spoiler:

just had a thought. Since the framework is supposed to correct each person's biggest regret, what if Jemma's biggest regret was leaving Will the astronaut behind on the planet Maveth? What if Jemma is only presumed dead, b/c she has been missing for so long, and is alive and well with Will.

I could see them doing this, as they keep throwing wrenches into the Fitz/Simmons relationship. It's almost as bad as Ross/Rachel from Friends.

redline248 said:

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Really quick thought...there's no chance the Darkhold is an infinity stone, right?

Just thinking how they are going to end up dealing with that...since it's from another world/dimension/whatever

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Probable MCU speculation spoiler:


Ummm... I can't seem to make spoiler tags work for me. Curses.

HAHAHA ignore this post. I REALLY suck at Intrawebz.

Well I suck at the Internet. Just google T.H.A.N.O.S. theory of infinity stones.

Ignoring all of my idiotic posts above (sorry I can't get spoiler tags to work, not sure what I'm doing wrong)...

I just laughed at that teaser trailer. Crazy how they managed to work that guy back in again. But I love it, it's great.
Also, I have to give them a lot of credit. I actually started to get a little bored halfway through this season. I didn't feel there was anything to really keep me on the edge of my seat like previous seasons. The last three episodes really changed that though.

Guess I'll be the one who isn't excited about this alternate timeline/framework arc we're headed into. Every character other than Daisy & Simmons is fake and all actions are inconsequential, so what is the show going to be about?

Daisy and Simmons trying to convince the others it's fake so they will help them figure out how to stop it.

Duh

More important question, is Ward good or evil?

After more than a month, Shield is back tonight! Very excited about the Framework arc. Hope to see some old faces. If this is the final stretch of the series (looking more likely with the ratings and Inhumans coming), then let's hope they go out with a bang!

dat wuz awezum!!!!!!!!!!

Nice return episode!

redline248 said:

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Her hair is longer, maybe that's your thing.

She always looks hot, to me

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Yes, she's always hot, but long hair definitely looks better on her. I think her skin looked nicer, too. And, when they showed her in a bra, her boobs were more impressive than I expected they would be.

I don't know. I felt kind of disappointed in the episode. Maybe I just went in not excited about a Framework arc, but the storyline just didn't draw me in. Add to that that Fitz's acting (which I had thought was the best on the show the past few seasons) just didn't work in his new role.

Jemma and Skye/Daisy held up their own, and I am curious to see Grant's triple-agenting, but like others have mentioned this what-if/nothing-really-matters world just feels like a cop-out. Maybe when they exit it someone will retire, or a part of their reprogramming will stay, but we'll have to wait and see.

I think tonight's episode is going to be really fun...



Hoping to see Mack!

I finally watched last week to prepare for tonight. My reticence about this storyline wasn't exactly quelled by that episode. Jemma and Daisy were good overall, but it frustrated me when they kept trying to act like people should remember them, which for some reason every time travel/alternate reality show always includes.

Not giving up on it, but it all the other actors struggled playing different characters than their usual one.

Squirrel Master said:

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I finally watched last week to prepare for tonight. My reticence about this storyline wasn't exactly quelled by that episode. Jemma and Daisy were good overall, but it frustrated me when they kept trying to act like people should remember them, which for some reason every time travel/alternate reality show always includes.

Not giving up on it, but it all the other actors struggled playing different characters than their usual one.

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Except Ward, who was Ward.

so i was wondering where's Nick Fury and Maria Hill? (yes short answer is contracts). I would like to know what happens to them in the Framework. Were they murdered? Are they HYDRA? Were they just omitted from existence? Wasn't the current SHIELD base an old SSR base that only Fury knew about until SHIELD went into hiding, and Coulson moved the team there?

TexasAggie_02 said:

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so i was wondering where's Nick Fury and Maria Hill? (yes short answer is contracts). I would like to know what happens to them in the Framework. Were they murdered? Are they HYDRA? Were they just omitted from existence? Wasn't the current SHIELD base an old SSR base that only Fury knew about until SHIELD went into hiding, and Coulson moved the team there?

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Interesting thought. Who actually programmed the Framework, and do they even know about Fury and Hill? And if it's Radcliffe or Aida, how do they know about Ward?

MooreTrucker said:

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TexasAggie_02 said:

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so i was wondering where's Nick Fury and Maria Hill? (yes short answer is contracts). I would like to know what happens to them in the Framework. Were they murdered? Are they HYDRA? Were they just omitted from existence? Wasn't the current SHIELD base an old SSR base that only Fury knew about until SHIELD went into hiding, and Coulson moved the team there?

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Interesting thought. Who actually programmed the Framework, and do they even know about Fury and Hill? And if it's Radcliffe or Aida, how do they know about Ward?

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My understanding is that Aida made the current framework with help from the Darkhold, which is probably why it's so lifelike. It's possible that the darkhold knows enough about everything to recreate the world in such detail.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Darkhold

I was going to post that since the "world" thinks Fury is dead as of Winter Soldier, Radcliffe would have no need to program him in the framework. However, he also knew Ward was dead, and somehow Aida got enough knowledge about him to program him and make Daisy his girl. So, yeah...

i'm guessing in the alternate reality, the winter soldier events still go down mostly, but Bucky and HYDRA prevail instead of Cap/SHIELD.

so an ancient, evil book has led to a world with good and bad versions of some of the characters...I think I know who SHIELD should call

So this has gotten interesting! While thing is gonna come down to Fitz.

I'm guessing they're building up to the characters having to deal with what they did in the matrix when they return to the real world. Which, if so, would feel cheap.

Other than Ward being back I'm not liking the framework arc so far. Feels like a cheap Man in the High Castle. Of course I'll keep watching though.

I think they've upped the risks here, since it would appear that if you die in the Framework you die on the outside. Or at least that was my take away from Simmons. And with Coulson being the only one of the team that seems to have retained his memories, all of them think that what they're living is their real lives.

I do like the Madame Hydra version of Aida. The actress playing her has had to play three different characters now: Agness, Aida, Madame Hydra. She's almost become like the new Ward.

A couple of thoughts:

1. I bet Ward dies saving Daisy - his redemption.

2. Do we think Fitz knows he's in the framework but has chosen to accept the framework as the real world? Earlier in the season I said I thought the season would end with either one of him or Jemma dying or they get married. Maybe this plays out with him staying in the framework and her leaving.

3. I think the scene where Mack ultimately realizes he's in the framework and that his daughter isn't real will be heartbreaking.