Anyways: we wanted more cowbell, and we got more cowbell (I loved the Don’t Fear the Reaper song to bring us into the episode; I almost thought we were veering into flashback land).

I love that they just ripped the Band-Aid off in regards to the events of CAP 2, thrusting our team into the midst of the Hydra crisis, learning that Fury is “dead” (presumably until the finale), and blending that into the fabric of the show. In your predictions post, you debated the time frame, and I was right there with ya, half-expecting ABC and Marvel to tease out the Hydra takeover, Fury’s death and the Clairvoyant until the end of season 1. This is so much better.

I didn’t really pay attention to all of the theories, but I loved that practically ANYONE could’ve been the Clairvoyant in this episode. One of the main team, Hand, Garrett, Zola, or whatever’s behind the Door to Level 8, were all possibilities. It’s taking Whedon’s shaky continuum of good and evil to the nth degree. Not only are characters not solely good, or evil, but we don’t even know which side of the spectrum they’re closest to.

It wasn’t exactly surprising how they went, but the impact was there. They brought Melinda May’s allegiances forth too early for it to really be her, and Ward’s murdering the previous Clairvoyant seemed off, even with the “I have a hankering for Skye” reason. In this episode, when Ward seemed almost too malicious toward May on the plane, I figured something was up more than jealousy. Once Skye and Ward kissed, it was a done deal. While Skyward (I made that up as their name) probably has the smallest group of shippers on the internet, it definitely increases the impact of his betrayal for the 9 people rooting for that relationship to happen. Plus, he also got a chance to show off his unbelievable fighting skills right after, reminding us again why he’s such a big threat. Once Garrett was ratted out to be the Clairvoyant, it made perfect sense that he’d follow his SO, adding Agent Triplett as the other side of the coin (and his able replacement on the squad).

Bill Paxton has been fantastic since joining the show. I loved him turning out to be the Big Bad, but I couldn’t help but harbor a bit of sadness that he was the Clairvoyant, since I was holding out for someone with superpowers or with rich MU backstory, but as you said, the impact Paxton’s turn cut surprisingly deep, despite being a recent guest star. I suppose he might not even turn out to be truly the Clairvoyant, since he never outright said he was, but I’m sure he is, and I’m more than okay with that, since we’ve just now scratched the surface on Paxton’s villainy.

While I wasn’t shocked that Ward proved to be working for Hydra, I was completely surprised that he murdered Victoria Hand. Not only was it right after THE reveal, but Hand seemed like a character with a long future on the show. She has a weird fan following, and all sorts of comics continuity to draw from, like H.A.M.M.E.R. and what have you. Of course, we didn’t see her death, but I hope it sticks, because it shows AOS isn’t messing around.
I really hope Ward’s not in deep cover, since that doesn’t really make sense. I guess he’d assume that Garrett could usher him into the ranks of Hydra after saving his life, and learn more about the organization…but killing Garrett, keeping Hand alive, and regrouping with his team seems like the better move.

I love that I have no idea what’s going to happen next now. I don’t know if I’ve been more excited to be a Marvel fan than right now, following the best film in the MCU, and the best episode of AOS, in quick succession, with the promise of more greatness in short order. The best part is that this episode packed the wallop of a season finale…but we have 5 (!) more episodes to go, including Patton Oswalt, Amy Acker and Samuel L. Jackson! Ahhhh!

I don’t know if I’ve been more excited to be a Marvel fan than right now, following the best film in the MCU, and the best episode of AOS, in quick succession, with the promise of more greatness in short order. The best part is that this episode packed the wallop of a season finale…but we have 5 (!) more episodes to go, including Patton Oswalt, Amy Acker and Samuel L. Jackson! Ahhhh!

What do you want to see over the next 5 episodes? My prediction is that Coulson and company will try to track Garrett and Ward down, and Garrett will end up kidnapping the Cellist (Acker). They’ll save her…but not before a big death, and before Ward or Garrett get away (or maybe Ward dies saving Skye to “redeem” himself). The finale will end with Nick Fury revealing himself to be alive, and offering Coulson and his crew a chance to rebuild SHIELD from the ground up, or…to go into space.