain of events to suggest they came from anywhere but within the building. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/57 "2014-04-17T03:14:04Z")
> [@pricciar](#): > > “HAIL HYDRA!!” “Alright alright. Put your arms down Kaminsky. You look like a West Texas Cheerleader at a pep rally.” “Gimme an H!” “Gimme a Y!” “Gimme a D!” “Gimme an R!” “Gimme an A!” “What’s that spell?” “_ **HYDRA!** _” “Out of the darkness!” “Into the light!” “Come on HYDRA!” “Fight! Fight! Fight!” “Hey, let’s all put our hands together for those amazing Hydrettes! Now–who’s ready for some _SUPERRR-VILLAAAIIINY!_” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/58 "2014-04-17T04:06:43Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Where did all the hydra agents that were assisting Garret and Ward at the station come from? If they were there, just waiting - why the elaborate ruse with the helicopter? Why even station guards? If the visitors were unexpected, a couple of id shooting gattling guns will do the trick. If they had attacked initially, they could have killed the two guards on the roof but wouldn’t have been able to get inside. They needed the guards to let Ward and Garrett in so they could gas the place and take over. Then they could let in the rest of the Hydra agents to do the looting. eta: Or what Miller said. I really should read all the new posts rather than responding to them as I read them. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/59 "2014-04-17T16:02:07Z")
I know I’m in the minority, but I liked SHIELD better during the ‘boring’ early season. The latest episodes are getting very Game of Thrones-y to me. I guess that’s good for SHIELD since Game of Thrones is so popular, but it isn’t my cup of tea. I also have a pet-peeve against storytelling that relies on extremely poor-decision making to drive the story (see _24_, “Hmmm, some dude is trying to kidnap me. I must run into that dark deserted alleyway over there instead of to that well-lit area with people around that could help me!”) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/60 "2014-04-17T16:52:07Z")
I mentioned in a previous thread you could make a series out of a team cleaning up all the stuff SHIELD collected over the years and it looks like that is what we are getting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229.md?page=4)