AND Gonzales knew about Coulson all along, since he planted Bobbi and Mack in Coulson’s group. They’re likely the only, or at least the main, reason why Gonzales knew so much about Coulson’s group and their activities. We see Bobbi using the communication device hidden in the fire extinguisher, with the implication that it’s been used before to report in. So…why was it, again, that he didn’t reach out to Coulson, didn’t help Coulson in any way, and in fact the only action he seems to have taken regarding Coulson’s team was to plant spies within it.
Now, I believe “the real SHIELD” is not Hydra. I can see how they’d be wary, maybe thinking Coulson’s group might be Hydra agents posing as SHIELD. But no other agents that Coulson found and brought on board had apparently been contacted by “the real SHIELD,” not to recruit, not to eliminate, not even to say “Howdy, we’re what’s left of SHIELD.”
So the question is still “What has this real SHIELD been doing all this time, and why have they been doing that instead of joining a rebuilding effort?” Maybe some of my questions were addressed when Coulson and Gonzales talked. Hey, a good reason to rewatch the episode! (zooms off)
I’m having a hard time accepting that an entire aircraft carrier/helicarrier went unaccounted-for over months. That’s not something that SHIELD could have kept secret before its downfall, and Talbot has been tracking down SHIELD assets using the entire US military to do so. Furthermore, a carrier isn’t the kind of asset that can “go dark”; even if it’s got power, that is an awful lot of people to keep fed, and planes to keep fueled, and it looked like they had time to not only repair all the damages from the battle with HYDRA, but also to make up spiffy new SHIELD2 crests and hang 'em up everywhere.
They need a plot explanation bandaid, stat.
And while they’re at it, explain how the timeline of Bobbi getting orders from Fury to rescue Adama and scuttle the carrier is supposed to work. By the time HYDRA came out of the woodwork, Fury had already faked his death. Only Maria Hill and Cap’s team knew he was alive until he showed up to talk to Coulson. Did he also break cover to issue orders to Bobbi? (so, all SHIELD2 knows he’s alive?) Or did he actually have standing orders to rescue Adama and scuttle the carrier in the event that SHIELD was discovered to have been infilitrated and compromised? Because that… is somewhat implausible, and also in need of a plot explanation bandaid.
thanks for bringing up Talbot, someone else who could have known about Shield2 and would have loved to throw it in Coulson’s face…
another reason i think this plot “twist” seems like it was someone’s last minute addition to the second half of the season… or just sloppy writing.
good call Lightray, the timing of Fury’s order definitely needs some explaining… it sounded like it was personally given, not a longstanding policy - but it wasn’t explicit one way or the other.
Gonzales didn’t reach out to Coulson because Coulson is, in Gonzales’ view, a corpse reanimated by bizarre alien technologies whose loyalty is, at best, to the person Gonzales personally blames (rationally or not) for the destruction of SHIELD. He didn’t reach out to Coulson because he doesn’t want to work with him.
As for how they were able to hide from Coulson: they’re spies. *That’s what they do.
Nah. The idiots who wanted to nuke New York are the idiots who got killed by their namebadges in Winter Soldier (except Jenny Agutter, who survived by virtue of having been kidnapped by Natasha).
“Huh, the potentially dangerous Inhuman is at a place called The Retreat, which was designed to contain the Hulk.”
“Maybe we should just leave her there.”
“Nope! Let’s just go in all blind and noisy!”
Well, if you’re going to go THAT route, then what was wrong with just setting up a meeting with Coulson on neutral ground? Seriously, the climax of the big raid is Castille asking Coulson “Can you prove to me you’re not under alien influence?” What a stupid and pointless question - you’re not going to believe him if he says “no” and what’s your plan if he says “yes” ? All it does is waste enough time for a rescue to happen.
Funny thing, this is kind of like the Pegasus arc of Battlestar Galactica - the main characters, who’ve been barely hanging on and operating in secret, run across a larger and more powerful group of survivors leading to inevitable and pointless conflict, except Olmos has changed sides.
Refresh my memory. In the flashback, Bobbi was supposed to destroy whatever the ship was hiding so Hydra couldn’t get it. Gonzales supported Bobbi, 'cause orders are orders, then they went all democracy and decided to save the ship & its personnel. Then he also gets talked into Coulson being under alien influence. That Gonzales is a soft touch.
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?
Wonder what happens when Coulson tells Talbot about all this?
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.
As an aside: Since I marathoned the whole series up until now, and marathoned each of these threads, it’s hilarious the amount of “Lucy Lawless is comin’ back!” posts there are and how it’s not happened.