Season 2, Episode 17
Wednesdays 9|8 EST
Spoilers, obviously
Well, this was an emotional episode. I grew teary more than once; both out of happiness and out of devastation. This was a very satisfying episode that covered a lot of ground and helped us to understand a lot of what's been going on.
Agent May
This episode is called 'Melinda' for a reason - we get to see what happened in Bahrain to change her so much. Seven years ago, May (happily married and planning a family) goes with Coulson to Bahrain. Their objective is to calm down and speak with a 'powered person,' Eva, who possesses incredible strength. If Eva doesn't come in quietly, 'I call in the cavalry,' says the mission leader - meaning the SHIELD troops on board. Eva is uncooperative and tells Coulson the only thing she's interested in is pain.
A group of armed men appears and hustles Eva - along with a little girl as hostage - into a building. Coulson sends in twelve agents, all of whom go dark a minute after. When orders are taking too long, May convinces Coulson to let her go in. She calls her husband Andrew before she charges in. "Do good, Melinda," he tells her. "But come home." (Best husband ever.) Inside the building, Melinda finds the agents - but all they say is "I want your pain."
She finds Eva, who says the same thing, but after a harsh struggle with Eva and the hypnotized men, May is forced to kill Eva. Then we get a bigger problem - May, shot and badly wounded, is confronted not only by the still-hypnotized soldiers, but also by the little girl - who has been controlling them the whole time.
In order to save the lives of the SHIELD agents - and her own life - May is forced to shoot the little girl, effectively ending the mind control on the agents, but changing May forever.
The Iliad
In Present Day, Bobbi tells May that Coulson was working on something called 'Theta Protocol,' (which Coulson spoke to Koenig about at the end of the mid-season finale!!!!) and these secrets are what has 'the real SHIELD' so concerned. (Although I still hold that Gonzalez has another card up his sleeve.) Apparently, Coulson's been racking up assets all over the world, lying about where he's been going, and meeting up with May's ex-Best Husband Ever.
Mac thinks he's assembling Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters an army of 'powered people,' and to find out, May orders Simmons to open the toolbox.
Simmons [mentally]: Drat
Afterlife
Meanwhile, Sky and Jaiying are bonding as Jaiying teaches Sky to control the vibrations around her. Sky creates an avalanche and learns to play musical cups. When they shatter, instead of being angry, Jaiying tells her, "Your gift is quite destructive, but look at the music you can make."
During an emotional moment, Jaiying confesses that she's Skye's mother, and the two have an extremely touching reunion (I cried). Jaiying tells Sky that nobody can know for the moment, because they would suspect Jaiying of showing favoritism to her daughter.
Jaiying explains that she has shielded Skye from the consequences of skipping the Terrigenesis line — even accidentally. This has happened before, she says, when a woman named Eva stole crystals and fled… to Bahrain. Turns out that the woman wanted the crystals for her daughter - not for herself. Her daughter fed off emotions of other people and could control them - hence, "I want your pain."
Gordon visits Raina, who still isn't adjusting and wants to leave. No amount of calming words will soothe her, but Gordon assures Raina that they will discover what her gift is. Lincoln pops by and suggests that Gordon let her rant. Gordon doesn't appreciate Lincoln's presence.
Gordon visits Raina, who still isn't adjusting and wants to leave. No amount of calming words will soothe her, but Gordon assures Raina that they will discover what her gift is. Lincoln pops by and suggests that Gordon let her rant. Gordon doesn't appreciate Lincoln's presence.
When Gordon leaves, Lincoln sympathizes with Raina, who says that she's plagued by nightmares - she's being hunted down, or Sky is having dinner happily with her father, accompanied by champagne and a bouquet of daisies.
Sky agrees to have dinner with Cal and Jaiying, under the condition that Cal is removed from Afterlife. "He never gave up on you," Jaiying tells Sky. "He deserves this." Cal is behaving himself surprisingly well, and Sky discovers that she's actually twenty-six, not twenty-five.
Things are going swimmingly when Lincoln walks in, and sees
a) Sky having dinner happily with her father
b) a bouquet of daisies on the table
c) champagne
Post-Credits
Crammed into a restaurant bathroom, Fitz gets the Toolbox open and calls Hunter on Coulson's tablet. He says he's being followed and asks if they could maybe meet up and ditch the tail on him. They tell him they will. Hunter says, "Are you in a bathroom? With one of those electric hand dryers?"
Fitz says yes.
"You'll be fine," says Hunter.
1. Gordon called Lincoln 'Sparkplug.' HA HA. What's their relationship, I want to know? There's a definite bond, but it also seems a little strained - like brothers under pressure.
2. So Jaiying has only ever mentored Gordon and Sky? #SKORDON
3. Raina can predict the future! How awesome is that!?
4. WHAT THE KNICK-KNACK PADDYWHACK HAS COULSON BEEN UP TO? Does it have something to do with Age of Ultron?
5. May and Andrew were so adorable. Just so adorable. It makes me sad for them.
6. How is a hand dryer going to help Fitz?
7. How is Jemma going to pretend to get the toolbox open when IT'S A FAKE?
8. Seriously, what was up with Raina's 180-degree spin there? Is she up to her old tricks?
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