April 11 new episode livewatch! 10 p.m. ET!

Actually, I find the character to be both lackluster and intriguing, both at the same time. Lackluster, because he could be better. I'm not a fan of the whole "the Russians are the bad guys" angle - what, are we back in the cold war?? - and I thought from the beginning that the Superior lacks the proper motivation and menace to be a villain that has to be taken seriously in opposition to the team. As his last encounter with Coulson and Skye proved, this has been done - on both accounts - fully intentionally by the writers. In Coulson's eyes his motivation was a joke, and when faces with Skye in battle, it was more than obvious that, try as he might, he does not stand a chance against someone of her power level. So, I respect that the writers did not fail to create an intimidating villain, but instead never intended to do so in the first place. Doesn't mean I have to consider it good story-telling, though.

As to why I find him intriguing, there are several factors; some of them strictly involving his role on the show and some a bit more... personal. The first reason ties directly to what I said above, as to why I don't like him quite as much. I simply cannot imagine that the writers would create such a character, someone who is almost made tragic by how much of a failure his schemes turned out to be, and then simply discard him without giving him the opportunity for "redemption". (Note that I don't mean this in a moral way, but rather that his efforts, no matter in what direction they will go - will hopefully become more worthwhile.) Seeing as how incredibly much the character has changed in the last episode alone - courtesy of Aida - this outcome seems ever more likely to me, so I'm very curious to see what he will be up to in the final arc of the season.

In the same line of thinking, I also cannot fathom how an actor like Zach McGowan would accept this role if there was little more to come for the Superior than what we have seen so far. Over in the general TV section, I have been gushing over Black Sails recently, and while the show is absolutely marvelous in its entirety, a very large reason for that was also the character of Captain Charles Vane in particular. Played by - you guessed it! - Zach McGowan. Now, anyone who's seen me post on the AoS board for the last couple of years will know that I do not take this next line lightly: I think I love Charles Vane just as much, or even more, than I love Hunter! So you can imagine that I refuse to accept that an actor, who's brought one of the most astounding and impactful characters to life that I have ever seen, would be content with portraying such a wannabe villain as the Superior has proven to be so far. 


And last but not least, aside from the - I assume - rather obvious fact that I think Zach McGowan is extremely hot, there's also one other reason that I have a personal investment in the character, from his very first episode, long before I even knew Black Sails existed. You see, I write fanfiction. Have done so for many years, and while I've written for several fandoms, most of my stories are about Agents of Shield. Now, the main villain in what you might call my main story, So Long, is very similar to the Superior. So similar in fact, that I keep calling the Superior "Jack" - the character's name - in my mind all the time and actually have to take a moment to remember his real name. In the story, Jack doesn't really have an agenda. He's an interrogator - a torturer - and a smart one at that. But, if you also take his current employer into account, a man leading an organisation not only hell bent on fighting Shield, but also focused on fighting anything alien on Earth, the similarities become even more striking. In that regard it is both fascinating and weird to me to see something so akin to what I've myself come up with once now on the screen. In that same vain, I am - as I said - very intrigued by the character - more than most people, I would assume - and don't want to see him fail. Or rather - at this point - see him remain a failure. 

I agree that he never really seemed menacing, so it will be interesting to see if the writers turn him into something more threatening. I also wonder if he will play Aida's game the way she seems to think he will. I think her lack of emotion prevents her from understanding how much he hates her.

What exactly do you mean by "historical footage"? I'm pretty certain they don't have any archive material from the early 18. century. That said, I know that the show is shot in South Africa and I would assume that the sets are all set up there as well. Over the course of the show that scope especially of the ship scenes gets larger, so there will be a bit more CGI involved, but in general they're dealing with real sets as far as the Walruss or the other ships are concerned. Was I didn't really notice any inconsistencies, but it being the pilot episode, I could imagine that they evventually evened out any kinks you might have found at first.

We could do it earlier if it works better for us. I was just thinking of the normal time. What does everyone else think? Move it earlier? Keep it the same?

If only this show was on at 7pm PST....

Jemma Simmons the news crawl says you are going to re-watch 4x15 again, before the new episode. I'll be more than happy to hang with you and do that, its too much fun! Yet, we just watched that last week.

Just a suggestion... how about we re-watch the original pilot, 1x01, just to refresh how much the show has grown. I did that recently, and gosh, some of the characters looked like kids back then!

Plus, Skye's hair was SO much more luscious (yeah, I'm a man,I'm not apologizing )
Whatever you decide, count me IN.

I will add, its pretty full of quotable quotes as well. People that were sour on the show in the beginning may appreciate it more now.

if you change your mind, don't forget to change the news-feed <3