Review - The Avengers: EMH Season 2 Episode 7, "Who Do You Trust?"
Oooh, that title!
This is being played out of order, apparently - episode seven is a Thor-focused one. ETA: Nope, apparently this is the correct order.
Bobbi! in the 'previously on'! :D Does that mean we'll see her this episode? :D I hope so!
Huh - the way that Helicarrier swept over the skies of New York reminded me a bit of the Star Trek: The Next Generation opening with the Enterprise sweeping through space.
Maria's got sleeping quarters on the Helicarrier! Not surprising, ultimately, but interesting.
BOBBI! YES.
And Nick! Okay then. So does that mean he's got a whole group with him, or at least more than just Natasha?
Whoa. Nice disappearing tech you've got there, Mr. Fury.
THE TEAM TOGETHER IN CIVVIES :D ♥
Really, Tony, you're good at 'you've just been fired' speeches? :S
It's been two weeks since Carol joined the team - so two weeks since Welcome to the Kree Empire.
Jan: "I'm just glad there's finally another girl on the team."
Tony and Clint: "Hear, hear."
~
Really, guys.
XD at the Hulk on monitor duty...and T'Challa on Hulk duty ♥
Well hello, mysterious female figure I think I recognize from that big group promo shot...
...Quake? Isn't she an X-Man?...
Carol says her codename in the Air Force - which she joined straight out of high school - was "Warbird"! :D
Carol loves to fly jets!
She was pulled into Special Investigations shortly after re-enlisting after college.
Carol: "They know I'm a strong believer in law and order. Without the law, you got nothing."
Clint (to "Steve"): "Major? That means she outranks you, old man."
"Steve": *is silent*
Carol: "And as a SWORD field commander, I outrank you back when you did ops for SHIELD."
Clint: *aims at her with a drinking-straw arrow*
Carol: *disintegrates it with a zap of her energy beam*
"Steve" (with a laugh, as Jan giggles): "I like you already, Major."
TASHA! :D
Whoa. So Quake isn't an X-Man then (ETA: okay, I think I had her mixed up with Karma)...she's a SHIELD agent, Daisy Johnson!
And Nick is working with her and Bobbi in addition to Natasha.
There's a quick recap of the events, particularly the closing events, of Widow's Sting.
Bobbi found out about Mme. Viper being a Skrull when she chased her down during that episode.
Nick: "Then Mockingbird did the single most sensible thing any agent of SHIELD has ever done. She kept it quiet and brought it to me." ♥ ♥ ♥
"Viper's" comm-device picked up two communications - one from the SHIELD helicarrier...and one from the Avengers Mansion. Tony's stunned.
XD at Jan and Clint leaving the monster villain - Hyperion? - for an eager Carol to take on.
Based on what happened in "Widow's Sting", where Viper saved Hawkeye (and Mockingbird!) from Strucker, Bobbi thinks that Clint could be the skrull on the Avengers. She thinks there may have been enough time for him to be replaced.
...and Tony goes and tells the Avengers about Nick's suspicions!
Tony's scanning everyone - except Cap? - in-depth.
Carol goes into agent of SWORD mode and says Clint needs to come with her for interrogation if Fury thinks he's a Skrull - those are the rules. He's not too keen on going and she powers up, ready to take him by force...
He gets ready to fight her too, only to find Tony siding with her...
Clint (muttering): "So much for Avengers Assemble."
Jan's stuck in the middle and tries to calm everyone down, but it doesn't work.
Jan (getting between Carol and Clint): "All of you, stop this. We're the Avengers, we're supposed to be better than this. If we can't trust each other, we've got nothing."
Clint appeals to T'Challa, but he agrees with Tony that if the Skrulls truly are on Earth, then anyone can be an imposter.
Even the not-present-at-the-moment Hank is a suspect!
T'Challa: "Look at Ant-Man's recent behaviour. Who is to say the Ultron incident was not intentional?" (:S)
Jan: "Hey!" (♥ I love that she can't believe that, even if T'Challa's POV can also be seen as logical, given the (actually very little) that Tony told them.)
T'Challa walks out.
Jan tries telling everyone to "breathe" and calm down so they can talk, but it doesn't help the situation.
Hulk sides with Clint, who then points out that Tony or Carol could just as easily be Skrulls themselves...
...and then there's a firefight! D:
Jan confronts Carol about her actions, but doesn't actually fire on her (unlike others). But Carol says she's not pleased with what she has to do but she has to do it because it's "not a hobby for me. It's my duty.".
"Steve" supports Clint!
Tony suddenly states that there's no way for him to be sure about any of them:
- Jan and Hulk were already shape-changers;
- Steve could have been a skrull as long ago as WWII;
- Carol was working with an alien when they met her;
- T'Challa had been gathering info on the team before meeting up with them, something they later ignored.
That's not the way Jan's shape-changing works, Tony. (Nor is it Hank's, which hers are similar to). And it's certainly not Hulk's, because he doesn't change at will. But maybe Tony's line is that if they can do what they can, why not more they're not revealing?
It'd have been a bit of a stretch for Steve (if he wasn't actually the imposter!) too, because...why would a Skrull help the Allies during the war?
And in Carol's case...why would the Kree Mar-Vell - who *warned* the Avengers about a potential invasion! - work knowingly with a Skrull? And surely he'd be able to tell if his partner was one or wasn't, which meant that he didn't suspect Carol (correctly)?
And T'Challa...could have caused a lot of damage a lot earlier, but he didn't.
As far as Tony's concerned, the Avengers are over :S because he can't count on any of them any more. :S
Clint tells Carol she'd better be sure about him if she wants to take him in, because he's not a Skrull and not "a flunkie for SHIELD". She leaves too, disappointed and unhappy...but without pressing Clint further.
Oooh, clever Skrull-Steve. He says the breakup of the team is what the enemy wants, "to win the war without firing a shot"...and that because the Avengers are the only thing he's got, he'll lead the team if they'll have him. Clint says yes because saying no would make him look as if he was really guilty; Hulk says yes because "I made a deal"; and Jan agrees with a "thank you, Cap".
They're being watched by Nick and Quake!
Quake can't believe what Tony did...but Nick says Tony's someone who couldn't keep his hero ID a secret even briefly, so Tony did what Nick expected he would.
He's convinced Tony's "the real deal" and that he's always assumed the Skrulls knew he was onto them.
His plan now is to put the ball in the Skrull's court so that he or she can mess up.
T'Challa's back in Wakanda! He's ordering the country prepared for invasion and speaks specifically to his "Dora Milaje - the two female warriors we've seen before, who are apparently the Black Panther's personal Guard!.
Carol is back at Damocles...but isn't filing a report yet.
Tony's back at his office at Stark Industries.
... D: Bobbi?? D: Damn I did not see that coming till I saw the edges of her mask. I thought the female voice would turn out to belong to "Sue"!
And the Skrull Queen, too - wow. Poor Jessica Drew doesn't exist in this 'verse of course, to have been the person Veranke impersonated, but still it was a SHIELD agent...and Bobbi *had* been one of the replaced (actually so had Hank, in the comics!).
But I suppose it was pretty obvious, in retrospect - "Bobbi" pinned the suspicion on Clint (XD poor guy has no luck *whatsoever*) to keep it off "Steve" and she had a great "theory" for it because that's actually what she did to the real Bobbi!
Unless the "Bobbi" we've seen throughout was a Skrull all along... D:
And it's interesting that Nick only mentioned transmissions from the Helicarrier and the Mansion but not the Baxter Building. What is Skrull-Sue up to?
And I wonder...could she be Lyja, whom I found out today *has* impersonated Sue? But if that's so, there goes any possiblity of Lyja/Johnny in this 'verse...
General Thoughts:
Wow.
It started off pretty well, at least for the Avengers, and ends a different sort of note altogether - from celebration and togetherness to suspicion and break-ups. And the cliffhanger ending is MAJOR and caught me *completely* by surprise (although I was a little disappointed, too)! I want to see where this storyline goes, definitely.
Some characters from the last season, who haven't made an appearance yet, do so here...as does one new character as well, who is very interesting. I hope we see more of her as the SHIELD side of this season's storyline is developed.
This is being played out of order, apparently - episode seven is a Thor-focused one. ETA: Nope, apparently this is the correct order.
Bobbi! in the 'previously on'! :D Does that mean we'll see her this episode? :D I hope so!
Huh - the way that Helicarrier swept over the skies of New York reminded me a bit of the Star Trek: The Next Generation opening with the Enterprise sweeping through space.
Maria's got sleeping quarters on the Helicarrier! Not surprising, ultimately, but interesting.
BOBBI! YES.
And Nick! Okay then. So does that mean he's got a whole group with him, or at least more than just Natasha?
Whoa. Nice disappearing tech you've got there, Mr. Fury.
THE TEAM TOGETHER IN CIVVIES :D ♥
Really, Tony, you're good at 'you've just been fired' speeches? :S
It's been two weeks since Carol joined the team - so two weeks since Welcome to the Kree Empire.
Jan: "I'm just glad there's finally another girl on the team."
Tony and Clint: "Hear, hear."
~
Really, guys.
XD at the Hulk on monitor duty...and T'Challa on Hulk duty ♥
Well hello, mysterious female figure I think I recognize from that big group promo shot...
...Quake? Isn't she an X-Man?...
Carol says her codename in the Air Force - which she joined straight out of high school - was "Warbird"! :D
Carol loves to fly jets!
She was pulled into Special Investigations shortly after re-enlisting after college.
Carol: "They know I'm a strong believer in law and order. Without the law, you got nothing."
Clint (to "Steve"): "Major? That means she outranks you, old man."
"Steve": *is silent*
Carol: "And as a SWORD field commander, I outrank you back when you did ops for SHIELD."
Clint: *aims at her with a drinking-straw arrow*
Carol: *disintegrates it with a zap of her energy beam*
"Steve" (with a laugh, as Jan giggles): "I like you already, Major."
TASHA! :D
Whoa. So Quake isn't an X-Man then (ETA: okay, I think I had her mixed up with Karma)...she's a SHIELD agent, Daisy Johnson!
And Nick is working with her and Bobbi in addition to Natasha.
There's a quick recap of the events, particularly the closing events, of Widow's Sting.
Bobbi found out about Mme. Viper being a Skrull when she chased her down during that episode.
Nick: "Then Mockingbird did the single most sensible thing any agent of SHIELD has ever done. She kept it quiet and brought it to me." ♥ ♥ ♥
"Viper's" comm-device picked up two communications - one from the SHIELD helicarrier...and one from the Avengers Mansion. Tony's stunned.
XD at Jan and Clint leaving the monster villain - Hyperion? - for an eager Carol to take on.
Based on what happened in "Widow's Sting", where Viper saved Hawkeye (and Mockingbird!) from Strucker, Bobbi thinks that Clint could be the skrull on the Avengers. She thinks there may have been enough time for him to be replaced.
...and Tony goes and tells the Avengers about Nick's suspicions!
Tony's scanning everyone - except Cap? - in-depth.
Carol goes into agent of SWORD mode and says Clint needs to come with her for interrogation if Fury thinks he's a Skrull - those are the rules. He's not too keen on going and she powers up, ready to take him by force...
He gets ready to fight her too, only to find Tony siding with her...
Clint (muttering): "So much for Avengers Assemble."
Jan's stuck in the middle and tries to calm everyone down, but it doesn't work.
Jan (getting between Carol and Clint): "All of you, stop this. We're the Avengers, we're supposed to be better than this. If we can't trust each other, we've got nothing."
Clint appeals to T'Challa, but he agrees with Tony that if the Skrulls truly are on Earth, then anyone can be an imposter.
Even the not-present-at-the-moment Hank is a suspect!
T'Challa: "Look at Ant-Man's recent behaviour. Who is to say the Ultron incident was not intentional?" (:S)
Jan: "Hey!" (♥ I love that she can't believe that, even if T'Challa's POV can also be seen as logical, given the (actually very little) that Tony told them.)
T'Challa walks out.
Jan tries telling everyone to "breathe" and calm down so they can talk, but it doesn't help the situation.
Hulk sides with Clint, who then points out that Tony or Carol could just as easily be Skrulls themselves...
...and then there's a firefight! D:
Jan confronts Carol about her actions, but doesn't actually fire on her (unlike others). But Carol says she's not pleased with what she has to do but she has to do it because it's "not a hobby for me. It's my duty.".
"Steve" supports Clint!
Tony suddenly states that there's no way for him to be sure about any of them:
- Jan and Hulk were already shape-changers;
- Steve could have been a skrull as long ago as WWII;
- Carol was working with an alien when they met her;
- T'Challa had been gathering info on the team before meeting up with them, something they later ignored.
That's not the way Jan's shape-changing works, Tony. (Nor is it Hank's, which hers are similar to). And it's certainly not Hulk's, because he doesn't change at will. But maybe Tony's line is that if they can do what they can, why not more they're not revealing?
It'd have been a bit of a stretch for Steve (if he wasn't actually the imposter!) too, because...why would a Skrull help the Allies during the war?
And in Carol's case...why would the Kree Mar-Vell - who *warned* the Avengers about a potential invasion! - work knowingly with a Skrull? And surely he'd be able to tell if his partner was one or wasn't, which meant that he didn't suspect Carol (correctly)?
And T'Challa...could have caused a lot of damage a lot earlier, but he didn't.
As far as Tony's concerned, the Avengers are over :S because he can't count on any of them any more. :S
Clint tells Carol she'd better be sure about him if she wants to take him in, because he's not a Skrull and not "a flunkie for SHIELD". She leaves too, disappointed and unhappy...but without pressing Clint further.
Oooh, clever Skrull-Steve. He says the breakup of the team is what the enemy wants, "to win the war without firing a shot"...and that because the Avengers are the only thing he's got, he'll lead the team if they'll have him. Clint says yes because saying no would make him look as if he was really guilty; Hulk says yes because "I made a deal"; and Jan agrees with a "thank you, Cap".
They're being watched by Nick and Quake!
Quake can't believe what Tony did...but Nick says Tony's someone who couldn't keep his hero ID a secret even briefly, so Tony did what Nick expected he would.
He's convinced Tony's "the real deal" and that he's always assumed the Skrulls knew he was onto them.
His plan now is to put the ball in the Skrull's court so that he or she can mess up.
T'Challa's back in Wakanda! He's ordering the country prepared for invasion and speaks specifically to his "Dora Milaje - the two female warriors we've seen before, who are apparently the Black Panther's personal Guard!.
Carol is back at Damocles...but isn't filing a report yet.
Tony's back at his office at Stark Industries.
... D: Bobbi?? D: Damn I did not see that coming till I saw the edges of her mask. I thought the female voice would turn out to belong to "Sue"!
And the Skrull Queen, too - wow. Poor Jessica Drew doesn't exist in this 'verse of course, to have been the person Veranke impersonated, but still it was a SHIELD agent...and Bobbi *had* been one of the replaced (actually so had Hank, in the comics!).
But I suppose it was pretty obvious, in retrospect - "Bobbi" pinned the suspicion on Clint (XD poor guy has no luck *whatsoever*) to keep it off "Steve" and she had a great "theory" for it because that's actually what she did to the real Bobbi!
Unless the "Bobbi" we've seen throughout was a Skrull all along... D:
And it's interesting that Nick only mentioned transmissions from the Helicarrier and the Mansion but not the Baxter Building. What is Skrull-Sue up to?
And I wonder...could she be Lyja, whom I found out today *has* impersonated Sue? But if that's so, there goes any possiblity of Lyja/Johnny in this 'verse...
General Thoughts:
Wow.
It started off pretty well, at least for the Avengers, and ends a different sort of note altogether - from celebration and togetherness to suspicion and break-ups. And the cliffhanger ending is MAJOR and caught me *completely* by surprise (although I was a little disappointed, too)! I want to see where this storyline goes, definitely.
Some characters from the last season, who haven't made an appearance yet, do so here...as does one new character as well, who is very interesting. I hope we see more of her as the SHIELD side of this season's storyline is developed.