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Oo this is tough, its changed a bit over season 2.
I would pick May and Skye. May was a standout from the start for me. Skye has grown so much and taken such a central role but she deserves it, she has had one hell of a character arc.
Ranking the rest:
Fitz, Bobbi, Simmons, Coulson, Hunter, Cal, Lincoln and Ward.
Considering the show didn't get good until the new characters came, on top of making FitzSimmons and Coulson's humour less juvenile, I would have to say Bobbi (the best of new characters). Cal also just because his character is so tragic and humorous at the same time, and Kyle Maclachlan portrays that depth so brilliantly
Only two options to pick is highly unfair, many of them have been so amazing to see on screen. Coulson, Cal, Mack, Fitz, Hunter, Bobbi, they've all been fun to watch this season. Cal in particular deserves an honorable mention, he was an absolute hoot, he didn't just nailed the role, he was better than everyone could've imagined, sad to see him go but hopefully he'll return one day after the character got a well deserved rest.
As it is, though, I picked Ward and Lincoln. Neither did anything amazing this season (unless you want to count Ward's moments of extreme sadism; while I understand why they had him do those things it was still painful for me to see), but as I have great expectations that Lincoln will turn out to be Thomas Ward I can't wait to see the brothers reunited, really hoping their love/hate relationship will be just as fantastic to see next season as Cal was in this one! :)
Fitz. I adore Fitz, he is one of my favorite characters around, from any of my shows.
But I love most of them a lot, which is why I abstained myself from going for the second choice. Had I voted, it would have been probably been Skye, with Ward very close behind and then Bobbi and Hunter. Also love Simmons, May and Coulson. Lincoln is very cool too, but we haven't had that much time with him. Cal is the crazy guy that adds a lot to the show but he isn't my favorite. And Mack is the only character I don't care for at all.
FitzSimmons, they were BY FAR the best characters in season one, and even if now in season two is a little bit harder to choose (one of the things that make this season so awesome is that every character has been great), they are still my faves
Warning: prepare for a long-ass post. What can I say, when a poll like this gets posted, I seize the opportunity.
In the end of Season 1, my answer was definitely May. I love her stoic, deadpan personality, which makes it hilarious when she suddenly smiles or talks a lot (see "Face My Enemy"). She's a complete and utter badass, but what sets her apart from all the generic female ass-kickers is her taciturn, dead-serious demeanor which I love, and has context in the traumatic experience she had in Bahrain. It also makes the fact that she opened up a little around Andrew in the end of Season 2 and went on a long-overdue vacation very touching. Finally, I love her relationships with Coulson (a powerful camaraderie, full of trust that nothing can break) and Skye (from thinking she was a worthless kid to being her fiercely protective S.O. and mother figure, how awesome is that?).
Coulson was my second, because let's face it, he's the bleeding heart of the show - the reason it came to be and the glue that still holds it together 2 years in. He's the definition of a true hero, a good man who never forgets the principles SHIELD was founded on, and while he isn't afraid to make hard calls and sacrifices, he doesn't ever think of human life as disposable. On top of that, we've seen time and time again what a great tactician/strategist he is and how he's always got backup plans in place. If someone like Coulson was in charge of protecting the REAL world, I'd sleep better - it's no wonder Fury was determined to bring him back by any means necessary, and passed the SHIELD torch to him. Finally, you can't beat his awesome witty and sarcastic lines that prevent all of the craziness of the MCU from being taken TOO seriously.
All of this being said, in Season 2, two new characters rose as candidates to my favorites: Fitz, because he's had an amazing journey, from a naive young scientist who just wanted ot see the world and have cool adventures, to someone who dealt with the horrible trauma of near-death and brain damage, fought through it and became accustomed to his disability, no longer depended on his best friend/the girl he was in love with and became his own person on top of a certified badass ("Science, biatch" - what more can I say?). And yet somehow, throughout it all, he's still the most adorable character and the one with the purest heart and most loyalty to his friends. Hunter - as I've said many times before, there's nothing I loathe more than the "hot bad boy" trope - a.k.a. the guy who's treated as a romantic hero because he's hot and has great abs and snark, despite the fact that he's also a murderer/rapist/abuser/torturer and treats women like crap. So imagine my delight when AoS succeeded in creating a character who subverts this trope, keeping the parts of it that are appealing (Hunter is sexy, deliciously snarky, slightly mischievious, more than a bit charming and a womanizer with a considerable ego) while dumping the awful and misogynistic parts (he doesn't murder, rape or otherwise harm people, how strange). He injected the show with a healthy dose of charisma and humor this season and fits right into the ensemble, especially seeing the wonderful rapport he's developed with Coulson and Fitz lately. The show simply struck gold with Nick Blood and this character. CalSimmons, Bobbi and (he kinda became a douche in 2B but totally redeemed himself in the finale) Mack. Raina also had a great arc - it ended with her death, but it was a poignant one that made total sense and redeemed the character, so I'm okay with it.
I went for Skye and then Coulson. They've been both the most consistently enjoyable since the start of the series and Skye's character arc (coupled with Chloe Bennet growing as an actress at same time) has been fantastic. Fitz is a close third imo
Hunter started out annoying but became one of the best characters by the end of S2, his interactions with Coulson are brilliant. Cal defo deserves a honorable mention and it's certainly due to Kyle McLachlan, his acting was a delight and brought a side to Cal that very few actors could bring. I'm gonna miss him
Opinions of the rest: - Simmons just got irritating since she went all darkside - Bobbi has her moments but standing neutral on that one. - Ward I couldn't care less about, he was interesting as an antagonist but his vocal fanbase made me all negative about his character and dread when he is on screen. - May I never liked (as a character, Ming-na Wen I adore) - Mack had a superb finale but that couldn't redeem him, been one of the less interesting and sometimes downright annoying chars - Lincoln just hasn't been developed enough yet to have a true opinion
I forgot to say (I'm writing this in a new comment because my previous one is Tolstoy-long as is) that I voted for May, my main S1 favorite, and Fitz, my main S2 favorite. But it was really hard to pick just two. Should've at least made it three so I could've voted for the Son of Coul as well. And Hunter is right behind the three of them. (And those are just my TOP favorites - I would've voted for Simmons, Bobbi, Cal, Mack and Raina, who wasn't on the poll, too if it was possible! I don't hate Skye, by the way, not even close, but somehow she never quite endeared herself to me like most of the cast. Maybe I resent all the focus on her.)
Fitz.. I didn't even realize how much I liked him until that scene in the finale when Gordon teleported behind Fitz and for a second, I thought Fitz got stabbed by the pipe. My heart sank and I yelled f*** pretty loud. Then when I realized Gordon got stabbed, I was like okay, kewl....
Skye's origin arc was important to be focused because it was going to introduce important mythology elements (Inhumans), but hopefully now that it's over she won't be as prevalent as she has been the last two seasons and other characters will get more development.
This was tough. I went with May and Fitz even though Coulson will always be my favorite Avenger.(Apologies to Tony and Steve.) May such a strong character and has been my favorite since the beginning. I absolutely loved Fitz last season but it was really good to see a gifted person with a cognitive disability like myself on television. He tried not to be defined by this disability and I think that made me fall in love with him even more and pushed him ahead of Coulson just a little.
KM as Cal was definitely the best performance this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he got the redemption arc because of it. In the hands of most other actors i think he would have come off as more crazy and evil than anything, but after his less than successful reunion with Skye, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.
The Lincoln is Thomas theory is the only viable way to redeem Ward at this point, at least the only one I can see, and even that's gonna be an uphill battle. Though even if they don't fully redeem Ward, it would still be interesting to see that dynamic. If they do go that route, I hope they take the time to develop Lincoln some more first. I have nothing against the character, but he's the only one I'm sort of 'meh' about.
Great post, especially your thoughts on Hunter. I agree on pretty much everything, though I'll admit it took the Bahrain episode to get me to fully appreciate how amazing May's character is. Ming-Na Wen deserves an emmy nod for that performance.
I feel the exact same way about Ward, and I know it's technically irrational because who the character is on-screen is separate from what the fandom says. (Kind of like how the way that Felicity is so overrated, in my opinion, by the Arrow fandom turned me off a character who I used to be fond of.) I was always so scared that they'd take his character in an unbelievable direction to satisfy his fanbase that I couldn't quite view him objectively this season. Hopefully, the S2 ending with him coming down firmly on one side will change my feelings on the issue.
It's actually absurd because last summer, I said that an interesting way to keep Ward around would be as a reluctant ally that Team Coulson doesn't trust, but is forced to work with towards a common goal. I was all FOR the idea. That's exactly what happened in "Frenemy of My Enemy", but the endless cries of delight from the Stand With Ward fandom about how "the team is back together!" made me react to that development with complete disgust, when I should've known to give the writers the benefit of the doubt that they wouldn't just erase Ward's previous history and put him back with SHIELD. (And they didn't.)
I agree about the importance of Skye's origins, but I still think it's a problem that the Mary Sue element of being the most awesome character ever, in as many different things as possible, is very much present with her. In S1, Coulson keeps telling her how she'll one day be fit to lead SHIELD because he sees so many great qualities in her, yada yada. This season, on top of being a brilliant hacker, she quickly becomes a fantastic hand-to-hand fighter (look at the epic fight scene from "The Dirty Half-Dozen", after less than 2 years of combat training she took down like 9 Hydra agents single-handedly without breaking a sweat) and then a bonda-fide superheroine. It's hard to see how she won't soon overshadow the rest of the cast, and in what's meant to be an ensemble show, rather than one focusing on a single hero(ine) with the rest of the team as his/her support (like Arrow and The Flash), that's problematic.
Agree wholeheartly, and I'd also add that it's rather hilarious Raina's talk about Skye leading the Inhumans as if the Royal Family weren't going to be introduced in an upcoming movie. Seriously, Daisy Johnson may be a badass in the comics, but Black Bolt and/or Medusa >>>>> Daisy as Inhuman leader anytime.
Yeah, especially considering that Daisy isn't an Inhuman in the comics. At most, Skye might replace her mother and be in charge of Afterlife, the "way station" for descendants waiting to hopefully receive their powers (if it still exists after the S2 finale), but certainly not the entire race. And even that seems unlikely in the near future, as she'll be busy with SHIELD's Project Caterpillar.
I was starting to feel the same way until the end of The Dirty Half-Dozen. The writer's made it clear in that episode that, while a redemption arc was a possibility (more so at the time at least, when what Ward did for Kara could still pass as a selfless deed) it wouldn't be based on the team's forgiveness. It doesn't make sense to me for Fitz and Simmons to ever forgive Ward for what he did. At BEST they might be able to work together as tentative allies. The elephant in the room scene showed that the writers were going to put the characters above what the fandom wanted, which even in the best case scenarios usually ends with a 'Be careful what you wish for' situation.
These are all good points. After the episode aired, it was pointed out that the Bus being destroyed could well be symbolic: to show that there's no returning to that happy team dynamic of Season 1. And then you have the sceneyou mentioned, of Ward trying to... say he's sorry (as apologies go, that one was darn weak)? Appease the others enough that they'd at least be able to stomach working with him until the mission was over? It's not clear. If Ward's monologue had been followed by a heavy silence and then the scene ended, or something to that effect, I would've probably felt that the writers were trying to show the team seeing things from Ward's perspective for the first time, and taking the first tiny step towards forgiving him and eventually accepting him back (which - shocker - I would've hated). But having Skye and the others firmly shut him down, apart from being hilarious, was also intended to make a point: none of them were impressed by what he'd said, and it wasn't going to change their feelings.
So really, what was initially seen as putting the team back together could've actually been meant to establish the exact opposite: putting the kibosh on the possibility of that happening, ever. I should've known to give the writers more credit, but I guess that with quite a few shows displaying clear signs of the creative team being influenced by the fans' wishes, as you pointed out, it was hard to not be skeptical.
I can think of two shows, this season alone, that have been completely ruined for me by blatant fan servicing. Even my favorite show, Orphan black, has made me roll my eyes a couple of times by giving me exactly what I wanted. (I still love it though)
AoS has been the best at sticking to its guns. If something was wrong, then they fixed it, but they did it in their own time and in their own way. They've subverted nearly every trope and expectation that's come along as well.
I've always believed Grant's redemption would necessary have to be about doing Thomas right in some level, thanks in no small part to the infamous Well scene. The first half of the season 1 sucked, but that specific moment from episode 8 I always go back for a rewatch once in a while, it's just so very haunting for me to see Thomas begging for his life and Grant trying to help only to be stopped by Christian, and then seeing tears in both young and adult Grant after his younger self gets a chance to lower the rope for Thomas to catch. Grant Ward has been almost completely an emotionless blank to the point of sociopathy so far that *that* pretty much sealed the deal for me that Grant loved his little brother and hates himself for having been so abusive to him. I even believe that Grant believing Thomas to be dead/commited suicide is what set him in this self-destructive path.
I do believe we'll get to see more of Lincoln before any revelation of sorts. Lincoln was finishing med school and is pretty much THE show's Inhuman/alien encyclopedia with Jiaying and Gordon gone, the obvious way to keep the character's story going is to give him Simmons' job as SHIELD tries to figure out how to get her back out of the stone. This'll allow him to extend his connections to the team beyond Skye, find out about their enmity with Grant Ward, maybe even have a few "OMG Lincoln's shady! OMG, Lincoln's working for Ward!" before they drop the bombshell that he's Ward's brother, a revelation which, let's face it, won't go well with anyone in SHIELD, especially Skye.
One thing you need to think about is If Lincoln is Thomas then that means Ward is also an Inhuman so were all his family. If that is so I wonder what power Grant will have once he goes under the Terrigen mist? Or eats the Fish Oil containing it?
I doubt that Skye of all people would hold Lincoln's relatives against him, though if he keeps it a secret for a long time, she might get mad at him for that.
Even if the Lincoln/Thomas theory turns out to be false, I trust the writers to do right by Ward's character, and I think that definitely involves exploring his relationship with his younger brother in some capacity. But who knows? Maybe there's a redemption angle none of us have considered yet. Or maybe Ward's just going to be an amazing villain. Either way, I can't wait for season 3
Fire manipulation most likely, since he has quite a few things in common with the comics character Hellfire: http://www.comicvine.com/hellfire/4005-54526/
Ward's certainly going to be the villain of season 3A at least. Beyond that, I'd like to think his days as a villain will be done, if only because I'm hoping for the angle where Grant and Thomas go on adventures mending their broken broship.
As far as Skye not holding that against Lincoln, I'm envisioning it as more of a spur of the moment irrational reaction. If all my headcanons about Grant and Thomas are correct then their reunion would be just as much a defining character moment as Skye undergoing Terrigenesis was in season 2A, so it's definitely something I'm expecting to be revealed in the winter finale. In such a scenario, they'd definitely want Grant and Thomas to be by themselves the next time we see them as to give the brothers much alone time as needed to develop their relationship, so Skye overreacting at first is definitely something I strongly believe will happen.
Ultimately all those prejudices coming from everyone and especially Simmons and Mack were diversive tactics from the writers. We're very fortunate that the show has such good writing! :)
Yeah there are some similarities but I am not feeling the Hellfire vibe from Grant. He is sneaky and conniving. So an out right power of Fire is too in your face. Grant's power too me would be one of Shadows. He can slip in and out of Shadows. It is more of a subtle power.
Maybe, but really I tend to think of the original Hellfire to be even more of a scumbag as Grant Ward is being seen by anyone not a fan of him. Hellfire per the article I linked stole money from the Hydra money Fury stole from them, got tracked down by Hydra and kidnapped by them, made a deal with them to give inside info in exchange for sparing Daisy/Quake, his girlfriend, from harm and that inside info got the youngest member of the team, 10-year-old Phobos, killed. So yeah, J T James may not have killed nearly as much as Grant Ward but at least Ward has more of a sympathic backstory to be like that than him.
I doubt we're past that chapter, though. If Season 3 really is going to be building towards Captain America: Civil War, which will dovetail with the show in the spring much like its predecessor and Age of Ultron did, then the conflict about how to best handle the danger that "Gifteds" pose will surely wear on. And I assume Simmons and Mack will stick to their guns, for a while at least. (Who knows how Simmons will be affected by the Kree stone, too?)
I don't know, I'm very skeptical about AoS/Civil War connections since that movie's press release was, well, released. Seems to me like it'll be more about regulation of the Avengers' activities than superhuman per se, which makes for a much smaller scope.
It's funny because I do indeed believe IF the team was open to let Ward back there was a chance he could eventually become a better person. Because of his terrible family life and how he hates them I tend to see Ward's main goal in life to be finding a place, ANY place to belong, to feel wanted, perhaps even loved. You can see in a few brief moments this season that he did have a soft spot for them and only them and he's so damaged to the point of being co-dependant that he's very moldable as a person, it's possible they could've reversed his absolute indifference towards human life if they tried.
Of course, the problem with this scenario is, why would they? They've known him for less than a year, they don't have the investment in him required for the job and the one guy that managed to have that in that brief time, Fitz, he stabbed pretty brutally in the back, so to speak. They have no reason to believe in all that I said above, so their actual reactions of rebuffing him were very much on the spot.
Simmons' fate notwithstanding, because who knows where that's going to lead, I actually hope that she and Mack do stick to their guns.
Given that this is a comic book adaptation, any character that comes out on the anti-super power side of things is going to lose points with the fans. I myself was guilty of getting miffed at Simmons when she was talking about suppressing Skye's powers (No! I want her to be Quake dammit!) But again, if I was actually living in that world, I would be on Simmons' side 100 percent, at least until Skye learned to keep her powers in check, because earthquakes are kind of a safety concern.
It's a complicated issue and I'm glad the writers are doing it justice by putting two reasonably levelheaded and well liked characters on the opposite side of the argument for sensible, non bigoted reasons.
If Simmons came back as that and killed Lincoln we'd have to have SHIELD gun her down and we wouldn't want that, would we? ;)
As far as 3B goes, any speculation is purely guesswork for any of us for now. However, if they model season 3 in the same vein as 2, where 2A built up to Skye undergoing Terrigenesis in 2.10 leading to a big storyline in 2B of her finding out about her origins as an Inhuman and coming to accept herself as such, then 3A would most likely be a build up to Grant reuniting with Thomas in 3.10 leading up to a storyline where we'd finally get to know what really happened in the life of the Ward family that damaged the three brothers so much. What I can't still figure out is how that'd fit in the spy-action oriented story of Agents of SHIELD.
Of course Simmons can't be gunned down. Fitz will obviously leap in the way to save her, only to die tragically in her arms. This is especially devastating because Bobbi and Hunter have just decided to get remarried and this is all taking place during their wedding. Simmons goes into a blind rage, kills the bride and groom and half the wedding party. And Mack chops off Coulson's other hand because... reasons...
Yeah, Simmons' POV on the issue is more than understandable, and God knows many of us would have the same reaction if one of our friends suddenly developed a power with such destructive capabilities, which they couldn't control at least initially.
I think my main problem was that some of her comments came off as insensitive and potentially hurtful, such as when Fitz tried to put a positive spin on things by saying Skye could be like Captain America and she shot that down by saying that if anything, Skye's the Hulk. But then, characters can't be perfect or they wouldn't be realistic human beings... they need to mess up sometimes.
That's a double-edged sword, though, because sometimes writers are EVIL and take the fact that someone is a huge fan favorite as a great reason to kill them off tragically. Especially when one of them is a Whedon.
If my speculation comes true about the reunion with Thomas driving Grant to finally take responsibility for everything and turn himself in in the S3 finale, I have this image in my head of the two of them having a goodbye that mirrors Skye and Cal's in the S2 finale.
G: I know I'm going away for good, but I was hoping you'd come visit, every once in a while. T: I will, I promise. *hug*
Well like I said there is similar backgrounds. Just the characteristics of the Inhumans transformation is based on the character of the person before they learnt their fate. This HellFire character has a anger all through him. So Fire is a logical choice. Grant does have anger but is is a cold fury and it comes out is unexpected ways. So Fire is not a good fit.
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Hunter and Ward
ReplyDeleteFitz!! He's just too awesome. He has all my favorite lines ;)
ReplyDeleteEveryone but I voted for Skye and Coulson.
ReplyDeleteFitzSimmons!
ReplyDeleteSkye and Fitz have been my favorites this season :)
ReplyDeleteFitz & May. Bobbi/Hunter are close second! Though I love everyone :D
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed Ward, Coulson, Fitz, Skye, Hunter and Cal this season. I don't really care about the rest;)
ReplyDeleteOo this is tough, its changed a bit over season 2.
ReplyDeleteI would pick May and Skye. May was a standout from the start for me. Skye has grown so much and taken such a central role but she deserves it, she has had one hell of a character arc.
Ranking the rest:
Fitz, Bobbi, Simmons, Coulson, Hunter, Cal, Lincoln and Ward.
Considering the show didn't get good until the new characters came, on top of making FitzSimmons and Coulson's humour less juvenile, I would have to say Bobbi (the best of new characters). Cal also just because his character is so tragic and humorous at the same time, and Kyle Maclachlan portrays that depth so brilliantly
ReplyDeleteBobbi and Fitz.
ReplyDeleteOnly two options to pick is highly unfair, many of them have been so amazing to see on screen. Coulson, Cal, Mack, Fitz, Hunter, Bobbi, they've all been fun to watch this season. Cal in particular deserves an honorable mention, he was an absolute hoot, he didn't just nailed the role, he was better than everyone could've imagined, sad to see him go but hopefully he'll return one day after the character got a well deserved rest.
ReplyDeleteAs it is, though, I picked Ward and Lincoln. Neither did anything amazing this season (unless you want to count Ward's moments of extreme sadism; while I understand why they had him do those things it was still painful for me to see), but as I have great expectations that Lincoln will turn out to be Thomas Ward I can't wait to see the brothers reunited, really hoping their love/hate relationship will be just as fantastic to see next season as Cal was in this one! :)
Fitz. I adore Fitz, he is one of my favorite characters around, from any of my shows.
ReplyDeleteBut I love most of them a lot, which is why I abstained myself from going for the second choice. Had I voted, it would have been probably been Skye, with Ward very close behind and then Bobbi and Hunter. Also love Simmons, May and Coulson. Lincoln is very cool too, but we haven't had that much time with him. Cal is the crazy guy that adds a lot to the show but he isn't my favorite. And Mack is the only character I don't care for at all.
FitzSimmons, they were BY FAR the best characters in season one, and even if now in season two is a little bit harder to choose (one of the things that make this season so awesome is that every character has been great), they are still my faves
ReplyDeleteWarning: prepare for a long-ass post. What can I say, when a poll like this gets posted, I seize the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIn the end of Season 1, my answer was definitely May. I love her stoic, deadpan personality, which makes it hilarious when she suddenly smiles or talks a lot (see "Face My Enemy"). She's a complete and utter badass, but what sets her apart from all the generic female ass-kickers is her taciturn, dead-serious demeanor which I love, and has context in the traumatic experience she had in Bahrain. It also makes the fact that she opened up a little around Andrew in the end of Season 2 and went on a long-overdue vacation very touching. Finally, I love her relationships with Coulson (a powerful camaraderie, full of trust that nothing can break) and Skye (from thinking she was a worthless kid to being her fiercely protective S.O. and mother figure, how awesome is that?).
Coulson was my second, because let's face it, he's the bleeding heart of the show - the reason it came to be and the glue that still holds it together 2 years in. He's the definition of a true hero, a good man who never forgets the principles SHIELD was founded on, and while he isn't afraid to make hard calls and sacrifices, he doesn't ever think of human life as disposable. On top of that, we've seen time and time again what a great tactician/strategist he is and how he's always got backup plans in place. If someone like Coulson was in charge of protecting the REAL world, I'd sleep better - it's no wonder Fury was determined to bring him back by any means necessary, and passed the SHIELD torch to him. Finally, you can't beat his awesome witty and sarcastic lines that prevent all of the craziness of the MCU from being taken TOO seriously.
All of this being said, in Season 2, two new characters rose as candidates to my favorites:
Fitz, because he's had an amazing journey, from a naive young scientist who just wanted ot see the world and have cool adventures, to someone who dealt with the horrible trauma of near-death and brain damage, fought through it and became accustomed to his disability, no longer depended on his best friend/the girl he was in love with and became his own person on top of a certified badass ("Science, biatch" - what more can I say?). And yet somehow, throughout it all, he's still the most adorable character and the one with the purest heart and most loyalty to his friends.
Hunter - as I've said many times before, there's nothing I loathe more than the "hot bad boy" trope - a.k.a. the guy who's treated as a romantic hero because he's hot and has great abs and snark, despite the fact that he's also a murderer/rapist/abuser/torturer and treats women like crap. So imagine my delight when AoS succeeded in creating a character who subverts this trope, keeping the parts of it that are appealing (Hunter is sexy, deliciously snarky, slightly mischievious, more than a bit charming and a womanizer with a considerable ego) while dumping the awful and misogynistic parts (he doesn't murder, rape or otherwise harm people, how strange). He injected the show with a healthy dose of charisma and humor this season and fits right into the ensemble, especially seeing the wonderful rapport he's developed with Coulson and Fitz lately. The show simply struck gold with Nick Blood and this character.
CalSimmons, Bobbi and (he kinda became a douche in 2B but totally redeemed himself in the finale) Mack. Raina also had a great arc - it ended with her death, but it was a poignant one that made total sense and redeemed the character, so I'm okay with it.
Don't forget Mack :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, pretty much sums up my thoughts on the characters :)
ReplyDeleteI love them all (except Ward and Cal) but I voted for Coulson and Fitz because they are the first two that came to my mind when I read the title.
ReplyDeleteCoulson and May apart and together as Philinda :)
ReplyDeleteThat was my favourite line of the episode.
ReplyDeleteMine too :)
ReplyDeleteWow, this is very difficult. How can I choose? I love everyone on Team Coulson, but if I really had to choose two it would Bobbi and Hunter.
ReplyDeleteIt's tied with "I'm the guy who kills Gordon" for me, they're both amazing. :)
ReplyDeleteI voted for Skye and Grant but I love Coulson, May, Bobbi, Lance, Fitz, and Jemma too.
ReplyDeleteI'm still laughing at that. Only bright part of that finale.
ReplyDeleteFitz and Ward.
ReplyDeleteIt's complicated...
I went for Skye and then Coulson. They've been both the most consistently enjoyable since the start of the series and Skye's character arc (coupled with Chloe Bennet growing as an actress at same time) has been fantastic. Fitz is a close third imo
ReplyDeleteHunter started out annoying but became one of the best characters by the end of S2, his interactions with Coulson are brilliant. Cal defo deserves a honorable mention and it's certainly due to Kyle McLachlan, his acting was a delight and brought a side to Cal that very few actors could bring. I'm gonna miss him
Opinions of the rest:
- Simmons just got irritating since she went all darkside
- Bobbi has her moments but standing neutral on that one.
- Ward I couldn't care less about, he was interesting as an antagonist but his vocal fanbase made me all negative about his character and dread when he is on screen.
- May I never liked (as a character, Ming-na Wen I adore)
- Mack had a superb finale but that couldn't redeem him, been one of the less interesting and sometimes downright annoying chars
- Lincoln just hasn't been developed enough yet to have a true opinion
I loved their relationship in season 1, that's the real shame of Ward's turn to villany for me, that was lost seemingly forever.
ReplyDeleteCoulson and Fitz! Skye/Daisy would have been my third option!
ReplyDeleteI have 4, in no particular order: Coulson, Fitz, Hunter & Bobbi
ReplyDeleteDamn it I swear he was on my list! Anyway he would be after Hunter.
ReplyDeleteLove these two :-)
ReplyDeleteThat was super easy: May and Fitz
ReplyDeleteCoulson is a close 3rd.
Cal is definitely my favorite from season two. And Fitz - love forever
ReplyDeleteMay and Coulson
ReplyDeleteFitz and May for me. If I could've picked a third, it would've been Bobbi.
ReplyDeleteFitz hunter and ward
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say (I'm writing this in a new comment because my previous one is Tolstoy-long as is) that I voted for May, my main S1 favorite, and Fitz, my main S2 favorite. But it was really hard to pick just two. Should've at least made it three so I could've voted for the Son of Coul as well. And Hunter is right behind the three of them. (And those are just my TOP favorites - I would've voted for Simmons, Bobbi, Cal, Mack and Raina, who wasn't on the poll, too if it was possible! I don't hate Skye, by the way, not even close, but somehow she never quite endeared herself to me like most of the cast. Maybe I resent all the focus on her.)
ReplyDeleteFitz he is amazing one of my favorite character with sadly the least screentime
ReplyDelete2nd would be hunter tied with Skye
3rd Simmons
Skye & Fitz
ReplyDeleteThere should be an option Fitzsimmons :D
ReplyDeleteFitz.. I didn't even realize how much I liked him until that scene in the finale when Gordon teleported behind Fitz and for a second, I thought Fitz got stabbed by the pipe. My heart sank and I yelled f*** pretty loud. Then when I realized Gordon got stabbed, I was like okay, kewl....
ReplyDeleteSkye's origin arc was important to be focused because it was going to introduce important mythology elements (Inhumans), but hopefully now that it's over she won't be as prevalent as she has been the last two seasons and other characters will get more development.
ReplyDeleteThis was tough. I went with May and Fitz even though Coulson will always be my favorite Avenger.(Apologies to Tony and Steve.) May such a strong character and has been my favorite since the beginning. I absolutely loved Fitz last season but it was really good to see a gifted person with a cognitive disability like myself on television. He tried not to be defined by this disability and I think that made me fall in love with him even more and pushed him ahead of Coulson just a little.
ReplyDeleteSkye is my favorite. Coulson and Fitz are tied for second favorite, followed by Hunter.
ReplyDelete1.Coulson
ReplyDelete2.Fitz
3.Hunter
4.Cal
I absolutely agree about Hunter. Love him!
ReplyDeleteI loved Mack's line a little bit more, just a tiny bit.
ReplyDeleteSkye and Fitz. But I honestly love (or love to hate) everyone.
ReplyDeleteTough one. I voted Fitz and Coulson but also love May, Bobbi, Hunter, pretty much everyone…ha
ReplyDeleteKM as Cal was definitely the best performance this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he got the redemption arc because of it. In the hands of most other actors i think he would have come off as more crazy and evil than anything, but after his less than successful reunion with Skye, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.
ReplyDeleteThe Lincoln is Thomas theory is the only viable way to redeem Ward at this point, at least the only one I can see, and even that's gonna be an uphill battle. Though even if they don't fully redeem Ward, it would still be interesting to see that dynamic. If they do go that route, I hope they take the time to develop Lincoln some more first. I have nothing against the character, but he's the only one I'm sort of 'meh' about.
Great post, especially your thoughts on Hunter. I agree on pretty much everything, though I'll admit it took the Bahrain episode to get me to fully appreciate how amazing May's character is. Ming-Na Wen deserves an emmy nod for that performance.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way about Ward, and I know it's technically irrational because who the character is on-screen is separate from what the fandom says. (Kind of like how the way that Felicity is so overrated, in my opinion, by the Arrow fandom turned me off a character who I used to be fond of.) I was always so scared that they'd take his character in an unbelievable direction to satisfy his fanbase that I couldn't quite view him objectively this season. Hopefully, the S2 ending with him coming down firmly on one side will change my feelings on the issue.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually absurd because last summer, I said that an interesting way to keep Ward around would be as a reluctant ally that Team Coulson doesn't trust, but is forced to work with towards a common goal. I was all FOR the idea. That's exactly what happened in "Frenemy of My Enemy", but the endless cries of delight from the Stand With Ward fandom about how "the team is back together!" made me react to that development with complete disgust, when I should've known to give the writers the benefit of the doubt that they wouldn't just erase Ward's previous history and put him back with SHIELD. (And they didn't.)
I agree about the importance of Skye's origins, but I still think it's a problem that the Mary Sue element of being the most awesome character ever, in as many different things as possible, is very much present with her. In S1, Coulson keeps telling her how she'll one day be fit to lead SHIELD because he sees so many great qualities in her, yada yada. This season, on top of being a brilliant hacker, she quickly becomes a fantastic hand-to-hand fighter (look at the epic fight scene from "The Dirty Half-Dozen", after less than 2 years of combat training she took down like 9 Hydra agents single-handedly without breaking a sweat) and then a bonda-fide superheroine. It's hard to see how she won't soon overshadow the rest of the cast, and in what's meant to be an ensemble show, rather than one focusing on a single hero(ine) with the rest of the team as his/her support (like Arrow and The Flash), that's problematic.
ReplyDeleteThat was seriously a heart-stopping moment. MEAN, show.
ReplyDeletei chose Fitz because Duh , but i wish fitzsimmons was an option lol
ReplyDeleteSkye!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAgree wholeheartly, and I'd also add that it's rather hilarious Raina's talk about Skye leading the Inhumans as if the Royal Family weren't going to be introduced in an upcoming movie. Seriously, Daisy Johnson may be a badass in the comics, but Black Bolt and/or Medusa >>>>> Daisy as Inhuman leader anytime.
ReplyDeleteYeah, especially considering that Daisy isn't an Inhuman in the comics. At most, Skye might replace her mother and be in charge of Afterlife, the "way station" for descendants waiting to hopefully receive their powers (if it still exists after the S2 finale), but certainly not the entire race. And even that seems unlikely in the near future, as she'll be busy with SHIELD's Project Caterpillar.
ReplyDeleteOoh, it's getting suspensful in here... Coulson has usurped Ward at 3rd place, and Ward & May are neck-and-neck for the 4th. :-)
ReplyDeleteI was starting to feel the same way until the end of The Dirty Half-Dozen. The writer's made it clear in that episode that, while a redemption arc was a possibility (more so at the time at least, when what Ward did for Kara could still pass as a selfless deed) it wouldn't be based on the team's forgiveness. It doesn't make sense to me for Fitz and Simmons to ever forgive Ward for what he did. At BEST they might be able to work together as tentative allies. The elephant in the room scene showed that the writers were going to put the characters above what the fandom wanted, which even in the best case scenarios usually ends with a 'Be careful what you wish for' situation.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get started on Felicity.
These are all good points. After the episode aired, it was pointed out that the Bus being destroyed could well be symbolic: to show that there's no returning to that happy team dynamic of Season 1. And then you have the sceneyou mentioned, of Ward trying to... say he's sorry (as apologies go, that one was darn weak)? Appease the others enough that they'd at least be able to stomach working with him until the mission was over? It's not clear. If Ward's monologue had been followed by a heavy silence and then the scene ended, or something to that effect, I would've probably felt that the writers were trying to show the team seeing things from Ward's perspective for the first time, and taking the first tiny step towards forgiving him and eventually accepting him back (which - shocker - I would've hated). But having Skye and the others firmly shut him down, apart from being hilarious, was also intended to make a point: none of them were impressed by what he'd said, and it wasn't going to change their feelings.
ReplyDeleteSo really, what was initially seen as putting the team back together could've actually been meant to establish the exact opposite: putting the kibosh on the possibility of that happening, ever. I should've known to give the writers more credit, but I guess that with quite a few shows displaying clear signs of the creative team being influenced by the fans' wishes, as you pointed out, it was hard to not be skeptical.
I can think of two shows, this season alone, that have been completely ruined for me by blatant fan servicing. Even my favorite show, Orphan black, has made me roll my eyes a couple of times by giving me exactly what I wanted. (I still love it though)
ReplyDeleteAoS has been the best at sticking to its guns. If something was wrong, then they fixed it, but they did it in their own time and in their own way. They've subverted nearly every trope and expectation that's come along as well.
I've always believed Grant's redemption would necessary have to be about doing Thomas right in some level, thanks in no small part to the infamous Well scene. The first half of the season 1 sucked, but that specific moment from episode 8 I always go back for a rewatch once in a while, it's just so very haunting for me to see Thomas begging for his life and Grant trying to help only to be stopped by Christian, and then seeing tears in both young and adult Grant after his younger self gets a chance to lower the rope for Thomas to catch. Grant Ward has been almost completely an emotionless blank to the point of sociopathy so far that *that* pretty much sealed the deal for me that Grant loved his little brother and hates himself for having been so abusive to him. I even believe that Grant believing Thomas to be dead/commited suicide is what set him in this self-destructive path.
ReplyDeleteI do believe we'll get to see more of Lincoln before any revelation of sorts. Lincoln was finishing med school and is pretty much THE show's Inhuman/alien encyclopedia with Jiaying and Gordon gone, the obvious way to keep the character's story going is to give him Simmons' job as SHIELD tries to figure out how to get her back out of the stone. This'll allow him to extend his connections to the team beyond Skye, find out about their enmity with Grant Ward, maybe even have a few "OMG Lincoln's shady! OMG, Lincoln's working for Ward!" before they drop the bombshell that he's Ward's brother, a revelation which, let's face it, won't go well with anyone in SHIELD, especially Skye.
Exactly my situation.LOL!
ReplyDeleteMay!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. The Father Daughter vibe between those two is awesome.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you need to think about is If Lincoln is Thomas then that means Ward is also an Inhuman so were all his family. If that is so I wonder what power Grant will have once he goes under the Terrigen mist? Or eats the Fish Oil containing it?
ReplyDeleteI doubt that Skye of all people would hold Lincoln's relatives against him, though if he keeps it a secret for a long time, she might get mad at him for that.
ReplyDeleteEven if the Lincoln/Thomas theory turns out to be false, I trust the writers to do right by Ward's character, and I think that definitely involves exploring his relationship with his younger brother in some capacity. But who knows? Maybe there's a redemption angle none of us have considered yet. Or maybe Ward's just going to be an amazing villain. Either way, I can't wait for season 3
Fire manipulation most likely, since he has quite a few things in common with the comics character Hellfire: http://www.comicvine.com/hellfire/4005-54526/
ReplyDeleteWard's certainly going to be the villain of season 3A at least. Beyond that, I'd like to think his days as a villain will be done, if only because I'm hoping for the angle where Grant and Thomas go on adventures mending their broken broship.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Skye not holding that against Lincoln, I'm envisioning it as more of a spur of the moment irrational reaction. If all my headcanons about Grant and Thomas are correct then their reunion would be just as much a defining character moment as Skye undergoing Terrigenesis was in season 2A, so it's definitely something I'm expecting to be revealed in the winter finale. In such a scenario, they'd definitely want Grant and Thomas to be by themselves the next time we see them as to give the brothers much alone time as needed to develop their relationship, so Skye overreacting at first is definitely something I strongly believe will happen.
Fitz is second! Yes!!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping the writers realize what a fan favorite he is!
ReplyDeleteAlso, LOL at Simmons being the least favorite of the original six. She's clearly better with Fitz.
ReplyDeleteUltimately all those prejudices coming from everyone and especially Simmons and Mack were diversive tactics from the writers. We're very fortunate that the show has such good writing! :)
ReplyDeleteYeah there are some similarities but I am not feeling the Hellfire vibe from Grant. He is sneaky and conniving. So an out right power of Fire is too in your face. Grant's power too me would be one of Shadows. He can slip in and out of Shadows. It is more of a subtle power.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but really I tend to think of the original Hellfire to be even more of a scumbag as Grant Ward is being seen by anyone not a fan of him. Hellfire per the article I linked stole money from the Hydra money Fury stole from them, got tracked down by Hydra and kidnapped by them, made a deal with them to give inside info in exchange for sparing Daisy/Quake, his girlfriend, from harm and that inside info got the youngest member of the team, 10-year-old Phobos, killed. So yeah, J T James may not have killed nearly as much as Grant Ward but at least Ward has more of a sympathic backstory to be like that than him.
ReplyDeleteI doubt we're past that chapter, though. If Season 3 really is going to be building towards Captain America: Civil War, which will dovetail with the show in the spring much like its predecessor and Age of Ultron did, then the conflict about how to best handle the danger that "Gifteds" pose will surely wear on. And I assume Simmons and Mack will stick to their guns, for a while at least. (Who knows how Simmons will be affected by the Kree stone, too?)
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I'm very skeptical about AoS/Civil War connections since that movie's press release was, well, released. Seems to me like it'll be more about regulation of the Avengers' activities than superhuman per se, which makes for a much smaller scope.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because I do indeed believe IF the team was open to let Ward back there was a chance he could eventually become a better person. Because of his terrible family life and how he hates them I tend to see Ward's main goal in life to be finding a place, ANY place to belong, to feel wanted, perhaps even loved. You can see in a few brief moments this season that he did have a soft spot for them and only them and he's so damaged to the point of being co-dependant that he's very moldable as a person, it's possible they could've reversed his absolute indifference towards human life if they tried.
ReplyDeleteOf course, the problem with this scenario is, why would they? They've known him for less than a year, they don't have the investment in him required for the job and the one guy that managed to have that in that brief time, Fitz, he stabbed pretty brutally in the back, so to speak. They have no reason to believe in all that I said above, so their actual reactions of rebuffing him were very much on the spot.
Indeed. Which is why Thomas is probably the only one who could still see, and therefore reach, whatever shred of humanity is left inside of Grant.
ReplyDeleteSimmons' fate notwithstanding, because who knows where that's going to lead, I actually hope that she and Mack do stick to their guns.
ReplyDeleteGiven that this is a comic book adaptation, any character that comes out on the anti-super power side of things is going to lose points with the fans. I myself was guilty of getting miffed at Simmons when she was talking about suppressing Skye's powers (No! I want her to be Quake dammit!) But again, if I was actually living in that world, I would be on Simmons' side 100 percent, at least until Skye learned to keep her powers in check, because earthquakes are kind of a safety concern.
It's a complicated issue and I'm glad the writers are doing it justice by putting two reasonably levelheaded and well liked characters on the opposite side of the argument for sensible, non bigoted reasons.
Aaaaand... May put Ward in 5th place by one vote! Go May? :)
ReplyDeleteSimmons! Will always love our badass biochemist!
ReplyDeleteIf Simmons came back as that and killed Lincoln we'd have to have SHIELD gun her down and we wouldn't want that, would we? ;)
ReplyDeleteAs far as 3B goes, any speculation is purely guesswork for any of us for now. However, if they model season 3 in the same vein as 2, where 2A built up to Skye undergoing Terrigenesis in 2.10 leading to a big storyline in 2B of her finding out about her origins as an Inhuman and coming to accept herself as such, then 3A would most likely be a build up to Grant reuniting with Thomas in 3.10 leading up to a storyline where we'd finally get to know what really happened in the life of the Ward family that damaged the three brothers so much. What I can't still figure out is how that'd fit in the spy-action oriented story of Agents of SHIELD.
Fitz <3
ReplyDeleteOf course Simmons can't be gunned down. Fitz will obviously leap in the way to save her, only to die tragically in her arms. This is especially devastating because Bobbi and Hunter have just decided to get remarried and this is all taking place during their wedding. Simmons goes into a blind rage, kills the bride and groom and half the wedding party. And Mack chops off Coulson's other hand because... reasons...
ReplyDeleteFitz!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Simmons' POV on the issue is more than understandable, and God knows many of us would have the same reaction if one of our friends suddenly developed a power with such destructive capabilities, which they couldn't control at least initially.
ReplyDeleteI think my main problem was that some of her comments came off as insensitive and potentially hurtful, such as when Fitz tried to put a positive spin on things by saying Skye could be like Captain America and she shot that down by saying that if anything, Skye's the Hulk. But then, characters can't be perfect or they wouldn't be realistic human beings... they need to mess up sometimes.
That's a double-edged sword, though, because sometimes writers are EVIL and take the fact that someone is a huge fan favorite as a great reason to kill them off tragically. Especially when one of them is a Whedon.
ReplyDeleteIf my speculation comes true about the reunion with Thomas driving Grant to finally take responsibility for everything and turn himself in in the S3 finale, I have this image in my head of the two of them having a goodbye that mirrors Skye and Cal's in the S2 finale.
ReplyDeleteG: I know I'm going away for good, but I was hoping you'd come visit, every once in a while.
T: I will, I promise.
*hug*
LOL! Who needs crappy families and psychotic SOs to warp you up when you have George R R Martin around? :D
ReplyDeleteCareful, you might force me to spoil the emotional rollercoaster of the real reunion by having me write my current headcanon here! :)
ReplyDeleteAmen to that sister ;)
ReplyDeleteI haven't even gotten to the part where May swoops in on the back of a dragon. :)
ReplyDeleteWell like I said there is similar backgrounds. Just the characteristics of the Inhumans transformation is based on the character of the person before they learnt their fate. This HellFire character has a anger all through him. So Fire is a logical choice. Grant does have anger but is is a cold fury and it comes out is unexpected ways. So Fire is not a good fit.
ReplyDeleteDid anyone see this interview with Brett Dalton? He confirms that Ward is the new head of Hydra.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.christianpost.com/news/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-season-2-finale-recap-brett-dalton-speaks-about-wards-final-transformation-into-a-villain-139380/
Ward and Fitz <3
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late to the party on commenting, but I voted Skye, and here's an example of why...
ReplyDeletehttp://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/05/25/agents-of-shield-why-marvel-s-skye-is-one-of-the-strongest-female-characters-2957049?lt_source=external,manual