# Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D S02E15: One Door Closes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463 "2015-04-01T00:55:19Z")\ **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 2, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/41 "2015-04-02T15:59:44Z")
So far, it was only Fitz who said Inhuman. I wonder how Gordon & friends will take to that? Are they really going to call themselves Inhumans? How un-PC. ---
**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 2, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/42 "2015-04-02T16:03:08Z")
The new SHIELD seems much more reactionary when it comes to superhumans than the old SHIELD (or Coulson’s outfit) is. The dickhead with the treebranch stuck in his torso was using real bullets against Skye, despite Bobbi’s orders, and I think his men were doing the same thing. That wasn’t a capture mission, it was a kill mission - and that’s likely going to drive Bobbi to switch back to Coulson’s side. I wonder if there’s a plan to have a more antagonistic SHIELD in the movies, and this is the setup so that the characters in _Agents of…_ aren’t made out to be bad guys. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/43 "2015-04-02T17:13:38Z")
I do appreciate how Simmons outsmarted Bobbi though. “Here, hold this. [zap!]” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/44 "2015-04-02T19:09:15Z")
> [@akrako1](#): > > I don’t think it was the \*conversation \*that was poorly thought out, but the entire story arc… Gonzalez et all form this new SHIELD, but they somehow don’t tell anyone, so Coulson and nobody he encounters knows they exist… Overlooking the entire aircraft carrier (that presumably went silent and/or off the grid to hide), Coulson had been out looking for lost SHIELD agents for months (including Gonzalez). … Even Coulson - would could seemingly locate and kill all of the heads of Hydra in one swift move- couldn’t find them… And regarding Puerto Rico, Gonzalez mentioned that he knew what was going on. Well where was he then?? why was he not helping?? There was some bad shit going down, you’re worried Coulson is compromised, so you do… nothing? … If he had reached out to Coulson, told him some command structure still exists, and come back into the fold. Would Coulson really have said No? I highly doubt it… Yeah, why jump Coulson and co instead of just reaching out and telling Coulson "No. you’re not the Director’ (and then, who is?). And why hang out with your fucking thumb up your ass and let Coulson & co take down HYDRA (and lose some good agents) all by their lonesome? This\* is\* totally pulled out of their ass.:mad: It’s like having a murder mystery solved by “It was the Invisible man all along” when there’s been no indication there is such a thing as Invisibility. Bad writing. Terrible writing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/45 "2015-04-02T19:46:57Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Also, if Skye is a danger and she’s in a Hulk-proof cabin, why not just leave her there? Post guards and say “sorry, we’re going to keep you here for awhile.” Where were they planned on taking her? Gonzales doesnt seem much for thinking things out, and has poor judgement. He has cojones, sure, but no wisdom. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/46 "2015-04-02T19:48:29Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > The dickhead with the treebranch stuck in his torso was using real bullets against Skye, despite Bobbi’s orders, and I think his men were doing the same thing. That wasn’t a capture mission, it was a kill mission - and that’s likely going to drive Bobbi to switch back to Coulson’s side. I didnt see that, how do you know they were real bullets?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/47 "2015-04-02T20:03:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I didnt see that, how do you know they were real bullets?😕 They went Bang! Bang! when the Icers go Pew! Pew! And Agent Dickhead Treebranch was seen checking his real gun right after Bobbi said “Icers only.” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/48 "2015-04-02T20:04:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I didnt see that, how do you know they were real bullets?😕 Right after Bobbi said to use ICERs, they focused in on that UAG cocking his gun and it didn’t look like the ICER guns. When the other guy attacked Skye it certainly sounded like actual bullets, not ICERs. I think the implication was pretty clear that they were willing to kill her, not capture. And they appeared to shoot first, ask questions later. ---
**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 2, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/49 "2015-04-02T20:17:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I didnt see that, how do you know they were real bullets?😕 Well, ICER guns look kinds of [sci-fi-ish](https://www.myminifactory.com/uploads/object-images/6aa1a94c6305867f458b31c31c5b1cb373aa94ab.png). Agent Dickhead and the SHIELD mook were holding things that looked like real-world guns. And they made “bang” noises like real guns do on this show, not the more zappy noises the ICERs make. And during the big slow motion scene where Skye is blasting them both backwards, you can pretty clearly see that the bullet headed towards her is a standard slug, not a fancy [silver-and-blue tipped knockout bullets](http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/File:ICER_bullet.png) the ICERs fire. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/50 "2015-04-02T20:18:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I didnt see that, how do you know they were real bullets?😕 If you look closely, you could see Skye deflecting an actual bullet. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/51 "2015-04-04T06:40:47Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > As for the two SHIELDS: > > I am putting my money in that the “second” SHIELD is the real one on planet Earth, and that the Coulson SHIELD (the fightin’ Phils) is the real one in the mind of Fury (who is dead so not a part of SHIELD anymore). > > SHIELD knows the threats (including Hydra) and also knows that the Fightin Phils are there going against said Hydra agents, so in SHIELDS mind why not let the Fightin’ Phils fight Hydra people, get killed in the process, kill some snakes in the process, and if they win…Neat! If they lose…oh well, we didn’t lose any of our people. > > This was all fine and good until they started to sniff something was off and that the Fightin’ Phils had something of Fury’s which SHIELD wanted, so they send in Bobbi and Mac to infiltrate. I agree with most of this–but not that they’d be so callow about Coulson’s SHIELD losing people. I think it was more–stay out off their way while they are fighting a legitimate and mutual threat in Hydra. Now Hydra is incapacitated for a bit they will make their move. Like discussed in previous threads it doesn’t make any sense for the world governments to have just said regarding SHIELD “shrug, whatever” NuSHIELD is the real SHIELD for all intents and purposes to those that have the power–that’s why they have a carrier and quinjets. I do agree that the flashback was unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/52 "2015-04-04T07:56:27Z")
I think that’s backwards - they have the carrier and quinjets because that’s how they started out, not because they were given them. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/53 "2015-04-04T11:27:16Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > NuSHIELD is the real SHIELD for all intents and purposes to those that have the power–that’s why they have a carrier and quinjets. Like **MrDibble** said, they have the carrier and quinjets because they had always had them from before the SHIELD breakdown. As far as any official recognition goes, Coulson’s team is recognized as SHIELD by the U.S. Military and the U.S. Government and I’m pretty sure his team has also had direct contact with other world leaders since the SHIELD breakdown- at the very least there was the Belgian Ambassador to the United Nations that their team contacted to protect him before they realized he was Hyrda. I think Gonzalashield has up to now considered it their primary mission to observe (and stay hidden from) Coulson’s operations. They were waiting until they had enough information before stepping in- it was only a few episodes ago that Mac got the schematics of the base (under the pretense of strictly applying quarantine after Puerto Rico), and it was only just about that time that he has located Fury’s toolbox. Gonzalashield needed all this in order to be able to just walk in and take over Coulson’s operation. If he trusted Coulson enough to have a conversation about it, he could have contacted him much sooner. For a take-over, however, he had to wait until he could go in with the upper hand. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/54 "2015-04-04T14:18:31Z")
The episode may have addressed this and I missed it but the Flashback confused me some because when we first meet Bobbi she was embedded in Hydra. The show implied it was Coulson who did this. I am not sure how the timeline works if she is with Second Shield so early on. So she was a spy for Second Shield under Coulson, he embeds her into Hydra. If she was in Hydra should wouldn’t have been able to keep an eye on Coulson…I am not sure how this would all work. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/55 "2015-04-04T14:37:10Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The episode may have addressed this and I missed it but the Flashback confused me some because when we first meet Bobbi she was embedded in Hydra. The show implied it was Coulson who did this. I am not sure how the timeline works if she is with Second Shield so early on. So she was a spy for Second Shield under Coulson, he embeds her into Hydra. If she was in Hydra should wouldn’t have been able to keep an eye on Coulson…I am not sure how this would all work. Hey, if normal people knew how spies worked, spies would be out of work! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/56 "2015-04-04T14:54:55Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The episode may have addressed this and I missed it but the Flashback confused me some because when we first meet Bobbi she was embedded in Hydra. The show implied it was Coulson who did this. I am not sure how the timeline works if she is with Second Shield so early on. So she was a spy for Second Shield under Coulson, he embeds her into Hydra. If she was in Hydra should wouldn’t have been able to keep an eye on Coulson…I am not sure how this would all work. Yeah, it’s confusing. Bobbi & Mac must have rejoined Shield (undercover) immediately after they took the ship. Meanwhile, Xena & Hunter formed a freelance merc team that Coulson conveniently hired to help out. ---
**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 4, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/57 "2015-04-04T17:00:33Z")
Bobbi, Mac, and Xena were all infiltrating Coulson’s org. Bobbi told Hunter that it was Xena’s idea to bring in Hunter as a freelancer once they were embedded in Coulson’s team, which is why he didn’t know about the double cross. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/58 "2015-04-08T18:47:23Z")
> [@akrako1](#): > > I don’t think it was the \*conversation \*that was poorly thought out, but the entire story arc… Gonzalez et all form this new SHIELD, but they somehow don’t tell anyone, so Coulson and nobody he encounters knows they exist… Overlooking the entire aircraft carrier (that presumably went silent and/or off the grid to hide), Coulson had been out looking for lost SHIELD agents for months (including Gonzalez). I guess SHIELD2 wasn’t out looking for old members, or they would have overlapped… or at least someone would have said “hey, they were _other_ SHIELD guys asking me to signup last week”, but no. Even Coulson - would could seemingly locate and kill all of the heads of Hydra in one swift move- couldn’t find them… And regarding Puerto Rico, Gonzalez mentioned that he knew what was going on. Well where was he then?? why was he not helping?? There was some bad shit going down, you’re worried Coulson is compromised, so you do… nothing? And during the flashbacks… Gonzalez was desperately trying to enforce Fury’s order about the sinking the carrier. But later essentially considers Fury a traitor, and his appointed new director doesn’t even get the courtesy of knowing the organization still exists… If he had reached out to Coulson, told him some command structure still exists, and come back into the fold. Would Coulson really have said No? I highly doubt it. > > And Fury’s secrecy is what caused SHIELD’s downfall… really? Not that Hydra had been planted inside SHIELD from the very beginning, building their strength, and biding their time…? And Fury’s secrecy about what exactly caused the fall? > > Unfortunately, this story arc seems to have been pulled out of the writers asses, as they can’t _just_ focus on the Inhumans/Skye/or whatever is going to lead into Avengers 2. I’m a bit disappointed by this, as the other major story arcs seemed to have been planned from the beginning (Ward/Hydra, Shield downfall) and made a lot more logical sense… I agree with pretty much all of this. However, I think the writers pretty much had no other choics: they need a SHIELD to be behind the drive towards registration/detention of enhanced people, and they can’t use Coulson and his gang, since they’re already far too sympathetic, so they pulled the ‘real SHIELD’—crap. > [@Miller](#): > > Bobbi, Mac, and Xena were all infiltrating Coulson’s org. Bobbi told Hunter that it was Xena’s idea to bring in Hunter as a freelancer once they were embedded in Coulson’s team, which is why he didn’t know about the double cross. Which really doesn’t seem like such a smart idea, does it? Hey, we’re infiltrating a covert team of super spies on account of another covert team of super spies. Let’s bring in someone unrelated, but with whom we all have a personal history, and not tell him anything while we go around acting suspiciously! ---
**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 8, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/59 "2015-04-08T19:03:44Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Which really doesn’t seem like such a smart idea, does it? Hey, we’re infiltrating a covert team of super spies on account of another covert team of super spies. Let’s bring in someone unrelated, but with whom we all have a personal history, and not tell him anything while we go around acting suspiciously! Bobbi said they didn’t expect him to stick around. I’m guessing it was Coulson’s idea to hire some temp muscle, and went to Xena for recommendations. She picked Hunter because he’s pretty mercenary, and seemed unlikely to develop any personal loyalty to Coulson and his group. Probably would have worked, too, if Xena hadn’t gotten herself killed, which got Hunter personally invested in taking down Hydra, and drew him further into Coulson’s orbit. ---
**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 15, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463/60 "2015-04-15T14:45:51Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Bobbi, Mac, and Xena were all infiltrating Coulson’s org. Bobbi told Hunter that it was Xena’s idea to bring in Hunter as a freelancer once they were embedded in Coulson’s team, which is why he didn’t know about the double cross. This also has an advantage that Hunter looks sketchy as hell most of the time, so any suspicious thoughts of double-agentry would be directed at him instead. > [@Sir T-Cups](#): > > SHIELD knows the threats (including Hydra) and also knows that the Fightin Phils are there going against said Hydra agents, so in SHIELDS mind why not let the Fightin’ Phils fight Hydra people, get killed in the process, kill some snakes in the process, and if they win…Neat! If they lose…oh well, we didn’t lose any of our people. This also works well to explain why Gonzalez didn’t reveal his organization to Talbot. “Talbot wants to take down Shield? Okay… there’s one over there…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-s02e15-one-door-closes/716463.md?page=2)