The second season of Agent Carter showed Peggy to be in rare form, and her foray to Hollywood was an enjoyable romp from beginning to end. But now that Agent Carter has reached her “Hollywood Ending,” it’s time to switch our Tuesday night viewing back to the remainder of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season Three. The first half of the season saw the rise and fall of the rival agency ATCU, visits to a far-away planet, the rise of a new Hydra faction, the birth of the Inhuman Secret Warriors team, Coulson finding and losing love, then getting revenge by killing Grant Ward—only to have Ward return as host to an alien menace. Now let’s take a look at Episode 11: “Bouncing Back.”
Only Agents who are cleared to observe SPOILERS should proceed beyond this point!
What we already know
These days, you approach most TV programs, especially the start of a new season or a segment of a season, with a lot of advance knowledge. Not only are you familiar with the events of previous episodes, but in the weeks leading up to the new episode you see a steady stream of photos, news items, casting information, episode titles, synopses, and video clips, if you spend any time at all on the internet. So going in, we knew a lot about what we would see in tonight’s episode, and indeed, quite a bit about the shape of the rest of the show’s season—not the least of this news is the renewal of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a fourth season.
We saw the rise and fall of the Advanced Threat Containment Unit, or ATCU, play out during the first half of the season, and the deaths of its leader, Rosalind Price, as well as her chief lieutenant, Luther Banks. We also witnessed the anger and passion her death evoked in the normally unflappable Coulson. We’ve seen clips indicating that Coulson will be meeting with President Ellis and General Talbot, which implies that they may be asking S.H.I.E.L.D. for help with the growing Inhuman situation, filling the vacuum left by ATCU’s collapse (I, for one, welcome the return of Talbot, who was a great adversary in Season Two). And in a clip released before the show, we saw Coulson standing in front of a device that looked like part of the TAHITI resurrection machine, and talking to Fitz about needing someone who could give them more information about Malick. This seems to imply that Coulson might be letting his emotions mix with his work, and is thinking about bringing his romantic interest, Rosalind, back from the dead.
We also saw Grant Ward’s attempts to resurrect Hydra, only to find that more of the organization survived than he had expected. He found himself and his ragtag collection of thugs absorbed into the faction led by former World Security Council member Gideon Malick, who not only was gathering Inhumans to supplement his organization, but who knew a lot about the monolith that acted as a gateway between worlds, and a secret history of Hydra that stretched back for centuries, centered around using the monolith to bring their leader from the planet Maveth to Earth. Malick is still on the loose, with what appears to be a well-organized and well-funded Hydra at his beck and call. We can assume that Malick’s cover as a government official is now blown, but it hardly looks like he has lost his secret sources of power.
At the end of Episode 10, Ward returned to Earth as some sort of zombie, and press releases have confirmed that he will be playing a character inspired by the character Hive from the Secret Warrior comic book series. That character, a product of Hydra labs on Earth, was a kind of parasite or symbiont that drew on the knowledge of all its various hosts, and also the physical powers of its hosts. Obviously, this television version, while it appears to have similar powers, has an extraterrestrial origin and a lifespan that goes back centuries, if not millennia. This new Hive appears to have laid waste to a great civilization on the planet Maveth—and has the power to inspire fear in an Asgardian warrior. After all, in Episode 3, the expat Asgardian-turned-professor, Elliot Randolph, explicitly warned S.H.I.E.L.D. not to use the monolith. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be facing not just Grant Ward, but a malevolent being that wears Ward’s face, with powers approaching those of a god. It makes you wonder if Gideon Malick truly realizes the powers he has unleashed.
We see indications that characters will be coming and going; we know that Crusher Creel (Absorbing Man) will be returning as an adversary. We have seen the origin of the Secret Warriors, with the original three members of Daisy, Lincoln, and Joey, and their first joint action in storming Hydra’s castle in Episodes 9 and 10. Another clip revealed that Alicia, the “multiple woman,” from Season Two, will be returning, and may be joining the existing Secret Warriors. And from press releases, we know another Inhuman will join the team, inspired by the comic book character, Slingshot, or Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez; this character, who has super speed powers, will be played by new cast member Natalia Cordova-Buckley. If you’ve been following the reports about a new ABC pilot called “Marvel’s Most Wanted,” you’ll know that Bobbi and Lance may soon be leaving S.H.I.E.L.D., perhaps not on good terms, and joining adventurer Dominic Fortune (to be played by Delroy Lindo), who shelters them while they try to get to the bottom of a conspiracy that put their lives at risk. How this may affect the rest of Season Three remains to be seen.
It certainly remains to be seen how Fitz and Simmons will reconcile their feelings going forward, and deal with the traumas they have endured. Agent May had to come to terms with the fact that her ex-husband, Andrew, has become a murderous monster, Lash, and is now on the loose. Mack has to grapple with his misgivings about S.H.I.E.L.D., Inhumans, and Coulson; and after his successful turn as temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. director, it will be interesting to see his role going forward. Daisy has to deal with her new role as head of the Secret Warriors, and also her growing feelings for teammate Luke. And we will see how Coulson handles his own trials and tribulations, and whether or not he can continue to be an effective leader for S.H.I.E.L.D. moving forward. The growing number of Inhumans around the world, the resurgence of Hydra, and the new danger of Hive, all will test S.H.I.E.L.D.’s abilities and its resolve. The characters we have grown to care for are in for some trying–and interesting–times.
“Bouncing Back”
The episode opens with a spaceship in orbit, three months from now. The ship is full of blood and wreckage, and we see a brief glimpse of a S.H.I.E.L.D. shoulder patch. Doom awaits someone.
As expected, Coulson gets to meet with POTUS this week, and the President wants his help. But memories of the Hydra takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D. are still too recent and traumatic for the President to be seen openly working with S.H.I.E.L.D. So, there will be a new head for ATCU, but the President assures Coulson that ATCU will work for S.H.I.E.L.D. behind the scenes. And it turns out that Gideon Malick is like those banks that are too big to fail: he is too powerful in too many nations, and even the President can’t go after him. Furthermore, in a twist, Coulson didn’t want Fitz to revive Rosalind—instead, he wants to put the comatose Von Strucker boy into the TAHITI machine to find out what he knows about Malick and Hydra. They get a lead, which Coulson uses to make (and trace) a direct call to Malick, which forces Malick to close a number of his offices around the world (a major setback for his corporations). Coulson is grim, driven, burdened by his wounds, and as May tells him at the episode’s end, has “joined the Cavalry.” Hopefully, though, this dour period will end, and he will regain his mojo at some point in the season and become the wisecracking Coulson that we all know and love, again.
While Coulson pursues his leads, most of the team (Mack, Daisy, Joey, Hunter and Bobbi) is in Colombia, where someone with extraordinary powers has stolen weapons from the police. At first, they think the thief possesses the power of invisibility, but then they realize they’re dealing with super speed. The woman, Elena, captures Mack, and they try to communicate without a common language. Daisy and the others find them and capture Elena, at which point Joey (who speaks Spanish) is able to talks with her, and finds that she is trying to pursue justice by stealing weapons from corrupt cops. Her powers allow her to move incredibly fast, but after a single heartbeat, she returns to her original position—much, in Mack’s words, like a “yo-yo.” Her cousin is caught disposing of the stolen weapons by Bobbi and Hunter, but they all fall prey to the corrupt cops, who kill the cousin. Because one of the cops is an Inhuman with “Medusa-like” paralysis vision, we’re robbed of a great Bobbi fight scene, and soon it is Bobbi and Hunter who need rescue. The entire team, along with Elena, storm the police station, neutralize the corrupt cops, and destroy their weapons. Just as they manage to capture the Inhuman cop, Hydra arrives, and plucks him from their grasp. This whole sequence was a lot of fun, with plenty of good action and adventure.
In Malick’s Hydra lair, we’re reunited with the creature from Maveth, now in Ward’s reanimated body, regaining its strength by eating lots and lots of raw meat and generally being creepy. At the end, it tells Malick that he will soon believe, and some sort of dust spews out from the creature’s hands. It seems that Malick may not be running things for much longer…
At the end, we get some nice character moments: Elena and Mack bond over their religious faith, but she wants to stay in Colombia to use her powers to fight for good in her own community. He leaves her with the S.H.I.E.L.D. equivalent of a Dick Tracy watch, so she can keep in touch and call for help if they need it. (Hopefully, she will get in touch soon, as she is a compelling character with interesting powers and good chemistry with the rest of the team.) The underused Joey doesn’t seem destined to be with the team much longer, deciding he wants to go home. Luke gets the same offer, but wants to stay with Daisy, and they smooch. Fitz and Simmons talk about the gulf between them in a well-acted scene, and decide to start anew, as friends. And Coulson finds out from the President that his new ATCU sidekick will be General Talbot, which offers all sorts of fun possibilities for the future.
In the end, we get a preview of the next episode with lots of super-powered fights going on, and we can’t forget from that initial spaceship scene that doom is awaiting for someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. So there is lots to either look forward to, or to dread, depending on your point of view!
Final thoughts
Tonight’s episode set up a lot of plot points for the rest of the season, but also managed to tell a good adventure story along the way. The new quasi-legitimate role for S.H.I.E.L.D. makes a lot of sense for the show, as they will still keep their current scrappy underdog role, but also will have some sort of a plausible relationship with other governmental agencies. Yo-Yo was a great new character—her powers are impressive, but can be portrayed without breaking the special effects budget, so it appears she will be back. On the other hand, we must remember that Joey also debuted with much fanfare in the season opener, and now appears to be hanging up his spurs. While Coulson feels like he’s scored a win against Hydra by the end of the episode, he still doesn’t know that Ward now exists as the host for the very threat that they tried to keep on the other side of the portal to Maveth.
Overall, the members of the team interact quite well together, as the actors (and the viewers), now know their various roles. May didn’t have nearly enough to do in this episode, which I hope the writers will soon rectify. I think the best thing about the episode was how it set up a new relationship between Coulson and General Talbot—Adrian Pasdar and Clark Gregg bring out the best in each other, and are always fun to watch.
For those of you who don’t get enough of the Agents from the TV, in January, as part of the recent relaunch of all its titles, Marvel introduced a new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic. While set in the Marvel comic book universe, the comic brings in many of the characters and elements from the TV show onto the page—in the current storyline, we meet a woman named Lola who may (or may not) have inspired the name of Coulson’s beloved flying car. If you are interested in both S.H.I.E.L.D., and in comic books, it is worth checking out.
So let the discussion begin. As in the first half of the season, this post will kick off a discussion I will shepherd throughout the rest of the season. If you’ve registered a Tor.com user account, you will be able to follow the thread using the “My Conversations” feature. Feel free to come back each week and discuss the latest episodes, or share any S.H.I.E.L.D. news you might hear. In the words of the indefatigable Stan Lee, “Don’t yield, back S.H.I.E.L.D.!”
Alan Brown has been a fan of S.H.I.E.L.D. from its comic book beginning over fifty years ago. He still remembers reading that very first adventure in Strange Tales #135.
Not sure if you missed it or didn’t feel it was worth mentioning, but among the blood drops in zero-G in the opener was a necklace with a cross on it – just like the one Yo-yo is wearing. They make sure to linger on it a couple of times later. Now the question is whether that’s a red herring (maybe Mack also wears a cross and we just haven’t seen it?) or if it is to imply that Yo-yo will soon be in space and in trouble. Three months from now would be right during the events of Civil War, I think, so…could be interesting.
I didn’t get the sense that Joey was leaving the team, I got the sense he’s going to do much the same as Yo-yo – be on call if needed, and have a way to call for help if he needs it. It’s a smart way for the studio to keep adding neat cast members without feeling the need to find something for everyone to do in every episode.
I feel like the Fitz-Simmons resolution was a bit of a cop-out. “Let’s start over” seems to be the easy way out of the corner that the showrunners had written themselves into. I see the need for it, though, and my trust in the direction of the show hasn’t really been betrayed so far. So let’s see where it goes from here!
To expand on KalvinKingsley @1 point above. In all likelihood, the end of this season of Agent’s will be affected by the event of the new Captain America movie – the Civil War. I would not be surprised to learn that Bobbi and Hunter’s “wanted” status had to do with the after effects of the Civil War issues and/or their wanted status is part of an undercover mission.
I thought the the creature from was going to do something to the guy next to Malik. I thought the creature seemed to imply that the guy was an Inhuman and that the creature can feed on Inhumans when they are alive (rather than normal dead humans).
Thanks for reading my musings.
AndrewHB
I’m pretty sure that Ward/Hive was introducing the guy to mind control spores. It is implied he/it can control inhumans, possibly a mix between Kilgrave and Ultron-bots.
I agree with both 2 and 3 on who Ward/Hive was targeting, and what he is likely able to do.
@1 I saw the crosses in both scenes, but didn’t put two and two together. Good catch–seems too obvious to be a coincidence.
@2,3,4 I’m not sure how Ward’s new powers work. I don’t remember the comic book version of Hive using any spores, so this is something new. And I hadn’t thought of him targeting the Inhuman beside Malick, but perhaps his powers work differently on Inhumans as compared to normal humans. I did some poking around, and I think that Inhuman’s name is Mr. Giyera–certainly easier for me to remember than “the Inhuman that always hangs around with Malick,” which was what I had been calling him in my head.
I don’t think Simmons wants to go back to being friends, she wants to go back when they had potential to be ANYTHING to one another, instead of in this state of moping and mourning because they “blew their shot” so to speak.
I’m pretty sure Ward/Hive is doing something to Magneto 2.0. He said Malick would believe when he made him believe.
If that is Elena in the exploding Quinjet I’m gonna be mad.
@1, I believe you’re right, Joey isn’t leaving the team. Daisy is just spreading the team out physically so they can’t all be killed in one surprise attack and also so they can have a life (Elena has a funeral to attend, Joey wants to go to his family’s dinners.) Lincoln stays because he wants a life with Daisy.
I refer to the Mark Dacascos character as “Iron Shove”.
@6 If that is Elena on that ship, you won’t be the only person that’s mad. And it does look like a quinjet, perhaps our first verification that quinjets in the MCU have orbital capabilities.
@8 Iron Shove. I like that!
Perhaps the fact that it’s broken/exploding implies that Quinjets don’t have orbital capability ;)
I’m also glad that they’ve decided to stick with having a president named after Warren Ellis (yes, that Warren Ellis).
Like Kalvin says, the person dying or dead on the spaceship seems to be Yo-Yo, they showed her cross. Or it could be Mack… I also agree with Kalvin that Joey is just getting the chance to go home now that the government will leave him alone, and come back when needed for missions. That way, the actor can be a recurring cast member, and not have him around doing nothing when not needed.
Oh, and I know it’s a TV show and I shouldn’t ask much of it, but that “Colombia” was horrible. Practically nobody there spoke with a Colombian accent, it was painful to watch at times. The Secret Warriors + Yo-Yo in action were pretty cool to watch, though.
I agree that Pasdar as Talbot is a great antagonist, and now ally, and that he interacts very nicely with Clark.
@6 – Aeryl: Don’t be mad, even if that’s Yo-Yo, they could be leading us to think she dies but she gets saved at the last moment.
Oh, and my son and I have a nickname for Giyera, but think it only works in Spanish.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “The Inside Man,” 15 March 2016:
Tonight’s A Plot: Talbot and his wife are arguing as she gets on a plane, and Coulson shows up. Talbot does not want to take orders from him, but Coulson wants him to go to the “Symposium on Alien Contagion” in Taiwan. Creel, the Absorbing Man, appears and May and Luke swing into action to defend Coulson and Talbot. They take Creel down, but find that Creel is working for Talbot. Coulson says that Daisy can’t go to the symposium because they will be looking for Inhumans, and she is resentful. But to the real chagrin of the team, Talbot insists that Creel comes along. Coulson poses as a CDC biologist, and Talbot dresses in a ceremonial robe, looking sheepish about it, which suggests that their frenemy relationship will be a source of comedy going forward. Coulson uses the power of his artificial hand to take palm prints from the delegates, which will allow Bobbi, May and Hunter entry to their rooms. Hunter sees Creel leaving his post and goes to follow him. They realize that the room Hunter left behind has a secret, and Bobbi, in a typical scene of awesomeness, climbs across the face of the building to enter it. Hunter finds a body in a stasis chamber in the back of a truck, but gets knocked out by Creel. Back in the room, Talbot reveals that Coulson has been spying on everyone, and Malick comes in and reveals Coulson as the head of Hydra. Coulson realizes that Talbot is the inside man. Perhaps their relationship will not be the source of comedy, after all. But then they find out Malick has captured Talbot’s son and is holding him to get Talbot to work for him. Talbot is double-crossed by Malick, but he and Coulson are rescued by Creel, who then rescues Hunter. Bobbi has another moment of awesomeness sliding across a table to take out a bad guy. May, in some off-screen awesomeness, has captured the truck where the body in the stasis chamber turns out to be Talbot’s son, the good guys climb in and escape. On the jet, Coulson and Talbot talk, and it looks like they may be buddies after all.
Tonight’s B Plot: The Maveth Creature remembers the life of his new host, Ward, who he talks about in the third person. The Ward we know is gone. Malick has the “Medusa” Inhuman brought in. He proceeds to petrify everyone in the room except the Maveth Creature, who engulfs him with dust. The Creature has Giyera and “Medusa” bring him some humans. He engulfs them in dust, they scream, and a rejuvinated Creature is revealed, surrounded by gore soaked skeletons. Coulson suspects that someone even more powerful might be behind Malick, and he has no idea how right he is.
Tonight’s C Plot: Back at the base, Simmons finds that Creel’s blood may promise a vaccine that will protect potential Inhumans from being transformed. Daisy, who likes her powers, finds this threatening, while Luke, who finds his powers disturbing, thinks this is a good idea. In a moment of foreshadowing, they talk about an anti-Inhuman hate group, the Watchdogs, who have appeared on the internet. They fight, but then make up and smooch.
Stinger: I guess not every good guy got away, because somehow Bobbi and Hunter are stowed away on Malick’s plane as he flies to Russia with one of the representatives, to help set up a ‘sanctuary’ for Inhumans.
Final thoughts: This was a good and twisty episode, which had me thinking a couple times, “I didn’t see that coming,” which is always a good thing. There were some good fight scenes, some good spy skullduggery, and good moments with Talbot, who I am glad will be sticking with the team. We now know that the Creature (who needs a name—Ward no longer seems adequate or appropriate) is indeed something powerful and malevolent. And we see fracture lines appearing among the Agents, and the world at large, about just how the Inhuman outbreak should be dealt with. Like all good episodes, it left me wanting more. And now I turn the floor over to everyone else–what did you think?
Thank you for describing the stinger, my local news cut into it. But Coulson’s last order was for Bobbi and Hunter to follow Malick, so I don’t know why you would think they would get away clean
And yes, this was a very enjoyable episode. I like Coulson and Talbot’s chemistry(I SHIP IT), I like the conundrums it is proposing, like an Inhuman vaccine(how would Lincoln determine who should be vaccinated? It seems like the people who don’t want Inhuman powers are probably the most trustworthy, and vice versa). I hope they don’t intend to keep framing Talbot as a slightly racist buffoon.
So the Russian guy is Malick’s man?
Brett Dalton all covered in goo was NOT attractive. Too bad too, that makeup job was AMAZING.
What exactly IS ZombieWard doing to the Inhumans to make them compliant.
First I should say that I’m very happy there is AoS discussion on this site. I just wish it were the way it used to be (and the way several other shows still are) covered, with each episode getting its own post. I really had to dig to find this one, this time. I’ve subscribed, now, but I really don’t want emails regarding this stuff – just like to check stuff over my lunch break and so on.
Meh, take what you can get and don’t complain, I guess?
As to last night’s episode, I’m with you on the twists. I had a goofy “Aha” look when they went to commercial after the Talbot reveal. I couldn’t decide right there whether he was truly a bad guy who had been playing an idiot brilliantly, or an idiot who actually believed Malick was the good guy. Turns out it was neither. Well played, AoS.
@Aeryl the Russian guy wasn’t an insider (or at least, we haven’t been told one way or the other yet) but IS the one who will be doing Malick’s bidding. I’m thinking “unwitting dupe” based on the conversation on the plane (which you didn’t see – damn news!) which went something like:
Russianguy: “There are still some obstacles, but I believe we will be able to do this sanctuary-for-Inhumans place.”
Malick: “And then they’ll be safe, and out of the hands of someone like Phil Coulson.”
Russianguy: “I’ll drink to that and you are a nice man who clearly likes puppies and builds orphanages. Salud.”
*glasses clink*
I wonder if the possibility of the vaccine and whether or not to offer a choice and all that is something that might be broached during Civil War? Seems like it could be part of the Sokovia Accords and would make sense that it could be a divisive issue. I can genuinely see both sides of it.
I liked that Crusher Creel’s backstory is left at “Lab experiment gone wrong right.” I don’t need the details, just that he’s not Inhuman.
The Creature/Ward/Mavethboy should heretofore simply be called Hive, IMO.
I’m a little tired of May having “offscreen” awesomeness. But with so many “field agent” types, there’s only so much time during a show, right? Just seems like May could have been the one to scale the walls, since Bobbi got her moment of awesomeness later when she did the baton-throw-table-slide thingie. Ah well. May’s gotten plenty of action pieces thus far I guess.
Oh one thing I forgot to bring up – where was Mack? Wonder if we’ll find out next week (or the week after) that Coulson had sent him on some sort of soooper sekrit mission or something?
@14 and @15 I agree that Hive is the best name going forward. Even though the “creature currently camped out in Grant Ward’s body” has not been named on the show, calling him Hive, after the comic book character he is based on, just makes sense.
From what I have read, I don’t think any of the Agents of SHIELD plotlines will be mentioned in Civil War. Which is a pity, as some of the issues being dealt with on the show would dovetail nicely with the themes of the building.
I wondered where Mack was, also–maybe he dropped by Joey’s house for dinner. Even though I like what they bring to the show, we probably need Bobbi and Hunter to spin off at this point, because there are too many characters for everyone to get decent screen time each week. Look at poor Fitz–all he got to do was put a suitcase on the plane, and pass things to Simmons in the lab.
One thing I was thinking about after the episode was that I liked Luke more after this episode. It was good to have him disagree with Daisy, and open up about his feelings–made him feel more like a real character and less like someone who is just around to be a love interest. Even their romantic scenes felt more real than they had previously.
Oh, and and look for the “My Conversations” option that appears under your user name at the top of the page when you are logged into the site–a great way to follow conversations without getting lots of pesky emails.
@KalvinKingley
Just follow your conversations from the tab under your name at the top of the screen. That way you don’t have to worry about email notifications. It lets you track all the comments made to posts since the last time you commented.
Mack was with Yo-Yo, DUH
@AlanBrown, ha JINX!
I’m all for more screen time for other characters. But I’m not on board with Daisy/Lincoln; they could have saved that time for May or Mac.
@18 Even though Luke is becoming more of a well rounded character, I would also prefer to spend time with May or Mack over him. I do like Daisy, though, far more than I did in the earlier seasons, and don’t mind seeing her in a central role. My favorite addition to the cast (or re-addition) is Talbot, as he keeps Coulson from being too glum. Those scenes of him in the ceremonial robe were priceless.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Parting Shot,” 22 March 2016:
This episode has a different structure from the last few. Instead of intertwining A, B and C plots, it tells a single story, but flashes back and forth in time.
At the end of the last episode, Bobbi and Hunter rode to Russia in Malick’s plane. We open this episode with Bobbi being interrogated by a Russian, but being sassy asking for a cheeseburger. Then we flash back to Bobbi and Hunter on the ground while they get airborne support from Fitz and the others in the Zephyr. Siberia seems like the proposed spot for the Inhuman “sanctuary” (aka prison camp). Now we flash forward to Hunter being interrogated, and being sassy like talking about mushroom hunting. And then we are back with Bobbi and Hunter in the woods, watching the enemy base, which looks like a nuclear power plant. Coulson is sending backup, and warning Hunter not to assassinate anyone in the meantime. Hunter confides with Bobbi that he is sick of the spy game, and before they can do anything, they are attacked by Russian soldiers.
Bobbi and Hunter swing into action, and the soldiers don’t have a choice. A Quinjet lands and May, Daisy and Mack talk things over with Bobbi and Hunter. Bobbi speaks Russian, so she goes off with Daisy and Mack, while May and Hunter team up. Then we go forward to the interrogation again. The questions flow quickly, and Bobbi and Hunter keep bringing the sass. And we find Hunter’s first name is Amadeus? The interrogator looks like he is the one getting the short end of things. People are dead, and he wants to know why. He threatens Hunter and finally gets a rise out of Bobbi. We flash back to May and Hunter sneaking into the base. Hunter finds a body, a dignitary. Meanwhile, Bobbi dons a Russian uniform, and Daisy is flummoxed by ancient Russian computers. Malick talks to the Russians about an Inhuman reservation, while Bobbi listens, and feeds video to the other agents. They find out that a Russian General is an Inhuman, and a murderer. Malick advocates using Inhumans to further their aims. He wants to set the General free, and trigger a coup.
We flash forward again to the interrogation room, where the interrogator gives Bobbi a drink. He tells Bobbi if she doesn’t talk, Hunter faces a firing squad. Then we flash back to the mission. Bobbi loses Malick and his group. On the Zephyr, Fitz and Simmons determine that the dignitary was killed without anyone touching him. It appears Malick is leaving, not hanging around to see what damage is going to occur. The team on the Zephyr see that the Russian Prime Minister is on his way to the facility, and an Inhuman assassin is on the loose, who might be able to kill without touching. We see a smoke or shadow man who walks through walls.
May and Hunter see the Prime Minister, and then the Inhuman General. Coulson orders the agents to keep the two apart. A smoke grenade goes off, and SHIELD swings into action. Daisy and May show off great fighting moves. Daisy, Mack and Bobbi watch the General as a kind of smoke man splits off from him. The smoke man can touch them, but they can’t touch him. Hunter drags the Prime Minister down the hall. After the smoke man beats up on Daisy, Bobbi and Mack, Hunter battles the smoke man. Bobbi realizes the smoke man can’t be stopped as long as the General is alive, so she kills him in cold blood, and the smoke monster fades away. Both Bobbi and Hunter are captured.
We flash forward to the interrogation room, and the interrogators chain Bobbi and Hunter together. They share a moment. They can’t see a way out. President Ellis is watching the interrogation—where did he come from? And he is talking to the Russian Prime Minister. Coulson appears, and tries to fill them in, but the Prime Minister is suspicious, and wants someone to pay. Coulson goes into the interrogation room and pretends he doesn’t know Bobbi and Hunter. They mask their conversation with an electronic device. Coulson maps out an escape plan, but Bobbi and Hunter say it won’t work, it will make it clear who they work for, and get SHIELD in a lot of trouble. They tell Coulson they will take one for the team. Coulson goes out and disavows the two of them, but also convinces the Russians they did the Prime Minister a great favor, and that he should let them go. This disavowal means that Bobbi and Hunter can no longer have contact with SHIELD. Coulson briefs rest of the team, and they are stunned. The scene shifts to a tiny pub, where Bobbi and Hunter drink a couple of tall ones, while a guy at the bar seems have them under surveillance. Then someone sends Bobbi a shot of whiskey. It is Simmons, keeping her distance. Then another shot glass comes. And there’s Fitz on the other side of the room. And shots come from May. And Daisy. And Mack. And Coulson. He lifts his glass, and then everyone does. They are all pretending to drink alone, but they are still a team. Slainte!
In the stinger, Malick is skeet shooting in the woods, and we meet his daughter. She knows a lot about dad’s business, and wants in. And she is a good shot. In the previews, we see that the new anti-Inhuman hate group, the “Watchdogs” mentioned in the last episode, is not just ranting on the internet, they are out in the real world.
I’m not sure what I thought of this episode. The cuts between the interrogation and the mission worked pretty well in keeping the tension up, there was some good spy stuff and nice fight scenes, and the Russian General Inhuman was a compelling threat. But when President Ellis just showed up in the room with the Prime Minister, and then Coulson strolled in, it just kind of threw me for a loop. Unless I missed something, that all just came out of the blue. The whole process of disavowing Bobbi and Hunter didn’t really gel, at least for me. But the pub scene, while not entirely realistic, or at the least demonstrating some terrible spycraft, hit a nice emotional note.
I will be off the grid for a few days, so if I don’t join in on the conversation, you know why. But I look forward to reading your comments when I return. Let the discussion begin!
The worst episode since the time before Winter Soldier. Apart from Daisy trying to use an ancient Russian computer, there was no good part. And of course the Russian Prime Minister speaks English to a room full of Russian soldiers…
Coulson has the US president phone number, so when they learn about the plot on the Russian Prime Minister’s life, why not just have Ellis warn him before he gets there? Then there is the inhuman: few inhuman powers can be used while unconscious, so why do the agents go for the dark force projection rather than for the guy himself? Then attempting to fight the projection was stupid: the only way to conduct that fight is to dodge everything. And the end… The goal of letting Hunter and Morse go was not to compromise everyone else, so having all those former agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (public knowledge since Romanoff uploaded the S.H.I.E.L.D. servers on the Internet… Maybe Daisy was not yet confirmed, but she’s the only one) being in public together with spies all around is just a great way to confirm to everyone in the world that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still alive and well. And what’s the deal with Coulson? Obviously he was never officially the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but isn’t anyone a bit suspicious that a former high ranking agent of S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra, who was accused of being director of Hydra by a member of the World Security Council, is on such good terms with the president? Forget about the coming civil war: there should be an open war against the USA after this episode. I think vice-president Rodriguez should appeal, as he was clearly trying to protect his country from a Hydra president.
I agree that it was a weak episode. That said, and while I kind of like Bobbi and Hunter, they definitely needed a smaller cast going forward. We’re losing too much screen time to others. If that’s the send-off, it was perfectly ok for that purpose.
I hope this allows some better character development to the cast on AOS.
What are the chances the MMW pilot will feature an ex-boyfriend of Bobbi’s?
@23 As much as I like Bobbi, we have gotten to the point where there are too many cast members on the show, and some culling will tighten the focus. I hope the new Most Wanted show gets off to a good start, it could be a lot of fun.
And if the ex-boyfriend you are referring to has an interest in archery, that would be wicked awesome!
@24, Over at The Mary Sue, when Bobbi started running down the list of all the places she and Hunter had been, and then Hunter goes “That wasn’t me” we were all SO DISAPPOINTED that she didn’t mutter under her breath “Oh, right, that was Clint”
And MMW has already got Oded “Should Have Been Strange” Fehr, so that’s a good start.
@25 — Thank you! I will definitely be checking MMW out now!!!
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Watchdogs,” 29 March 2016:
Tonight’s episode focuses on a terrorist group called the Watchdogs, who have been on the pages of the comics for a long time, clashing with the likes of Captain America. In the comics, they are a right-wing hate group, who have gone against minorities and immigrants, and are prone to use violence to further their aims. Here on the TV show, their tactics are similar, but their hatred is reserved for Inhumans.
Tonight’s show follows the tried and true A, B and C plot format.
The A Plot: Tonight’s main focus is on Mack, who is home in Illinois, visiting his brother, Reuben, who thinks he is an insurance man. The brother is going through rough times, and on TV, they see the Watchdogs make a political statement before they destroy a nearby building with high tech weapons. Coulson calls and wants Mack to go to scene to meet up with Daisy and Fitz; that was an ATCU facility. They find that the facility was destroyed by Howard Stark developed implosion agent, and is now a tiny ball of rubble. There is a former SHIELD agent who liked that weapon, and may be behind this; Felix Blake, whose back Deathlok broke. Daisy wants to pick a Watchdog sympathizer up and shake him down for info, which Mack doesn’t like. Mack goes home to find his brother drunk and upset. Reuben needs money, the house is underwater and is burdened taking care of mom and dad; he is becoming sympathetic with Watchdogs. Despite Mack’s misgivings, Daisy goes out and threatens the Watchdog member anyways, and he gives her the Watchdog location, a local farm. Mack, Daisy and Fitz move in, “ice” the sentries, and send in a drone. Blake appears to be in there. Then Mack’s brother rides up to the farm. Reuben knows Mack isn’t an insurance agent any more, and a firefight breaks out. Daisy uses her quake powers, and Reuben takes off, with Mack in pursuit. Daisy goes in, alone. A Watchdog takes down Fitz with an orange ooze implosion bomb, which sticks to his neck. Daisy and Fitz fly up to the Zephyr in a containment pod with a Watchdog member, and Fitz sends her for liquid nitrogen to freeze the bomb, which she does, somehow without doing great damage to Fitz’s skin in the process. Back at their house, Mack confronts Reuben and they argue. But then the Watchdogs move in, and Reuben sees his brother in action, and gets to help out himself. Mack uses an old shotgun, and also a meat cleaver. During the fight, he straps the cleaver to the shotgun with duct tape, and finally has his shotgun axe that he mentioned in an earlier episode. Reuben is impressed with his brother and talks to Daisy afterwards. It turns out that Reuben is the one that went by the nickname Mack, and Mack’s actual name is Alfie. Daisy finds this information delightful, and files it away for future use. She hints that Reuben might someday work for SHIELD also. This plot gave us some nice insights into Mack’s background and personality, and his brother’s viewpoints gave us an idea how the Watchdog philosophy might be seductive to a lot of people. Daisy’s willingness to use some unsavory tactics, and to charge right into danger, are not a good sign for her future effectiveness as an agent. She and Mack are going to have some issues to deal with when they return to base.
The B Plot: Coulson wants Linc to go on a mission with him, to search Blake’s safe houses. He wants to observe Linc in the field; as he is not happy with Linc’s performance. Coulson tells Linc he’s here for Daisy not the cause, and that he loses control too much. The two of them enter a safe house in Atlanta, and find Blake, who says he is everywhere. Blake feels that, through the Watchdogs, he is still trying to protect the world, which he doesn’t think SHIELD does any more. Blake is stalling, and argues with Coulson about means and ends. Coulson orders Linc to kill Blake, and when Linc blasts him, they discover Blake is a hologram. Linc and Coulson bond; Coulson is glad Linc disobeyed his order, and didn’t quite deliver a killing blow. They realize that Blake was stalling to give his agents in Illinois a chance to attack, and this plot feeds back into the A plot with the attack on Mack’s house. This plot, in addition to filling in background about Blake and the Watchdogs, helps us learn a little about how far Coulson has drifted from his original principles, and see Linc becoming more of a team player.
The C Plot: Jemma is on the firing range, and tells May she wants to be able to defend herself. She blames herself for miseries endured by people trying to save her. And for releasing Andrew, who killed dozens of Inhumans after transforming into Lash. May asks Simmons to help her look for Andrew. Simmons says Andrew is not like other targets, he is driven by biological imperatives, by instincts. She says they might not have to kill him, they might be able to cure him if he hasn’t finished his transition. But May doesn’t want hope. This plot is basically all setup for future episodes.
Stinger: The ATCU attack was a cover. Malick had cleared out the storage facility, and used the Watchdogs to cover it up. We see Blake in a wheelchair, meeting with Giyera. They have what appears to be a nuclear warhead. And in the preview for next week, it appears that the team finally confronts Ward.
Thoughts: This was a good solid episode, which stood well by itself, but also moved the greater story arc ahead. There were lots of good character moments, and the Watchdogs are a compelling foe, especially now that we know that Hydra and Malick are behind them. Blake was a nice tie into adventures from a previous season, and will be an interesting foe moving forward. The more the show reveals about Mack, the more compelling a character he is. My favorite part, though, was seeing Mack finally get his shotgun/axe combination.
I look forward to your comments. Let the discussion begin!
Good episode, got the overall plot moving forward instead of being setup for Bobbi and Hunter’s new show. I grinned a little when I saw Mack wrapping the cleaver in tape to attach it to the shotgun.
I think Mack’s real name is probably Alfred. Or Alfonse. Alfie seems like a nickname.
I knew Coulson was testing Lincoln with the order to kill, but I didn’t see the setup of Blake being a hologram.
From the teaser for next week, I’m guessing the team actually sees security footage of Hive, rather than fighting him directly. I’m pretty sure the confrontation with him will be right toward the end of the season.
Nice tie-in with the storyline of the greater MCU with Blake talking about all the bad things (S.H.I.E.L.D. being Hydra from Cap3, Ultron being created) but I really hope Marvel does a better job of making AoS and the big spring blockbuster line up and play off each other. Last year’s interaction was too minimal, IMO – Coulson’s big secret was he was getting Fury’s Helicarrier out of mothballs? Meh. It really seems as if the movies don’t want to acknowledge the AoS storyline that Coulson is alive. I hope they do, eventually. It would be nice to see the reactions of Cap, Iron Man, Thor and so on.
Too much to hope that Cap3 has a cameo by Clark Gregg that they’ve managed to keep off the books so far? Maybe he shows up and is the one that gets Cap and Iron Man back on track fighting together instead of against each other?
I’ll keep dreaming.
The excuse that S.H.I.E.L.D. is short on staff can’t work now that they have the resources of the ATCU at their disposal. It makes little sense for Coulson to go on the field. Sure, he’s the one who knows Blake the best, but his strategic value is too high to meet face to face. For training Lincoln, I’m sure May would have done just fine. I didn’t think Blake was a hologram, I was betting on a life-model decoy. Since we’ve already seen the Koenig brothers, they really should get LMD now, so that Coulson can go on the field in a way that makes sense.
About ten episodes ago, May and Hunter went deep undercover to infiltrate Hydra. Now, Daisy absolutely has to torture members of a hate group to get information. A little subtlety would be nice.
I’d like to see Lash with Hive: is Hive’s control enough to overcome Lash’s instincts?
May being unwilling to try the vaccine makes no sense. There is little chance it would work at this point, so it’s not really false hope. But it would be valuable data for the future.
Coulson went to the Hub several times before the death of S.H.I.E.L.D., so his existence can’t be that secret: anyone willing to delve into the S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets revealed by Romanoff could know it. But if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. can feed on the movies, the movies have to stand alone, so I doubt we’ll get any news from Coulson from there. The only way the Avengers could learn about Coulson is if one of them gets a cameo in the TV show. Fury got several, so it’s not impossible, but I doubt it, especially this late in the show.
@28 I agree Alfie is a nickname, but it’s definitely closer to his real name than Mack. If I’m not mistaken, at the end of the episode, Daisy called Reuben Mini-Mack, which was a cute touch. I have little to no hope that the happenings on Agents of SHIELD will impact on the Civil War movie. There will probably be some lip service to the movie on the TV show, but that’s about it. Unfortunately, whenever they decide to mention the movies, the dialogue tends to get a bit clunky and expository, and the links tend to sound forced and wedged in.
@29 I also thought Blake was a Life Model Decoy until the hologram was revealed.
I also thought Blake was a LMD, at least until Coulson gave the kill order. Blake didn’t react, despite holding a gun, so I knew he wasn’t really there. Lincoln should have realized that too.
I thought the Watchdogs were a bit too on the nose at times (burning motorcycles in lieu of crosses?). But any episode with Mack as the centerpiece is a good one.
Bobbi’s fighting scenes are a treat, I will miss her in the show. Though I hope we do get Marvel’s Most Wanted, because not only I love her action scenes, I love Hunter’s name, it’s so badass! LANCE HUNTER!
@14 – Kalvin: I agree, I wish there was a post for each episode. As for the Inhuman vaccine being mentioned in Civil War, I’m afraid I’ve read that the movie won’t make any references to stuff that happens in the show. That’s unfortunate, and I hope, not true.
@17 – Aeryl: Mack was learning Spanish from Yo-Yo? :)
The farewell episode in the pub was very touching. The disavowment is a bit silly (they’re already clandestine operatives, for Stan’s sake!), but it’s a necessary step to remove a couple of actors from the show, as others have said, it was clear there were too many field operatives. I did like that the Russian general Inhuman had Darkforce powers.
@21 – Athrereen: I’m willing to believe that, while Natasha spewed all SHIELD secrets online, Daisy was able to do some damage control on our team’s identities.
@23 – Aeryl: I like how you think. :)
I very much enjoyed the Watchdogs episode, for all it was telegraphed that Mack’s brother would be a sympathizer, I was glad he didn’t end up joining them. I loved how they used Howard’s imploder.
@29 – Athrereen: Daisy didn’t TORTURE the Watchdog, she just intimidated him a little. A bit of Batman-ing.
Yes, when Mack picked up the cleaver, I said, “Are you going to get your shotgun-axe now?” so I was delighted when it came to fruition.
I’m always a sucker for “unsuspecting family member learns the truth and comes to new realizations about their loved ones” stories so this was great. I didn’t REALLY fear for Fitz, but I was still tense. Gemma broke my heart. I’m glad to see that maybe Lincoln can integrate into SHIELD’s structure, because I WANT to like him.
Anyone else reminded of any Trump supporters they may know by Rueben’s speech about the government?
@28, I see the plots as lining up a bit, but I don’t they will feed each other. But under examination in both AoS and Cap3 is government power and overreach and accountability. And Alfie is of course short for Alfred,
@29, May’s not unwilling to try the vaccine, she’s unwilling to contemplate the fact that Andrew doesn’t have to killed because she doesn’t want to choke when the time comes.
@AlanBrown, but it’s definitely closer to his real name than Mack
His last name is MacKenzie too, so it’s just as close as Alfie.
@31, In this political climate, is a “bit too on the nose” really a problem? Do we really have to wait for the pogroms to start before these people start noticing they have skulls on their caps? Demonstrating the parallels between fascism and modern right wing “activism” is AOK in my book right now.
@32, While I agree with you that Daisy didn’t torture him, her tactics were still out of line, and ineffective to boot. But they aren’t out of line with how the other characters act with a gun in their hand, suddenly firing them to indicate a willingness to use them for the same purpose of intimidation. It’s “acceptable” for now, because she’s only doing it to people who are already opposed to her existence, but I’m fairly certain we’re going to see her actions have the consequence of inflaming anti-Inhuman sentiment in one way or another.
I’m not sure I agree with Daisy’s tactics, but as you say, they’re not out of line with what the team usually does, so her team mates getting all worked up over it seemed a bit hypocritical. Fitz’s uncomfortable face when pointing his gun at the Watchdog was pretty funny, but it’s not really very believable after some of the stuff he’s done at the start of the season.
@32 “@21 – Athrereen: I’m willing to believe that, while Natasha spewed all SHIELD secrets online, Daisy was able to do some damage control on our team’s identities.”
That’s a great thought! I really wish the show would have done a throwaway line about that! Something along the lines of “If someone had time to look through everything, they probably saw it, but I was able to change everything now, so we should be good for the most part.”
@34 “Fitz’s uncomfortable face when pointing his gun at the Watchdog was pretty funny, but it’s not really very believable after some of the stuff he’s done at the start of the season.”
True, but that was for Gemma. This is different, in his mind, I think.
Yeah,it was for Gemma, but still, they’ve been on the run and acting as outlaws for a long while now. Strong-arming a racist bastard without actually harming him is nothing compared to the lifestyle they’ve been leading. I thought the others’ reaction to her that was way overblown.
Oh, I don’t have any issues with it from a political perspective. I just like the aesthetics to be a bit more subtle. The episode, for me, was kind of like Gingerbread, which I also think was a bit heavy-handed on the surface story.
By the way, the explosive matter in this episode is lifted directly from the first two episodes of Agent Carter
Yup, that’s why I said I was glad they used Howard Stark’s implosive.
From their first appearances in the comics, the Watchdogs have been clearly modeled, without any attempts at subtlety, on white supremacist groups like the KKK. Other than substituting Inhumans for their original human targets of hatred, this new incarnation of the Watchdogs is very true to their comic book ancestors. When portraying hate groups in fiction, it is almost impossible not to hit them “on the nose.” And this is a proud Marvel tradition, which goes right back to the first issue of Captain America comics, where even months before the US entered the war, Cap was pictured punching Hitler.
@AlanBrown
All the internets for that comment
Agreed. Hate groups like that are on the nose, so there’s no other way to portray them.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Spacetime,” 5 April 2016:
The teasers for tonight’s episode promised us a S.H.I.E.L.D. team that gets glimpses of what looks like the future, a Hive who has a seriously creepy conversation with Malick, and lots of things blowing up. The episode delivered precisely that, and a few more things besides.
The A plot: A homeless man, Charles, touches the hand of a grocer, who has visions of the future. Charles has Inhuman powers. The grocer then calls 911, asking for Daisy by name. The call is routed to S.H.I.E.L.D.. A team deploys, just as Hydra sends in one of their quadcopters. The grocer calls every event as it happens, as Hydra blows up cars left and right. He says he will die just before he is shot. The quadcopter nets Charles, and Daisy tries to stop it. She brushes his hand and sees a vision of the future. There is a pitched battle in a tall building, and then Coulson shoots at her. The team decides that May will take Daisy’s place, and they drill her so that she can do even better than Daisy in the vision. They find Charles’ wife, and finds that until his transformation, he was a normal family man, and lost his mind when he realized he couldn’t ever touch his wife or daughter again. But May can’t go on the mission, so Daisy gets Coulson to send her to do what she is meant to do. The team finds the building, and gets access to the security cameras. Coulson, Fitz and Simmons see Ward, and immediately realize that Hive has come to Earth. Daisy goes into the room from her vision, and the battle plays out just as she saw it. She is in front of a one way mirror, and sees Coulson in the mirror. While it looks like he is shooting at her, he is shooting at a Hydra goon behind the mirror. Linc gets hit in the face by an object thrown by Giyera, and Daisy clashes with Malick, who hurts her badly with an exoskeleton he is wearing. Malick attacks Charles, and touches him, but Daisy quakes Malick across the roof. Charles is dying, and she thanks him, and promises to take care of his daughter for him. Their hands touch, and Daisy sees an ominous repeat of the vision from a few episodes ago, a view of the interior of a spaceship just before an explosion.
The B plot: Hive asks Malick what he wants, and when Malick stumbles, he tells him he wants power. They go to a prosthetic company, with the captured Charles in tow. Malick says he will buy the company, but the president resists. They have Charles touch his hand, and he sees everyone in the room dying. So he signs the papers to prevent that. But Hive kills them anyhow, and then has Malick don an exoskeleton, and taunts him until Malick kills the company president by crushing his skull. They go to leave the building, and the B plot folds into the A plot.
The C plot: Just when you thought his story would be delayed until next week, Andrew surrenders himself to S.H.I.E.L.D., which is why May stays off the field mission. They talk about changing the past, and she says she wishes he had never met her; this is her fault. He says no, that she is at the center of the best moments of her life. They give him the experimental Inhuman vaccine, but he is in pain, and rushes to a containment chamber. The show cuts between Daisy trying to change her fate, and Andrew in pain, as we wonder what his fate is. He and May press their hands together against the glass that separates them. He disappears, but then reappears as Lash, and May is heartbroken.
Stinger: Giyera and Ward are talking, when Giyera gets a call. It is Malick, in a helicopter. Giyera, who now is more loyal to Ward than Malick, says Malick sounds afraid, and we wonder what future Malick saw.
Preview: We see the S.H.I.E.L.D. team trying to figure out how to deal with the arrival of Hive in the body of their old enemy Ward.
First thoughts: The old “can we change the future?” plot has been around in SF for years, as has been Fitz’s old analogy of beings living on a two dimensional sheet of paper trying to visualize a third dimension (which amusingly leaves the rest of the team even more baffled than before). And in this episode, just as in many SF stories before it, as things look darkest, we see the events from a different perspective, and the heroes prevail after all. That being said, the story was crafted very well, and while we knew where it was going (even TV viewers can sometimes see the future), it was fun to see how the show got there. And intercutting the final battle with Andrew’s transformation into Lash gave the proceedings some emotional resonance. I felt for May as she watched her dreams die. We saw Daisy overcome great odds, and become an even more powerful leader in the team. And the show did a lot to set up the coming clash between Hive and S.H.I.E.L.D.. All in all, another very satisfying episode. So let the discussions begin. What did you think about the episode, and the way the season is shaping up?
Spacetime was a great episode. Lots of action, moments of humor (surprised you didn’t shout-out to the funniest exchange of the night (“I’ve actually never seen the original Terminator.” “You’re off the team.”)).
The bit where Simmons says “I think we’re supposed to hold hands.” was very nice.
Clever bit with the mirror – not just to explain why Coulson was “shooting her” in the vision, but why the alarm was going to sound no matter what.
No idea what (if anything) will happen with Charles’ daughter that Daisy promised to keep safe. Will the thought of that little girl having to go through what her father did (be unable to have physical contact and perhaps go insane) make Daisy think a little differently about the vaccine that Simmons is trying?
As much as I like what they are doing with Brett Dalton, I really kinda hope he isn’t with the show any longer after Season 3. Hive is too much of a threat to not be resolved one way or another by the end of the season, and they’ve done pretty much everything they can to keep him as a main cast member at this point.
Unless somehow Andrew/Lash is able to … I don’t know…switch consciousness(es?) with Hive or some such, so that we have May’s ex-husband in Ward’s body?
Yeah, no, ABC please don’t do something like that.
What would have happened without Charles? S.H.I.E.L.D. would probably have learned about Malick acquiring Transia, but too late, and they wouldn’t have seen Ward. And there wouldn’t have been that final vision, but I doubt much will come out of it anyway: I think it’s more of a teaser than something they’ll actively try to avoid. So apart from learning about Ward, the only consequence was that they prevented Hydra from having a precog on their side. By killing him. The one they intended to save. Well, I guess you can’t win every time.
I appreciated the presence of S.H.I.E.L.D. members outside of the main cast. Using the vision to prepare the field was a good idea, so good that I don’t understand why Hydra didn’t do the same by having Charles touching all of their men in the building. Maybe because they would then see how Hydra was going to kill them soon. One of the advantages of being the good guys is that you’re more trustworthy.
Too often, a show will explain that for scientific reasons, you can’t change the future, and then will end up changing it anyway. I’m glad they stuck to their rule this time, and the fact that the death in the vision could be Charles’ was a clever use of his power. I wonder how it works though: initially I thought the vision had to be of either person’s death, but then why would Daisy also see Lincoln face in blood, when neither she nor Charles actually saw that? I don’t understand how the visions are selected, which is annoying considering the final one.
I think the purchase of the company might not be actually legal, considering the mysterious disappearance of the board just after signing, or all the cadavers in the room (I’m not sure anythign’s left to easily identify them). At some point, the world should understand that Malick is very obviously a bad guy and stop treating him as a member of the WSC. In fact, now that Malick’s daughter has been introduced, I really thought he was going to die in this episode, as there is no more point keeping him around.
I wonder whether the vaccine had any effect? Is Garner more in control because of it? The show could easily have prevented him from getting the vaccine, so it would be surprising if it had absolutely no effect.
Apart from Jiaying and Daisy, have there been cases of different members of a family becoming inhumans? Since terrigenesis reacts with the genetic makeup, you think that more people would ingest the fish oil together and have the same reaction. Any idea which inhuman is Charles’ daughter going to be?
@45 A business deal signed under duress should be null and void. And the signature of a man who was just brutally murdered along with his board shouldn’t count for much. But Malick has political influence that might get regulators to look the other way, and an organization that can make bodies and evidence disappear, so perhaps he could get away with it. I don’t think he is on the World Security Council any more, he is “only” one of the richest and most influential businessmen on the planet.
Regarding your other questions, they are all good ones. We will have to see how things unfold in future episodes.
@45 Re: Family and Inhuman-ness(ocity?) – One assumes the potential to undergo Terragenesis is hereditary, for many reasons:
1. In-universe evidence: Remember why the Cavalry was needed – a little girl had been subjected to Terragenesis by her (also Inhuman) mother, with horrifying consequences.
2. Corollary data – Jiaying/Afterlife et. al. kept records of potential Inhumans, and only the ones they decided were “ready” (or worthy, or whatever) were allowed to undergo Terragenesis. The easiest way to have that sort of list is by family tree. Not concrete evidence, but certainly suggestive.
However, fish oil supplements aren’t really the sort of thing most families dole out to their children (as far as I know – maybe I’m wrong) and since that’s the main source (I know Andrew apparently got hit by eating contaminated fish, but one assumes that fish was caught relatively soon after the contamination and pretty near the source).
I can only assume that the vaccine will end up working eventually and will be distributed worldwide somehow, so that the MCU can still have people with superpowers be somewhat of a rarity, but still have a nice explanation when a new Inhuman shows up (didn’t get vaccinated).
@47: Andrew is the only one in this wave of terrigenesis whose transformation has nothing to do with the Diviner that fell into the ocean: for him it was the terrigen crystals hidden in Jiaying’s stuff (as she wanted to be sure only an inhuman could look through them).
@47 When I was a kid, my mom used to give us spoonfuls of cod liver oil sometimes when we were sick, but I am not sure that old remedy is much in use these days. The gel caps they have nowadays are far more palatable than those spoonfuls were. :-P
Good ep. I thought they might turn Lash loose on Hive, but maybe that’s in the future.
@48 Oh right, he touched the crystals. I forgot about that.
Lash v Hive is absolutely in the future, they wouldn’t be leaning on this “designed to bring balance” so hard if it wasn’t.
The vision didn’t exactly pan out. Daisy never threw the knife.
I assume Malick’s vision had to do with his daughter.
Good episode, well-paced.
@45 – Athreeren:
Well, in the comics, there are several Inhumans that are related.
But the point here is that all these people have very distant Inhuman ancestors, so while two siblings or a father and daughter will share the same or much of the same genetic material, the key gene that makes them undergo Terrigenesis is not necessarily active in both of them. It might not be perfect science, but it makes sense, comic book wise.
I’ve been thinking about that, and I can’t come up with an answer.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Paradise Lost,” 12 April 2016:
I didn’t notice it when I first saw the preview for this week’s episode, but when viewing it on the internet, there was a moment where you got a glimpse of a tentacle-y alien monster when the camera panned past Ward/Hive. So I went into this episode looking for creepy alien stuff. And they delivered.
The A plot: Malick is at center stage tonight, with much of his story being told through flashbacks. After his father died, he and his brother argued about the Hydra rituals, and the game of selecting a traveler to send via the monolith to the planet Maveth. They meet Daniel Whitehall, who in those days was imprisoned by SHIELD, and still spoke with a German accent. They find out their dad had cheated on the traveler game using a white rock kept hidden in a copy of Paradise Lost in their library. The brothers promise to work together, but Malick betrays his brother using that same white rock trick, and his brother is sent off to Maveth. In the present, Malick arrives at home, and sees his daughter, who says Hive is there, and she thinks he is a ‘looker.’ Hive has called together the inner circle, and says it is time to reveal his true self. It turns out that last week, after touching the man with future revealing powers, Malick saw his own death, being torn apart from the inside, and Hive was his killer. He tells his daughter, who argues that Hive won’t kill him. When the Hydra inner circle gathers, Malick tells them the Hydra god is with them, and Hive makes an entrance. And he transforms into the tentacle-headed monster that was hinted in the preview. After the meeting, while Malick and his daughter are decompressing with scotch, she shows him a copy of Paradise Lost that Hive got her. Hive remembers the betrayal because the brother had been one of his hosts, and now he wants revenge. Malick’s daughter, disgusted with her dad, tells Hive to do what he needs to do. Hive kisses her, and then kills her. Taking the daughter is his revenge on Malick.
The B plot: Coulson stares at a picture of Ward. He is angry, but also regretting his decision to kill Ward. In the lab, Daisy and Mack look at the skeleton of one of Hive’s victims. The team meets. Malick’s goons have taken over a chemical firm, and strange things are going on, so some of them will head there. Fitz and Simmons find that organisms, perhaps controlled by Hive, ate Hive’s victims. Mack finds that Giyera is involved in clearing out the chemical plant. May and Coulson go into the chemical plant, and find dead bugs. Hydra goons are coming, Coulson ices them, and Giyera chases him, but then Giyera gets trapped in a room with May, with nothing to manipulate with his telekinetic powers. They fight. He is good, and the fight is epic. She takes him down, and they wheel him out on a gurney, putting him in a containment chamber on the Zephyr. Simmons finds evidence of genetic engineering of invasive species. She thinks that Hive is a parasite, who gains the memories of the host. Coulson remembers killing Ward, realizes he gave the parasite a host, and regrets it. Giyera finds a way to escape and runs amok on the Zephyr, taking down Fitz, Mack, Coulson and then May. He sends the Zephyr into a dive, and it gets sucked through the doors of an underground Hydra lair. May gets off a short “Mayday” call to Daisy.
The C plot: While the rest of the team go to the chemical plant, Linc says he knows a guy who might know something about what possessed Ward, so he and Daisy head off in a quinjet to meet James, an untransformed Inhuman who hangs out in the middle of the wilderness, and seems to know about an ancient Inhuman that can raise the dead. Daisy steps on a landmine, but uses her quake powers to escape, and blow up all the landmines in the yard, while Linc zaps James. Linc offers him a dose of terragenisis crystal. James gives them a Kree artifact, and tells them about a creature designed by Kree to rule all Inhumans. But Linc doublecrosses James, and he and Daisy leave without giving him the crystal. James shouts angry things about Linc almost killing his girlfriend. Daisy wants to know what he was talking about, so Linc tells her he had a drinking and a temper problem, and one night got in a car with his girlfriend, and got in a drunk driving accident where she almost died. Linc tells Daisy he would never hurt her, and doesn’t want any more secrets. And Daisy tells him about her other glimpse into the future, that someone on the team will die. Then May gets off a call from the captured Zephyr, and Daisy and Linc decide they must assemble the Secret Warriors.
Stinger: Malick is brooding and grieving, while Hive brings him news that they have captured the SHIELD aircraft. Hive tells him that he no longer has anything to fear, that things are in balance, but Malick doesn’t look convinced.
Preview: Next week, Daisy pulls together the Secret Warriors (her, Linc, Joey and Elena), but it appears that things don’t go well for SHIELD.
First thoughts: This was a twisty episode. We saw Malick’s “original sin,” and it was very clever how that sin came back to bite him. Others may have seen that coming, but I didn’t. And I fully expected Malick to die, not his daughter. There was a lot of setup for future biological warfare being waged by Hydra, and the Kree artifact Linc and Daisy found may prove critical in the future. And with most of the team now in Hydra’s clutches, we get to see the Secret Warriors take the lead next week, which should be fun.
So, what did you think about tonight’s episode?
And I fully expected Malick to die, not his daughter.
I’m pretty sure I did, let me check.
I assume Malick’s vision had to do with his daughter.
Yup. Now, the vision didn’t have to do with his daughter, no, but I sensed that this twist put her in danger, and I was right because Malick became so consumed with fear for his own life he missed the threat to his daughter.
Very good episode. ABC/Marvel is getting really good at using limited budget to project a “near-big-screen” feel to their action sequences. When they went to commercial with Giyera and May staring at each other in the room with nothing for him to use with his powers, I’m pretty sure I said aloud “Marc Dacascos vs. Ming Na Wen. Yes.” Their sequence didn’t let me down.
Mark me down as one who was surprised at Hive’s choice to take out Malick’s daughter rather than him. In hindsight it makes perfect sense, though – Hive could see Malick’s love for her, so that would hurt him more than dying.
Loony theory time: I believe that the vision Daisy sees of the future is actually Malick, somehow. How I see it happening:
1. Malick’s grief turns to hate and he decides Hive needs to be destroyed somehow. He sticks close, pretending to be loyal.
2. At some point the team realizes that the only way to truly destroy the Hive parasite is to kill him/it in a place where there are no other hosts for it to infect within a certain amount of time. Malick learns of this.
3. Somehow Hive and Malick end up on a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle that is outfitted for space travel. Maybe Hive learns of a colony of Inhumans on the moon, and tells Malick that they are going there. Maybe something else.
4. Malick then triggers an explosion to go off, knowing it will truly destroy Hive. Hive destroys Malick in anger, bringing both future-visions to fruition.
The fault in my loony theory (well, one fault anyway) is Yo-yo’s necklace floating before the explosion. Lots of possibilities on how that could happen, though. Hive takes it as a trophy after trouncing the Secret Warriors, perhaps?
Edited to add: Am I the only one that rolled my eyes when Giyera took out Mack? Mack had a free shot at a distracted Giyera and somehow didn’t knock him out. Sometimes I feel like they should have just gotten Michael Dorn to play Mack.
Well, this is pretty annoying. Not only did the show not tape last night, but I can’t even watch it on the ABC GO channel.
Fridging, how unoriginal. Malick Jr. wasn’t exactly an interesting character, but neither is her father. And now it seems that the vision will cause Malick to try to kill Hive first, pushing it to kill him, thus fulfilling the vision. This will somehow give S.H.I.E.L.D. a tactical advantage that will allow them to win, giving Malick some sort of (completely unearned) redemption. It made sense for Malick to start being wary of Hive now, and it made sense for Hive not to have enacted the brother’s vengeance before. But why would Hive speak as the brother now? Even when he was talking about Ward’s memories before (another person Malick knew well), it was in the third person. The idea of having one person with the memories of many different people was far better handled in Dollhouse.
It was nice seeing Whitehall again though, and hearing about the dissensions within Hydra at the time. It reminded me of the good old days when that show had lots of compelling villains. I hope we’ll get to see Hive’s plan enfold soon, Hive’s powers could give interesting results with a proper use of Hydra’s resources in genetic engineering. I thought at first that Hydra’s plan would be to mass produce GMO crop that could recreate the fish oil effect in order to grow their inhuman armies, but it doesn’t seem to be where they’re going.
The cell in the plane is supposed to adapt to any inhuman powers. It’s not surprising that there would be exceptions, it wouldn’t have shocked me for instance if the guy who could project the Dark Force had been able to escape. But Giyera? Telekinesis is one of the most common superpowers! The first fight scene was great, the second one was uncalled for.
@58 Athreeren re: Giyera and the cell – The way I thought that worked was that Giyera managed to get the piece of metal from that seatbelt/strap/whatever and it stuck between the doors. Nobody noticed it (wouldn’t they have some sort of sensor to indicate that the door isn’t fully closed?) and he was able to exert telekenesis on it (once nobody was watching him) and get it to force the door open.
He didn’t stick it between the doors, he just floated it INTO the cell, and then used it to pry the door open. He diverted their attention with the floating tablet, but the audience was shown the buckle as well.
@sophist, in my experience, it takes a few days to show up, but it will.
@Athereen
This will somehow give S.H.I.E.L.D. a tactical advantage that will allow them to win
No, the Ag company is doing research into swarm disruption will give SHIELD a tactical advantage.
But why would Hive speak as the brother now?
Because Hive thinks he has neutralized the threat. They didn’t go to that company last week for info about Coulson’s hand and to give Malick the exo suit, they went there to disrupt the swarm research. The exo suit was a cover to string Malick along. If he’d moved against Malick first, then Malick still could have learned about the research that can destroy/defend against Hive.
@KalvinKingsley, My best guess is that they figure out the only way to destroy Hive completely is blow him up in space, where the host can’t survive and the next potential one is in pieces. And one of the team chooses to sacrifice themselves, and YoYo gives them the necklace to honor them. OR, the SHIELD logo is a huge misdirect, and someone, probably a villain, has stolen some SHIELD togs for whatever reason and tried to escape into space. Then, perhaps YoYo tried to stop them, her necklace was grabbed by them, and she had to leave it behind when she bounced back.
I think Hive’s Achilles Heel might be love. His previous host, Will, had a romantic attachment to Jemma. His current host, Ward, had a sexual relationship with May, and was in love with Daisy. That means there is an emotional attachment with a significant portion of the inner circle of SHIELD. We have seen him (it?) take actions based on the emotions of another previous host, Malick’s brother, so it is not unreasonable to believe that the emotions of those other hosts will run strong. And if not love, then hate will drive it. Whatever this creature is, it is not logical and dispassionate.
When I thought about it, taking out Malick’s daughter made more tactical sense than taking out Malick. Who is the more powerful minion, the man in the center of things, or the child of the man in the center of things?
And I like Aeryl’s idea that Hive could be destroyed in space, with no new host around to move into. That makes a lot of sense.
I don’t think Hive wanted revenge because Gideon’s brother had been his host. He wants to punish an unfaithful follower, a false worshipper.
@56 – Kalvin: Mack’s awesome, but at the end of the day, he’s a mechanic. :) But I did find the guard looking away from the cell to be a but stupid.
@58 – Athreeren: How is Malick killing Hive redemption? Even unearned? It’s just revenge.
@62, Yeah, I don’t think Hive was driven by Nathaniel’s anger, he’s just always known Malick was full of shit.
It took until today to show up, but I finally got to see the episode (and to read the comments).
One thing that occurred to me is that the brother betrayal issue recapitulates, to some degree, Ward’s own family history and “issues”. It’s unclear to me how or if that might turn out to be relevant.
No idea if it’s something they did on purpose or not.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “The Team,” 19 April 2016:
Tonight, the Secret Warriors take the lead, with the inner circle of SHIELD captured and in the hands of Hydra. We open with Joey and Elena living their normal lives, when both get a SHIELD call on their wrist communicators. Daisy and Linc need them for a mission, but know very little about what they are facing. The Secret Warriors parachute from their quinjet. The SHIELD folks are still fighting back inside the capture Zephyr, while Hydra’s Medusa man lurks outside the door. The Secret Warriors blast their way into the base. Joey and Elena take down goons. Daisy starts hacking while Linc goes full “Electro” on the bad guys, and corners Malick. May is wounded, while Fitz rigs an improvised chlorine gas bomb. Giyera gets taken down by Linc, the Medusa guy takes down Linc, and Joey kills Medusa man. Meanwhile, Elena knocks on the door where the SHIELD folks are holed up, and gives Mack a big smile. Ward walks into the hangar, and appears pleased that Malick has been captured.
The Secret Warrior team is pumped up by their success. Coulson interrogates Malick. Asks what the thing is that parades around as Grant Ward. Malick is almost incoherent, stunned by death of his daughter. “It is a god, it just isn’t ours.” Daisy and Linc bicker. Mack gives Elena a history lesson about SHIELD, and complimenting him on improving his Spanish; there is obviously a spark between them. Fitz autopsies the Medusa man, finds there is still activity in the body, so they sip up the body bag and go to take it to quarantine. Malick says there is a reckoning coming. Coulson shows Malick what they have learned about Hive, who is named for the first time. Malick says Hive now controls Hydra, and could even control the members of the Secret Warriors. Coulson is paranoid, as he encounters the team members in the hall. He orders Mack to lock down the base.
Coulson talks to Mack, Fitz and Simmons. If there is an infection, he needs a way to test people, and to cure them. He doesn’t cut Daisy in. Elena wants to leave. May is a demanding patient, and complements Daisy on how she did. Daisy realizes Coulson is holding something from them. Malick rants about releasing a devil. Coulson tells about how he pursued revenge after Rosalind was killed, and incites Malick to do the same. Malick starts to sing. Mack sees Elena flicker in and out of sight. Fitz and Simmons are in Hazmat suits, doing an autopsy. She removes Medusa man’s skull, and finds Hive parasites in his brain. Coulson talks to May and Mack when the lights go out. Mack grabs an icer, and finds a bomb missing. Malick’s interrogation room is open, he is on the floor, and that missing bomb goes off. At this point, who can they trust?
Malick is dead. Coulson wants all the Inhumans to go into the common area, and finally tells them that they might be subject to mind control. Joey pulls the Secret Warriors into a room, and they try to figure out what is going on, and who they can trust. They start to fight. Linc is the only one who doesn’t want to fight his way out. Mack finds something in someone’s gear, while Daisy tricks the rest of the Secret Warriors into containment. The Inhuman orb was in Linc’s gear, and Coulson thinks he may have been turned a while ago. Joey and Elena struggle with Linc, and Daisy takes him down with her quake powers.
Daisy is grieving. Elena is furious. Joey wants out. Linc is pacing. All of them are in containment, and Coulson confides in Daisy. Fitz and Simmons try to figure out how to detect Hive infestation, and share a moment. They finally share a loving smooch, and some loving banter. Daisy is acting strange, she has escaped, and wants to spring Linc. We get a flashback to her encounter with Hive, and him infecting her. Linc realizes what is going on. Daisy is happy, she feels like she has a purpose, a beautiful purpose. We flash back to her killing Malick, and realize that his dream of death was about her. She is a pod person, “WE care about you,” she says to Linc, and he refuses her. She leaves containment, and grabs the Inhuman orb, and lots of terrigen crystals. She heads into the hangar, locks the doors, and starts taking down the whole complex with her quake powers. Coulson is hit by falling rubble, she walks down a tunnel, and things fade to black.
Stinger: Giyera reports to Hive about Malick’s wealth, and Hive starts thinking about how they will spend it.
Preview: It looks like the next four episodes will be a closely knit tale, as we look at how Daisy’s vision of the future becomes a reality, and find out if someone else will die. We see images of Hive and Daisy standing side by side.
First thoughts: Most of tonight’s story was presented in a more linear, chronological fashion, which made it very easy to follow. The rescue, which might have filled a whole episode, was accomplished very quickly, and the story quickly turned to one of paranoia and betrayal. I was surprised that Malick was disposed of so quickly, as it didn’t appear to fit his dream of death at Hive’s hands. But then we got flashbacks that showed Daisy getting infested by Hive, and killing Malick, in a way that fit his dream. It now looks like the old SkyeWard shippers may get their wish of the two being together, in the creepiest possible way. Once again we have an episode that didn’t unfold as expected, but instead went in a whole different direction. The Secret Warriors team is fractured without Daisy’s leadership, and Coulson is facing perhaps his biggest challenge yet.
So, let’s get right down to the discussion!
Exciting episode. Good use of superpowers on a limited budget. Yo-yo’s powers are a very smart addition, since you just have to do a little “flicker” type thing and show the aftermath – not much (if any?) CGI needed.
Was anyone else screaming for Lincoln to pretend to want to go with Daisy so he could shock the hell out of her and leave her in the containment unit? I’m hoping that next episode (or soon, anyway) he somehow realizes he could have done that, and also realizes that it was his temper (again) that made him not think straight.
I thought there was a plot hole with Daisy telling Hive that she had to go back to the base to fetch the MacGuffin (since it should have been on the Quinjet) but then I realized that the Quinjet pilot likely buggered back to base after the Secret Warriors jumped out. So yeah, nevermind.
Yeah, lots of shocks. I was just so relieved it wasn’t Yo Yo or Joey that I took Lincoln at face value.
Then, BAM!
Bravo show. And yes, good one on twisting that SkyeWard expectation until the very end.
In related news, Clark Gregg will be appearing on this week’s Lip Sync Battle, competing against fellow Dubsmash competitor, Hayley Atwell.
I was enjoying the episode up until the reveal. Not for the reveal itself: that was cool. But that Daisy escaped with the ball required everybody to be monumentally stupid and that ruined the ep for me. I mean, I can buy “I hacked security feeds and locks” for her managing to sneak herself out. But seriously, once it was realized that the ball thing was something Hive wanted, it should have been under 24 hour guard, with a huge base alert caused by opening the cupboard it’s in without a coded radio signal that only Coulson knows.
That she just walked out of her containment, stole the Macguffin, walked around the base, started shaking it down (while everyone stood around thinking, “huh, weird, Earthquake” rather than “OH %!#@@@@@ ARE WE SURE DAISY ISN’T ALSO INFECTED? SPRING INTO ACTION EVERYONE!” left a bad taste in my mouth.
@69 ghostly1 I agree with you on this. If the only evidence they had that Lincoln was infected was that he had the Macguffinball, then yeah, lock and key, guard, etc.
My one hope is that they put some sort of tracking deal on/in the Macguffinball, and this was all part of Coulson’s plan.
Unfortunately I doubt that will turn out to be the case – more likely Phil’s trust in Daisy made him blind to this possibility (which, ok I can buy, but what about Mack? May? Meh.)
@70, Well they knew Lincoln had seen Ward in person.
@69 and @70. SHIELD as an organization often doesn’t appear to think things through. But it is also entirely possible that they had to lay off a lot of their security personnel when the larger organization collapsed, and many of their funding streams dried up. Perhaps they are not inept, they just don’t have enough ept to go around. ;-)
Isn’t Deathlok repaired by now? I understand that thematically, this episode needed the Secret Warriors to be all Inhumans, but the reason the Avengers work so well together is that their powers all come from different sources, making them quite resilient to most threats (in fact, when will Coulson consider that they have reached Avengers threat level? He knows Hive is back, that means Hydra has basically won!). I hope this flaw in the team composition will be solved during the next season, when Inhumans won’t be so much in the foreground. It would also be nice to go back to more diverse types of powers of the week, to really embrace all the weirdness of the Marvel universe: apart from Eliot Randolph and Creel, did we see any non-inhumans powered people this season?
Has S.H.I.E.L.D. even heard of Kilgrave ? There was also the Kree technology that took control of Mack in season 2, and Wanda Maximoff: they know mind control is real, and they should have protocols against it. Not knowing whether the victims could infect each other makes the situation absolutely impossible to handle, but they appeared really confused there.
I liked the interactions during the mission at the beginning, it really sold the idea that these people who barely knew each other could really trust each other; without that, the infighting that came after wouldn’t have worked. All the red herrings really worked, any of them could have been the traitor. Although in retrospect, knowing how Malick was going to die, there was only one power that could mostly matched his death. Interesting how the vision that caused his downfall had nothing to do with Hive in the end. Although, Hive would have killed Stephanie anyway, and Malick would have wanted revenge, so the vision didn’t have a big impact beside the foreshadowing.
Hive is finally becoming interesting. I hope the next episodes will show more about how he affects inhumans from a psychological perspective. Daisy hates Ward, yet worships Hive who has his face and memory: I want to see them interact!
And yay for Fitzsimmons! I hope they don’t get killed too soon.
So now, what can Hive do with his powers, many terrigen crystals, and lots of money?
@7
So now, what can Hive do with his powers, many terrigen crystals, and lots of money?
A terrigen bomb is my guess, a la Ms. Marvel
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “The Singularity,” 26 April 2016:
Tonight, we start an arc ABC is calling “Fallen Agent.” Daisy has fallen prey to Hive’s mind control powers, and now seems to be supporting him without reservation. But from watching the gruesome autopsy of Medusa-man last week, we know her brain is infected with nasty tumor that allows his control. Can Fitz and Simmons science something up in the lab to rescue her?
A Plot: The SHIELD base is in chaos from Daisy’s quake attack, and could be attacked at any time, as Hive now knows everything Daisy does. Coulson suffered a compound fracture but refuses to rest. He gives a speech to buck up the troops, “Daisy is still one of us.” Because the hangar doors are damaged, May shows off her awesomeness by pivoting the Zephyr sideways to take flight. The Hive parasite is like an addiction, says Simmons, and tells Coulson a Scottish scientist, Doctor Radcliffe, might help, but he sounds like a kind of mad scientist interested in human modifications. Talbot wants Coulson’s cooperation with something, but Coulson cuts him off, without telling him about Daisy. It looks like Daisy might know where Alicia, the multiple woman, is located, so Coulson and May are going to protect her. Linc wants to go, but Coulson will only let him if he wears a suicide vest, in case Hive infects him. Why is Linc wired for sacrifice when Daisy is to be saved, May asks Coulson. Linc confronts Alicia, who pulls a gun on him; she is under Hive control. May comes up the stairs, and attacks one multiple of Alicia while Linc battles another. Linc threatens the one multiple, but the other kills her, and then Coulson kills her, too. Linc can’t figure out how Alicia could bear the pain of losing multiples. Coulson relieves him of his duties because he is too emotional. Coulson doesn’t know where to go next, and apologizes to May. He speculates on why Daisy has joined Hive, and admits she is the closest thing he has to a daughter. An agent says they’ve located Hive, and they turn the jet around, going to the Aussie’s trailer. But everyone is gone, and there is a mysterious hole under the trailer. The trailer blows, but Coulson and May survive by hiding in the hole, and it turns out Coulson has a force shield, an awesome looking SHIELD shield. Talbot calls, and Coulson finally talks to him. Malick had given them all of Hydra’s intel, and Talbot is using it to take down the entire organization. Coulson attributes this to Hive miscalculating, not realizing what a man will do when his family is attacked. Talbot has rousing success, but to Coulson, the victory feels hollow.
B Plot: Ward and Daisy look out over a city; he knows everything Daisy knew. She talks about hating Ward, but is devoted to Hive. She corrects him; her name is Daisy, not Skye; could Hive’s control not be complete? Hive talks about how they need to transform Earth into a home for the Inhumans. Daisy and Hive go visit the cranky Aussie. They are looking for a companion piece to the Kree Orb. They release terrigen mist, and trigger his transformation to Inhuman. The original Alicia is with Ward, suffering. The Aussie comes out of his cocoon, and has some kind of explosive power in his hands. Ward infects him, and he gains control over his power, and they go to get the Kree companion piece, which Hive says is the only thing that can destroy him.
C Plot: Fitz, Simmons and Mack are heading out on a quinjet after Doctor Radcliffe. Fitz and Simmons have an awkward conversation about their relationship, trying to logic their way through their affairs of the heart. When they arrive in Romania, it’s time for spy stuff. They dress up and go to a party, while Mack watches through Fitz’s x-ray glasses. Most of the people in the room have some sort of tech modifications. Fitz and Simmons go to meet Doctor Radcliffe, and talk their way through his Security, including a cyborg woman. Fitz and Simmons talk about “us.” They compare their relationship to a singularity; linear but soon to be changing exponentially. The mystery woman takes them to a lab and wants them to put an artificial eye into someone. Simmons puts a needle in the guy’s eye, but it is fake; this is a test. It is Radcliffe, who is creepy. He looks over their fake eyes, and recognizes them as Hydra tech, and their cover is blown. The mystery woman destroys their link to Mack. Simmons is dragged off, while Fitz tries to reason with Radcliffe. Daisy blasts her way in, along with Hive. The Aussie blows things up in the bar. Mack comes in, and they fight. Daisy and Alicia grab Radcliffe, and Daisy quakes Fitz into a wall. Simmons is captured by Hive. The Aussie wants a superhero name. Daisy tells Fitz she is happy, she has a family. Hive talks to Simmons about Will’s memory; he doesn’t want her dead, he wants her to stay away, and Daisy says the same thing to Fitz. She says next time you interfere, I snap your neck. Hive tries to caress Simmons, but shoots him in the stomach, and runs. Mack and Simmons are shaken. She tells Mack she shot Hive, but doubts it did anything. She is starting to think that the curse Fitz talks about is real. Mack knows they have a relationship; she says it is new, and he wisely says no it isn’t. Fitz returns while Mack is loading the plane. Fitz and Simmons kiss passionately, and the camera fades to black, the way it does on TV when more than kissing is going to happen.
Stinger: The Aussie is still trying out new names, as Hive walks with his Inhuman minions, along with Doctor Radcliffe. Hive wants his help to redefine humanity, altering them into something new, in his own image.
Preview: Hive is super creepy, and the experiments on humans have begun. SHIELD moves in, but then Kree warriors also show up. The conflict may have just gone interstellar.
First Thoughts: Lots of cool stuff happened this week. My favorite geeky moment was the reveal of Coulson’s SHIELD shield. We now see more of Hive’s end game, and he made great strides building his new team; I was surprised how fast it grew in just a single episode. We got to see May do some awesome flying, have an awesome battle with Alicia, and give Coulson some good advice; it’s good to see her getting more air time. While it looked like Daisy might have some self control, it doesn’t look like she has much independence from Hive. Linc is looking more and more like a loose cannon, which makes me wonder about his fate. Mack got some great moments. And it was good to see Fitz and Simmons move their relationship forward, with some of the cutest, and geekiest, romantic banter I’ve ever heard. I can’t wait to see how the Kree enter into things. If they are true to their comic book roots, they’ll enter with guns blazing.
So, what did you guys think?
I liked it.
Love Coulson’s SHIELD. You KNOW he has always wanted one.
Love that Simmons has now joined the “Awesome Women Of SHIELD Who Have Shot Grant Ward” Club
Glad to see Simmons and Fitz aren’t wasting time. I’m not a shipper, but I hate when shows play games.
Love Mack. “What are your muscles made of?” “Me” Bit of a Buffy callback?
And now we found out what Ward is doing with that money. Getting a ready supply of humans to experiment on to create his own not Kree related Inhumans.
I’m still torn about Daisy, while I agree that she’s not in control, there is definitely some part that is not fully on board with Hive, IMO.
Good episode – about what you have to expect when they basically say this is a four-parter. Everything bad happens to our agents, but it’ll get even worse next week.
Lincoln’s overly strong “Need” for Daisy leaves a meh taste in my mouth. Seems forced.
Yay Fitz and Simmons.
The SHIELD shield was awesome. Nice callback to how Cap used his shield to cover himself and Black Widow in Winter Soldier – almost as if another Cap movie is coming out soon.
I’m hoping this doesn’t end up being another “Coulson’s entire strategy revolves around rescuing SkyeDaisy first, figuring out the rest second.” But so far it looks that way.
I was going to say that I didn’t think May has ever shot Ward, so it was only Daisy and Simmons, but then I remembered the nail gun into the foot.
Re: Hydra…I’m torn. While I’m tired of the MCU in general using Hydra as the generic badguys, the takedown was very anti-climactic. And the fact that it was borne of “Malick’s intel” – what intel? He was telling them right away about Hive and then Daisy killed him. Or are we to infer that he gave up all the Hydra info he could on the Zephyr on the way back to the base? Or offscreen to Coulson? Maybe, I guess?
I’m really hoping there will be an even better callback to CAWS in Civil War. Tasha has a line in CAWS, where she asks Steve “If it was down to me to save your life, would you trust me to do it?” I’m really hoping with her on the opposing team, there comes a moment where she has a choice to save Cap’s life, and makes it.
I also loved May suggesting to Coulson to get a cybernetic leg, then asking whether it was too soon.
By the way, where is our favorite cyborg at, anyway?
Hive recruiting the doctor to transform humanity on a large scale is a lot less homicidal than I expected him to be – perhaps he’s preparing for a Kree invasion? It doesn’t seem to gel with what he did on Maveth.
While I am sure FitzSimmons will MacGuffin up something to defeat Hive, I think a key factor to defeating is something that I’m beginning to see here, that he, and maybe his satellite hosts(Daisy, Alicia, Pyro-redux), are limited by the emotions of his hosts.
He can kill Stephanie Malick, because Nathaniel Malick wants vengeance on Gideon. He can get Giyera to betray Malick, because Giyera isn’t personally devoted to Malick. But he can’t kill Gemma, because Will won’t let him. And maybe, for all her threats, Daisy isn’t actually capable of killing Fitz because she cares too much, because her feelings for the team, become Hive’s feelings as well, limiting what they are capable of doing.
Man, I just had a horrible thought – Coulson will die at the end of this season. It’s his death that Daisy has seen in the future.
1. Now there’s no more worry about how AoS and the MCU mesh up – Coulson is just plain dead in both (if under different circumstances).
2. AoS can go different directions. Shakes things up in a big way.
Ugh I really hope this is not what happens. Clark Gregg is my favorite thing about AoS and if they kill him off…ugh.
I don’t want Coulson to die, either. Some folks don’t like TV Coulson as much as they liked movie Coulson, but am not among them. The wry humor Clark Gregg brings to the role is one of the best things about the show. Like the way he talked about his force shield after using it to save himself and May.
And I like the fact that the writers are throwing in more one liners into the show. Mack always seems to get in a good wisecrack, and I really liked that cybernetic leg comment from May. And the scientific date banter of Fitz and Simmons this week cracked me up. A show like this can’t take itself too seriously.
It will be interesting to see what connections there are between SHIELD and the Civil War movie. For example, that assault on Hydra kind of came out of nowhere–I am wondering if rolling up Hydra was something they had to do to set the stage for the Civil War movie. I’m not expecting the movie to give any nods to the TV show, but I bet things from the movie play into those final few episodes of the season. My son just let me know he is buying our tickets for opening night–I can’t wait.
@AlanBrown
I am wondering if rolling up Hydra was something they had to do to set the stage for the Civil War movie.
I imagine so, Crossbones plays a pivotal role.
@79: Hive recruiting the doctor to transform humanity on a large scale is a lot less homicidal than I expected him to be – perhaps he’s preparing for a Kree invasion? It doesn’t seem to gel with what he did on Maveth.
If Hive can possess any dead sentient being (or maybe only dead humans?), but can only properly infect/turn Inhumans (that is, humans carrying the activated Kree genetic marker), then this meshes pretty well with his activities on Maveth. Destroying their civilization was just a way to pass the time during his exile.
RE: Episode 3×17, I loved that Joey and Yo-Yo talk in Spanish when they’re alone. Most shows would have them talk English; though at least in this case Yo-Yo could claim she’s trying to practice her (quite good already) English.
Coulson not cutting Daisy and the other Inhumans on the fact that one might be infected was capitally stupid. Even with Daisy being the infected one, she would at least have collaborated initially in order to throw off suspicions, and maybe, just maybe, they could have avoided what happened.
When Giyera and Hive discussed spending Malick’s money, I pictured the pair of them absconding to Las Vegas and spending it all on booze, girls, and gambling.
RE: Episode 3×18: I LOVED Coulson having his own SHIELD shield. Also, someone on another site theorized that in Civil War, when Cap’s shield gets stolen by Spidey, Iron Man repulsor blasts Cap and Cap parries with an energy shield courtesy of Coulson. (Please, if you’ve seen Civil War already, don’t spoil it here, it opens next week in my country. Oh, but please let me know if I shouldn’t watch next week’s SHIELD episode before the movie.)
The Aussie guy seems to be looking for codenames having to do with fire, but I think his powers look more like Gambit’s.
Wait, Kree warriors? Crap, I didn’t get to see the preview.
As for Linc’s loose-cannony behavior, I predict he will sacrifice himself to save Daisy at the end of the season.
@84 – Scott: Everybody needs a hobby.
@85, Aussie guy is a comic book character named Inferno.
No, he’s not any of the characters named Inferno in Marvel Comics, not even the Inhuman called Inferno (Dante Pertuz), and his name is James. He also considers the codename “Scorch”, and not only he isn’t any of the Scorches from the comics, that name is already taken in the MCU (not that it would stop him, I guess). EDIT: Wait, that Scorch is dead. I guess the codename is free.
According to an article I just found, he’s actually from the Secret Warriors comics, a character called Hellfire (James Taylor “JT” James). In the comics, his not Australian, and also not an Inhuman (Daisy isn’t either, and none of the Secret Warriors are in the comic). He has mystical powers that allow him to channel magic fire through a chain.
My comparison with Gambit (which I know he’s not for a host of reasons) is because his powers here manifest more or less like Gambit’s, only more fiery. He doesn’t shoot blasts of fire from his hands, or lights himself on fire like a human torch, and he doesn’t grab an object and channel flames through it while holding it: he touches an object and “charges” it, making it explode.
That said, he might choose the codename Inferno on the show, filling in for the comics Inhuman Inferno, if he lives long enough.
I keep seeing people (here and other review sites) saying that James’ powers seem like Gambit’s, but I didn’t get that from them. I can see where people would, though (and I blame the tv-budget special effects). The way I see his powers working stems from how it worked pre-Hive-infection when he couldn’t control it. Just being near anything combustible caused it to do so, violently.
That’s why fighting him in the bar was not working so great – plenty of ammo for him in all those bottles filled with alcohol.
Fighting him on a street might be bad too (gasoline in cars). Maybe fighting him with a regular gun (gunpowder) but an ICER should work fine – that is unless an ICER uses gunpowder to propel the dendrotoxin-laced projectile (quite possible).
Guess we’ll see maybe a bit more of how it works in the upcoming episodes?
@88 ICERs don’t work on those that Hive is controlling.
He doesn’t project flames or make things burst into flames by looking at them, he specifically touches them and charges them. It’s not TV budget SFX, it’s intentional, I’m pretty sure.
@89 Good point. That was mentioned during the episode, but didn’t impact the plot this time around. I have a feeling it will be important moving forward. When battling someone who you care about, but is mind controlled, losing the ability to stun them will have a big impact on your tactics.
Nitpick: the agent didn’t tell Coulson they’d located Hive, he said they’d located “seismic activity”. That’s a pretty good track for Daisy if she’s using her power outside of any earthquake zone.
Count me among those who think Daisy’s emotions are not fully under Hive’s control. I think she’ll escape that control if faced with the loss of someone she loves.
When people tell the alien mind-controlling parasite that it disgusts them because it looks like Ward, you think that maybe it could be a good idea to use another body. At least it did made it that much easier for Simmons to get over Will.
It’s nice that the show is finally going back to non-inhuman parts of the Marvel universe. Seeing the Kree again will be cool too. It shows it is possible to advance the plot by pulling different kinds of threads.
The shield is mostly Coulson being a Captain America fan.
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Failed Experiments,” 3 May 2016:
Hive goes into tonight with a solid team of Inhuman minions. But Fitz and Simmons (when taking a break from their smooching) seem to have made progress on ways to stop him. But when Kree warriors crash the party, it’s anyone’s guess what happens next!
A Plot: A primitive man hunts boar in a jungle, when a pair of blue men (Kree) corner him. They take him to a spaceship to experiment on him. He becomes the first Inhuman–Hive. Hive monologues to Daisy and three Hydra leaders, who are told they will be next to become Inhuman. In the town they have purchased, Hive talks to Daisy about their destiny, and tells her about the civil war that got him kicked off of the Earth by the Kree. The mad scientist, Doctor Radcliffe, thinks he can turn normal humans into Inhumans, new minions for Hive. The experiment begins and the humans are in agony, and melt into goo, which wasn’t the plan. In a nearby bar, the multiple woman, Alicia, pours her other self a drink, while Aussie James and Daisy play pinball and banter. Daisy says it’s not SHIELD’s fault they are trying to stop Hive. She has a plan to make them understand. Meanwhile, the mad Doctor argues with Hive, who says he was given the wrong ingredients. He needs live Kree DNA, not the dead DNA he got from Hive. Hive ponders the Kree artifacts. Hive wants Daisy to defeat what created her; SHIELD. She wants to use the human to Inhuman process to turn them into Hive minions. But Hive has called in the Kree, and two warriors arrive. Hive says he they are not from the homeworld. They are hunters, reapers, who have been in stasis near Earth for millenia. Hive wants Daisy to get a tissue sample from one of the Kree. A reaper finds Alicia, and knocks her out, and then kills a duplicate Alicia. Daisy fights the Kree, breaks his bones, and kills him. The Doctor has his sample. Hive monologues to the other reaver while May and a SHIELD team watch. The Kree tries to kill him. The Doctor starts draining the dead Kree’s blood, but then Mack shows up and destroys it, and he and Daisy leave to fight. Hive fights the final Kree warrior. The Kree throws Hive around the room. But then he hits it with his Hive powers, and it melts. May and the team blast Hive with small arms, and then with a shoulder-launched missile, but he heals. After the SHIELD team leaves, Hive picks up a Kree heart that he ripped out before he destroyed it, but it is not enough tissue for their needs. Hive thinks Daisy has ties to SHIELD that are still too strong, but she says she is finished with SHIELD. Daisy reminds him that she has Kree blood in her veins, which Coulson had pumped into her to save her live. Hive smiles.
B Plot: May and Linc argue about how to help Daisy. Coulson’s facial recognition software finds Daisy in an abandoned town. Mack wants to move in, but Coulson thinks it’s a trap. Mack thinks that they might still reach Daisy. Mack has four volunteers from Ops, and May. May thinks everyone is too emotional. Coulson’s plan is simple; go in, kill Hive, and get out. If you can’t, run, very fast. Coulson watches the team move in, and they see Aussie James. May walks in alone, claiming to be Hydra. James flirts obnoxiously, and then shows his explosive powers by blowing up a pool ball. They have a drink. James tells her about Hive’s plans to turn humans into Inhumans, and Coulson hears over her comms gear. May knocks Jame out. Mack moves the rest of the team into place with safeties off. They find the Kree device sending out some sort of beams. Sensors say something is coming. The team bugs out and something hits the building, falling from space. It is a pod with two Kree warriors. The team stalks the Kree, who sense something in the church. There is a tremor—it is Daisy, and Mack goes in to intervene. Daisy, says she doesn’t need him. She only wants to save him, so he can become an Inhuman and Hive minion like her. Mack doesn’t think this is a good idea. Daisy says she doesn’t need to be rescued. She says it is SHIELD that is making them do things. Mack says he cares about her, but she is having none of it. He puts down his gun, and says she showed herself on purpose, it means she is resisting. They share feelings, but she still wants to fix him by making him like her. He destroys the Kree they were taking their sample from, and says if I can’t save you, I’ll save everyone else. Daisy fights him. Daisy quakes Mack into submission, and then beats him to a pulp. Look at yourself, he says. She blasts him some more, and May and the team arrive and shoot her. They grab Mack and head into an evac chamber for a ride back to their ship. Back at base, Mack is a mess. The team wonders if they can stop Hive at all.
C Plot: Fitz and Simmons are frustrated, not making progress in the lab, and bickering. They need a test subject, and Linc volunteers. Simmons tells Linc the serum might destroy your immune system and kill you. Fitz is more willing to move ahead. Coulson says it is too risky. While Fitz and Simmons are away from the lab, Lincoln hits himself with their serum, goes into Electro mode and collapses. He is in bad shape and twitching, but refuses treatment–he thinks this will work. Fitz is irritated at Linc disobeying orders. Simmons needs a brain tissue sample, starts up a bone saw, and Linc regrets jumping into the experiment. Later, Linc is in a quarantine chamber, and Simmons comes in, tells him his immune system is so weak, a sneeze could kill him. And the antitoxin didn’t work.
Stinger: The stinger is a trailer for Captain America: Civil War, mostly featuring Falcon and Black Widow. The fight scenes on SHIELD this week were good ones, but the movie scenes have the benefit of a big budget, and look pretty awesome. Guess I know what I’m doing Thursday night.
Preview: Coulson and Talbot argue about the fate of the world, while everyone fights, and the season’s end draws closer—the preview is a collage of quick images.
First Thoughts: Lots happened this week, although little of it was new. Instead, the episode seemed to just move forward plot lines that began last week. We are starting to see Hive’s end game—world domination by making everyone into an Inhuman that he can control. The team keeps trying to help Daisy, but it appears she may be too far gone. To save the world, they may have to give up on her. There were some great fight scenes, and some good interaction between Daisy and Mack, who both want to save each other, but neither wants what the other does. The only disappointment was the Kree. In the comics, the Kree are an intelligent, space-faring race. But these Kree were just grunting thugs, and not very interesting antagonists.
A good episode, but the fight choreography was a bit weak. The Kree, as you mentioned, were slow thugs that stood no chance against the Inhumans they faced. I imagine that’s supposed to be because they had been in stasis for centuries? Maybe they were rusty.
The other fight scene that was bad was Alicia vs. the Kree Reaper. It started out good but then when the Kree crushed the skull of the duplicate, she just charged in – which, ok, but the “Nooo!” yell and the run were both so clumsy that it jarred a bit.
Ward vs. Kree and Daisy vs. Kree were both better more interesting fights. Quick nitpick – Daisy didn’t kill her Kree – specifically because they needed it alive. She just broke both arms, both legs, and spine.
I can’t help wondering if maybe Daisy doesn’t have an end game here – like she realizes she’s being manipulated by Hive, and actually is able to control it to some extent because of the Kree blood in her. So she’s playing along as best she as she can, trying to figure out a way to destroy him. Maybe?
The word “Kree blood” sounded familiar, and yet I didn’t even consider what had happen to Coulson and Skye until she mentioned it at the end. Nice use of the previous seasons. It was also interesting how Hive’s infestation makes Daisy reconsider her entire history with S.H.I.E.L.D.: this version is valid, as people do tend to assume they can take decisions on her behalf; but of course, this argument loses weight when it is made because of a brain parasite. It’s a pity she didn’t get to stay longer in Afterlife, as she was betrayed by her mother before she could decide for herself if that was the right place for her, finally be in control of her destiny, being with S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Inhumans. In fact it’s now more than ever that such an organisation would be needed, but all the surviving experienced Inhumans are on the run and unable to rebuild Afterlife. And it would be much harder without Gordon to coordinate everything.
I was glad we got to see new faces in S.H.I.E.L.D. I hope we’ll see more from them, and there not the ones meant to die in space.
I was disappointed that an artefact that could defeat Hive was found just after it arrived, and even more so that Hive presented it as a weapon that could destroy it. Having it be a beacon to summon Krees was a nice twist. But if they’re not coming without any advanced technology, how were they supposed to be a threat? Of course, “advanced technology” is relative when it is thousands of years old: the beacon was never supposed to be used this late. Still, it would make sense for them to signal the homeworld they were activated, which should draw the attention of the Kree to Earth, especially since there already was an Inhuman threat recently. But considering the MCU schedule, a Kree full scale invasion doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.
Hypothetically, if Hive were to succeed, how screwed would Thanos be by the time the Infinity War starts? Asgard and the other advanced worlds should really keep an eye on Earth’s development, as it is on the verge of becoming an unstoppable force. Being defended by a living Infinity Stone should already be a big clue to that reality.
@95 If I am not mistaken, the actress that plays Alicia is a stuntwoman, so it is surprising that her fight played out it such an uninteresting manner. And thanks for correcting me on the ‘death’ of that Kree–it does make more sense for Daisy to have kept him alive.
@96 I also was glad to see some new faces in SHIELD. Hopefully they were not introduced just to die in a few episodes. And your mention of Coulson having Kree blood in his veins tickled something in the back of my brain–I wonder if Fitz and Simmons will remember that, and use it to the advantage of SHIELD. Whatever happens with Hive, I doubt it will be too cosmic in its impact–that would be treading too much in movie territory.
One other thing that occured to me as I pondered the episode – it seemed like the writers are trying so hard to make Hive look unkillable, but the weaponry they attempted … meh. Regular bullets (I’m no gun expert, but the pistol May used seemed awfully low-power) and then they brought out the “big gun” that the two cameo players (look, they got actual lines!) were playfully fighting over was…a mini missile launcher?
Meanwhile Mack used a splinter bomb to perfection, but none of the rest of the team thought to use one? Why didn’t they toss one of those at Ward? What about flame? Electrical? Considering splinter bombs seem to pretty much disintegrate whatever they hit, I find it hard to believe that wouldn’t kill Ward and the parasites investing his corpse…
But then the season would end 3 episodes too early, right?
I’m actually stunned that while they picked up Mack, they didn’t pick up Daisy, who was half-out of it.
@99, Too hard to control her.
Good episode, but now I’m turning on the next, as I was a week behind!
Quick Recap and First Thoughts, “Emancipation,” 10 May 2016:
First, to discuss fallout from “Captain America: Civil War”: In the new movie, there were no direct references to the events from this season’s Agents of SHIELD. However, at one point Vision makes a statement that there is a large increase in the number of superpowered individuals around the world, and suggests that the existence of the Avengers may be a kind of catalyst for that growth (at least, that’s the way I recollect his statement). The statement leaves room for the events from Agents of SHIELD to have taken place—while they are not specifically referenced, the narrative has not been refuted or contradicted. And certainly, the UN initiative represented by the Sokovia Accords could be seen as an international effort that works in parallel with a national initiative like the creation of ATCU. In a clip released before tonight’s episode, we see General Talbot (who in the comics, as a Colonel, was a right-hand man of General Ross, by the way) confronting Coulson regarding powered individuals within SHIELD, who must comply with the Sokovia Accords. And in a nod to the old elevator barber chairs in the original SHIELD comics, the restaurant booth where they are meeting begins to sink into an underground base. So we will see tonight how the movie will affect the show…
From the ABC press release announcing tonight’s episode: “With only two episodes left before S.H.I.E.L.D. loses one of their own, Daisy’s prophecy ticks closer towards a major loss, as the aftermath of the events of “Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War” force S.H.I.E.L.D. to register the Inhumans.”
And now, here’s the recap (it may be a bit messy this week, because the plot was a bit more tricky than your standard three storyline ABC plot structure):
A Plot: Coulson and May are in a bar, while the TV talks about the civil war between the Avengers. He says they need to end this thing with Hive, and she leaves. General Talbot walks in, and he and Coulson sit down in a booth. The General wants compliance with the Sokovia Accords. Talbot demands that doors be opened, and the booth sinks into the floor (a recut version of this scene is what ABC released as a teaser). Fitz and Simmons are frustrated, Mack is still on the mend from Daisy’s quake attack. Talbot is amazed as he tours the old SSR base, and meets Elena. She does not trust him, does not want to be registered on any list, and demonstrates her powers. Coulson doesn’t like lists, either. Linc clashes with Talbot. Mack is not happy to see Elena back. He doesn’t think they can win. He sees Armageddon in the future. But she shares a beer with him, and tells him they should stand up and fight. Talbot talks up the Accords, because people need protection. Linc wants to register with Talbot, if it will get him freed. They show Talbot Lash. Talbot has satellite photos of Daisy and Hive and asks what’s going on, demands they stop lying. Coulson says what’s going on is the fate of the world as we know it. Coulson shows Talbot pictures from the planet Maveth, and Fitz and Simmons tell him about Hive. He is horrified. Now they are worried Hive can create his own new Inhumans, because they realize Daisy has Kree blood that Hive can use. They ask Talbot to be patient and trust them. Then they realize that Linc has escaped. Fitz and Simmons work with Mack to fight Daisy’s hacking, as a quinjet flies out. But Linc did not leave, he conspired with May, and it is Lash who was flown by quinjet into Hive’s lair. When the quinjet returns with a weak Daisy, and a dead Lash, Coulson welcomes Daisy back, and they take her to the med bay because she looks like heck. May mourns over Lash’s body. The team gathers, and finds that Daisy is free of contamination. But Fitz warns that Hive might have a way to disperse the mist across a significant portion of the planet, turning huge numbers of people into mutated creatures like the Watchdogs. Talbot tells the group that Hive has probably gotten his hand on a warhead, stolen from an ATCU warehouse, which is just what he needs for his dispersion device.
B Plot: Daisy is getting her blood drained while she hacks into SHIELD’s computers and watches Linc in isolation. Hive warns that next time SHIELD gets in their way, they will all have to die. The Mad Doctor comes in to retrieve her blood. They are ready for a test, just need volunteers. We go to a Watchdog training camp; they want to exterminate powered individuals, not register them. The Watchdogs move in on an Inhuman. It is James, and he uses a chain and his explosive powers to lead them into Hive’s clutches. Hive puts the Watchdogs in a cargo container, and the Mad Doctor feeds in his latest concoction, a mist this time. There are screams of agony, and then silence. James opens the cargo container, and they find the Watchdogs, mutated into monstrous creatures. Hive is fully aware of Daisy is helping Linc escape SHIELD. He shows Daisy the Watchdogs, and tells her he’ll need more blood, he wants it all. The Watchdogs are under Hive’s complete control and the Doctor is horrified, but Hive wants him to make more.
C Plot: May visits Lincoln and tries to talk sense into him. Linc tries to talk to Daisy, hoping she has hacked the surveillance, and she has, and puts some closed captions on his TV in reply. Daisy talks to Linc via his TV. Linc says that he wants to be with her, but doesn’t want to be brainwashed. Daisy and Linc work together to disable the security systems, MacGuyver style, and he heads for a quinjet, coached by Daisy. Linc heads to the hangar, but Mack is there to stop him. Linc zaps Mack, and Coulson and Talbot watch the quinjet take off. But Linc is not on the quinjet, it is a con. At Hive’s lair, the cargo door opens and Hive is confronted by Lash. Lash throws Hive around, and they try to zap each other with their powers. Then the Watchdogs intervene, and have a huge battle with Lash. Daisy pulls off her IV lines, and goes to help Hive, but she is too weak. Lash zaps her, but doesn’t kill her, and it turns out he has the power to remove Hive’s infestation. He puts her in the quinjet, only to be blasted by James, and he dies. Daisy quakes James, Hive and his minions, and flies the quinjet out; she is heading for home.
Stinger: Elena visits Mack in his room. She puts something in Mack’s hands, and leaves the room. She has given him her cross.
Preview: Who will die? The team that has become a family will have the fate of the planet in their hands, as Hive moves his dispersion device into place.
First Thoughts: There was a lot going on in this episode. But it was well plotted and paced, and hung together very well. Talbot’s presence was good, because through telling him what was going on, the team gave us a full recap of the second half of the season. Linc’s fake out was really well played, and had me fooled right up until they revealed that he wasn’t on the quinjet. There were good interactions between so many characters this week that I couldn’t keep track. All the character development we have seen up until now is paying off. I’m glad Daisy is free of her infestation, because every scene of her and Hive was creeping me out. Lash’s fate was tragic, and the scene of May mourning over him was touching. So now, all the pieces are in place for next week’s finale, which consists of two episodes shown back to back.
What did you think?
And the previews for next week make sure to show the cross being handed around.
Good episode, but I was a little let down that Lash got taken out of play so quickly.
I was worried they were chasing Joey.
I’m glad my family members, who haven’t seen CACW yet missed the first two minutes. But I like that the show is tackling the registration aspect, because it doesn’t really fit into the world of the movies, where as Coulson pointed out, those characters work in the spotlight.
So are these the MCU Morlocks?
Very good episode leading up to the 2 hour finale next week. The Lincoln fakeout got me too.
I have to say I’m very worried about Mack now. The vision of the future clearly shows Yo-Yo’s cross floating in the ship that is about to explode. And now Mack has it. And why would someone from SHIELD be on a ship in space that’s about to explode? Maybe because they are getting a nuclear warhead that is filled with the armageddon-juice out of Earth’s atmosphere? Suicide mission?
Ugh.
@102 I also was sad to see Lash go so quickly, especially after seeing he was not a total monster. I seem to recollect that, even when he attacked other Inhumans, Lash never attacked Daisy, so perhaps they had some sort of affinity or connection.
@103 I hope it is not Mack who dies. We already had one black team member die in a finale episode, and losing another would make it look to me like the writers consider minority characters as expendable. I have really, really come to like Mack, perhaps more than anyone on the SHIELD team except for Coulson. And I think your suicide mission scenario is probably where they are going. My guess is Lincoln. I have a feeling that cross will be handed around a lot in the next two episodes, so the suspense will be who is holding the hot potato when the music stops.
Well Agent Carter has been cancelled. Peggy is officially dead.
@105 Very sad news. I still expect to see her here and there in flashbacks. But it won’t be the same.
Everyone,
I just submitted a full review of the Agents of SHIELD Season 3 finale, so rather than adding to this thread, you might want to wait until that article appears on the website to share your thoughts.
Thanks, Al Brown
Hey Alan, still don’t see your post live on the site – looking forward (as always) to reading it. Am I missing something?
The S3 finale recap will be up in a few minutes, at 2:30 PM (EST). UPDATE: You can find it here!
Thanks for the kind words, KalvinKingsley!