- "I'm worried there's a bad seed."
"Ops and Sciences have differences, but both have to be careful about what we call 'bad seeds.' People who want to use the tools we give them for–"
"'Bad seed' isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. term, Ward, just a term." - ―Anne Weaver, Grant Ward and Skye
Seeds is the twelfth episode of the first season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Synopsis[]
Coulson and May uncover startling information about Skye's past, while the team is swept into a storm at a S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy of Science and Technology.
Plot[]
At the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Seth Dormer swims with his friends in the pool when suddenly, ice forms and traps Dormer. Donnie Gill, who was sitting beside the pool, breaks Dormer free. Grant Ward, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, and Skye are sent investigate the attack. After a brief meeting with Anne Weaver, Fitz-Simmons give a speech as alumni. Suddenly, another freezing machine goes off, freezing cadet Donnie Gill, Fitz-Simmons tends to Gill and break the ice. Ward and Skye search for the machine and smash it.
Meanwhile, Coulson and May head to Mexico City to find a former agent named Richard Lumley. May tells Coulson of her sexual relationship with Ward; Coulson replies that trusts her to comport herself responsibly, and May responds that she would end the relationship should it become problematic to the team. They find Lumley and chase him. He eventually complies when he realizes they are S.H.I.E.L.D.. Lumley tells them of a mission 24 years earlier involving an 0-8-4. The 0-8-4 turned out to be a baby which Coulson and May realize was Skye. Before Coulson and May leave, he warns them that she is dangerous, as many agents, including his partner, Linda Avery, died trying to protect her. He refuses to hear anything about her other than getting confirmation that she is okay.
While the rest of the team interrogates the other cadets, Fitz gets to know Gill, seeing much of himself in him, and helping him solve a problem with a new power source Gill had invented. Eventually, Fitz sees the freezing machine and realizes Gill is behind it. Fitz is then knocked out by Dormer, who was Gill's partner all along. Gill and Dormer activate the larger device, causing a huge ice storm that Dormer hopes will impress Ian Quinn, for whom his father worked for as a lawyer at Quinn Worldwide. Gill feels bad about the situation, but Dormer peer pressures him.
May and Coulson reconvene with the team, who is told of the truth. Coulson tells Skye the truth, which causes her to break down in tears. May then flies the Bus into the eye of the storm and down through the middle. As they fly down, Coulson holds Skye's hand. After realizing his mistake, Gill attempts to shut it down, but a bolt of lightning destroys the machine and puts Dormer into cardiac arrest. Ward, who is still at the academy, tries to make it there, but it's too dangerous. The team apprehends Gill, but are unable to save Dormer's life. On his way to the Sandbox for observation, Gill realizes that the explosion of the freezing device gave him cryogenic abilities.
Coulson talks to May afterwards, who asks about Skye. Coulson is amazed that he told Skye something that could ruin her entire life, yet she is still fighting. And that she now sees S.H.I.E.L.D as her family as they had been watching over her this whole time. Meanwhile, Skye finds Linda Avery on the Wall of Valor, the wall of fallen agents. She smiles at the name as she brushes her hand across in a silent thank you. A few feet away, Ward watches her. Ian Quinn receives a call from Coulson warning him that if his aircraft flew over any country that was a S.H.I.E.L.D. ally, it would be shot down. Before hanging up, Quinn gives Coulson a message that the Clairvoyant says "hello".
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson
- Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May
- Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
- Chloe Bennet as Skye
- Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz
- Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons
Guest Stars:
- Dylan Minnette as Donnie Gill
- David Conrad as Ian Quinn
- Daniel Zovatto as Seth Dormer
- Christine Adams as Agent Anne Weaver
- Maiara Walsh as Callie Hannigan
- Boyd Kestner as Richard Lumley
- Zachary Burr Abel as Tad (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Tahiti, French Polynesia (mentioned)
- Saint Agnes Orphanage (mentioned)
- Sandbox (mentioned)
- Newark, New Jersey (mentioned)
- Singapore (mentioned)
- Lima, Peru (mentioned)
- Hunan, China (mentioned)
- Seychelles (mentioned)
Events[]
- Centipede Investigation
- Chase of Richard Lumley
- Resurrection of Phil Coulson (mentioned)
- Kidnapping of Phil Coulson (mentioned)
- Massacre in Hunan (mentioned)
Items[]
- Atmospheric Moisture Freezing Device
- Wall of Valor
- Ionized Air Cannon
- Cyanide Pills
- Holocom
- Plutonium (mentioned)
Concepts[]
Vehicles[]
Sentient Species[]
Organizations[]
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Quinn Worldwide
- HYDRA
- Centipede Project (mentioned)
- Strategic Scientific Reserve (mentioned)
- A.I.M. (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- 0-8-4
- Bucky Barnes
- Nick Fury
- Linda Avery (picture)
- Vaughn
- Dario Marquez
- Mrs. Fitz
- Clairvoyant
- Jiaying
- Donnie Gill's Father
- Tin Woodman
- George S. Patton
- John von Neumann
Trivia[]
- The Wall of Valor in the Science and Technology Academy uses different designs of the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. These logos have been featured in the comics over the years, except for the Strategic Scientific Reserve logo which was designed as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuity.
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Haunted | Zachary Kibbee |
|
Videos[]
