Warning – this post contains spoilers regarding Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I’ve now watched that episode, the one where Ward is revealed (to us, not to his colleagues) as a Hydra agent. And he finally ‘fesses up to Skye that he likes her.
First, the whole Ward and Skye thing, I always thought that would be a thing but when Ward went off with May I figured I must be wrong. I guess I wasn’t. Ward and Skye do seem the more likely pairing, or at least they did until it turns out Ward is a double agent.
So about that. Apparently, there was quite the uproar amongst fans when this happened (I’m late to the party!). I can see why though. It just doesn’t really fit Ward’s character. He does seem like one of the ‘good’ guys. He may seem a bit misguided at times but there’s Coulson to reign him in. He cares about Skye. He cares about his team. Hell, he even dived out of a plane with a parachute only half on to save Simmons’ life and that was without a second’s hesitation. Double agent or not, those kinds of split-second decisions to save a team member’s life without regard to his one, can only come from a subconscious level of actually caring about them. It doesn’t come from pretending to be their friend. This is what makes the double agent thing annoying, it’s just not Ward. Plus, I, as the viewer, don’t want it to be true. Ward is part of the team, don’t go missing with the team that I’ve been growing to like with each episode.
Add this post to the uproar!
Update
I’ve now watched the next episode where all of the above points are explained away. Still doesn’t really sit right and don’t think that was a good thing to do to Ward. I can see they’re trying to show that none of the characters are black and white good or evil and it’s more complex than that, just like in real life, but it’s still a bit meh. Even the whole thing with John Garrett (Bill Paxton) was a bit meh though somewhat predictable.
Another Update
Now I’ve watched the whole backstory it does make a bit more sense, and Ward does care in his own twisted way. Trip (B.J. Britt) seems a more than adequate replacement. The thing is, when you rip up the main cast that the audience has just grown to love, it is hard for them to accept as they were integral to the universe of the show. Introducing new characters throws things out as well but things are looking like they might work out okay.
