Ward Took 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'S Romantic Drama With Him

Since the midseason finale last December, Special Agent Grant Ward has been noticeably absent on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D . When we last saw him, he was alive, escaping with the disfigured Agent 33 after Skye shot him and crushed our SkyeWard dreams to dust. While this isn't the first time he has disappeared on fans, it looks like it might be his longest time away from the series. There has been no mention of our hunky antihero since he left, and that probably won't be changing anytime soon. There has been no word of an official return date for Ward, and according to Brett Dalton's IMDB profile, we will have to wait another six episodes to see him again, which if correct, is completely unacceptable.

Without Ward around, S.H.I.E.L.D has been painfully lacking in romantic intrigue. Season 1 had the May/Ward/Skye love triangle to keep things interesting, and Season 2 focused on Ward's twisted obsession with Skye. With him out of the picture, the bus is left with only platonic or impressively dull relationships. Just look at the few relationships we have left.

Lance Hunter Is No Substitute

Look, I get where they were going with this. Ward's off nursing his wounds, so they thought they'd sub in a hot guy with a sexy accent to fill the void. Pair him up with the impossibly good looking Bobbi Morse, add some Mr. & Mrs. Smith banter and boom, sexy couple!

Except that's not how it played out. With the expanded cast and multiple plotlines vying for attention, it has been near impossible to get to know any of the newer characters beyond the basics. Aside from Morse's ninja-like baton skills and Hunter's flirting, their relationship is what defines both of them. This alone is not enough to make us care about them, or invested in their love story.

They fight, make up, fall into bed, and fight again. Yawn. Where is the sexual tension? The longing glances? The emotional payoff? Until we care about them individually, we won't care about them together. Hopefully Bobbi's secret with Mac, whatever it is, will add some dimensions and breath some new life into the relationship.

The FitzSimmons 'Ship Has Sailed

The once inseparable adorkable duo has been on the outs ever since Fitz proclaimed his love, then got a nasty case of brain damage. Season 2 has seen them drifting farther and farther away from each other, though neither has replacement love interests. It's hard to root for a couple that is barley speaking, and their possible romance seems permanently sidelined.

Who Do We 'Ship?

With such slim pickings for couples, we are stuck grasping at straws for people to root for. Should we be rooting for Fitz and Skye to bond over there new "otherness" and start something? Are we supposed to really read between the lines and pull for a Bobbi/Jemma romance? Is there any hope of a May/Coulson romance taking center stage? I seriously doubt all three.

When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. lost Ward, it lost its romance-mojo. Let's make life easier for everyone and just bring back Ward, sooner rather than later.

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