"F.Z.Z.T." Countdown/LIVE Discussion Thread!

[Degobunny]

Heh. "It's science, Fitz, I have to dissect something!"
As always, Mei is my favorite. "Interrogating" that kid, kicking down the barn door - she easily has the most character out of anyone on this show.

The episode was good - better than the others - but it still feels like it's lacking something to me. I don't know.. hate me, but I sort of wanted Simmons to die. Can you imagine the emotional impact that would have had?

What emotional impact would it have had? To have an emotional impact we would have had to had an attachment to the character. We are just now getting to know the Simmons character. Simmons death would have been pointless. At least now that she is alive we get a different sort of emotional impact particularly for Fitz, Coulson, and Simmons herself.

[Kiarasa]

Not an emotional impact to us, directly; we would view how her death would effect the other characters - Fitz specifically.

[Degobunny]

Not an emotional impact to us, directly; we would view how her death would effect the other characters - Fitz specifically.

Characters deaths of major characters when they work properly have an emotional impact on the audience and multiple characters. Killing Simmons just so Fitz could grow as a character would have been about as impactful as when Yar was killed by a giant black plastic trash bag on Star Trek TNG. The only character who was really impacted was Data, and he has no emotions. Keeping Simmons alive was the correct decisions as Coulson had a heart to heart with May and Fitz kept his bff.

[Kiarasa]

Eh... I would rather have one dead character and one that grows as a result than two flat characters. I realize it's early in the series, but they still both feel pretty flat to me. In fact, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been lacking on the character development front all around.

Obviously, the writers agree with you, and not killing her is the choice they went with. But that doesn't change my opinion in that it would have been a stronger episode - and series - if they'd gone for the kill.

[Degobunny]

Eh... I would rather have one dead character and one that grows as a result than two flat characters. I realize it's early in the series, but they still both feel pretty flat to me. In fact, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been lacking on the character development front all around.

Obviously, the writers agree with you, and not killing her is the choice they went with. But that doesn't change my opinion in that it would have been a stronger episode - and series - if they'd gone for the kill.

Killing a character because you do not like them or find them bland is a terrible idea. You do not kill flat characters you find a way to make them interesting. Sorry going back another Star Trek example. Bashir was a bland boarding on insufferable character for many people. The writers did not kill him though, instead they worked with the character and eventually made him genetically enhanced which added depth and layers to the character, hardening back to Khan without regressing.So killing a bland character is a bad idea, it is better to make the character interesting by adding to them.

[Kiarasa]

I never said that I disliked her, nor did I say that I would want her killed because she was bland. I said that her death would add more to the series than her continued life. I agree, killing a flat character in no way makes them more interesting; I do not know of anyone that would argue that point. My argument has nothing to do with making Simmons a more interesting character; it would be about opening doors to give other characters the chance to develop that would otherwise not be present.

Look, it's obvious neither of us are going to change each others' minds. I just hopped on here to share my opinion of the episode. I don't expect to be in the majority here and, honestly, my opinion is irrelevant as the show went down a different route. So fare thee well, internet stranger, and let us part in peace.