Ready to discuss the fact HYDRA is thousands of years old? Huh?!?

That's right, the NASA logo was an inverted octopus and the evildoers have been sacrificing folks to their Inhuman god "over there" for ages. How did you feel about this massive revelation? What about the fact Roz was duped? Did the Fitz-Simmons kiss move you to tears? Is the couple cursed?

Join TV Fanatics Jim Garner, Kathleen Wiedel, Caralynn Lippo, Robin Harry and Hank Otero to discuss all this fun stuff and more in our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 8 Round Table discussion...

How do you feel about the monolith/HYDRA connection? Did it work for you, or were you disappointed?

Jim: I'm actually kind of liking the older/deeper connection of HYDRA. I'm guessing it was a Kree that Gideon was referencing they sent through the portal, but only time will tell.

Kathleen: The older/deeper connection that Jim mentions seems to fit in just fine with HYDRA's over-the-top megalomania. "Yes, we've been around since the dawn of TIME, we come with GLORIOUS PURPOSE, blah blah blah." That's not to say it didn't work for me; in fact, it totally figures!

Caralynn: I enjoyed the fact that it tied each of the storylines together — it definitely makes the whole season so far feel more cohesive. Also the fact that HYDRA has a purpose and isn’t just a group of blandly power-hungry megalomaniacs makes me dislike the HYDRA stuff a lot less.

Robin: I'm totally satisfied with this connection. I love how it ties the whole season together so far, and as already said, I think it's great to have a backstory to HYDRA that goes farther back than Red Skull. Though I guess it remains to be seen how the megalomaniacal current state of HYDRA has served that older purpose.

Hank: I'm torn, because the TV series has now rewritten the history established in Captain America: The First Avenger. Plus, in the comics HYDRA doesn't go back thousands of years, they were established during Nazi Germany. While I agree with everyone that this twist tied things together nicely, it also felt way too convenient to me. I was slightly disappointed the monolith arc lead back to HYDRA. All roads lead to... HYDRA!

Are you pleased Rosalind wasn't HYDRA, but duped by Gideon Malick? Where do she and Coulson go from here?

Jim: A lot of people were duped by Gideon, so Rosalind gets a pass there. I am thrilled she's not HYDRA and as far as where they go from here, clearly Coulson believed her when she said she didn't know, so maybe makeup sex will smooth things over.
 
Kathleen: I'm happy too that Rosalind is apparently not yet another agent of HYDRA. At least her and Coulson's trust issues aren't as bad as they could be! Well, trust-ish. Ah, love in the life of an intelligence agent.

Caralynn: So, so glad that she isn’t HYDRA! That would have been way too obvious. Also it set up Gideon Malick as more menacing than he may have seemed otherwise. If someone as discerning as Roz can be duped by Gideon, you know he means business. As far as the relationship between Rosalind and Coulson, I suspect it’ll be largely smooth sailing from here. If they can each keep their trust issues in check.

Robin: Called it! I'm really glad that she was a pawn in the game; I feel bad for her, but I'm mostly happy that she and Coulson will get to work together in earnest now. She may be a bit hurt by some of the things Phil said, but I'm pretty sure that won't stand in the way of their mutual attraction for very long.

Hank: I was thrilled HYDRA didn't have their tentacles wrapped around Roz as well. Coulson and Rosalind's chemistry was undeniable, and I was rooting for them as a couple. It's possible Coulson will lower his guard a little around Roz now, and they'll work closely together. Hopefully, there's no twist where she turns out to be a HYDRA sleeper agent. You know because, "All roads lead to HYDRA" LOL

Watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 8 Online

Share your favorite moment from "Operation Spotlight." Which team up was your fave?

Jim: I actually liked May and Lincoln's team up, only because it was a surprise that May was trying to apologize for what happened to Lincoln and his friends.

Kathleen: I was definitely entertained how Gideon was so impressed by Ward (after initially totally trying to eliminate him) that he offered a team up! On a side note, apparently Wo Fat got better from being dead, took some fish oil, and now works for HYDRA. Extra evil, straight from beautiful Hawaii! Always nice to see Mark Dacascos.

Caralynn: I liked Hunter and Bobbi. Hunter channeling a hacker (aka, being coached by Daisy) was really funny. My favorite bit was Bobbi with those batons though. So cool!

Robin: While I'm tempted to do my usual "every scene with Fitz" spiel, I will say I loved the scene between Rosalind and Coulson locked in the containment room. Coulson's verbal attack on Rosalind was brutal; he didn't back down and just kept throwing proverbial punches until she broke. It was incredible, and so emotionally charged that it was kind of hard to watch.

Hank: Like Caralynn, my favorite Operation Spotlight scenes were Bobbi and Hunter posing as FBI agents. I loved the way Daisy fed him all that technobabble, and Hunter managed to spit it out correctly. I'm not the biggest Bobbi/Hunter fan, but they were definitely my MVP team up for this mission. The moments between May and Lincoln were pretty fun as well.

Did the big Fitz-Simmons kiss give you the feels? Are they truly "cursed" as Fitz believes?

Jim: The second kiss had a few feels behind it, but the first seemed so forced. I don't think they are cursed, but he's right, sometimes things are just not meant to be no matter how much you want them.

Kathleen: Not cursed? Every time they seem to make a little step forward, something happens to kick them in the face, like, I dunno, Simmons being slurped up by a portal monolith. Fitz seriously had a point! Anyway, I really liked the tenderness of the second kiss, though the angst-ridden first kiss had a few things going for it, too.

Caralynn: To be honest, I was really glad they kissed but I thought the timing was off. It didn’t feel quite right. Like Jim said, the first one especially was a little… meh. Simmons kissing Fitz back the second time was much, much better. Poor Fitz. Poor Simmons. I’m starting to really hope that Will comes back and is revealed to be evil, just so the Will obstacle is removed from the FitzSimmons relationship. Is that bad?

Robin: I was on board with both of those kisses. All kinds of feels. While it certainly seems that they're cursed, the Will situation may resolve itself. I mean, is he a pawn who had no idea who he was working for? Or was he HYDRA?

Hank: I've loved these two since early on, when fans complained they couldn't understand a word they said. The big kiss was three season's in the making people, how could it not give me the feels? My brother laughs at me every week, because I get all teary-eyed with Fitz-Simmons. Caralynn, I also hope that Will proves to be evil (or HYDRA), just so Fitz and Simmons get a happy ending. That said, there's not much drama in happy endings so I doubt it's going to be that simple.

What do Gideon and Ward want with Dr. Garner? Will they attempt to send him through a portal?

Jim: They want to use him to get into SHIELD and find out how they brought someone back through the portal. If HYDRA has been sending people through to serve their master, does that mean Will is actually HYDRA?

Kathleen: While Jim's ideas are good (and probably right), I suspect that HYDRA would also love to find a way to control Inhumans. Hey, when you've got as many heads as HYDRA, it must make multitasking a snap!

Caralynn: All of the above. I think they’re going to do tests on him and figure out how best to weaponize Inhumans. If Gideon has his way, I think Dr. Garner will end up being a super soldier for HYDRA’s banished leader’s eventual army.

Robin: All of the above? I still think that Gideon's trying to build some kind of army of Inhumans, and who better to lead that army than Lash, the one who has been able to kill them? However, I think Jim may be on to something, and Gideon may try to use Garner to infiltrate SHIELD, or even to go to the other side to get their Inhuman Overlord.

Hank: Andrew is pretty pissed at S.H.I.E.L.D., but I can't imagine him going along with HYDRA willingly. If the villains find a way to weaponize him, that's a different story. Perhaps HYDRA misleads Andrew, claiming they or the entity "over there" have the power to reverse his condition. Would he go along with their plan then? It will be interesting to see what happens, but I'm not sure what role Andrew/Lash will play in HYDRA's endgame.

NOTE: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 Episode 10 is titled "Closure" and airs on Tuesday, December 1.