# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/121 "2014-04-22T12:27:58Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > No, it clearly was not a SHIELD facility. None of them could find out anything about the place through SHIELD channels, the guards were completely unimpressed to them waving about SHIELD credentials, and they stated that Fury had to pull a lot of strings/call in favors to get access to the place. Plus, it didn’t have the big SHIELD logo on the door. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/122 "2014-04-22T14:42:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It’s very possible. Guess who created SWORD while he was writing X-Men? Maybe we will encounter Agent Brand in the future. But I’m afraid she belongs to Fox. ---
**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 22, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/123 "2014-04-22T15:20:19Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Plus, it didn’t have the big SHIELD logo on the door. Which is exactly what a super secret shield facility would not have. Unless you’re in canada. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/124 "2014-04-22T16:04:37Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Which is exactly what a super secret shield facility would not have. > > Unless you’re in canada. Have you been watching the show? They put the logo on _everything_–the plane, the SUV, their lanyards… ---
**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 22, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/125 "2014-04-22T16:05:29Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Which is exactly what a super secret shield facility would not have. Have we seen _any_ SHIELD facility without the logo? And they’re all supposed to be super secret; it’s a spy agency. _Maybe_ that giant facility on the Potomac with three ginormous underriver helicarrier hangars isn’t supposed to be super secret. But I wouldn’t bet money on that assumption. ---
**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 22, 2014, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/126 "2014-04-22T16:53:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Have you been watching the show? They put the logo on _everything_–the plane, the SUV, their lanyards… > [@Lightray](#): > > Have we seen _any_ SHIELD facility without the logo? And they’re all supposed to be super secret; it’s a spy agency. Yeah - but this is the super duper ultra secret base! (its a joke - just laugh and move on) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/127 "2014-04-22T17:31:41Z")
Who’s in charge of HYDRA anyway? Garrett’s a true believer, but he’s not the top level guy is he? What’s HYDRA’s plan these days? They’ve been exposed and are at war with SHIELD, but what’s their endgame? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/128 "2014-04-22T17:47:15Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Who’s in charge of HYDRA anyway? Garrett’s a true believer, but he’s not the top level guy is he? What’s HYDRA’s plan these days? They’ve been exposed and are at war with SHIELD, but what’s their endgame? Did you see the mid-ending-credits scene in Winter Soldier? It may be a chap named Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Or maybe Simmons. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/129 "2014-04-22T18:43:00Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Who’s in charge of HYDRA anyway? Garrett’s a true believer, but he’s not the top level guy is he? What’s HYDRA’s plan these days? They’ve been exposed and are at war with SHIELD, but what’s their endgame? Garrett’s not a true believer. He just saw which way the wind was blowing. ---
**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 23, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/130 "2014-04-23T00:34:27Z")
Mid-episode prediction: Ward kills Koenig and then tells everyone else May did it. ---
**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 23, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/131 "2014-04-23T00:52:34Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Did you see the mid-ending-credits scene in Winter Soldier? > > It may be a chap named Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Or maybe Simmons. Based on the dialogue in that scene, I don’t think Strucker is the leader of Hydra. He’s talking about selling out Hydra in favor of his own agenda in much the same way the Red Skull sold out the Nazis in the first Captain America movie. ---
**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 23, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/132 "2014-04-23T01:02:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Mid-episode prediction: Ward kills Koenig and then tells everyone else May did it. I really suck at this. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2014, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/133 "2014-04-23T17:36:24Z")
Yeah, so… so much for my theory of Ward being a double (triple? i dunno) Agent. I didn’t believe he was really Hydra, but wow, they put that to rest in a hurry. Well played by the actor, too. (I always thought he got a bad rap in these threads, playing his part serviceably. But here, wow, he really got to shine.) I really loved how suddenly all the goodies from the early episodes came into play. (the berserker staff, the Peruvian Ray Gun thing, the gravitonium…) Well done! Apparently I glossed over a lot of dumb stuff, which in retrospect, yeah, kinda dumb. But still a fun ride. Liked this ep a lot. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/134 "2014-04-24T02:16:45Z")
I just saw this one. Very enjoyable. However, I slightly think differently from what some others posted: Ward isn’t Hydra, exactly. He’s just Evil Bill Paxton’s personal Evil Lieutenant. He’s working for Hydra because Evil Bill Paxton is, nothing more or less. Should that loyalty fray, I doubt he would particularly keep doing their dirty work. However, I’m not so sure that deep down, he has a real identity. The vibe I kept getting from him, and I think his dialogue supports it, is that Ward doesn’t have a real personality or values - or least they’re buried deep behind the personas. In short, I’m saying that Hydra-Ward is just as much as mask as SHIELD-Ward. What his dialogue suggests is that he’s completely hollow as a human being - and Evil Bill Paxton probably molded him into that. But I wouldn’t bet that his loyalty holds. The Lorelei episode is rather interesting in hindsight. Every persona Lorelei affected served her in the way their existing personality traits suggested. The loving new husband essentially treated her like she was his bride. The bikers treated her as a boss and got her cash and guns. Fitz used his smarts and good-natured common sense. Ward used his skills… but nothing else. He didn’t contact Hydra _or_ try to take over a SHIELD facility. He didn’t try to introduce her to Evil Bill Paxton\*. So what does that say about who Ward really is? \*Yes, I am going to say that until the end of time. Because I think it’s funny as hell. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/135 "2014-08-19T04:36:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > At this point, I’m looking forward to the DVD release. I’m assuming there will be a few more twists before the end of the season and it’ll be interesting to go back and rewatch the early episodes to see what’s been foreshadowed. A bump but I just read that both _Agents of SHIELD_ and _The Winter Soldier_ are being released on DVD on September 9. And the Season Two premiere will be September 23. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/136 "2014-08-19T14:07:54Z")
[http://marvel.com/news/tv/2014/8/18/23103/mysterious\_marvels\_agents\_of\_shield\_billboard\_arrives](http://marvel.com/news/tv/2014/8/18/23103/mysterious_marvels_agents_of_shield_billboard_arrives) There’s a billboard up in L.A. too, with the (presumably) full text of whatever that language or code was in the Russian facility that Ward found, and that Coulson was scratching away at the end of the series. Looking forward to Season 2: I hope it starts out stronger than the first one! ---
**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:** [August 20, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/137 "2014-08-20T02:02:45Z")
> **[‘Agents of SHIELD’ Enlists Adrianne Palicki as Marvel Favorite (Exclusive)](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/agents-shield-enlists-adrianne-palicki-726118/)** > > Clear eyes, full hearts … Marvel character Former Wonder Woman Adrianne Palicki will join SHIELD as agent Mockingbird. Watch the video with Agent Koenig explaining. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/138 "2014-08-20T03:52:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A bump but I just read that both _Agents of SHIELD_ and _The Winter Soldier_ are being released on DVD on September 9. > > And the Season Two premiere will be September 23. Huh. _Winter Soldier_ is being released today (20 August) here in Australia - kind of a nice change. I haven’t seen a release date for us for _Agents_ yet, though… ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/139 "2014-08-20T04:01:14Z")
Really? I thought most countries got American releases within days of their US release these days. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229/140 "2014-08-20T05:07:56Z")
It depends. Television series seem to have a delay of a month or two, for the most part. Movies are even murkier; blockbusters come out at the same time, and occasionally earlier, but second tier movies often are released months later. I’m talking DVD’s and such. Release in theaters or on broadcast TV seems to follow similar rules. _shrug_ Licensing, marketing, any number of reasons for different dates. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s01e18-providence-open-spoilers/686229.md?page=8)