How Jiaying Is Alive On 'Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.'

After Skye's mother Jiaying was basically vivisected by Daniel Whitehall in a particularly gruesome episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., things definitely did not look good for her fate. The close-up shots of her torn-apart and bloodied corpse seemed like pretty good proof that she was dead, especially if we're going by the whole "they're not dead until you see the body" tenet of television. Here's one thing we were discounting, though: The fact that her everlasting youth also happens to include a regenerative effect, a la her fellow Marvel Universe-dweller, Wolverine. As it would turn out, Skye's mom is still alive on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the only question is how? It seems that Jiaying's Inhuman abilities allowed her to survive, even in the most impossible of circumstances.

In a recent round table with The Hollywood Reporter, Chloe Bennet, who plays Skye, teamed up with S.H.I.E.L.D. executive producer Jeffrey Bell to reveal just how Jiaying managed to make her surprise comeback in last week's episode. As Bell explained, Calvin Zabo (aka Skye's father) "stitched, sewed and put the parts back together so she could use her healing ability to come back." That explains the strange scarring on Jiaying's face — there's a definite slapdash, Frankenstein's monster effect to the scars, and it would make sense that Calvin's not exactly the most careful reconstructive surgeon in the world.

Still, I'm glad Calvin was able to save Jiaying, because her return may bring awesome things to S.H.I.E.L.D.

The Big Bad Might Not Be Dead

If Jiaying survived getting all of her organs removed, I think it would follow that Daniel Whitehall would survive a gunshot wound. If he is alive, how will Whitehall fit in with all the friction between S.H.I.E.L.D. and "the real" S.H.I.E.L.D.? Or, maybe all the chaos could somehow be part of his master plan...

The Family Dynamics

So, you've got a daughter with newly-minted earthquake powers, a practically immortal mother, and a mad scientist father, and they're all living in an top secret base, possibly located in the mountains of China. Suffice it to say, there's a lot of baggage to unpack.

The Mama Drama...

In their interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Bell and Bennet also pointed out that there might be some animosity down the road, courtesy of Skye's parental figures. Said Bell, "We also have May playing a maternal role as Skye’s supervising officer...Bringing in a different maternal figure will create a little parental triangle." Bennet added, "Who are you loyal to — your blood or to the people you have made your family?"

... And The Papa Drama

I wouldn't want to get between Jiaying and Agent May, but Agent Coulson and Calvin Zabo aren't exactly a walk in the park, either. There's a lot of friction there, and the fact that Jiaying's actually alive is probably going to make things even more complicated.

What's She Going to Say About Ward? Or Lincoln?

One might assume that Mama Skye would have bigger things on her mind than her daughter's love life... but you can bet she'd be mad if she found out Skye was kinda-sorta in a relationship with a woefully-misunderstood murderous traitor — and she might have some choice words if sparks (literal and figurative) continue to fly between Skye and Lincoln.

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