Agents of SHIELD: Who is Lash?
I've been wanting to pen my thoughts on the TV shows I watch, but never really got to it. Furthermore, I don't think I can sustain a weekly review, so I decided I shall just write whenever I have something to talk about.
SPOILER ALERT FOR AGENTS OF SHIELD SEASON 3 EPISODE 4: DEVILS YOU KNOW and every episode before that
One of the big questions thrown at us by the end of the latest episode is (other than "what happened to Simmons at the alien world"): WHO IS LASH? It was a question that never really was a question before that, in the sense that Lash just seems to be one of the new characters introduced this season (and notably one that actually has a comic book origin). But the latest episode seems to suggest that Lash could be anyone. Probably someone we've already seen in the show (it better be). A few theories have been thrown around the internet, so here's my input:
(1) Rosalind Price or Banks (or anyone in the ATCU)
Maybe Lash is actually secretly working for (or in some ways controlled/influenced by) the ATCU, or maybe he (or she?) is someone in the ATCU with his own agenda. The show seems to hint mildly at that when Coulson requested for Daisy and Mack to follow the ATCU team back to their base (and when Lash appeared out of nowhere en route). But then again, the ATCU has no lack of secrets to hide from SHIELD. Plus both Price and Banks were present with Coulson in the first episode when Lash attacked the hospital, so it couldn't be either of them.
(2) Andrew Garner
Another favourite fan-theory which I think is one of the more likely ones. After all, we never really get to see Andrew's face before the store blew up. All we saw was a pair of legs (and we don't even know what footwear Andrew was wearing that day!). Strucker cornered him with at least 3 other guys, but he was the only one who ran out of the store, so the pair of legs could belong to any of the other HYDRA guys. Plus, this would explain Andrew's mysterious disappearance during his holiday with May (oops, took some fish oil, had to cut short my holiday).
(3) Werner von Strucker
I was initially quite surprised that they included Baron von Strucker's son in the series. It seems to me that Agents of SHIELD has been giving Baron von Strucker more credit as a HYDRA Head than the movies did. Well, he only appeared at the end of Winter Soldier, after the HYDRA uprising (I don't even know if he was working from within SHIELD or just happily doing his own thing from a safe distance until it's safe for him to appear). So he successfully created two enhanced people, whom he never felt the need to brainwash (and so they diffracted to Ultron and then to the Avengers), but by his next film appearance he got his ass kicked by the Avengers and then... got killed by a robot in his cell. So much for one of the greatest Heads of HYDRA.
But I digressed. Young Strucker seems to have potential for his own subplot in the later part of the series. Maybe Andrew found out he's Lash and secretly made a deal with him to fake his own death (for whatever purpose I dunno. Maybe to provide psychological help?). Or maybe Andrew transformed into Lash and forced Strucker to fake his death.
(4) Ward?!? Or Kebo, or anyone in HYDRA
Based on previous trends, Agents of SHIELD tends to begin with multiple plot lines that converge in the later part of the season. Currently, I'm not sure how the HYDRA subplot fits in (granted it's still early in the season). Ward's HYDRA seems to be more focused on bringing down SHIELD (for closure) rather than experimenting with/capturing/brainwashing enhanced people. Maybe they'll end up striking a deal with some Inhumans in the future (maybe Lash?), or maybe... Lash is already one of them. And I wonder how much more can they continue the Ward subplot unless something radical happens to him (like consuming some fish oil). But it'll be too convenient (and a rather forced) way to fit him back into the larger picture.
(5) Someone within SHIELD
Maybe Lash is actually someone in the principal cast? But then, we've already done the "Ward is a mole" thing in Season 1 and "Bobbi and Mack are the moles" thing in Season 2. Please don't do that again.
(6) A character from the earlier seasons
There have been a number of loose ends that the previous 2 seasons left behind, and I'm secretly hoping that some of these "forgotten" characters can make a return. Randolph returned a few episodes back, while Donnie Gill make a brief reappearance last season. Alisha's return this episode was nice too. But there are still many more out there, such as Ian Quinn (where the hell did he go?), Franklin Hall (where the hell did Quinn take him and the gravitonium?), that team of not-so-super "supervillians" assembled by Cal, Agent Blake and Agent Calderon (both never appeared again after being critically injured, in Season 1 and 2 respectively). And where in the world did all the Koenigs go? But anyway, few of them are remotely possible to be Lash, and if any of them actually is, he better be quickly reintroduced in the show.
(7) A new character
This better not be the case or I'll feel deeply cheated. Granted that John Garrett was introduced quite some time after the "Clairvoyant" was mentioned, but unless they plan to take as long to reveal who Lash is (and judging by the way things are paced in the show these days, it's highly unlikely), the impact of the revelation won't be successful. Unless they quickly introduce him, like, say, next episode?
SPOILER ALERT FOR AGENTS OF SHIELD SEASON 3 EPISODE 4: DEVILS YOU KNOW and every episode before that
One of the big questions thrown at us by the end of the latest episode is (other than "what happened to Simmons at the alien world"): WHO IS LASH? It was a question that never really was a question before that, in the sense that Lash just seems to be one of the new characters introduced this season (and notably one that actually has a comic book origin). But the latest episode seems to suggest that Lash could be anyone. Probably someone we've already seen in the show (it better be). A few theories have been thrown around the internet, so here's my input:
(1) Rosalind Price or Banks (or anyone in the ATCU)
Maybe Lash is actually secretly working for (or in some ways controlled/influenced by) the ATCU, or maybe he (or she?) is someone in the ATCU with his own agenda. The show seems to hint mildly at that when Coulson requested for Daisy and Mack to follow the ATCU team back to their base (and when Lash appeared out of nowhere en route). But then again, the ATCU has no lack of secrets to hide from SHIELD. Plus both Price and Banks were present with Coulson in the first episode when Lash attacked the hospital, so it couldn't be either of them.
(2) Andrew Garner
Another favourite fan-theory which I think is one of the more likely ones. After all, we never really get to see Andrew's face before the store blew up. All we saw was a pair of legs (and we don't even know what footwear Andrew was wearing that day!). Strucker cornered him with at least 3 other guys, but he was the only one who ran out of the store, so the pair of legs could belong to any of the other HYDRA guys. Plus, this would explain Andrew's mysterious disappearance during his holiday with May (oops, took some fish oil, had to cut short my holiday).
(3) Werner von Strucker
I was initially quite surprised that they included Baron von Strucker's son in the series. It seems to me that Agents of SHIELD has been giving Baron von Strucker more credit as a HYDRA Head than the movies did. Well, he only appeared at the end of Winter Soldier, after the HYDRA uprising (I don't even know if he was working from within SHIELD or just happily doing his own thing from a safe distance until it's safe for him to appear). So he successfully created two enhanced people, whom he never felt the need to brainwash (and so they diffracted to Ultron and then to the Avengers), but by his next film appearance he got his ass kicked by the Avengers and then... got killed by a robot in his cell. So much for one of the greatest Heads of HYDRA.
But I digressed. Young Strucker seems to have potential for his own subplot in the later part of the series. Maybe Andrew found out he's Lash and secretly made a deal with him to fake his own death (for whatever purpose I dunno. Maybe to provide psychological help?). Or maybe Andrew transformed into Lash and forced Strucker to fake his death.
(4) Ward?!? Or Kebo, or anyone in HYDRA
Based on previous trends, Agents of SHIELD tends to begin with multiple plot lines that converge in the later part of the season. Currently, I'm not sure how the HYDRA subplot fits in (granted it's still early in the season). Ward's HYDRA seems to be more focused on bringing down SHIELD (for closure) rather than experimenting with/capturing/brainwashing enhanced people. Maybe they'll end up striking a deal with some Inhumans in the future (maybe Lash?), or maybe... Lash is already one of them. And I wonder how much more can they continue the Ward subplot unless something radical happens to him (like consuming some fish oil). But it'll be too convenient (and a rather forced) way to fit him back into the larger picture.
(5) Someone within SHIELD
Maybe Lash is actually someone in the principal cast? But then, we've already done the "Ward is a mole" thing in Season 1 and "Bobbi and Mack are the moles" thing in Season 2. Please don't do that again.
(6) A character from the earlier seasons
There have been a number of loose ends that the previous 2 seasons left behind, and I'm secretly hoping that some of these "forgotten" characters can make a return. Randolph returned a few episodes back, while Donnie Gill make a brief reappearance last season. Alisha's return this episode was nice too. But there are still many more out there, such as Ian Quinn (where the hell did he go?), Franklin Hall (where the hell did Quinn take him and the gravitonium?), that team of not-so-super "supervillians" assembled by Cal, Agent Blake and Agent Calderon (both never appeared again after being critically injured, in Season 1 and 2 respectively). And where in the world did all the Koenigs go? But anyway, few of them are remotely possible to be Lash, and if any of them actually is, he better be quickly reintroduced in the show.
(7) A new character
This better not be the case or I'll feel deeply cheated. Granted that John Garrett was introduced quite some time after the "Clairvoyant" was mentioned, but unless they plan to take as long to reveal who Lash is (and judging by the way things are paced in the show these days, it's highly unlikely), the impact of the revelation won't be successful. Unless they quickly introduce him, like, say, next episode?