I attended an expense paid trip by Disney to press events for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (#ABCTVEvent, #AgentsofSHIELD), all opinions as always are 100% my own.

I’ve had many very cool experiences because of this blog. One such experience was being on the set of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I was there for a set visit and also to be part of a couple of group interviews with members of the cast. There were 24 other bloggers along as well and we had a once in a lifetime tour of this top secret set. The production really does take the whole secrecy angle of the world of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to heart. Even as I write a number of posts about the experience there are things that I must keep undisclosed like a real spy.

But, I’m no spy, I’m a blogger and a complete fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. I have been a fan since the very first episode. I stuck through as the show found its footing and then hit its stride. Now it is very highly anticipated and each week brings something new and interesting. The thing that I like about it are the complex relationships that the characters have with each other. The character that I most identify with is Agent Fitz. His relationships with three other characters have been a source of many moments of triumph and despair. In the first season Fitz looked up to Agent Grant Ward like a big brother. They had one intense op in the first season together and bonded. Then Ward betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. and attempted to kill Fitz and Simmons. That betrayal left Fitz with a major brain injury.

Then in the second season we learn that Fitz has this brain injury from his being trapped underwater by Ward. He and Agent Simmons had been a team that was so close that they were referred to as Agent Fitz-Simmons. The two pulled apart from each other at the beginning of the second season and they have had many disagreements. A new character from season two that became friends with Fitz was Mack. Mack helped Fitz heal and come to terms with his injury while also bringing him back into the team as an integral part. But then Mack was revealed to be a part of the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. and Fitz was betrayed once again.

It was because of this that I had a question for Iain De Caestecker, who plays Agent Leo Fitz, during our awesome Q & A session. It worked out so well that the interview was a group one where we had Iain De Caestecker (“Leo Fitz”), Elizabeth Henstridge (“Jemma Simmons”), Brett Dalton (“Grant Ward”), and Henry Simmons (“Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie”). I wanted to know if these broken relationships could be mended and if so who would be the easiest to mend. Of course I completely flubbed my question but Iain did answer it really well.

He said pretty much what I would expect in that the relationship with Jemma would be the most easily fixed because of the years and years of history that the two have together. That makes sense and you can already see that relationship being repaired in little ways like trusting each other with Fury’s Toolbox. But then there are other things like Jemma packing Fitz a very special sandwich when he left the base a few episodes back. I’m really rooting for these two to get past all the problems of this season and come back stronger. “I can’t ever see them being out of each other’s lives, really.” said De Caestecker.

Then Elizabeth Henstridge continued the thought with, “We still get to see them come together in the episode that was shown on Tuesday, that they’re back to working together. You see that they still have that relationship where they get how each other’s thinking. Fitz knew that Simmons wasn’t just doing what she said she was doing. And she was giving him kind of coded messages through what she was doing, and him picking up the cube. You can’t just wipe out history with someone, and these two have been together for years.”

The relationship with Ward isn’t going to be repaired, at least in Iain’s mind. The relationship with Ward is pretty much irreparable because Ward has done some unforgivable things. He’s killed high level S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives and he went and attempted to kill Fitz and Simmons. Brett said that “He (Ward) seems to be on his own path. We’re not sure exactly where that path is headed, or why he’s doing the things that he’s doing. He’s making some choices along the way that, will lead somewhere. And hopefully at the end of the season there’ll be a kind of clarity about, oh, that’s why he went down to see his brother again. That’s why he did the thing with Whitehall. Oh that’s why he shaved his head. That’s why he shaved his beard. Ah.”

And what about the relationship between Mack and Fitz. They were well on their way to becoming good friends. Mack was helping Fitz along with his brain injury. He had nicknamed him Turbo and made him one of the guys with Hunter. Fitz had that big brother again and this time one who understood mechanics and the little gizmos that Fitz built. They had common ground and so when it was revealed that Mack was part of the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. it was another betrayal of trust for Fitz. It is obvious that Mack doesn’t want anything to happen to Fitz and that he (Mack) believes in what he is doing. Mack also went and saved Fitz’s life by shielding him from a major blast when the base was breached by “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D.. When asked if this relationship could be repaired Iain thought for a moment and stated that “It depends on what’s going to happen with that storyline.” I for one hope to see these two come back together as friends.

For the interview we sat in rows of chairs which were set up right next to “The Bus” with the actors in front of us. I recorded the interviews with voice recorder and listening to it again was great and brought me back to the moment. The fun thing is that the back of “The Bus” had Lola on it and while we were with this group in the interview the rear of “The Bus” lifted closed. The set is really amazing and to have a real working back end of “The Bus” was so cool to learn.

The interview was filled with such laughter from a group that really enjoyed being together. They joked and chided each other through the interview. They even asked each other questions building upon what they were telling us according to our questions.

Toward the end of this interview we were joined by Adrianne Palicki (“Bobbi Morse”). She came right on time for us to do the group photos in Coulson’s Office. So we did the photos and said goodbye to Henry, Brett, Elizabeth and Iain and we had a single interview with Adrianne. I was lucky enough to be standing next to Iain and he put his arm around me. Then after the photo I told everyone how much I enjoyed the show and they told me thanks for watching. I think that I showed them my S.H.I.E.L.D. Lanyard that I got from Loot Crate but I honestly can’t accurately remember because I was having so much fun.

I didn’t realize just how tall Adrianne was. She’s just about as tall as Brett and slightly shorter than Henry. She was also very sweet. She gave a great interview. When asked if she knew at the beginning about her character being part of the “Real” S.H.I.E.L.D. she emphatically said “No!” while laughing. She was told “You’re not bad, you’re not Hydra.” Of course this did not tell her anything and she only learned the secret an episode before it was shot.

Adrianne does many of her own stunts. She does the fight scenes but some stunts do require stunt doubles. Adrianne has had extensive training in martial arts, boxing, Navy Seal training, gun training and now the batons, Bobbi’s weapon of choice.

Talking about coming onto the show the second season Adrianne stated, “Honestly from day one it was the most giving loving cast. I mean, it was a table read I met everyone and it, like hugs everywhere, everybody was so genuine and sweet and happy to have me on the show. And I’d say probably it took me about an episode to feel like I had been there forever.” This was very true of the vibe that everyone that we met was giving off. There was lots of jokes and laughing and smiling. The number of little in jokes that came up while doing the interviews showed me that these folks are very tight and enjoy working together. It certainly gave me more insight into the show that I enjoy so much.

And more insight came from a 10 minute preview of tonight’s Episode. Here is a description.

GRANT WARD MAY BE COULSON’S LAST HOPE, ON “MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” ON ABC

“The Frenemy of My Enemy” – A dangerous new alliance is formed as Coulson and Hunter turn to the last person anyone would expect – Grant Ward! As the war between S.H.I.E.L.D. factions continues, Skye and Lincoln will find themselves drawn into this conflict, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, APRIL 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter, and Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse.

Guest starring are Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” Mackenzie, Henry Goodman as Dr. List, Kyle MacLachlan as Cal, Jamie Harris as Gordon, Maya Stojan as Kara, Dichen Lachman as Jiaying, Luke Mitchell as Lincoln Campbell, Kris Lemche as Ethan, Staci Roberts as Paula, and Trenton Rostedt as Hoodie Guy.

”The Frenemy of My Enemy” was written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Karen Gaviola.