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

[Whiskey Tango]

They wanted to promote Thor through the show, not force everyone to see the movie in order to understand the events of this episode. Were people seriously expecting Dark Elves or the Jotun beast?

I think it works a lot better that we only just catch glimpses of the characters. Makes them feel a lot more mythic and cool.

Yup.

 

[redhawk23]

Is the show not allowed to actually show the face of the actors that portrayed the Avengers? I noticed on how, whenever they use actual clips from the films, they never show any clips featuring the actual faces of the stars.

Is there some kind of rule where they would have to pay money to the actors if their face is shown in any way on the show?

Definitely some monetary factors in those decision, both with the individual actors and possibly with issues related to clips from films from before the transition over to Disney

 

[redhawk23]

By the way, Frakes directed Star Trek: First Contact, which is easily the best TNG film and one of the beter Star Trek films in general.

 

[Xeno]

They wanted to promote Thor through the show, not force everyone to see the movie in order to understand the events of this episode. Were people seriously expecting Dark Elves or the Jotun beast?



Yup.

Of course we didn't expect to see the Jotun beast. (I didn't, anyway.) But what I had hoped was that the episode would focus on some of the artifacts carried by Asgardians and/or Dark Elves that got sucked through those mini-portals that kept popping up. How hard would it have been to have said that the staff was something that one of the elves dropped, or that it was accidentally drawn through to Earth from Asgard? Coulson and his team are there picking up such items that were left in Greenwich after the battle, so that would have made perfect sense.

Instead, it's just another unconnected thing thrown in that had nothing to do with the movie specifically. It could have been a tighter, more coherent connection with just a little more thought.

By the way, Frakes directed Star Trek: First Contact, which is easily the best TNG film and one of the beter Star Trek films in general.

First Contact is a great film. I thought Frakes' direction was right up there with Nimoy and Nicholas Meyer (The Wrath of Khan). It was definitely the best outing of the TNG crew in either film or TV. The introduction of the Borg Queen is one of my favorite scenes.

 

[Herolee10]

On another note, if SHIELD/Fury is trying to keep Coulson's resurrection from the Avengers a secret, then I don't think they're doing the best job of doing so.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Tony already knows, and with Thor now back on Earth, who knows how long it'll take before they'll cross paths again. The only person that I could buy not knowing, no matter how many times Coulson goes onto the field, would be Banner due to him being somewhat of a hermit.

Heck, I'm surprise that Steve doesn't know considering that Coulson can just freely walk around SHIELD facilities as well.

 

[seahammer]

Here is that clip, if anyone wants to check it out without searching for it:

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Enjoy!

 

[Silvermoon]

Here is that clip, if anyone wants to check it out without searching for it:

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Enjoy!

I love how annoyed Coulson is with the mess Asgardians tend to leave behind *lol*

 

[cph9fa]

Of course we didn't expect to see the Jotun beast. (I didn't, anyway.) But what I had hoped was that the episode would focus on some of the artifacts carried by Asgardians and/or Dark Elves that got sucked through those mini-portals that kept popping up. How hard would it have been to have said that the staff was something that one of the elves dropped, or that it was accidentally drawn through to Earth from Asgard? Coulson and his team are there picking up such items that were left in Greenwich after the battle, so that would have made perfect sense.

Instead, it's just another unconnected thing thrown in that had nothing to do with the movie specifically. It could have been a tighter, more coherent connection with just a little more thought.

I was sort of expecting the "crossover" marketing to be perhaps a bit oversold. The truth is, they have to be watchable to the portion of the audience that may not have seen TDW; and they also need to avoid just retelling the plot of that movie, or giving away spoilers. So I'm not terribly surprised.

 

[ctsketch]

I lol'd at the God of Cleanup comment

 

[Xeno]

I was sort of expecting the "crossover" marketing to be perhaps a bit oversold. The truth is, they have to be watchable to the portion of the audience that may not have seen TDW; and they also need to avoid just retelling the plot of that movie, or giving away spoilers. So I'm not terribly surprised.

But the explanation for viewers who haven't seen TDW is right there: Coulson's crew is cleaning up behind the final battle of TDW, picking up artifacts and debris from other realms. The staff would have fit right into that. All that would have been needed was to show souvenir hunters picking it up, throw in a couple of lines about it having been left after the battle, and the show would have been good to go. The excursion into a Scandinavian forest was totally unnecessary when the perfect explanation for the staff's origin was right there.

 

[Steyin]

I wonder if Heimdall can see Coulson.

 

[Eddie]

A few things:
This would have been a perfect time for a Damage Control cameo. Oh well.
Vishnu is an "alien" in the Marvel Universe.
Fitz talks about monkeys a great deal. Please introduce Hit-Monkey, Mr. Whedon. Please.
The way the artifact made that girl fill with power and rage after she touched it vaguely reminded me of The Worthy.

 

[Endeavor]

So yeah, Frakes. From what I understand he's got some good directing credentials? I peeked at his imdb profile but haven't seen any of the shows he's directed.

He directed First Contact, THE BEST Star Trek movie prior to the relaunch...

Yes, better than Wrath Of Khan.

That's right, I said it.

 

[Xeno]

He directed First Contact, THE BEST Star Trek movie prior to the relaunch...

Yes, better than Wrath Of Khan.

That's right, I said it.

More proof that opinions can be wrong.

 

[Endeavor]

More proof that opinions can be wrong.

 

[cph9fa]

A few things:
This would have been a perfect time for a Damage Control cameo. Oh well.
Vishnu is an "alien" in the Marvel Universe.
Fitz talks about monkeys a great deal. Please introduce Hit-Monkey, Mr. Whedon. Please.
The way the artifact made that girl fill with power and rage after she touched it vaguely reminded me of The Worthy.

Maybe after this, Coulson tries to get SHIELD to create Damage Control. There'd be little reason for them to exist at this point, this being only the second major event that they would be called upon for.

Fitz needs a Capuchin monkey! Hilarity ensues, until something goes horribly wrong. It also says something about Fitz's character -- he doesn't like these boring, repetitive tasks, and thinks they're better suited for someone less-talented than him. On the MBTI tests, that's especially typical of the Intuitive personality types.

Good call, on the Worthy.

 

[Xeno]

They need to give Fitz his trained monkey already. If Walter Bishop could have a pet cow, Fitz can have a monkey. It could be his assistant, like Barney's cat on the old Mission: Impossible series. Whenever there was a mission calling for someone to go into a tight space and deliver a bomb or some device or other, Barney would break out the trained tabby. Fitz and his monkey could have the same deal.

I would suggest he start with lab mice but they already killed Pinky and The Brain back in FZZT.

 

[Surfer]

Spoiler

I loved in the clip that Skye asks Coulson if he believes there might be other deities out there that are actually aliens (like Thor) and then she goes and blows my mind by mentioning Vishnu. However, I do hope the reference does not offend anyone that is Hindu. I also especially liked that the subject opens up peoples minds to the possibilities that their might be other once thought to be deities out there, like Zeus, Hercules and Poseidon, and that they might all be part of the MCU. So, much win!

Surfer

 

[echostation]

What's silly is that Vishnu is one facet of the almighty God that we all believe in.

Marvel contextualizing and putting Him in the same framework as Zeus or Hercules is quite stupid... It's the same as putting Jesus with Vishnu, Zeus or Hercules...Vishnu has absolutely nothing to do with polytheistic faiths. This is one of the biggest misinterpretations of Hinduism and it's pathetic until this date that people incorrectly perceive Hinduism to be polytheistic. It's one of the many silly things Marvel has incorrectly and stupidly done.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Spoiler

I loved in the clip that Skye asks Coulson if he believes there might be other deities out there that are actually aliens (like Thor) and then she goes and blows my mind by mentioning Vishnu. However, I do hope the reference does not offend anyone that is Hindu. I also especially liked that the subject opens up peoples minds to the possibilities that their might be other once thought to be deities out there, like Zeus, Hercules and Poseidon, and that they might all be part of the MCU. So, much win!

Surfer

Spoiler

Well, they were all a part of the Marvel comics series known as the Olympians.

 

[Eddie]

What's silly is that Vishnu is one facet of the almighty God that we all believe in.

Marvel contextualizing and putting Him in the same framework as Zeus or Hercules is quite stupid... It's the same as putting Jesus with Vishnu, Zeus or Hercules...Vishnu has absolutely nothing to do with polytheistic faiths. This is one of the biggest misinterpretations of Hinduism and it's pathetic until this date that people incorrectly perceive Hinduism to be polytheistic. It's one of the many silly things Marvel has incorrectly and stupidly done.

If it makes you feel better, Marvel regularly uses wildly altered takes on Christianity and Christian themed figures. The Bible does not, sadly, have any passages involving flaming skeleton men on motorcycles fighting demons in New York.

 

[The Question]

If it makes you feel better, Marvel regularly uses wildly altered takes on Christianity and Christian themed figures. The Bible does not, sadly, have any passages involving flaming skeleton men on motorcycles fighting demons in New York.

There's a difference, though, between white people getting stuff wrong about Christianity and white people getting stuff wrong about Hinduism.

 

[Xeno]

There's a difference, though, between white people getting stuff wrong about Christianity and white people getting stuff wrong about Hinduism.

One of the showrunners/writers on AOS isn't white, she's Asian. Not defending white folks in particular, just pointing out that making mistakes about religion isn't confined to any ethnicity, and making assumptions about precisely who may be at fault can be just as much a trap as making assumptions about beliefs one has no firsthand knowledge of.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Also the writer of this episode is Black.

 

[Surfer]

What's silly is that Vishnu is one facet of the almighty God that we all believe in.

Marvel contextualizing and putting Him in the same framework as Zeus or Hercules is quite stupid... It's the same as putting Jesus with Vishnu, Zeus or Hercules...Vishnu has absolutely nothing to do with polytheistic faiths. This is one of the biggest misinterpretations of Hinduism and it's pathetic until this date that people incorrectly perceive Hinduism to be polytheistic. It's one of the many silly things Marvel has incorrectly and stupidly done.

I get what you are saying, but still this is the Marvel version of everything, so not everything is the same as it is in religion or Mythology. Basically, the characters being used from these sources are what inspires the Marvel version, but once they decide to use the character they make it their own interpretation. Much like in the same way Thor is not an Alien in Mythology, but a God.

Surfer