Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 Episode 8 "The Well" Discussion Thread

[Silvermoon]

TV Ratings Tuesday: 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' & 'Dads' Up, 'NCIS' & 'Person of Interest' Flat + 'The Mindy Project' & 'Supernatural' Slip

On ABC, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scored a 2.3, up a tenth from last week's series low 2.2 adults 18-49 rating.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

hm... i wasn't expecting the positive reaction. I thought the episode was less than good.

not sure if i'll be tuning in next week. but if i'm bored enough we'll see.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

On ABC, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scored a 2.3, up a tenth from last week's series low 2.2 adults 18-49 rating.

How much is a tenth? I don't even know what the numbers mean.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Glad to see the Mindy Project slip.

 

[Mysteryman]

How much is a tenth? I don't even know what the numbers mean.

Think of it as one point up.
last week was 2.2, a series low .
So, anything up from that is good news.

 

[cherokeesam]

hm... i wasn't expecting the positive reaction. I thought the episode was less than good.

not sure if i'll be tuning in next week. but if i'm bored enough we'll see.

You're the only one so far who posted a less than positive reaction to last night's episode....most here and on the other sites seemed to love it.

How much is a tenth? I don't even know what the numbers mean.

Last week's 2.2 rating meant 6.67 million viewers; the week before that, a 2.5 brought in 7.15 million. So 2.3 is 7 million-ish.

 

[Nathan]

I just really enjoyed the fact that the usual characters weren't written overly quirky, plus we got additional character development and insight. I take that over some random powered freak and comic reference any day of the week. If I can't enjoy the cast, I can't enjoy the rest of the show. And this time, I properly enjoyed them.

 

[Mysteryman]

There is always the chance these numbers could go up later on today.
These are initial estimates.
2.4 anyone?

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Last week's 2.2 rating meant 6.67 million viewers; the week before that, a 2.5 brought in 7.15 million. So 2.3 is 7 million-ish.

Oh so it's like a % of total viewers instead of a flat number.

 

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Oh so it's like a % of total viewers instead of a flat number.

Not exactly, that 2.3 is referring to one demographic. The current estimate of last night's total viewers is 6.85 million.

 

[Xeno]

May and Ward might have shagged but that seems a little unprofessional. I think they're just having a drink and talking through Ward's issues.

Why would their having sex be unprofessional? They were off the clock and both of them are equal in rank, so it's not as if one of them was taking advantage of a subordinate. And they're spies. The profession is almost synonymous with casual sex. It would be unprofessional if none of them were having quickies here and there. May & Ward were just carrying on an old SHIELD tradition.

(Cue the Herb Alpert and Astrud Gilberto music, stat!)

 

[Dr. Evil]

So along with Cap's Shield and Falcon's wings, the interrogation room is also made of Vibranium.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

So along with Cap's Shield and Falcon's wings, the interrogation room is also made of Vibranium.

the interrogation room is made out of Cap's shield and Falcon's wings?

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Not exactly, that 2.3 is referring to one demographic. The current estimate of last night's total viewers is 6.85 million.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

Why would their having sex be unprofessional? They were off the clock and both of them are equal in rank, so it's not as if one of them was taking advantage of a subordinate.

Eh still seems a little icky, the Bus is like their office. It's not a big deal tho.

 

[afan]

The chubby one.
Trenton Rogers is listed as "Young Grant Ward." The tall skinny bully --- who looks surprisingly like a young Brett Dalton, is listed as "Maynard." (Ward's brother is just listed as "Boy In Well.")



I don't think he died. They would've implied that. Instead, the scene showed Ward lowering the rope to his brother while Maynard was away.

I get the impression that Maynard might be his brother, too....an older, bullying, psychotic one. Willing to bet we'll see/hear more about the well incident.

Thanks....

 

[DN91]

They were just having a late night fondue.

 

[Xeno]

Ah, I see. Thanks.



Eh still seems a little icky, the Bus is like their office. It's not a big deal tho.

Icky? SHIELD obviously doesn't have a non-fraternization policy, and why would it? They're all adults, even if some of them don't act like it. It's probably preferable that agents hook up with each other rather than with civilians and possibly cause security risks. Besides, when do any of them have time for private lives? It'd be different if May lured Ward into the backseat of their tricked out SUV, but since they're in a hotel it's no problem.

(I await the writer's walk-back on this, though. "Oh, not, they just got drunk together!" Yeah, right. That would be unprofessional, of course, since May has to stay sober to be ready to fly at a moment's notice.)

 

[RockSP]

(Cue the Herb Alpert and Astrud Gilberto music, stat!)

Heh. The last panel. Gun in a holster. I see what you did there, marvel.

 

[ctsketch]

Ah, I see. Thanks.



Eh still seems a little icky, the Bus is like their office. It's not a big deal tho.

They weren't on the bus. The were at a hotel. They mentioned rarely getting overnight stays etc the scene before

 

[Guard82]

I may have missed it...was the fact they were searching for Asgardian artifacts right after the events of Thor 2 just a coincidence? I'll be watching it over again, but I never caught why exactly these punk kids suddenly had such insight into find the Berserker Staff.

Oh, and anyone think those punks were like the Hydra equivalent of Neo-Nazis? I don't know, just a thought, seeing as the similarities between that group and Neo-Nazis was obvious, and considering the MCU uses Hydra as a stand-in for Nazis, it made me wonder if there was some relation there.

Yeah, they did remind me of a Neo-Nazi version of Hydra or some other terrorist/criminal organization. Their behavior was similar to Hydra.

Also, their leader Jakob Nystrom reminded me a lot of the Marvel supervillain the Wizard (a.k.a. Bentley Wittman, enemy of Fantastic Four, Avengers, etc.). Nystrom's narcissism, intellectual skill, egotism and obsession with power were similar to the Wizard in the comics. The mustache and goatee helped too. Maybe the Wizard was one of the influences for his character.

 

[ctsketch]

So along with Cap's Shield and Falcon's wings, the interrogation room is also made of Vibranium.

Falcon's wings are vibranium? Why are you making stuff up?

 

[Endeavor]

Eh still seems a little icky, the Bus is like their office. It's not a big deal tho.

They were staying at a hotel in Ireland that night, not the Bus. So they were off clock and off base.

 

[Guard82]

I really enjoyed this episode. Not only did they do a great job with the Asgard and Norse mythology angles, but they provided some great character moments too. Ward, of course, was the main focus this time for most of the episode. It was good to see mixture of emotions from him and to see how he struggled with his childhood trauma. May, Simmons and Skye had some nice moments too.

I enjoyed the focus on Norse myths and legends, especially how the myths covered many geographic locations around the globe. It made the story seem bigger and more fascinating.

Peter MacNicol was great as Professor Elliot Randolph, and the twist with his character was brilliant. It made him even more interesting, and it helped to expand the Asgardian angle of the MCU. The actor who played the villain Jakob Nystrom gave a nice performance too. I thought his character seemed like a cross between the Marvel supervillain the Wizard and a Hydra/Secret Empire leader.

I loved the opening scene where they are in London cleaning up after the events of Thor 2. Coulson complaining about how Asgardians always leave a mess whenever they come to Earth made me laugh a lot. It was especially amusing when his annoyance was contrasted with Skye's fascination over the concept of gods/aliens.

They added a nice touch with Simmons' initial skepticism over the concept of magic, once again playing up the MCU theme of how science and magic are actually related closely, and are not always distinct from each other.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

They weren't on the bus. The were at a hotel

they're in a hotel

They were staying at a hotel

So wait, are you guys saying they were at a hotel?

It was 3am when I watched, I didn't catch that bit. But as I said earlier, is no biggie.

 

[Silvermoon]

Whiskey, I don't know if anyone's told you this yet, but they weren't on the bus... they were at a hotel

Spoiler

sorry, couldn't resist