Elizabeth Henstridge spoke with Hypable about Simmons’ journey through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 2 – and the fallout of that totally insane final scene.

The season finale had no shortage of surprises, but I think that final shot of Simmons being sucked into the Kree stone definitely took the cake. How did you find out about the ending?

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I just read the script! We were all excited to get the final script, so there was anticipation there, but there was no call before. Because I hadn’t gotten a call, I didn’t worry so much. But then I went to set the next day and I was just kind of casually hovering round someone important and there was nothing, so I just thought, okay, I’m just going to keep my head down and get on with this!

It’s such an unexpected development! Were you guys trading theories during filming?

There were a lot of theories going around, yeah! There was just tons of “Where is it? Am I in the rock? Am I changed?” Because we still don’t really know what this is. We know that the Inhumans want it back, but we don’t know why. So there was tons of theories.

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And the finale is just jam-packed with tons of stuff – there was a lot of conversation between takes, for sure.

It does feel like just about anything could happen to Simmons at this point. Are there any particular theories you’re partial to?

I would quite like to go to another planet. I feel like Simmons would really enjoy gathering all her little specimens and seeing all the aliens! But I don’t know… because then you go into, well maybe it changes her in some way, and she’s different – and that would be cool. For some reason I just don’t think that that is going to happen, but you never know, it’s just wide open. I like the idea of her going to another planet, I kind of like the idea of her being changed on the other side, just from an actor’s point of view, in some way.

But then what if… you know, she’s just confessed her love to Fitz! Does this mean that she forgets that, or she doesn’t feel that anymore? Maybe he can’t reach her? I mean, all I cared about, reading the script from Simmons’ point of view, was that conversation between her and Fitz.

And then they have to take me into this flipping stone at the end! Just when it feels like it was going right!

There’s so many avenues they could go with it. One theory was that it was somehow time travel, and I came back and no one knew who I was, and Fitz didn’t know who I was… but I’m sure the writers have something much cooler than I can think of in mind.

It does seem very likely that Simmons will be strongly impacted by this experience, one way or another. What kind of change would you find most interesting to play?

I think any sort of change in the character is great for the actor to play. I mean… the characters on the show are always evolving and always changing, so it’s something that we relish. If you’re character’s changing, it means that they’re staying interesting and something’s happening. So that’s always fun to play.

I think for her at the moment… well, she’s coming from quite a stable position. She trusts Coulson, she trusts the people on the team, and she’s back on good terms with Fitz. I feel like she’s in quite a good position at the moment to deal with some sort of change, so I feel like she’d be okay. And you know, I’d be okay too! It’d just be fun. I’m so excited to read episode one of season 3 and just see what the deal is.

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I think regardless of what happens, she’s going to have changed a lot, because this will be her first… well, I suppose she did get changed by the Chitauri virus, but this will be her first major happening. And she’s not on guard in this situation, she’s doesn’t really go out in the field, and I think the guys that do, they’re kind of expecting the unexpected.

Whereas she feels like she’s safe, and isn’t prepared, and then this just happens! So it’s definitely going to change her – whether it changes her physiologically, I don’t know.

Speaking of changes, Simmons has always been on the practical, scientific side of the Marvel Universe. It’s going to be fascinating to see her literally plunged into these magical, alien elements.

[Yes,] now that she’s going to have experienced it. [Before] she would have looked at that rock and gone “For heavens sake, why are we scared of it?” I mean, she says just before, we could just drop a probe in there. She feels very secure in her science, and then this happens. It’s something that can’t explain, and that’s going to really freak her out.