Still holding out for a hero (or at least a decent flashlight).

[taste_is_sweet]

(Pony!Bucky icon because reasons.)

So, yeah. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., guys. Last night was episode three of the new season, and while I wasn't exactly surprised at yet more murky morality, three episodes in and it's already murky enough that it's hard to see. Like when you're in a vault.

Such as this one:

But it's S.H.I.E.L.D., so it's fine. Really.

Check it, O, best-beloveds--this is the door leading down the dark, narrow staircase that goes to the dark, dark, basement, where our remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now keeping their prisoners like fetishists in a Tarantino movie. Coulson even refers to them as 'Assets', which is in no way creepy or dehumanizing. (Though to be fair, I guess he can't use 'consultant' since it's probably not a volunteer position.)

The prisoners do get a bed, which is nice. But as far as I can tell, if they're not being interrogated the room is kept soundless and dark, and it's about three and a half meters wide and maybe five meters long. Larger than my kid's bedroom for sure, but he has a nightlight and a window. And he can also, you know, leave.

Naturally, I couldn't help but be reminded of this:

At least he's safe! (Get it?)

The Winter Soldier, in all of his shirtless, woobie glory, being kept in a vault like a particularly important document. Now he's in a bank vault, because Hydra is classy like that. But it's still, y'know, a vault. Like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s, only with actual overhead lighting. And it's used pretty much for the same purpose as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s vault. Oops.

I'm assuming S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't going for the horrifically painful memory-wiping. Yet. But I have a feeling that being treated like a hamster in an aquarium (but without the adorable plastic wheel) would count as torture too.

These are not comfortable similarities, my darlings. They're especially uncomfortable when coupled with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new willingness to go for culling rather than trap and tag, so to speak. This ep, they went after someone ostensibly to rescue them from Hydra, but it became evident very early on that the 'rescue' part wasn't the priority. The actual priority was, 'if we can't have 'em, no one can,' like a psychotic ex-boyfriend. Or like Hydra, which had the exact same agenda.

And yet, it's not even either of these things--the hamster cages or the culling--which make me go, O.o, so much as the seeming casualness with which it's done. Yes, I'd like to see a little remorse among my heroes, beyond the expected 'gee, I just killed someone' moment. I'd like to see some reluctance, some unhappiness with the way things go down, even if there was truly no other option besides vaults and bloodshed. Hell, I'd really like other options to be overtly considered.

Nick Fury himself said that S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded to save people, because everyone is worth saving. But S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't seem to be doing much saving anymore. This isn't the S.H.I.E.L.D. who talked Mike Peterson down from literally going ballistic when it would've been far safer and easier to kill him; this S.H.I.E.L.D. would've put him down to make sure Hydra didn't get their hands on him first. And that's a bit too much like what Hydra itself would do. And when the good guys are just the same as the bad guys, then what's the point?

If I had to choose, I'd of course take the hamster cage over the agonizing mind-wipe, but I shouldn't have to choose the lesser of two evils. There shouldn't be two evils--just one evil, with many heads.

I love visual metaphors.

And sure, sometimes it takes a monster to defeat a monster. Except S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't supposed to be about monsters; it was supposed to be about heroes. But I've watched three episodes of the new season so far, and I'm still waiting to find them.

Holding out, if you will, for the heroes. Or at least I'll hold out for a few more episodes. But when you're in a vault, it's hard to know it's the end of the night.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. screen capture from screencapped.net

Comments

[brumeier.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I'm starting to feel less concerned that I've missed so much of this show. Steve wouldn't approve of these actions and neither do I.

I know that sometimes the good guys have to make dubious choices if they're going to stand a snowball's chance of keeping up with, and eventually defeating, the bad guy. But that never seems to end well. (Michael the experimental Wraith, anyone?)

It's too easy to write the characters this way, and harder to keep them on task and find less odious ways of getting the job done, so that they don't turn into the people they despise.

On another note, I love that song! ::sings::

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

It's a great song. I have three different versions.

I dunno, Bru--I know my husband doesn't mind the way it's going, and I don't think my sister does either. So far the eps have been better than some of them last season, and it's nice to see an overreaching goal. So it's possible that the show's current atmosphere wouldn't bother you.

But yeah, so far the show has a definite Michael vibe, only with actually more killing. I mean, the character they shot on the show had been brainwashed, and I'm pretty sure the S.H.I.E.L.D. team knew it. But they took the killing shot anyway, instead of using their knockout bullets, which we knew from the episode before that they had (when they didn't kill a far more dangerous character who had killed two members of their team, come to think of it).

Steve would definitely not approve. I certainly don't.

Watch Arrow instead. It's awesome. :D

[brumeier.livejournal.com]

I'm with Steve. FitzSimmons, Skye, even Coulson - they were fairly bright-eyed and on the side of reason. I'd hate to see that perverted.

But they took the killing shot anyway, instead of using their knockout bullets, which we knew from the episode before that they had (when they didn't kill a far more dangerous character who had killed two members of their team, come to think of it).

This is very not good.

I couldn't get into Arrow. J watches that and likes it, though.

[taste-is-sweet.livejournal.com]

Well, at least J has the right idea about some things... :)

Very not good! Though now I'm thinking that they only left the other guy alive to use as a bargaining tool. ::sigh::