SHIELD 2x11
Mar. 4th, 2015 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meg_tdjSHIELD's return was AWESOME. Last night I did something I haven't done in a long, long time - I stayed up until the wee hours watching one scene over and over and over and over, and today I seem to be doing the same thing. I just can't get over it... the writing, the acting, the emotion, EVERYTHING about this scene (or two scenes, really) was absolutely perfect.
I am, of course, referring to the scenes between Fitz and Skye.
Right from the second Skye opens her eyes and sees Fitz standing outside her quarantine room looking on-the-verge-of-meltdown-y, you know you're in for a treat. Iain de Caestecker has been knocking it out of the park all season with Fitz's meltdowns and altered personality, and while Chloe Bennet is a terrific comedic actress, she's fantastic when it comes to playing vulnerability.
Let's face it, at this point in the episode, everybody in the audience knows what's going on with Skye. Personally, I was spoiled to the gills, but even the most casual viewer can see that Skye is causing weird stuff to happen, and Skye herself knows that she's been affected by whatever turned Raina into a freak. So just as I'm wondering how they'll make the big reveal a Big Reveal... there's Fitz. I'm on the edge of my seat immediately, because hello, who better to discover the secret than the guy who doesn't trust his own mind??
Now we're in unpredictable territory. We already know what Simmons thinks about people with powers - they should be wiped out to save the rest of humanity. We know what Coulson would say - she's one of ours, so we save her. But Fitz? Where's his head lately?? He's been freaking out all episode long about her heart monitor, and we don't know why. Then we see this -
I could go on for hours about the acting here, but suffice it to say - FLAWLESS. You can read absolutely anything into Fitz's body language and emotional outbursts here. Is it anger? Fear? Concern for Skye? Concern for everyone else and fear OF Skye? Frustration with himself? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. When he makes the mad dash out the door, I'm honestly a puddle of emotion on the floor, thinking he's either gone to look for someone to deal with her or he's simply run away in fear. But what did he make a grab for before he left? TENSION!! (Not to mention that he used the word "inhuman" to describe her, which was flaily-hands-inducing all by itself!)
Then we get this -
*flaily hands* I MEAN COME ON HOW INSANELY PERFECT IS THIS SCENE?!?!?! The guy who's been trying all season to get people to accept the way he's changed ACCEPTS THE NEW SKYE WITHOUT QUESTION OR HESITATION AND STEPS IN TO PROTECT HER FROM THE PEOPLE HE KNOWS WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME. I'm... just... did they plan this from the start? Is this the reason why the writers gave Fitz lasting brain damage, or did they just realize as they went along that this would make for the most perfect moment of the show ever? Either way, I'm impressed. As a writer and as a viewer... I'M IMPRESSED. I don't know why, but I can't get over being mindblown here. And considering that this is the first scene from this episode that numerous people have uploaded to YouTube today, I'm clearly not alone.
I could pick it apart and rave for hours about the perfection in every single line, but I'm trying to hold myself back from doing that, heh! It's just so moving to see Fitz rise to this occasion, not trip over any of his words, skillfully take the focus off Skye and onto himself ("I guess my coordination still needs work"), quickly distract and get rid of Simmons before she can look too closely at the results ("I would do it, but last time I was in there there was lots of... ladies' things"), and do for Skye exactly what Skye's mom had done for people with powers for decades - a tight hug and the words, "You're just different now, and there's nothing wrong with that." GAH, IT'S ALL SO SIMPLE AND YET SO SKILLFULLY CRAFTED. FIIIIIIIITZ I LOVE YOOOOOOOOU!!!
Um, yeah, and the rest of the ep was awesome, also. :D
I am, of course, referring to the scenes between Fitz and Skye.
Right from the second Skye opens her eyes and sees Fitz standing outside her quarantine room looking on-the-verge-of-meltdown-y, you know you're in for a treat. Iain de Caestecker has been knocking it out of the park all season with Fitz's meltdowns and altered personality, and while Chloe Bennet is a terrific comedic actress, she's fantastic when it comes to playing vulnerability.
Let's face it, at this point in the episode, everybody in the audience knows what's going on with Skye. Personally, I was spoiled to the gills, but even the most casual viewer can see that Skye is causing weird stuff to happen, and Skye herself knows that she's been affected by whatever turned Raina into a freak. So just as I'm wondering how they'll make the big reveal a Big Reveal... there's Fitz. I'm on the edge of my seat immediately, because hello, who better to discover the secret than the guy who doesn't trust his own mind??
Now we're in unpredictable territory. We already know what Simmons thinks about people with powers - they should be wiped out to save the rest of humanity. We know what Coulson would say - she's one of ours, so we save her. But Fitz? Where's his head lately?? He's been freaking out all episode long about her heart monitor, and we don't know why. Then we see this -
I could go on for hours about the acting here, but suffice it to say - FLAWLESS. You can read absolutely anything into Fitz's body language and emotional outbursts here. Is it anger? Fear? Concern for Skye? Concern for everyone else and fear OF Skye? Frustration with himself? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. When he makes the mad dash out the door, I'm honestly a puddle of emotion on the floor, thinking he's either gone to look for someone to deal with her or he's simply run away in fear. But what did he make a grab for before he left? TENSION!! (Not to mention that he used the word "inhuman" to describe her, which was flaily-hands-inducing all by itself!)
Then we get this -
*flaily hands* I MEAN COME ON HOW INSANELY PERFECT IS THIS SCENE?!?!?! The guy who's been trying all season to get people to accept the way he's changed ACCEPTS THE NEW SKYE WITHOUT QUESTION OR HESITATION AND STEPS IN TO PROTECT HER FROM THE PEOPLE HE KNOWS WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME. I'm... just... did they plan this from the start? Is this the reason why the writers gave Fitz lasting brain damage, or did they just realize as they went along that this would make for the most perfect moment of the show ever? Either way, I'm impressed. As a writer and as a viewer... I'M IMPRESSED. I don't know why, but I can't get over being mindblown here. And considering that this is the first scene from this episode that numerous people have uploaded to YouTube today, I'm clearly not alone.
I could pick it apart and rave for hours about the perfection in every single line, but I'm trying to hold myself back from doing that, heh! It's just so moving to see Fitz rise to this occasion, not trip over any of his words, skillfully take the focus off Skye and onto himself ("I guess my coordination still needs work"), quickly distract and get rid of Simmons before she can look too closely at the results ("I would do it, but last time I was in there there was lots of... ladies' things"), and do for Skye exactly what Skye's mom had done for people with powers for decades - a tight hug and the words, "You're just different now, and there's nothing wrong with that." GAH, IT'S ALL SO SIMPLE AND YET SO SKILLFULLY CRAFTED. FIIIIIIIITZ I LOVE YOOOOOOOOU!!!
Um, yeah, and the rest of the ep was awesome, also. :D
