In a number of ways, this episode was all about confirming what we already suspected.  The “other SHIELD” is made up of a different remnant that chose a different style of leadership, one that was never happy with the way that Fury ran things.  And sure enough, as hardline as Gonzalez and his agents might be in terms of security and their stance on Coulson, they’re not entirely wrong.  In fact, it makes sense that someone in the former unified SHIELD who wasn’t Hydra would challenge Coulson’s authority, especially if most of them are still operating under the belief that Fury is dead. 

Part of the problem is assumption.  Gonzalez and his allies are assuming that Coulson’s obsessions earlier in the season, and his relationship to Fury, has left him “compromised”.  And considering the body count that went along with Coulson’s race to find the city, one might be tempted to agree.  What is left out of that equation, however, is that Whitehall was also looking for the city.  At the end of the day, Coulson’s team took out a lot of powerful members of Hydra in a relatively short period of time.  (Speaking of which, what has Gonzalez’s team been doing?)


That doesn’t make them perfect, though, because Coulson and May are making the assumption that Skye will understand that her current exile is all about the greater good.  Others have pointed out that “The Index” sounds an awful lot like the “Superhero Registration Act”, something that will likely be at the heart of the conflict in Captain America: Civil War.  If Skye’s current treatment represents the best possible scenario for someone with abilities, then there is definitely going to be a problem.

One thing I love about this episode is how Fitz goes to bat for Skye.  It’s now pretty clear that Fitz’ character arc was all about laying the foundation for how the team deals with change, and Skye’s destructive abilities are just making the distinctions more apparent.  It’s also important, because if Skye was the only one objecting, it might be taken as pure selfishness.  Fitz puts it on a more objective (and damning) level. 


As Agents of SHIELD potentially gears up for its own “civil war” (perhaps taking the heat off the impending film to do all the heavy lifting), there is movement among the adversaries still on the board.  I had somewhat dismissed Ward and Agent 33, but it makes sense for them to continue to be the wild cards in the game.  Even as SHIELD is fragmenting more and more, their enemies are regrouping.  And Agent 33 as the anti-May/Skye combo is an interesting direction to take.





It was interesting to get more characterization for Bobbi.  Her entire motivation is wrapped up in her loyalty and duty to SHIELD.  It’s what killed her relationship to Hunter, which is not only a neat flip on the usual trope of men being unable to commit, but also a sign that she’s unlikely to waver in her loyalty to Gonzalez without a lot of evidence that Coulson’s version of SHIELD is the right one.  Ultimately, that’s likely what it will come down to, if Bobbi remains a part of the team, but it highlights how two SHIELDs could end up splitting everyone right down the middle.