(The Whimsies have been so busy lately with Halloween costumes and their pet dinosaur Fred that they barely missed Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD last Tuesday when it was not on TV, but watching it last night renewed their enthusiasm for the show. Even after they were tucked in for the night for their beauty sleep, they were still talking about it.)
TRIXIE. You know, as much as I like Skye, it sure was nice to see an episode that for once wasn’t all about her.
TESSIE. Yeah! She had a couple of good lines, and she cried when Simmons was okay, when she didn’t get killed by the virus—
TRIXIE. OR by jumping out of the plane!
TESSIE. —but other than that, this show was not about her. I for one was really happy to learn more about Fitzsimmons.
TILLIE. Tess, I think you were mostly glad to learn more about Fitz! We know you have a crush!
TESSIE. (blushing) I will not deny that! I do. And he did look exceptionally cute in this episode, and had some very touching scenes with Simmons. But it was really all about her, and that was nice.
TILLIE. It was also nice how the whole story was wrapped up in what happened in the Avengers movie, with the virus coming from that alien helmet from the Battle of New York. It was good to be reminded that everything we see on the TV show is also connected to everything that goes on in the movies.
TRIXIE. Ooh! Ooh! And speaking of which, do you know what I heard The Man saying to Miss Chrissy? He said that NEXT time (or the time after that, I can’t remember which), some of the stuff in the SHIELD episode is going to be what happens AFTER the stuff that happens in the new Thor movie!
TILLIE. Cool! That will really connect the TV world with the movie world.
TESSIE. Trix, don’t you wish you could go see the Thor movie with Miss Chrissy and The Man this weekend?
TRIXIE. Aaaargh!! It’s killing me that I can’t go see Thor! But we all know they don’t have ticket prices for Whimsies.
TESSIE. Maybe Miss Chrissy could smuggle you in in her purse?
TRIXIE. I thought of that. But it wouldn’t be right for me to go without you two, and she can’t smuggle us ALL in in her purse.
TILLIE. Yeah…true. That’s too bad. But you know The Man will get the DVD for this movie at the first moment it’s available. So you’ll get to see it then.
TRIXIE. (brightly) Something to look forward to! I can wait.
TESSIE. And in the meantime, we can keep enjoying the SHIELD TV show.
TILLIE. You’re right, Tess. And I think we’re all really enjoying the show. The episodes are so good! And they’re not all the same. Like, sometimes we have big super villain stories, and sometimes like last night we get a very small personal type story. I like that we’re finding out so much more about the characters.
TRIXIE. We really are! But you know what I can’t figure out? What is it with Fitz and Simmons? Are they like…girlfriend and boyfriend? Are they married?
TESSIE. No! They’re definitely not married. And I don’t think they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, either. I think mostly they’re just friends that think so much alike that they are always on the same page and can always—
TILLIE AND TRIXIE. —Finish each other’s sentences?
(They all pause a moment, then giggle quietly.)
TESSIE. Yeah! Like that. Exactly like that.
TILLIE. It’s always good to have a friend like that, don’t you think?
(They all sigh. Then…)
TESSIE. And he risked his life for her. Running into that room with the alien helmet. He could have been infected too, but he didn’t care.
TRIXIE. And also, he would have jumped out of the plane after her, if Ward hadn’t shown up.
TILLIE. And it’s a good thing Ward did show up! Because he knows how to do that kind of stuff, jumping out of planes and rescuing people. That’s what he’s good at.
TESSIE. Yeah, for Fitz, the spirit may have been willing, but the flesh is weak.
TRIXIE. What??
TESSIE. It means he had good intentions, but he didn’t really have the skills.
TILLIE. If Fitz had jumped, I think they would have both ended up dead. But instead, because Ward did what he’s good at, they’re all alive.
TESSIE. Yeah…
TRIXIE. Yeah…
(They are all quiet a moment, then…)
TILLIE. What’s wrong, guys?
TESSIE. Just thinking…
TILLIE. About what?
TESSIE. About being alive. And about being dead.
TRIXIE. About Agent Coulson. And about May.
TILLIE. Why? What? You mean that scene at the end? When they’re both talking about how much it changes you when you die?
TRIXIE. Yeah. You say they’re all alive. But I’m not so sure. We still don’t know what’s going on with Agent Coulson—
TESSIE. And now we don’t even know about May! It seems like maybe she died too at one point. She died, but now she’s alive again.
TRIXIE. How do they do that?
TILLIE. We don’t know yet. But I think when we find out, it’s going to be a good story.
TESSIE. Do you think it will be that thing Miss Chrissy and The Man were talking about? That they’re…what?? Live…Model Decoys?
TRIXIE. (absently) LIFE Model Decoys, Tess…
(They all pause to think it over. Then….)
TILLIE. You know, at first I thought it MIGHT be that. But the longer this goes on, the less and less I think that. And especially now with this new information that May also died. I don’t know why I feel this way, but it seems to me it’s got to be something different, something no one has even thought of so far.
TRIXIE. Why do you say that?
TILLIE. Well, because at this point, that would be the most OBVIOUS answer. And this show is too smart to go for the obvious answer.
TESSIE. So then! What do you think it is?
TILLIE. No idea yet. All I know is I can’t wait to find out what the answer is. And I can’t wait to see what happens next.
TESSIE. And I can’t wait to see how the stuff from the new Thor movie is going to fit into a SHIELD episode!
TRIXIE. And I can’t wait for the Thor movie to come out on DVD so I can see it!!
TILLIE. Lots and lots to look forward to, you guys. Hey! You know, isn’t it great that of all the places where we could have ended up, we ended up here in Whimsieville, with Miss Chrissy and The Man, who like so many of the things we do?
TESSIE. Yes! And it’s great that we didn’t get separated after The Hoard. That would have been—
TRIXIE. —devastating! But it didn’t happen.
TILLIE. Life is good, don’t you think?
(The three Whimsies sigh, thinking about how good life is, and then their conversation switches to how they might find some more delicious tree leaves for Fred to eat, and do you think he would enjoy some nuts and berries, if they could be found? And then, slowly, they get more and more quiet, and eventually drift off to sleep.)
