AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.: 2.10: What They Become Trailer & 2.9 Interview

 ABC‘s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., episode 2.10 TV show trailer & episode 2.9 interview. The Winter finale, to Agents‘ second season, promises to provide some answers about season two’s contribution to the series mythology; but for the moment, the real matter at hand is whether viewers have been asking the right questions.

Yes, the blue donor of regeneration goo is, in fact, Kree. No, Skye is not the real name of Chloe Bennet‘s character, and her dad’s a little sensitive about it. Yes, dad the Doctor (Kyle MacLachlan) has a mood swing problem of Victorian legend proportions. Yes, he, Skye (” – is not her real name!”), and Raina (Ruth Negga) are more Human, than Human, according to the Deviner. Maybe, Raina was being literal about being party to a collection of “freaks,” brought under The Doctor’s wing, way back when.

That was just what was made apparent, about Agents‘ possible MCU direction, from recent episodes. So how about some more expansive details, on the mythology, tie-ins, and inter-personal character bits.

In the great, ongoing tradition of the non-answer interview, Agents showrunners, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, took the time for a Q & T (question & tease, rather than answer) session with Entertainment Weekly.

The EW interview:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How early on had you guys decided that the alien was Kree?

JED WHEDON: We obviously showed this body a year ago at around this time. When we were breaking that and sussing out what this arc would be, we had to have a lot of the pieces in place from the get go. Yes, we had to talk to features about what their plans were and where they were going. It’s been a while.

Does this count as your tie-in to Guardians of the Galaxy?

MAURISSA TANCHAROEN: There’s more to explore with the Kree.
WHEDON: It is a very far away other galaxy, so it’s a little bit harder to have one of them walk into our set, so a direct tie-in is a little bit more challenging, but it’s all one universe, so there’s always opportunity for more.

What does the alien being Kree mean for the storyline in the future? Are we talking about Inhumans here?

WHEDON: That’s why there’s more episodes to come!
TANCHAROEN: You will see how this Kree fact that we all now know plays out.
WHEDON: It also helps tie us into the cinematic universe. In Guardians, we saw parts in our universe that we hadn’t explored yet, so it shows we’re a part of that too.

Raina tells Skye that she’s human, she just has the potential to be more. Would you say that’s your “Aha!” moment or is there something more definitive coming in the midseason finale?

WHEDON: There’s always stuff coming. Right now, we’re on Skye’s journey with her. Anything she learns, hopefully it resonates with the audience. She doesn’t know what to think. She’s gotten mixed signals. And Raina is not exactly the most trustworthy person, but it seems like she’s telling what she believes.
TANCHAROEN: It’s not like she buys everything. It’s not that she wants to allow herself to believe everything that Raina says. She is listening to these discoveries with some doubt.

Let’s talk about the temple. Fans are theorizing that it is the Inhumans city Attilan. Will this place get a name?

WHEDON: We will know what our characters know. If they get more on this, then yes. Right now, it’s still a big mystery.

During the opening of the episode, Skye was having dreams—or should I call them premonitions? Is this what makes her so fearful of what’s to come?

TANCHAROEN: She’s having some gut feelings and they are manifesting in her dreams. Are the dreams foreshadowing something? Perhaps.
WHEDON: Mainly, they serve to show how afraid she is of all of this. In the audience’s mind, there’s a little bit of a sense of not obsession, but her interest in this lifelong journey of finding her parents. All of this is tied together emotionally.
TANCHAROEN: Everything is coming to a head.

Can you talk about Skye’s mindset when she hugs Coulson before he goes to the temple?

TANCHAROEN: When we first met Skye, she’s always been someone who goes off of instinct and impulse. Through the course of this season, in her training with May, she’s toned that down and learned how to be an agent, suppressed emotion and been there for the fight first. It’s a nice moment that brings us back to the old Skye and the heart of her relationship with Coulson, which will always have elements of a father-daughter relationship. For some reason, she feels more concerned than usual about this mission, so she gives him a hug. It’s just a nice way to see that she’s that old Skye that acts on impulse and wants to show she cares.

Now Skye is with Ward (Brett Dalton) en route to meet her dad (Kyle MacLachlan). Is it safe to assume this meeting will be fraught with tension?

WHEDON: Their relationship is just beginning. We will definitely see it develop in one way or another.
TANCHAROEN: It’s hard to let go of that lifelong hope of meeting your birth parents and having your parents be people that you’ve always wished them to be, but she’s been faced with the reality of who he really is, and she’s seen dead bodies in his wake. She’s still grappling with that inside.

Will Skye and Ward’s relationship also be contentious when we pick up in the next episode?

TANCHAROEN: Yes.
WHEDON: She’s not his biggest fan. Everybody has a reason for being the way they are. Ward has his. Whether or not she can reconcile that with his actions, that’s the question. Right now, it feels like she can’t.

It feels like Skye is going to be facing some choices in the midseason finale. Is that a fair assumption to make?

TANCHAROEN: Yes.
WHEDON: It’s an assumption, but it’s a fair one. They’ve been trying to stop Hydra and it’s led them to where they are going, but the question is whether or not they would’ve gone there anyway.

Mack and Bobbi (Adrianne Palicki) said they have some “other thing” going on. Is there anything you can tease?

WHEDON: We cannot comment on that.

Is Mack actually dead or will we see him again in the midseason finale?

WHEDON: You’ll have to tune in. That question will be answered quickly.

Though Fitz said he would vacate his position in the lab so Simmons could take charge, they seemed to work well outside the temple. Will Fitz rethink his declaration?

TANCHAROEN: At the core of their relationship, they will always be the FitzSimmons that we first met. Despite the new boundaries and the shift in the dynamic, they’ll always work well together.
WHEDON: Tense circumstances will either bring you together or push you apart, so we’ll be exploring that with them.

Alright. Personally, I think the elephant in the room regards the possible identities behind Skye & The Doctor. The questions that come to mind include: is there a literal take away, to The Doctor’s apparent split personality disorder; does one source character in particular, that fits the bill, automatically reveal Skye’s true identity; how far is the show prepared to go, regarding superpowers within the central cast; and how far is the show prepared to go, regarding a tie-in with Captain America: Civil War.

If it seems like I haven’t actually said anything useful, consider that I’m trying to avoid spoilers, here – regardless of how juicy some potential answers to these are.

For the moment, the single biggest question, coming out of ‘What They Become,’ is whether Raina’s promise of revelation requires a transformative ritual, process, or exposure of some kind. ‘How’ they become may be at least as important as ‘what.’ A single tweak, to a pair of source characters, can make for a real game changer – both in terms of Agents, as a series, and for its place in the MCU.

‘What They Become’ also features Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Brett Dalton, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, Adrianne Palicki, B.J. Britt, Patton Oswalt, and Reed Diamond, and airs Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 9:00pm EST, on ABC.

Watch the trailer, for ‘What They Become’, then leave your thoughts on it, and the showrunner interview, below, in the comments section. For more Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. photos, videos, and information, visit our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Page, subscribe to us by Email, follow us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or “like” us on Facebook.

Sources: EW, SpoilerTV