*** Official Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2 Viewers)

[Psychopav]

For some reason my DVD didn't record it. Anyone know where I can watch it?

Search for it. I didn't pay attention to when but at the end they said it was being replayed some time before next Tuesday. Saturday maybe.

 

[FUBAR]

For some reason my DVD didn't record it. Anyone know where I can watch it?

Search for it. I didn't pay attention to when but at the end they said it was being replayed some time before next Tuesday. Saturday maybe.

I think they're doing back to back episodes next week, first being this week's again.

Not sure why they'd do that, but guess it works for you.

 

[FUBAR]

When it became clear that May wasn't in on it I was disappointed, because I think the concept of a series long bad guy who was a main good guy for the whole first season is pretty cool. Glad to see they didn't abandon that, though I hope (although I'm guessing they will) they don't wimp out and redeem Ward at the end of all this.

Definitely seemed pretty spoilery for the Winter Soldier (haven't see it yet), but cool that they're weaving them together like that. If I ever went to the theater for movies anymore I'm sure it would be a cool experience.

Ward might be unlikable enough that they don't need to redeem him.

 

[The Big Guy]

For some reason my DVD didn't record it. Anyone know where I can watch it?

Search for it. I didn't pay attention to when but at the end they said it was being replayed some time before next Tuesday. Saturday maybe.

It doesn't come on demand, but according to a commercial during show you should be able to watch it on abc.com

 

[(HULK)]

I think this show is really getting it done lately. Another strong episode.

I had a dream this morning right before waking up...

Me: So, Agent Hand, is there a Mr. Hand?

Agent Hand: Holds up this picture and says, "Yup."

Alarm clock goes off.

Weird.

 

[(HULK)]

For some reason my DVD didn't record it. Anyone know where I can watch it?

Search for it. I didn't pay attention to when but at the end they said it was being replayed some time before next Tuesday. Saturday maybe.

I think they're doing back to back episodes next week, first being this week's again.

Not sure why they'd do that, but guess it works for you.

They're doing it because this episode changed so much, people will be lost if they don't see it.

PS: I loved when they changed the SHIELD logo to the other logo going into the commercial break. Nice touch.

 

[stbugs]

For some reason my DVD didn't record it. Anyone know where I can watch it?

It might be on your DVR?

 

[Spike]

Anyone think Ward was "possessed" (or something like that)? When he did what he did at the end, his eyes took on a very different color than usual.

 

[skol asylum]

Anyone think Ward was "possessed" (or something like that)? When he did what he did at the end, his eyes took on a very different color than usual.

Hydra read the numbers tattooed on the inside of his bottom eyelid.

 

[Peak]

Anyone think Ward was "possessed" (or something like that)? When he did what he did at the end, his eyes took on a very different color than usual.

Hydra read the numbers tattooed on the inside of his bottom eyelid.

I think it's a standard dbl agent spy move, or the often used triple-agent spy move as trademarked from the Black Widow.

And the logo from Shield to Hydra at the end was pretty cool.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

Seems plausible that he may be "Eye Spied" and have a chip. That would be a bit lame, considering we know that the team on the bus can see those chips when they're looking for them.

I sincerely hope that they're not setting Ward up as a triple agent. Him being HYDRA at least makes shooting the Fauxvoyant somewhat plausible (kind of implausible that everyone just accepted his "he got in my head about Skye!" excuse, but whatever).

I'm glad they've gotten the pieces out of the way now. Really felt like they had to run in place for a long time so as not to spoil Cap2. I understand that priority, but I think they should have held it as a winter premiere then (they wouldn't have gotten the Thor 2 synergy, but they didn't do much with that synergy).

 

[packersfan]

Anyone think Ward was "possessed" (or something like that)? When he did what he did at the end, his eyes took on a very different color than usual.

That was my first thought too. He looked off at the end the way he was staring at Garrett.

The show has really gotten much better of late. It's like they figured out what was working and what wasn't and purged the latter to focus on the former. The only concern I have is if they keep tying things in so directly to the films in some fashion that be tough for people to keep following along with all the info they need to know. I haven't seen the Capt. America film yet but there sure seemed to be a ton of stuff going on last night that makes the film almost essential viewing (I plan on seeing it anyway so no big deal there).

 

[ebcpastor2004]

Maybe not the place for it, but is it necessary to see CA2 in 3D?

 

[Corporation]

Maybe not the place for it, but is it necessary to see CA2 in 3D?

I answered in the other thread, but no, you don't miss anything.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Very nice follow up to the movie.

I hope they don't resolve this too quickly. I would love to follow a renegade team working with what they have with out the massive Shield finances behind them.

Having Shield reform during or after Avengers 2 would allow for a decent sized story line.

 

[NewlyRetired]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

The show didn't get any kind of ratings bump from the Winter Soldier tie-in. It seems to have leveled out at 6 million viewers, and if it didn't get a lift this week I imagine that's probably the best it can expect going forward.

I wonder if the Netflix model isn't just better suited to this kind of show? Trying to fill in a 24 episode network order, and having the major storylines be held up by the movie events probably isn't the best mix. If the Defenders series works out, I'd be perfectly happy to see Agents of Shield carry on that way eventually.

 

[Psychopav]

The show didn't get any kind of ratings bump from the Winter Soldier tie-in. It seems to have leveled out at 6 million viewers, and if it didn't get a lift this week I imagine that's probably the best it can expect going forward.

I wonder if the Netflix model isn't just better suited to this kind of show? Trying to fill in a 24 episode network order, and having the major storylines be held up by the movie events probably isn't the best mix. If the Defenders series works out, I'd be perfectly happy to see Agents of Shield carry on that way eventually.

Let us know what happens next week. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth does changes anything.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The show didn't get any kind of ratings bump from the Winter Soldier tie-in. It seems to have leveled out at 6 million viewers, and if it didn't get a lift this week I imagine that's probably the best it can expect going forward.

I wonder if the Netflix model isn't just better suited to this kind of show? Trying to fill in a 24 episode network order, and having the major storylines be held up by the movie events probably isn't the best mix. If the Defenders series works out, I'd be perfectly happy to see Agents of Shield carry on that way eventually.

Let us know what happens next week. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth does changes anything.

Not only did it not get a bump, it was actually the least watched show of the season at 5.37 million (pilot was highest at 12.12 million).

If they fall under 5 million in this late season run in, they may not get renewed. 3 episodes left I believe, assuming they are doing 20.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

The show didn't get any kind of ratings bump from the Winter Soldier tie-in. It seems to have leveled out at 6 million viewers, and if it didn't get a lift this week I imagine that's probably the best it can expect going forward.

I wonder if the Netflix model isn't just better suited to this kind of show? Trying to fill in a 24 episode network order, and having the major storylines be held up by the movie events probably isn't the best mix. If the Defenders series works out, I'd be perfectly happy to see Agents of Shield carry on that way eventually.

Let us know what happens next week. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth does changes anything.

Not only did it not get a bump, it was actually the least watched show of the season at 5.37 million (pilot was highest at 12.12 million).

If they fall under 5 million in this late season run in, they may not get renewed. 3 episodes left I believe, assuming they are doing 20.

Those numbers got revised up, so it wasn't a series low but just where it has been for a few weeks.

 

[James Daulton]

I wonder if ABC will hang onto it, even if the ratings aren't great, hoping some of that Marvel magic eventually finds its way to the show.

With Avengers coming out in 2015, I'd be surprised if they weren't super patient with Shield.

 

[Psychopav]

I wonder if ABC will hang onto it, even if the ratings aren't great, hoping some of that Marvel magic eventually finds its way to the show.

With Avengers coming out in 2015, I'd be surprised if they weren't super patient with Shield.

Good point. Also, if they intend to have Coulson make a re-entrance into the films in either Phase 2 or 3, depending on how prominent the role will be, that might be another reason to keep him around. It's clear he's not going to be the Vision at this point but they sure seem to have a lot of their overall universe mapped out, so I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

I think it will definitely get a 2nd season pickup, and considering the end of that season would be leading directly into Age of Ultron I also think it will end up as either full season or perhaps a partial season that starts after January. Considering the massive amount of cash Marvel Studios is brining in, Disney can afford to float it out.

 

[NewlyRetired]

I think it will definitely get a 2nd season pickup, and considering the end of that season would be leading directly into Age of Ultron I also think it will end up as either full season or perhaps a partial season that starts after January. Considering the massive amount of cash Marvel Studios is brining in, Disney can afford to float it out.

I hope so too.

ABC has not announced it yet but hopefully they will soon.

 

[Rayderr]

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (8-9pm – 4.9 million and 1.7/6 in AD18-49):

During the 8 o’clock hour against originals of NBC’s The Voice and CBS’ NCIS, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was on par with its week-ago Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 rating, pacing within 1-tenth of a rating point and tied in audience share (1.7/6 vs. 1.8/6). Please Note: Last week’s episode went up 2-tenths of a rating point in the National ratings (from a 1.8/6 to a 2.0/6), an 11% increase over the preliminary Fast Affiliate Adult 18-49 number. So far this season, originals have gone up 13 times in the L+SD Nationals - rising 2-tenths twice now and going up 1-tenth 11 times. The ABC freshman drama won its hour with Men 18-34 (1.5/6), beating NCIS and The Voice (1.4/6-tie) to rank as the #1 scripted series in its hour for its 17th-straight original telecast. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. is Tuesday’s #1 TV show this season with Men 18-34, as well as the season’s top broadcast drama.



· S.H.I.E.L.D. boosted its hour by 42% for ABC year to year in Adults 18-49, over the year-ago night with original programming.



· S.H.I.E.L.D. was Tuesday’s #1 most social primetime series across cable and broadcast with 63,826 tweets, up 124% from the prior week.

It's coming back.

 

[stbugs]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

 

[NewlyRetired]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees. Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun at Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret's voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

 

[stbugs]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees.

Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun and Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

Yep, must have stopped for some reason and not finished.

 

[NewlyRetired]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees.

Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun and Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

Yep, must have stopped for some reason and not finished.

Set your DVR to record 5 minutes early next week as they are replaying this episode. You can catch the ending that way leading to next weeks show.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

This show always throws a little something in there after the commercial break right before the end of the hour, when the show looks like it's wrapped. It always throws my wife off as most shows have their last commercial break well before the ending and then go straight through to the end. This one always takes a break at like 2-3 minutes before the end of the hour (they show the shield/hydra logo and Colson says "stay tuned for more" which I think some people assume will be previews for next week's episode) and then throws one last 30 second scene in there right at the buzzer. My wife always thinks it's over and gets up to do something else before I remind her, which is what it sounds like happened to stbugs this week.

 

[stbugs]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees.

Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun and Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

Yep, must have stopped for some reason and not finished.

Set your DVR to record 5 minutes early next week as they are replaying this episode. You can catch the ending that way leading to next weeks show.

Thanks for the tip, I meant I must have stopped watching it (my oldest and I usually watch until he has to go to bed). I caught up at lunch since I am working from home.

That said, weird look on Ward's face. Seemed like either they wanted him to look super evil or tell us something was wrong. As long as they don't do a triple agent type of thing to have him infiltrate Hydra, it should be OK anyway they go. No way would he be sane and kill Hand/the other two guards if he was a good guy. They would have setup an escape.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

The other way to take the Ward tag (which was a distinct and separate scene from his "heel turn" scene) is that he's just a sociopath. The showrunners have done some interviews when they point out how a lot of Ward's earlier actions can be interpreted differently with this new information (i.e., he seduces May because she's the biggest threat, he saves Simmons to gain credibility with an impressionable team). One of the other things they showed early in the season was the vignette about the kid being trapped in the well, with the reveal that adolescent Ward was the bully responsible for tormenting the kid. We're supposed to think that his need to protect people grew out his remorse for the bully that he was, I guess.

But now, the reading that makes sense is that he's the same guy who threatened his friend into not helping the kid in the well. That could be fun to play if the actor is up to it.

 

[NewlyRetired]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees.

Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun and Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

Yep, must have stopped for some reason and not finished.

Set your DVR to record 5 minutes early next week as they are replaying this episode. You can catch the ending that way leading to next weeks show.

Thanks for the tip, I meant I must have stopped watching it (my oldest and I usually watch until he has to go to bed). I caught up at lunch since I am working from home.That said, weird look on Ward's face. Seemed like either they wanted him to look super evil or tell us something was wrong. As long as they don't do a triple agent type of thing to have him infiltrate Hydra, it should be OK anyway they go. No way would he be sane and kill Hand/the other two guards if he was a good guy. They would have setup an escape.

I agree, I was worried about the triple agent idea too but that won't work with him killing three agents in cold blood who appeared to be on the good side of things.

Scooby mentioned the pieces they planted from the get go with Ward that they could easily play off of now.

I am not sure how to interpret the change of sound at the end where it appears Ward is in his own world......

 

[stbugs]

After weeks of wondering just who the Clairvoyant was and how he or she was manipulating the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes, we finally got our answer Tuesday night in an episode that also tied into the S.H.I.E.L.D.-centric chaos of the just-released Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent versus S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, and it all came down to none other than Agent Garrett (Bill Paxton) being revealed as the Clairvoyant mastermind all along, not Agent Victoria Hand (Saffron Burrows), as last week's episode heavily suggested. All this was revealed after a massive battle and an infiltration of the chaotic S.H.I.E.L.D. Hub, but it wasn't the only surprise the episode had in store. Garrett wasn't just an evil mastermind. He was also an associate of HYDRA, the organization revealed to be at the heart of a S.H.I.E.L.D. conspiracy in Winter Soldier, and in one final twist, as the episode ended, it was revealed that Agent Ward (Brett Dalton) was working with Garrett, as he murdered Agent Hand.

It's a lot to take in, to say the least, but showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen were at the ready with post-mortem interviews about the episode. For starters, they revealed to CBR that the HYDRA infiltration was part of the show's plan all along. They just couldn't make that clear until after the Captain America sequel hit theaters.

"Joss said, 'Oh, any by the way, towards the end of your season, this happens. So let's try and build a season around that,'" Tancharoen said of the HYDRA reveal. "That's what we've done. So we've known about it from the outset. It puts us in a bit of a pickle, but it's something we found both challenging, and also looked at as a very unique opportunity. It's been thrilling for us to roll out the back half, now that 'Captain America' is out."

So, while some fans were frustrated that the show hadn't kicked into its highest gear just yet, it was all part of serving the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the Clairvoyant, it turns out that was just a ruse to lead us eventually to the real menace, a chance to create a threat without revealing the threat's actual source until the time was right.

"Because it's a big part of the film, we couldn't really have anybody bad within the organization, we couldn't paint the organization in a negative light, and we couldn't say the H-word [HYDRA]," Whedon said. "The concept of the Clairvoyant, which I think we mentioned for the first time in episode #5, that whole thing was born out of a desire for us to have our big bad be tied to it, without us being able to talk about it. We came up with the concept of someone who appears to have powers that we can be chasing on our own, and then reveal exactly how they're manipulating things later on."

As for Ward's betrayal, that was always part of the plan too, even if how it would be executed wasn't always certain. Now that it's clear which side Ward has chosen, though, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s showrunners promise us a deeper look at what's motivating him in future episodes.

"When we first conceived of the show, there were options on how to do it. We just knew there was going to have to be a hefty price, and it just logically started to make sense that that would be the path that we would go down," Whedon said. "You'll have to see how it shakes out and what the reasoning is, but we planted it from the get-go."

Damn, I either wasn't paying attention or didn't finish watching. I don't recall Ward shooting Hand. Last scene I remember was Garrett taking over.

The scene was Garret being taken away on plane to the Fridge. Ward asks to go with hand to personally lock the cell. Hand agrees.

Cut to commercial.

Last scene is on plane and Hand suggests putting Garret in cell is not enough and that he should be killed. She asks Ward if he wants to do it. Ward aims gun and Garret and then quickly puts a bullet in the heads of the Shield agents sitting to either side of Garret, pauses a beat and then shot Hand in chest as Garret smiles.

Ward sits down with an strange look to his eyes while Garret voice sounds distant to him......fade to black

Yep, must have stopped for some reason and not finished.

Set your DVR to record 5 minutes early next week as they are replaying this episode. You can catch the ending that way leading to next weeks show.

Thanks for the tip, I meant I must have stopped watching it (my oldest and I usually watch until he has to go to bed). I caught up at lunch since I am working from home.That said, weird look on Ward's face. Seemed like either they wanted him to look super evil or tell us something was wrong. As long as they don't do a triple agent type of thing to have him infiltrate Hydra, it should be OK anyway they go. No way would he be sane and kill Hand/the other two guards if he was a good guy. They would have setup an escape.

I agree, I was worried about the triple agent idea too but that won't work with him killing three agents in cold blood who appeared to be on the good side of things.

Scooby mentioned the pieces they planted from the get go with Ward that they could easily play off of now.

I am not sure how to interpret the change of sound at the end where it appears Ward is in his own world......

I think he said it perfectly that he was always bad, we just didn't notice.

 

[Braktastic]

This show is getting better, no doubt about it. However, if they make Ward some triple agent that fake killed Hand and the other two SHIELD agents to infiltrate Hydra, there really is no saving this show. Marvel's AoS has always been wanna-be Whedon. It's gotten to the point where it could be good Whedon if they don't #### out here.

 

[NewlyRetired]

This show is getting better, no doubt about it. However, if they make Ward some triple agent that fake killed Hand and the other two SHIELD agents to infiltrate Hydra, there really is no saving this show. Marvel's AoS has always been wanna-be Whedon. It's gotten to the point where it could be good Whedon if they don't #### out here.

Fake killed triple agent would be worst case for me too.

Second worst would be Ward being controlled.

Just let him be bad and deal with it. There will be opportunities where they can find common enemies for a single show to see them being forced to work together.

Let any reconciliation be earned between May and Coulson (I was very happy to see Coulson not call her a friend even when she was not Hydra). Ward should never come back for at least 2 full seasons.

By the way, how did they explain May trying to shoot Fitz in the head? Was it just because she knew he was also using a secure com link?

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

This show is getting better, no doubt about it. However, if they make Ward some triple agent that fake killed Hand and the other two SHIELD agents to infiltrate Hydra, there really is no saving this show. Marvel's AoS has always been wanna-be Whedon. It's gotten to the point where it could be good Whedon if they don't #### out here.

Fake killed triple agent would be worst case for me too.

Second worst would be Ward being controlled.

Just let him be bad and deal with it. There will be opportunities where they can find common enemies for a single show to see them being forced to work together.

Let any reconciliation be earned between May and Coulson (I was very happy to see Coulson not call her a friend even when she was not Hydra). Ward should never come back for at least 2 full seasons.

By the way, how did they explain May trying to shoot Fitz in the head? Was it just because she knew he was also using a secure com link?

All they said was that she was using an icer, not live bullets.

Having Ward be evil also makes his jonesing for Skye infinitely more interesting. Even if it's a bit of a Buffy Season 2 knock-off, having a big bad romantically obsessed with Skye is just a lot more fun than having two agents "shipping." This should be an anti-shipping show.

This way, you could actually slyly make fun of the entire "Skye is the most special-est girl in the world!" vibe that has turned some viewers off.

 

[NewlyRetired]

By the way, how did they explain May trying to shoot Fitz in the head? Was it just because she knew he was also using a secure com link?

All they said was that she was using an icer, not live bullets.

Ahh, I missed that part. That makes more sense now.

 

[acarey50]

The show didn't get any kind of ratings bump from the Winter Soldier tie-in. It seems to have leveled out at 6 million viewers, and if it didn't get a lift this week I imagine that's probably the best it can expect going forward.

I wonder if the Netflix model isn't just better suited to this kind of show? Trying to fill in a 24 episode network order, and having the major storylines be held up by the movie events probably isn't the best mix. If the Defenders series works out, I'd be perfectly happy to see Agents of Shield carry on that way eventually.

Let us know what happens next week. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth does changes anything.

Not only did it not get a bump, it was actually the least watched show of the season at 5.37 million (pilot was highest at 12.12 million).

If they fall under 5 million in this late season run in, they may not get renewed. 3 episodes left I believe, assuming they are doing 20.

I have read that one theory is that numbers were a bit low as people that haven't seen CA2 were waiting until they had to watch it. That's also one reason why they are replaying the episode next week.

 

[Buckna]

Great episode. Enough intrigue and not trusting people to keep it not too obvious for the ending. Earlier in the episode I was thinking Ward was a bad guy, May was the red herring. Then those "obvious twists" shifted a bunch of times between Hand, Garrett's new guy, Blake, and all the way around. Rolled my eyes at Ward "wanting a drink" with Skye, but the very end of the episode puts a whole new twist on that "HYDRA makes you think they're your friend" indeed. Most people said Ward was the weakest character starting out and this really changes his earlier behaviour. My guess he genuinely is bad. Whedon has a history of wanting to kill a major character in the first season (Jesse in the premiere of Buffy, Doyle in Angel.) I could see this as "lets setup a good guy and have him turn out to be evil."

Just wished I had waited to watch this after I saw Winter Soldier, ruined some things for me knowing about Hydra now. Was wondering why we hadn't heard anything about them at all being they were so big to the Shield universe. IIRC, in the episode Garrett said Sitwell was Hydra and Hand said that Blake maybe had died from his wounds in the prior episode?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Just wished I had waited to watch this after I saw Winter Soldier, ruined some things for me knowing about Hydra now.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=688623&p=16693315

 

[Rayderr]

The other way to take the Ward tag (which was a distinct and separate scene from his "heel turn" scene) is that he's just a sociopath. The showrunners have done some interviews when they point out how a lot of Ward's earlier actions can be interpreted differently with this new information (i.e., he seduces May because she's the biggest threat, he saves Simmons to gain credibility with an impressionable team). One of the other things they showed early in the season was the vignette about the kid being trapped in the well, with the reveal that adolescent Ward was the bully responsible for tormenting the kid. We're supposed to think that his need to protect people grew out his remorse for the bully that he was, I guess.

But now, the reading that makes sense is that he's the same guy who threatened his friend into not helping the kid in the well. That could be fun to play if the actor is up to it.

Another possibility...

Marvel's been pushing this whole "Everything's connected" slogan lately. Well, what happened a few weeks ago? Lorelei comes down from Valhalla and uses her powers on Ward. Could her powers still have some influence on Ward? Sure she was put in the magic muzzle and sent back to Valhalla, but remember, Odin is actually Loki in disguise now, so it wouldn't be a tretch for him to release her in exchange for some favors. Granted the Valhalla villains working with Hydra would be a rather new angle. Although there is the Tesseract cube connection between the 2 factions of baddies.

 

[Wyld Stallyns]

I can't remember if we saw bullet holes in the foreheads of the two guards or not (?)... Could Ward's gun have been loaded with icers still?

 

[sho nuff]

I can't remember if we saw bullet holes in the foreheads of the two guards or not (?)... Could Ward's gun have been loaded with icers still?

They made a point to show "blood" from Hand though.

Whether it was a set up or not will be what keeps people thinking Maybe Ward is still good and so on.

 

[Hawks64]

Haven't seen winter soldier yet. Is watching agents going to spoil it for me going forward?

Yes it will.

 

[Socrates11]

Excellent last couple of shows. Really starting to hit its stride now, hope it keeps up.

Another vote for keeping Ward bad. He killed SHIELD agents in cold blood, don't want a 'he was mind controlled' cop out. Would like to see him become a known HYDRA character, like Mentallo.

If they want to bring back Ward then perhaps have it turn out Ward was abducted early in the series and this guy has actually been the Chameleon (if Sony doesn't have the rights to him with Spider-man).

So many ways to go, geeked to see what's next.

 

[Socrates11]

Haven't seen winter soldier yet. Is watching agents going to spoil it for me going forward?

Yes it will.

If you're a moderate reader/fan of Marvel comics, then nothing should truly be a 'spoiler'. This sort of thing happens all the time. I was wondering when HYDRA would start to show up in the movie/tv universe and I think it was even discussed in these forums that HYDRA would likely make their appearance in CA 2.

I'm going to see CA 2 this weekend with my son, and I don't think anything has really been 'spoiled' with watching SHIELD.

 

[Vike Me]

This show is getting better, no doubt about it. However, if they make Ward some triple agent that fake killed Hand and the other two SHIELD agents to infiltrate Hydra, there really is no saving this show. Marvel's AoS has always been wanna-be Whedon. It's gotten to the point where it could be good Whedon if they don't #### out here.

Fake killed triple agent would be worst case for me too.

I think that's what it will be. Did you see Coulson and Ward give each other "knowing glances" right before he went into the hanger to take Garret to the Freezer? Also thought it was out of character for a "good" SHIELD Agent (Hand) to advocate executing someone like that - that's why I think it was a setup and Ward is deep undercover. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Ramsay Hunt Experience]

This show is getting better, no doubt about it. However, if they make Ward some triple agent that fake killed Hand and the other two SHIELD agents to infiltrate Hydra, there really is no saving this show. Marvel's AoS has always been wanna-be Whedon. It's gotten to the point where it could be good Whedon if they don't #### out here.

Fake killed triple agent would be worst case for me too.

I think that's what it will be. Did you see Coulson and Ward give each other "knowing glances" right before he went into the hanger to take Garret to the Freezer? Also thought it was out of character for a "good" SHIELD Agent (Hand) to advocate executing someone like that - that's why I think it was a setup and Ward is deep undercover. I hope I'm wrong.

My problem with that is it completely lets Ward off the hook for killing the Faux-Clairvoyant. And it also wouldn't really make sense. Are we supposed to believe that Garrett thinks that Ward just turned for Hydra then and there? Why would Garret trust that? It makes far more sense for Ward, who was trained by Garrett, to have always been Hydra.

 

[Vrana]

I think Ward being a triple agent would be incredibly dumb.

As far as we know, Garrett and Ward are now heading torwards the Fridge, which is one of the last standing compounds for SHIELD and houses incredibly dangerous artifacts and people. It wouldn't make sense for Ward to try to infiltrate HYDRA at this point and possibly give HYDRA access to the Fridge. Protecting that compound should be the number one priority.

Also, I can't see Ward murdering one of the (assumed) highest ranking members of SHIELD left alive in order to infiltrate HYDRA. I could see him taking down a couple of red shirts as an "end justifies the means" type of move, but taking out Hand? I don't see that.

I'm pretty sure he's an actual bad guy. Which is great, because his character was the worst part of the show.