I would guess some point in PA is 500 miles to some other point in Ontario. By the way, did anyone plot the Lat/Long that Fury sent to Coulson's badge? Is it up north somewhere?

The coordinates on his shield are definitely somewhere in the wilds of northern Ontario. I generated the following map with a 500 mile radius around those coordinates:

Map

The base is almost exactly 500 miles from the PA border. So, depending on how far May travelled before being picked up, this would definitely put her Mom coming from somewhere in PA.

I don't remember the reveal about the dude's grandfather being a Howling Commando. That was kind of a cool tie-in.

Correct. She played Auntie Lindo, Tamlyn Tomita's mom. I actually shouted "Auntie Lindo!" at the TV when they showed her.

Tamlyn Tomita AND Ming Na Wen in the same movie? I don't think I could handle that - my head might just explode! (Or I'd just have a heart attack...)

Too much good stuff there for any one mere mortal to handle.

I thought they kind of wasted Amy Acker's cameo role. They could have cast practically anyone in that role. The past romance between her and Coulson rang hollow.

I don't think Ward survives this season, unless he becomes a HYDRA big wig.

At this point they seriously cannot do a take back on Ward............oh wait. MIND CONTROL! I rather not go there.

Or clones?

I'm sure she'll be back. She's a Whedon mainstay.

Cool. Thanks!

That was kind of dick on Coulson's part. She's obviously trying to move on, dude.

Life Model Decoy.

Think I will just wait until the inevitable Netflix addition in September or if the whole season is on Hulu Plus for the summer (which happens with some shows).

I'm positive this show will get a Blu-ray release. Home video sales will be a critical factor going forward for this show's survival.

It isn't that serious. Plus a series getting a second season has nothing to do with home video sales. Networks decide that before a first season is even over, typically. There's no way a September home video release will be a determining factor for season 2.

Home video sales are non-existent for television shows now thanks due to Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc.

The show has all but been confirmed for a second-season. The show is produced by ABC/Disney/Marvel and kills in the 18-34 demo. It's a guarantee.

People don't understand modern television if they think home video sales are not a huge factor. It's from the production side, greater home video sales can mean slightly reduced licensing fees to the network, increasing the chance of a renewal. A show like SHIELD has many business considerations beyond a simple ratings' call.

SHIELD was always going to get a second season, that was almost guaranteed before it ever aired. This was Disney/Marvel/ABC's first attempt to establish the hugely successful Marvel film brand on television. It's been a disappointment in the ratings for them but ABC itself was never the best demographic fit for Marvel.

Has that been the case? Undeniably. Is it currently the case? I can't imagine it is. Sales have fallen off a cliff, hit another cliff on the way down, and then fell off that one too.

As for high-def home video specifically, oodles of popular shows don't get Blu-ray releases. Even series that had a Blu-ray release for one or more seasons will sometimes drop the format and go DVD only. Heck, some popular series are even getting online-exclusive, MOD DVD releases only. It's rough out there. (I am expecting a Blu-ray release of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., though.)

They view the home video release as a promotional platform as much as anything else these days, in the hopes people that skipped it on television will become fans through DVDs and BDs. Especially first seasons to build the overall fanbase.

Mutant Enemy shows do well on home video, though this is obviously not a full Joss Whedon product.

I wonder if it's become harder for studios to profit from shows? It used to be funded by the advertising and reruns, and I'm sure once shows started coming out in boxed sets, the newfound market was huge, but now so much is done via streaming. Obviously, they must have ways of keeping things financially viable, but I wonder how much of a change in the business model it necessitates? I think this might do Well for itself on the basis of being connected to a massive megabucks franchise though.

Oh c'mon - any other show would have turned it into a hostage situation with Skye confronting Ward, he ties her up or knocks her out and kidnaps her and the chase is on. Instead she pulled her shit together and played HIM. That's a much better decision.

Yeah, I'm ok with Skye, someone that's only been in this life for a few months, having a momentary freakout at the sudden revelation that somebody she trusted implicitly is actually a vicious and brutal murderer and now he's coming after her. Just because she can see him coming doesn't mean she's going to be able to stop him once he catches up to her.

I just feel like that's a very past tense statement, and streaming ought to be the dominant part of that conversation. I'm not arguing that home video sales don't matter, but I don't think it's a "critical factor" or "huge factor" to the extent it once was.

It's not.