(The Whimsies are really enjoying Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, and are even beginning to form special attachments to some of the characters. Listen:)
Trixie. Okay. So you have to admit, in that opening scene, when the cars go flying all over the place, that was pretty cool.
Tessie. YEAH!!! Surprised the heck out of me!
Tillie. I guess that was when I realized this was not just any ordinary truck driver. And then when the whole truck went straight up in the air…well, I thought that was pretty ambitious for television.
Trixie. Yeah! I felt like I was watching one of the Marvel movies!
Tillie. I’ll be you expected Thor to suddenly appear!
Trixie. Nah. I knew right away it had to be something about Graviton.
Tessie. You mean the scientist who went into that blobby gray stuff? I’d never even heard of Graviton before this.
Trixie. He controls gravity.
Tillie. Well, we get that…NOW!
Trixie. It was a nice touch, don’t you think, to have one of the existing Marvel villains come into the show?
Tessie. Yeah. And I don’t think that’s the last we’re going to hear of him. Sure, they locked him away in that vault at the end, but then when you see that hand pop out…I’m like….WHOA!!!
Tillie. Me too. Only I thought it was going to be a face, not a hand.
Trixie. It was a good episode.
Tessie. It sure was. And you know what was the best part about it? Finding out about Skye, that she’s really with them, not against them.
Tillie. Yeah…I’m glad we got that cleared up! I thought for sure we’d have that dark cloud hanging over our head for the rest of the season, so I was kinda surprised they resolved that all so quickly.
Tessie. And it is resolved, isn’t it? I mean, in that last scene, when she’s doing the punching bag with Agent Ward, I think she sounds pretty sincere.
Trixie. I think it sounds like she’s had a rough life. I had no idea she was…an orphan…
(They all get very quiet. Then…)
Tillie. (quietly) Like you, Trix.
Trixie. Yeah. And like Tess, too.
Tessie. (nodding) Nobody wanted us. For a long time.
Trixie. (sadly) Just like Skye…we were never a “good fit” either….
Tessie. Well, I was. With Miss Chrissy. Before the dogs dragged me away. But after that…
Tillie. (suddenly, brightly, breaking the somber mood) It’s been hard for both of you, I know. And for Skye. But look! That’s all over now, right? You guys are here with me in Whimsieville, and Skye is with SHIELD, and she’s determined to make it work.
Trixie. Oh! I hope she does! I hope they all like her, and accept her. I hope she finally gets to fit in…
Tillie. I think she will, Trix.
Trixie. And I hope she learns how to fight, and how to defend herself, and how to do all the cool agent stuff like Agent Ward and May can do. She CAN be strong. And strong is a good thing to be.
Tessie. I think she already is strong, Trix. She just needs to get some skills.
Tillie. Yeah, skills can be taught. But you know what can’t be taught?
Trixie. (never skipping a beat) Being as pretty as she is?
Tillie. Yeah! That! Exactly.
Trixie. She sure did look nice in that pink dress, didn’t she?
Tessie. Just like you, Trix! Pretty in pink!
Trixie. (giggles) Hee hee…so I guess me and Skye have lots in common.
Tessie. You sure do.
Tillie. So I guess it’s pretty clear who Trixie’s favorite character is so far. What about you, Tess? Who’s your favorite?
Trixie. Oh, I know this one! I know this!
Tessie. (surprised) What do you know?
Trixie. I know who you like, Tess!
Tessie. (blushing) You do?
Trixie. Sure! You have a crush on Fitz!
Tessie. (blushing more) I do?
Tillie. (laughing) Of course! It’s so obvious, Tess. You just hang on his every word.
Tessie. I do? I mean…Who can hang on all those words, anyway? I don’t understand half of what he says.
Trixie. Because he’s a rocket scientist.
Tillie. And because of his accent?
Trixie. Oh, Tessie has no trouble with his accent. You know how she is about accents. In fact, I’m quite sure it’s his accent that she finds so…crushable…
Tessie. Well…you’re right. I have to admit. He’s adorable. Isn’t he?
Tillie. I concur, Tess! He IS adorable.
Trixie. Actually, guys, I think the term is…adorkable.
(They all giggle, then suddenly…)
Tessie. (defensively) Huh?? But wait!! He’s mine, you guys! I saw him first!
Tillie. Oh, you can have him, girl. He can be your crush.
Trixie. Tillie! Why are you giving him up so easy? I thought you liked all those smart guys.
Tillie. I do! I do! Smart is the new sexy! Isn’t that what they say?
Trixie. Okay, but who’s smarter than Fitz? I mean unless you’re talking about Simmons….
Tillie. She’s cute in her own way, of course. But not in the way I would have a crush.
Trixie. Then who—?
Tessie. (suddenly realizing) Coulson! You like Agent Coulson!!
Tillie. And why shouldn’t I? He may not be as smart as Fitz, but he IS smart in his own way.
Trixie. (agreeing) And he’s very confident.
Tillie. Yeah. I like that about him. I like the way he leads the rest of them.
Tessie. (giggling) And you like the way he looks in a suit, too, I’ll bet.
Tillie. (sighing) I’ve got to admit. I’ve always had a thing for a well-dressed man….
Trixie. When he came off the lifeboat, he was wearing his suit!
Tessie. (giggles) Yeah. That was funny.
Tillie. Yeah. It was funny. But it was also kind of the defining moment for me, because I suddenly realized, no matter what’s happening, Agent Coulson is always going to look good, never going to look ruffled. He’s got everything under control.
Tessie. (carefully) But there’s one thing, Till. You know…he may not be Agent Coulson at all.
Tillie. I know. You mean because of when he died, and then he went to Tahiti—
Trixie. The Magical Place.
Tillie. So it might not really be him at all. I mean, the real Agent Coulson might really be dead.
Trixie. Oh!! I hope not!
Tillie. And this…person…who looks like him might only be…what is it called, Trix?
Trixie. A Life Model Decoy.
Tessie. A…what?
Trixie. Well, it’s kind of like a robot. An android.
Tessie. Like Data, in Star Trek?
Trixie. Yeah, I guess. Only Agent Coulson doesn’t look anything like a robot.
Tessie. Like Data. Whose skin is kind of silvery…kind of yellow…
Tillie. Agent Coulson looks good. Like a real person. But I’m ready to accept that he might not be a real person.
Trixie. Well, he did say something this week about not having any…what? Muscle memory? Like his muscles should remember how to work a gun?
Tessie. But if he’s a robot, then he wouldn’t….have any… muscles?
Trixie. Exactly.
Tessie. (after a moment) But that is so WEIRD!!
Trixie. (matter-of-factly) Well, we are living in a comic book world, my dear. Anything could happen.
Tillie. And anything probably will. I wonder what they’ve got in store for us next week…
Tessie. We have a whole week to wait. In the meantime, I’m thinking maybe we should take some of those Star Trek DVD’s off the shelf and watch some shows about Data.
Trixie. Why?
Tessie. Well…to pass the time until the next SHIELD show. And also because Data’s kind of…
Tillie. What? Don’t tell me he’s kind of cute!
Trixie. Tessie! Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on Data!
Tessie. Well, why not? If you can have a crush on Thor, I can have a crush on Data!
(Tillie and Trixie roll their eyes. Then…)
Tillie. She’s got a point, Trix.
Trixie. Well, nobody’s watching anything right now, because it’s late, and I think it’s time we all got some sleep.
Tessie. Good idea. We’ll watch Star Trek tomorrow.
Tillie. Okay. I’m on board with that.
Tessie. You are? I didn’t know you were a Star Trek fan, Till!
Trixie. Wait, wait! Don’t tell me! Tillie’s got a crush on Captain Pickard!
(The three Whimsies giggle, and settle down into their beds, and after a few more sighs, they are asleep.)
