Last week, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. provided one hour full of feelsy, shocking plot twists. Brace yourself for more feels as we delve into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest installment.
Spoilers!
The episode opens with Lincoln on the run from a bunch of ATCU soldiers. In order to get away, he shocks a power line which sends thousands of sparks raining down from the heavens (aka the power line). Rosalind’s lead Henchman Guy (who gets a lot of screen time despite not having a name) speaks into a radio, saying that they need to bring everyone in on this.
Cue opening credits.
We see Jemma trying to acclimate back to this world. The lights are too bright for her.
In another room, Mack, Fitz, Bobbi, and Coulson are discussing Jemma’s situation. Fitz says that every system in her body is used to being “not here.” They discuss how she said she was being hunted by something (as we well know from episode 1’s cryptic last scene). She doesn’t know what was hunting her.
In the shower, Jemma is bloodied and bruised. It’s clear her time on the blue planet has taken its toll on her. Coulson reminds everyone that Jemma’s mental health is important, too, so he’ll put in a call to Dr. Garner. But, Coulson says, don’t push her--she’ll open up when she’s ready.
Daisy shows up and says that Lincoln is in trouble. Mack says that they’ve already tried reaching out and Lincoln declined their help. Daisy says that doesn’t mean Lincoln should be hunted. Mack and Coulson surprise her by saying they know how to find him.
Daisy calls Lincoln, trying to bring him in, but Lincoln declines (again) and crushes his phone with his shoe. He suddenly remembers Mack grabbing his arm in the hospital and uses his electric powers to locate a tracker in his arm.
Daisy, Mack, and Coulson disagree on the best way to bring him in--Daisy says they need to be careful since Lincoln’s paranoid, but Mack just wants him to be brought in. (Why does Mack feel so passionate about this? I feel he has some unresolved feelings about people with superpowers, perhaps rooted in the fact that an alien presence took over his body in season 2. I’m calling it now--when the MCU’s Civil War inevitably spreads into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mack and Jemma will be for the superhero registration act. But I digress.)
Hunter and May are making progress on their hunt for Ward, and they meet up with a guy named Spud, one of Hunter’s associates from back in the day. He grabs May into an immediate big bear hug, which is hilarious.
Instead of delving straight into discussing what they want, Spud and Hunter decide to get alcohol. May quips that it’s hard enough to understand them already without them being drunk. In the next scene, Hunter and Spud are drunk, and subtitles are placed on the bottom of the screen to help us understand what they’re saying. (It was perfect.)
Soon they get down to business (without any further subtitles). Hunter and May have some weapons, and they want to sell them to some people with some really bad intentions. Spud knows a guy, but they’ll have to fight their way in if they want to get a meeting.
On the news, we discover that Lincoln’s picture is being broadcasted. Instead of only notifying law enforcement, Lincoln’s identity has now been made public. The media is calling him an alien threat who is dangerous.
Lincoln is on a bus, trying to hide, when the TV on the bus starts talking about him. Quickly he shoots his electricity into the bus to make the lights go out then tries to get off the bus. A soldier notices him and starts following him. They have a confrontation.
Soldier: “I know what you are.”
Lincoln: “You have no idea.”
With these words, Lincoln puts his hands on two poles in the bus and electrifies the whole thing. He’s oddly reminiscent of Electro, the villain in The Amazing Spider-man 2.
Actually, he’s oddly reminiscent of a villain in general. (Please don’t let this be Lincoln’s evil origin story.)
After his little electric show, Lincoln walks off the bus.
Back at HQ, the discussion about Lincoln continues. Coulson insists that they shouldn’t go after Lincoln because while Daisy’s not afraid of the ATCU, the ATCU is very afraid of S.H.I.E.L.D. Daisy’s annoyed that Coulson put a tracker in Lincoln, saying that it only makes him more paranoid.
Daisy tries to get Coulson to let her bring him in, but after a brief argument, Coulson insists that she scan law enforcement channels to see if she can get more info. In the meantime, Coulson will call Rosalind.
Fitzsimmons take a leisurely stroll through the lab. Bobbi sees them and says it’s a sight for sore eyes. Oh, my heart.
Jemma sees what’s left of the monolith--they reassure her that it’s now just a pile of space rocks. Suddenly Bobbi’s phone vibrates, and we see Jemma’s point-of-view. Everything is much brighter and amplified, and the vibrating is super loud.
Bobbi says that Hunter’s the one who’s calling her. Jemma tells Bobbi to “Say hi.” It’s extremely reminiscent of that familial feel the team used to have back in season one.
Bobbi leaves, and Fitz tells Jemma he left her desk exactly as it was--not even a post-it note was moved. We see another shot from Jemma’s point-of-view where a device in the lab is loud and distracting. Fitz mentions that there must have been so many new things to study on the planet, but Jemma says her curiosity faded as soon as the fear set in. She admits that it’s all a bit much and they leave the lab, with Jemma apologizing. Fitz says he’s not disappointed--on the contrary, actually. She’s self-diagnosing, which means she’s on the mend.
On the phone, Bobbi and Hunter chat. Hunter tells Bobbi that he and May aren’t making any progress and that he’s safe.
After Hunter hangs up, May addresses the fact that Hunter lied to her. Hunter says that Bobbi knows he’s lying, so it technically isn’t lying. (Mm… I’m skeptical, but okay.) May and Hunter compare notes about what it’s like to fall in love on the job--Hunter with Bobbi and May with Dr. Garner. Hunter says that back at HQ there’s a wager going on about what happened between Garner and May. He’s betting that May got overwhelmed and left--being married to a psychologist was probably difficult because of all the talking and touchy-feely stuff. May agrees that she doesn’t like a lot of talking as she suits up for their battle. (Her casual outfit in this scene was perfect, by the way.)
They’re getting ready to fight their way to the top in order to meet with that guy that Spud mentioned. They discuss strategies. At the end, May tells Hunter that he lost the bet.
Lincoln’s friend, John, shows up to give him a ride. It appears that this isn’t the first time Lincoln has needed to be bailed out as he’s had problems with alcohol in the past.
At his friend’s apartment, Lincoln tries to explain without explaining. John trusts him implicitly and asks him what Lincoln needs. Lincoln asks to buy his car. John agrees and reassures Lincoln. Lincoln sits down on John’s couch and closes his eyes (running from the law is exhausting). John goes into the kitchen to make dinner and turns on the TV.
Elsewhere, Rosalind and her lead Henchman Guy are in the back of a car discussing how they can get Lincoln. She gets a call from the White House, but surprise… it’s Coulson! Dun dun dun! He’s insulted that Rosalind asked all law enforcement agencies for help except S.H.I.E.L.D. He wants to meet with Rosalind. Rosalind excuses herself because Henchman just got a call saying they’ve located Lincoln. She tells Henchman that he knows what to do then agrees to meet with Coulson.
Daisy visits Jemma in her quarters, bringing a gift of flowers. Jemma accidentally calls her Skye, and Daisy says that the flowers--daisies--are multipurpose: both a gift and a reminder of Daisy’s new name. However, she says, Jemma can call her whatever they want. Daisy tells Jemma that she’s here whenever Jemma needs to talk.
Jemma: “Right now I’d rather listen. The Terrigen is spreading.”
Daisy: “So’s the paranoia.”
This dialogue leads right into a scene where John has seen the news reports about Lincoln. He’s totally turned on him and holds a metal bat to defend himself. He says that the authorities have been notified and are on their way. (This is the quickest and most random betrayal in the history of ever.) John is terrified. Lincoln tells John he’ll leave some money and just take the car, but John is resistant. John tries to attack, but Lincoln shocks the bat out of John’s hands. Suddenly, John grabs his chest and keels over. Lincoln tries to shock his heart back into working again, but it doesn’t work. He’s accidentally killed John. ATCU shows up and starts heading towards the apartment.
Back in Jemma’s room, Jemma tells Daisy that there are things that are hard for her to talk about. They’re interrupted by Daisy’s phone vibrating, which makes Jemma jump. The person calling Daisy is Lincoln. He’s asking for help.
Lincoln manages to get out of the apartment before the ATCU arrives. The S.H.I.E.L.D. team get ready to bring him in. Mack protests that it’d be safer if he went in (Is there a real reason for this?), but Coulson and Daisy agree that it’s better for Daisy to go since Lincoln trusts her. Daisy suits up. Coulson says that in the meantime, he’s going to go to the beach. (Do not go to Tahiti, Phil.)
Bobbi and Fitz discuss how boring things are back in the lab, and the conversation soon turns to Jemma. Bobbi tells Fitz that maybe he needs to quit hanging on to what they used to be and that he needs to try to make a fresh start with Jemma.
At the beach (not in Tahiti), Coulson meets with Rosalind. Coulson asks what she named her car, and Rosalind says that her car doesn’t have a name… but her car is a “him.” (They are like the same person.) Rosalind makes an arm pun, then things get serious. Coulson says they shouldn’t involve the public by blasting alien threats all over the media.
Hunter and May are at a shady boxing match. They watch as two guys duke it out. One of the guys wins, and the other guy is dragged away--not breathing.
Spud shows up and for some reason is Hunter’s opponent. He’s not as nice as we once believed, apparently. (This is the second most random betrayal in the history of ever.) He gives Hunter a huge beating, throwing him into walls and punching him. Hunter said earlier he could take a punch, but this is excessive.
As this happens, a guy menacingly offers May a drink and won’t let it go when she declines. Two guys drag her to a hallway--a seriously bad move. She asks, “Who’s first?” and then kicks butt. We missed you, May!
Hunter is beaten down, almost ready to succumb to Spud, but he suddenly finds more courage in the form of a secret pair of brass knuckles. He brings them out and punches Spud with them, accidentally killing him. (There’s been a lot of betrayals leading to accidental deaths today.)
Back on the beach, Rosalind tells Coulson that the ATCU was created because S.H.I.E.L.D. is so low profile now and people need to feel safe. Coulson asks if she will let him bring in Lincoln so less people get hurt. Rosalind says no.
Daisy finds Lincoln in John’s apartment. Lincoln is distraught about accidentally killing his friend and believes that everything they’re saying about him being a menace to society is true.
Coulson guesses that the ATCU is feeling pressure to show results due to the President of the United States’ announcement last episode. Rosalind asks what it is that Coulson wants. He says that he wants the hospital surveillance so that he knows what else is on the tape. Rosalind pulls out her phone and shows him a picture of Daisy that was taken from the surveillance footage. (Well, that was easy. She’s probably playing you, Coulson, just FYI.)
Coulson: “What do I need to do to keep this quiet?”
Rosalind: “You know what I want.”
Daisy tries to talk Lincoln down, but he won’t listen. She reminds him of how he found her during her transformation and gave her hope.
Daisy: “You help people because you are meant to… and you can do that for us. [...] You are not horrible. You are not cursed. I know… because you taught me that I wasn’t.”
She tells him she wants to help him. Lincoln says she’s wasting her time caring about him. She says she can’t help it and kisses him. (My condolences, Skyeward fandom.)
Lincoln agrees to work with Daisy directly, not with S.H.I.E.L.D. Mack walks in, looking downtrodden. Lots of ATCU soldiers march in, pointing their guns at the three of them. Mack announces that Coulson’s orders are to turn Lincoln over to the ATCU.
Mack says Coulson will explain (which is a giant turnaround from his distrust in Coulson last season), but Daisy and Lincoln aren’t thrilled at all. Lincoln uses his powers to blow everyone back and leave cool scorch marks on the carpet, providing him an opportunity to escape. With Lincoln gone, the ATCU try to take Daisy, but Mack steps in.
Coulson tells Rosalind to stand down and threatens war if she doesn’t. Rosalind says it’s not personal, it’s work. They need to show the President (and all of America, I guess) results. Coulson offers something better, which piques Rosalind’s interest.
Elsewhere, Fitzsimmons finally, finally get that date they’ve been waiting for. (Squee!) Fitz arranged to have the entire restaurant cleared out in order to help Jemma not be distracted.
Jemma: “You kept the reservation.”
Fitz: “Don’t make a fuss, it’s not a big deal.”
My cute little bantering babies are back!
Jemma tells Fitz that she can’t thank him enough--not only for dinner but for finding her.
Fitz: “What else was I going to do?”
Jemma: “I don’t know what to say.”
Fitz: “You don’t have to say anything.”
The waiter asks what they want, but Jemma looks stricken. Fitz asks the waiter to give them a second. Jemma starts to cry, and Fitz just holds her. (Guys, my heart is breaking.)
Meanwhile, Daisy is safe and sound, but she isn’t happy about what Coulson did. What did he do, you may ask? He offered his services to the ATCU. He’s tired of fighting, and he saw this as the best option. Daisy doesn’t trust them since they’re hunting people. Coulson says he understands that this is personal. Daisy asks him if Mack told Coulson what she said.
Before Coulson can answer, he gets a call. It’s Rosalind.
Mack is playing video games. Daisy approaches and thanks him for not saying anything. He invites her to play.
After boxing with and accidentally killing a former business associate, Hunter has secured his meeting. The person he has a meeting with is Kebo, Ward’s second-in-command. Hunter says he wants to meet Kebo’s boss.
In the last scene, we see a montage of Bobbi working out, trying to get stronger so she can be back out on the field. (Hurry up, Bob--I miss you kicking butt!) She then goes to find Jemma, who’s looking at what’s left of the monolith with a haunted expression. Bobbi reassures Jemma that there’s no way the portal will open again. Jemma insists that it has to--she has to go back.
Final Thoughts
While Lincoln’s story line felt somewhat forced, it’s good to finally have him on the team. I wasn’t surprised that he and Daisy kissed; hopefully Daisy can move on now from Ward (sadly, I think that that ship has sailed... for now).
There were several solid parts about this episode, and some of the strongest scenes included Fitzsimmons (not surprisingly). Things with the ATCU are getting interesting, and I actually really like Rosalind. However, for some reason Coulson seems off to me--could it be there’s more to T.A.H.I.T.I. than we originally thought? And what is it that Mack heard Daisy say? Why does Jemma need to go back? Hopefully we’ll find out the answers to some of these questions next week.
Have you seen "A Wanted (Inhu)man"? What did you think of it?
0 comments:
Post a Comment