Agents of SHIELD: F.Z.Z.T. is Jemma’s First Time Skydiving!

Welcome back WormholeRiders dedicated to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

This week we got to take a much closer look at the two scientists of our team as we circled the study, infection, and outbreak of a virus transmitted through electric means.

This was particularly exciting week for me as I love electricity and viruses both – so combining them made for quite a fun experience!

The story was handled conservatively in terms of a virus story – not an outbreak among the main members of the show, more just placing one emotionally vital member in danger and seeing how the team rallies to save her – but effectively.

F.Z.Z.T.:

These people are beginning to come together as a team – their personalities and chemistry have been clashing quite a bit since the start of the series, but slowly they are forming a cohesive unit.

This week’s theme struck me as that of discovery – not in the literal sense, more about finding things out about yourself and how those things will affect your life.

Our two main people who make discoveries this week are Agent Fitz (Iain de Caestecker) and Agent Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) (Fitz-Simmons), and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg).

Fitz-Simmons have been slightly in the background since the show started. As the scientists of the group, they come as a unit, finishing each other’s sentences (or talking with one another at the same time), sometimes breaking things down to simple laws and reality, and maintaining a somewhat rosy-eyed view of the world despite the danger.

They are probably the ‘youngest’ members of the team in that they are not used to combat or dangerous situations, and so serve as the ‘wide-eyed newbies’ to the world they are in.

Over the past few episodes, the level of danger they have been in has always been either low, or something they can get out of because Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), Grant Ward, (Brett Dalton), or Coulson have been there.

Now, we get to observe the two them in a situation where their lives are affected – and no one can help them solve the problem but themselves despite the best efforts of the Melinda May to not only “drive the bus”, but seek answers from a truck that was blasted at the encampment!

Therefore, this week is likely the first time Fitz-Simmons have found themselves virtually on their own, alone, with an immediate threat.

The two characters are darned lovable to begin with, so putting them in danger was a great way to get an emotional response from the audience. Fitz and Simmons both like to make fun of Ward behind his back, as we see at the start of this episode. Both of them also seem quite forgiving of Skye despite what she did, showing that they are either naïve or just kind. As scientists, it could be either.

Scientists and doctors are often depicted as being the opposing force to soldiers and government officials because they are more attuned to the human condition. They are also more intuitive and more focused on the ‘why and how’ of the world instead of the ‘what to do about it’.

Fitz comes across as more the ‘baby’ of the group than any other character. If we consider the ‘clueless’ scientists to be the least ‘in the know’, Simmons is more vocal and less head-in-the-clouds. Fitz still expresses his opinion, but quietly. This episode, however, changes a lot of that.

While the writers seem to be setting Fitz up to have a crush on Skye (Chloe Bennet). Iin a somewhat obvious but still kind of charming if cheesy way), it was clear from the get-go that Fitz and Simmons have a connection to each other. The moment Simmons is quarantined, Fitz goes to sit back to back with her through the glass, and immediately begins to find ways to cheer her up.

His worry for her is evident even though she is (predictably) stressing out more about the fact that she is about to die. Over the rest of the episode, Fitz refuses to leave Simmons’ side, even going so far as to take the chance of infection to try and help her find a cure.

At the episode’s climax, he struggles to put on a parachute to jump out of the plane after her, even though he does not seem to have any idea what he is doing. Their history has been set up through the past few episodes, they work brilliantly as a team, and they have a strong best-friend-type history dating back through school.

Fitz has demonstrated that he is willing to risk death for her, usually a sign of romantic attraction for most plot lines, though they are closely tied together as friends already (Skye jokes they are psychic even as Fitz tries to dismiss the connection). I think the potential for something more between them is there – the only question is will the writers exploit it or leave the door open for other things to happen?

Both Fitz and Simmons have now been exposed to more of the reality of their job. The bad guys do not always have guns.

Sometimes the weapons are biological and come from within to lay waste to a situation.

Both of them have been shaken from the experience (though Simmons is pretending to be just fine for now…we will see how long that lasts).

But it also provided an admirable view of their will to survive and overcome odds, as well as how far one of them was willing to go to protect her teammates.

I am reminded of Rodney McKay’s (David Hewlett) descent into the darkness from MGM Studios famed Stargate Atlantis episode ‘Hide and Seek’.

Their opinions and view of the world have likely been changed forever, and the repercussions of this episode will likely last throughout the season.

Phil Coulson has never been a fool – not when we saw him in The Avengers, nor in any episode of this series so far.

Coulson knows there is something deeply different about him and I doubt he believes May when she assures him it is only because he has seen death and come back from it. He does seem to have almost a greater spiritual confidence, though even in the film he had a surety about him.

This surety is part of why he became such a beloved character both in and out of canon. His sureness in the scene with Tony Diaz, (Vincent Laresca) before the man succumbs to the virus is some of the most powerful emotion we have seen from him – and it only increases when he looks May in the eye and tell her he is different.

Clark Gregg has an impressive range of human emotion that he knows how to use for maximum effect, and Coulson is prey to everything going on inside of him as he tries to work out who and what he is.

Another question that still remains to be answered is that of the Cavalry. While I am sure it will be addressed soon, that does not mean it is not chewing at the brains of people watching. Ming-Na is playing a beautiful, deadly soldier who seems slightly lacking in human emotion but high on hyper awareness, reflexes, and strength.

The woman kicked down a door that they were going to ram with a truck. Not to mention she seems to have a lot of the same skills as Natasha Romanoff. She also dislikes being called ‘the Cavalry’ and swore not to go on any combat operations until she realized she was needed – not just wanted but needed – because of the nature of everything these people go through.

She is beginning to strike me as a super soldier not because women cannot be that powerful, but because of the nature of the show and the skill set she has shown. Could she be a super soldier who went berserk and accidentally killed a bunch of people – or a super soldier who has seen enough combat to be tired of it?

Regardless, she also will have a hand in Coulson’s discovery of who he is. She knows – we were given that clue in the pilot episode. What is her involvement in his life, death, and rebirth, and how much information will she give him when the time comes?

Skye is plucky as ever, joining in with laughter at Fitz-Simmons’ teasing of Ward, then snarking off to Ward the first chance she gets. Despite this, Skye seems to have a respect for Ward that she does not openly want to share. It would be against her character to do so at this time, but she is fighting to get back into his good graces (the rest of the team seems to have accepted her).

Skye needs and wants Ward’s approval. He is part of the ‘foster family’ she is trying to fit into, as she pointed out in the third episode, and there is a slow-growing friendship between them. As Fitz-Simmons work to find a cure, the two continue to bond, with Ward opening up to Skye a little more than he has before, and a little more than he does to the other members of the team.

In a surprisingly weak moment for him, he confesses that he wanted the ‘bad guy’ to be a person he could hurt or punish because that is what he does, what he can do. “What I can’t do is protect you guys from something I can’t see or understand.”

It is a greatly personal statement from a man formerly toughened and closed off from the rest of the team – but again, he and Skye are already showing signs of being closer to each other than others (similar to Coulson and May).

There have been rumblings of romance between them, but for the moment they still have more of a soldier-confidant growing than a romantic one. Skye has the potential to become a good soldier, so to speak. She has stubbornness, toughness, a realistic look on life, intelligence and creativity, adaptability, and an inherent dislike of authority.

She also has a lot to lose – she is seeking her parents and a place for herself in the world. Skye’s growth this season will be critical for her, and her relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. will be instrumental in making it happen.

While I am enjoying the show a great deal and not willing to give it up, I do hope the writers establish more of an over-arching plot. As Jigsaw often says: “All of the pieces will come together.” This show is doing very well so far, with characters slowly developing and increasingly exciting experiences each week.

Fitting everything together, however, will open the doors for new stories to be born, and set a stronger path for the show to follow. Given the director and writers, I have great faith that something will come.

I will be seeing all of you in a few weeks’ time with my next review. Until then, enjoy the ride that Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen are taking all of us on. From the looks of it, the troubles for Fitz are not over, and perhaps it is his turn to stand up and show what he can do without assistance. If not, it definitely looks like he gets a bigger taste of what a soldier feels when captured by the enemy!

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Nayari09 (Pam)