Saturday, April 23, 2016

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Recaps: "Paradise Lost" (3x16) + "The Team" (3x17)

Two episodes ago, we saw Gideon Malick afraid of what was about to go down, and I'm starting to feel the same way as he did. What happened since then? Let's find out.

Spoilers! Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. contains PG-13 level content.


"Paradise Lost" (3x16)

The episode begins with a flashback to 1970, where Gideon Malick's father has just died. Gideon and his brother, Nathaniel, pledge to uphold their father's Hydra-tastic legacy. Nathaniel believes that part of doing that involves going to see Daniel Whitehall, but Gideon isn't fond of that idea. However, they're forced to do so by two men in black.

No, not these men in black.

As they ride to go see Whitehall, the scene fades to present-day Malick, who's pulling up in front of the same house we saw in the flashback: his home. His daughter waits for him and announces that Hive is there... and, in her words, he's quite a looker. Much to Malick's horror, Hive arrived earlier and asked his daughter to gather "the inner circle." Hive himself appears on the stairs, and upon Gideon's questions, announces that he believed it was time to reveal his true self. 

In his office, Coulson grapples with the fact that, apparently, Ward is still alive.

May: "I thought you said you killed him."
Coulson: "I did."
May: "Well, you didn't kill him hard enough."

Coulson apologizes for what happened to Garner, but May shuts him down, saying she doesn't want to talk about it. May says Coulson doesn't have a lot of kills like that under his belt--none that he enjoyed, anyway. She says the plus side of this is that maybe now she'll get a chance to kill Ward too.

In the lab, Fitzsimmons and Daisy look at the charred skeleton that Hive left behind. Mack walks in, not amused by the turn of events, and he and Daisy share a hug, both looking pretty battered and bruised. Thus far, Fitzsimmons has figured out that Ward's body was possessed by the creature from the blue planet. They don't know how he charred the skeletons, but they can guess that the creature still has Ward's memories, much like it retained Will's. They wonder why Hive isn't coming after them as Ward's former teammates, then worry about what it has planned. Mack asks Daisy if she has any more info from her vision of the future that might help them, but she's saved from answering that loaded question by a summons to Coulson's office.


Coulson says they'll be going on a mission to take back the companies that Hive has conquered. Lincoln and Daisy will split off from the rest of them to find an Inhuman in the Badlands that might be able to help. Mack says their only advantage here is that Hive and his people aren't afraid.

Well, except for Malick, that is. We see him standing outside, and his daughter approaches and asks what's wrong. He casually tells her about his vision of the future. He then explains that the death he witnessed was his own--and it's a particularly painful and gruesome one at that, as we see in a flashback (or flash forward?). He says he was being torn apart from the inside.


Malick's daughter insists they should tell their guest (Hive), but Malick says no. In his death, he felt like every cell of his body was being destroyed. Thus... his killer... is Hive. 

(I mean... is anyone really surprised? Anyone?)

In 1970, the Malick brothers arrive at Daniel Whitehall's cell. Whitehall says he wants to recruit the boys and insults the Malick family beliefs and traditions. Awkwardly enough, said traditions include the equivalent of drawing straws--picking stones. Whoever gets the white stone will be "sacrificed to a liquid rock." Nathaniel, Gideon's brother, insists that "to be chosen as the Traveler is a great honor." Whitehall says that while the beliefs are foolish, their father was not. He then insinuates that their father performed a parlor trick in order to get out of being chosen as the Traveler (aka sent through the portal to go see "Death" on the blue planet). Gideon decides to leave, but before he does, Whitehall tells him to take a look at a book on his dad's bookshelf: Paradise Lost.

In the present, Malick's daughter insists that Hive wouldn't kill Malick since Malick is the one who brought him here. However, Malick cites two reasons to be concerned: Hive sent Giyera away and now he's gathered the inner circle behind Malick's back. (Oh man, trouble in paradise!) Malick thinks that Hive will kill him tonight as an example to "the others." (Seriously, between this and all the flash forwards, I'm having serious Lost flashbacks.)


Stephanie reminds him that Malicks roll up their sleeves and get the job done. She tells him to remind Hive how important he is, promising that she'll have a Scotch ready for him when he's done.

Lincoln and Daisy are en route, and Daisy flashes back to the death scene that we keep seeing. Lincoln brings her back to earth, and she looks shaken, but she changes the subject, asking why he didn't tell her about the Inhuman. He promises that he didn't mean to keep anything from her. They discuss the Inhuman, named James, who isn't even an official Inhuman since he was never given powers. James was banished from Afterlife after raiding Jiaying's private archives. He also talked a lot about a powerful Inhuman's second coming: an Inhuman who could raise the dead. Lincoln thought he was crazy, but now he might be able to help them. However, because of the fact that James didn't get powers, he was bitter, so Lincoln warns Daisy they'll need to be on guard.


Fitzsimmons has figured out part of Hive's powers by discovering that Hive controls microorganisms that eat flesh. That's why there was a graveyard of bones on the blue planet and why Will thought his comrades were burned alive. Jemma hypothesizes that maybe Hive uses the microorganisms to reanimate dead flesh as well. Mack comes in with footage from the facility's security camera, which reveals that Giyera is there.

Malick locates Hive in the great outdoors and tries to make small talk about how he and his brother played here as kids. Hive doesn't want to listen, though, and instead says that he's impressed by Malick's daughter and that she'll play a key role in this. Malick is glad, then uses this opportunity to divert the attention back to himself, saying they're lucky he was able to bring Hive back over into this world. Ward kneels next to a bed of black and white stones (!!!) and mentions how daylight is trivial until you spend a long time in the dark. Malick asks if Hive remembers any of his many hosts. Hive shuts this conversation topic down, then says that it will all be made clear tonight. He throws a white stone in the river, then walks away, leaving Malick looking possibly more shaken than before.


Coulson and his team prepare to engage Giyera, who can control any non-biological object in his line of sight. To help guard against this, Fitz has installed handprint locks in the guns so that they can't fire unless the designated hand is holding the gun. However, Giyera is also trained in special ops, so he's dangerous with and without powers. May asks them to tell her about a certain room.


Lincoln and Daisy arrive at James' residence and enter, despite the barbed wire, many "no trespassing" signs, and a verbal warning from the man himself.

James: "Take your little boyband hipster scruff and piss off."

James sees them coming, cocks his shotgun, and threatens them not to take one more step. Of course, Lincoln and Daisy do anyway, and Daisy steps on a land mine.


They banter back and forth with James for a bit, then Daisy uses her quake pressure to hold down the land mine while she steps off of it. She and Lincoln make a run for it, and the land mine explodes. James says he hopes they got the message, and Daisy freaks out and hits the ground with her quake powers, setting off a ton of land mines. James then goes to shoot them, and Lincoln shocks him instead, flinging him against his trailer.


Malick flashes back once again to 1970. He discovers Nathaniel in the library, teary-eyed and holding Paradise Lost. Hidden inside its pages is a white stone with a notch in the side, which their father would slip into the batch of rocks during the ceremony to choose the Traveler. He'd feel for the notch, and that way, he wouldn't pick the white rock. Nathaniel is disenfranchised because their dad lied to them, but Gideon says they'll continue the family's tradition of faith and be better men. Nathaniel isn't sure how.

They go to the place where Hive and Malick were just talking, then say they'll do the ceremony the right way and let fate decide. Gideon tosses the notched rock into the water (just like Hive did), and they both promise to be together till the end. (I know where this is going!)


In the present, "the others" have arrived at Malick's residence. Stephanie finds him, saying she's not sure she can hide the fact that Hive is there much longer, then says they need to start soon. Malick is hesitant, saying that once they start, there's no turning back, but Stephanie affectionately says to man up. Malick begins the ceremony, making a speech which is quickly interrupted by Hive himself walking in and announcing his presence. Someone recognizes him as Grant Ward, but Hive says this body is only a vessel. He thanks the Malick family for his return, cryptically says that they'll all get what they deserve, and then says, for those who are having doubts, "See and believe." As the camera pans to show us his back, Hive changes into his original form, which is bluish and has tentacles on its head. (Um, hello, Hydra octopus?)


Coulson and his team have infiltrated the agro-chem facility. They find the place mostly destroyed with the lab equipment and files taken elsewhere. They also find a bunch of huge, dead moths.


James wakes up on his couch to see Lincoln and Daisy, the latter of whom is holding a knife. They tell him what they want to know, but James just laughs at them and wonders aloud if Lincoln and Jiaying are sleeping together. (Daisy's expression is kind of priceless) They explain that they're here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Daisy reveals that Jiaying is dead and Afterlife is a pile of ashes, much to James' delight. They tell him they want to know more about that mysterious Inhuman he kept talking about, and they also want to know what he stole from Afterlife. He says that he doesn't just give away information or do things out of the kindness of his heart, so Lincoln brings out a Terrigen crystal, tempting James with the possibility of becoming Inhuman. (This is such a bad idea.)


Coulson inspects one of the moths, telling Mack to work with Fitz to find out where the files went and also pack up what's left so that Simmons can figure out what experiments they were working on. Someone notifies Coulson that Giyera is coming their way. (Question: Why did they send their two Inhumans, who could probably take Giyera in a fight, on a different mission? Yeah, yeah, they had to go talk to James, but come on. One of them could have stayed with the team. Instead, now we have a bunch of humans trying to battle an Inhuman who can control non-biological objects. Seems like an unfair fight to me.) Coulson pursues Giyera, which involves Coulson dodging a huge gas canister then running away. Giyera chases after him, leading him into a room that they seal off. It has no objects for him to manipulate--just Melinda May, who can definitely take him in a fight. (Okay, that was pretty smart. I apologize, Coulson, for underestimating your plan.) 


Giyera and May duke it out, which involves May almost being beaten. But, true to form, she manages to overcome, and she knocks Giyera out. He's taken away on a stretcher. 

Fitz has figured out where the files were sent to--a place on the Dutch-German border near an abandoned oil field.

Coulson: "So Hydra's in the oil business now? It's like they're not even trying to avoid the bad-guy cliches."

Coulson tells Fitz to get the coordinates to the cockpit. Elsewhere, they lay Giyera down in the containment module. As they do, he starts manipulating objects in the plane. Coulson orders his agents out of the module, and the door shuts, which makes Giyera's powers stop. Mack assures Coulson they'll get him to talk, but Coulson says if not, he hopes Daisy and Lincoln have something useful.

Speaking of, James says that most of what he stole from Afterlife was junk, but he does have one thing. It's a Kree orb, which he's willing to exchange for the Terrigen crystal. (Hey, is this an orb like the one in Guardians of the Galaxy? Ladies and gentlemen, we have an 0-8-4.) James reveals that the orb was probably picked up by said mysterious Inhuman when the Inhumans revolted against the Kree. The mysterious Inhuman, whom we know as Ward/Hive, was named Alveus--in James' words, "Latin or something." Alveus was one of the first Inhumans, and he was designed by the Kree to command an army for them. James says that, according to Jiaying's private archive, the Inhumans started to fear Alveus, and they had to band together with regular humans in order to banish him. He says that all Inhumans are descended from that original band of Inhumans, and so Jiaying had no right to keep it from them. Daisy says Jiaying was probably afraid someone would try to bring him back. James worries that they are trying to bring him back, and they promise they're not. James says they can have the orb if they give him the crystal. Lincoln pretends to give it to him but instead steals the orb, then holds his lighting powers up to keep James from doing anything. 


Lincoln says Jiaying was right in that some people don't deserve to have powers. James doesn't think Lincoln does, insinuating that Lincoln might kill someone now that he has lightning running through him. James tells Daisy that Lincoln didn't tell her how his last relationship ended: he almost murdered his girlfriend. (Wow, okay.) James says he can tell from her face that she's familiar with "that side of him," and Lincoln pulls her out of the trailer, but the damage is done. James yells after them that Daisy can't change Lincoln, no matter how much she thinks she can. 

Malick finds Stephanie after everyone's left, and she pours him the Scotch she promised. He toasts to her, thanking her for reminding him what it means to be a Malick. He then asks what she's holding, and she holds up a book--a gift from their guest. It's Paradise Lost. 


He looks terrified, and Stephanie says she knows that look, but Malick brushes it off by saying it's been a long day and he's going to turn in. (Poor Malick; he's really going through the wringer right now.)  Upon Stephanie's question, Malick reassures her that he doesn't doubt Hive anymore. They bid each other goodnight.


Jemma has uncovered the reason for the experiments: the group was trying to genetically engineer plants and animals to be able to resist invasive species, like European starlings and moths. Coulson wonders why Hive would burn that up, and Jemma hypothesizes that either he wanted to use it and was trying to cover his tracks or he was afraid of it. Coulson tells her to keep looking for a chink in his armor, then asks if she's figured out what exactly Hive is. Jemma says she doesn't think that Hive is controlling the microorganisms--he is the microorganisms. Coulson realizes that Hive is a parasite that retains the memories of whatever body he's controlling. (It's a far more sinister version of the Trill in Star Trek.)


Coulson goes off to be alone and flashes back to the moment he killed Ward. He's so shaken that his prosthetic hand crushes the pipe he's holding onto. Fitz walks in on him, asking if everything is all right. Coulson grapples with the guilt of killing Ward, and despite Fitz's reassurances, Coulson is convinced that what he did was wrong. Fitz killing Will was acceptable, but Coulson killing Ward was not since it was payback. Fitz asks Coulson what the alternative was--letting Ward live, letting him win. But Coulson says that because he killed Ward, Ward did win.

Coulson: "I knew it would come back to haunt me, I just didn't know it would actually come back to haunt me." 

Mack talks to Giyera, trying to get information out of him. Giyera thanks Mack, since Hive never would have made it home without S.H.I.E.L.D. Mack says that Giyera's drinking the Kool-Aid, thus their leader must be a real charmer, but Giyera says they don't have leaders since they're all working towards a common goal. Mack dismisses this as a cult mindset, but Giyera says he'll get it eventually. He says he and his people see such potential for humanity and that those who are worthy will inherit the world. Mack asks about those who are unworthy, but May interrupts, saying they're nearing Dutch airspace, which is where the files were transferred to. Mack says they'll find out whether Giyera helps them or not.

Malick looks at his own copy of Paradise Lost and is found by Hive and Stephanie. Hive speaks, interspersed with flashbacks, about how Gideon kept the notched stone. He asks if it was a deliberate betrayal or if it was just fate that "it came down to the two of us." One of Hive's hosts was, indeed, Nathaniel Malick, and because Gideon kept the notched stone, it's his fault that Nathaniel was sent to the blue planet.


We see them undergo the ceremony, and Nathaniel is the one who gets the notched, white stone. He turns to Gideon and says, "I thought we had a deal." And in the present, Hive says to Gideon, "I thought we had a deal." Malick and Nathaniel have a conversation, and Malick insists he didn't have a choice. Stephanie is shocked to discover that Malick was lying to her all these years.

Hive/Nathaniel: "He was selfish. He gets it from our father."

(This is such a trippy scene--to see the man we've come to know as Hive, who was previously Grant Ward, speak as Nathaniel Malick. This is stellar acting from Brett Dalton.)

Malick says he'll die if he has to, but not as a coward. He wants Stephanie to remember him as different from his father. Stephanie tells Hive to do what he has to do. Hive says this needs to be made right, but he still needs a Malick by his side.


He kisses Stephanie. (Ew. Since Hive is also somehow her uncle, this has some weird undertones.) He then fills her mouth with those organisms, and Malick watches, broken, as she dies.

Hive: "Now you understand sacrifice." 

On the Quinjet, Daisy asks why Lincoln never told her about the almost-killing-his-girlfriend thing. He says he didn't want her to see that side of him, but Daisy says he can't show her Mr. Perfect and keep the ugly parts hidden away. (Good point.) She demands the truth, saying that otherwise they're done with their whatever-this-is-kinda-romantic-who-even-knows relationship. Lincoln agrees, saying that most Inhumans have this void they need to fill. Daisy tried to fill it by finding her parents... Lincoln filled his with alcohol. And he had a temper. Daisy knew that part, but what she didn't know was that during a fight with his girlfriend, they both got in the car and ended up wrapped around a telephone pole. Gordon found them and saved both their lives, then took Lincoln to Afterlife. He finally felt like his void might be filled someday. He tells Daisy that he would never hurt her, which she knows, then apologizes for not telling her. He says he doesn't want to have any more secrets, and because of that, Daisy tells him that she got another glimpse of the future.

Daisy: "I don't know when... but someone on our team is gonna die." 

(Okay, but does she know who?)


On the plane, Giyera has used the metal part of a seat belt to get out of the containment module. Mack tries to attack him, but Giyera beats him, then runs through the halls. He's intercepted by Coulson, but when Coulson tries to fight, Giyera controls his prosthetic and stops him from moving it, then knocks him out. Giyera gets to the plane's control room, and May says he won't get in without a fight, but Giyera surrenders. However, instead of actually surrendering, he manipulates the plane's controls, sending it into a tailspin. He causes it to land in an underground hangar. May, injured, tries to contact Daisy, but she's knocked out. Daisy did hear that Giyera had taken control, and she worries, saying everyone from their team is on the plane. Lincoln says not everyone, then brings up the Secret Warriors Initiative, which was formed for exactly this reason. He says they can't be afraid of Daisy's vision and instead they have to do something. Daisy agrees.

Daisy: "Let's call them in." 


Hive finds Malick sitting in front of the fire and announces that Giyera has taken control of the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. Malick doesn't respond. Hive says that sacrifice is never easy but the scales have been balanced and Malick has nothing left to fear. He rests his hand on Malick's shoulder as Malick takes a shaky breath.


"The Team" (3x17)

Daisy and Lincoln's Quinjet soars across the ocean, but Daisy is worried because it's not going fast enough. She commands them to go faster, worried because the Secret Warriors are spread all over the world. Joey is in Miami, and we see him invite his date up to his roof to see the city at night. Elena is in Colombia, and she practices things to say to someone as she boards a bus. Suddenly, her special S.H.I.E.L.D. watch goes off, and so does Joey's. They both make excuses about why they have to leave.


On the Quinjet, Daisy briefs them on the situation and how there's a hangar underneath the oil field. Joey and Elena asks questions about the base's layout and the basic situation, and Lincoln and Daisy don't know the answers. They prepare to parachute down to the base, much to Joey and Elena's fear and trepidation. (They talk back and forth in Spanish, which is adorable and perfect.) Daisy gives them a pep talk about how they should put their gifts to good use, then jumps out of the plane.

Hive and Malick meet up with Giyera in their gray-walled underground compound, and Giyera updates them on the situation, saying "Lucio" will have control of the agents soon. We then see our agents bravely fighting on the plane. They've managed to barricade themselves in a closet, but May's bleeding badly, and they won't be able to hold the enemy off for long.

The Secret Warriors blast into the underground compound, and Elena and Joey take the elevator, where they discuss how rude it was that Joey invited his date up and then left. They also guess at how many men await them. Elena guesses four, Joey guesses six. When the elevator doors open, there are indeed six men who start shooting. Joey melts the bullets, and Elena slingshots and ties the men up.


Daisy has located the Zephyr (the plane), and she informs the team of this via their communication system. Lincoln battles some men in a hallway, using some fairly advanced and impressive lightning techniques. He throws a man through a window, and when the window shatters, it reveals Malick, whom Lincoln takes into custody.

Inside the plane, Fitz and Simmons treat May as best they can, and Fitz also engineers a chlorine gas seal that will help keep the door shut. (If it doesn't work, they'll all go blind, so there's that.)


Lincoln, Elena, Joey, and a tied-up Malick at the plane, but a wrench hits Joey in the back, thrown by Giyera. Daisy rappels down from the control room, shattering glass, and knocks Giyera out with her quake powers. They quickly run up into the plane, but they're abruptly stopped by Lucio, the man who was working with the Colombian police and who can look at people and freeze them. He freezes Lincoln, but Joey pulls out a piece of pipe and stabs Lucio in the chest. Joey goes to check on Lincoln, who is unresponsive, then looks at the blood-covered pipe, realizing what he's just done.


Back with Coulson's team, the seal hasn't worked, so Fitz is positioned and ready to shoot anything to come through that door. But instead of the door breaking down, there's simply a knock, along with Elena saying, "Hello?" They open the door for her, and she says the phrase she was practicing at the beginning of the episode.

Elena: "It's good to see you again. You look well."

(Bye, I'm shipping this.)


Daisy asks if there's anyone who can fly the plane out of there, and despite the fact that May can barely walk, she says she will. As they take off, Hive walks into the hangar and helps Giyera up. Giyera laments that they've achieved nothing, but Hive says that's not true--now they have someone on the inside.


Back on base, the Secret Warriors rejoice in their victory. Elena recreates the elevator scene, and Daisy compliments them.

"We were asked for a miracle, and we delivered. You're a hell of a team."


They realize that Elena's injured, but she brushes it off. Lincoln thanks Joey for having his back. Daisy says it's a great day because they've grabbed the head of Hydra--Malick, who is being questioned by Coulson right now. If he talks, the Secret Warriors might be on another mission.

Malick sits in the interrogation room, looking defeated. (He's had an awful past few days.) Coulson enters, bringing up how Malick had Rosalind killed, then says he needs to know what the thing is that's parading around as Grant Ward. Malick dodges the question and instead discusses Arabian horses, recalling a personal anecdote about them. Once, he and his daughter Stephanie were riding them. A rock slide caused the horse to buck her off, but she got right back up and calmed that horse. It made Malick proud, and that's when he decided to tell her about Hydra. He thought he could guide Hydra the same way Stephanie commanded the horse, and he taught her to have faith in it as a god, which is exactly what she did. Coulson starts to threaten Malick about never seeing her again, but Malick blurts out that "he killed her," and "it cares nothing for us." Coulson says it doesn't sound like a god. Malick says it is... it's just not "ours."


Daisy finds Lincoln inspecting the Kree orb. She confronts him about how she's not okay with the fact that he brought the Terrigen crystal with them. She admits that it was a good play but asks him to tell her next time. Lincoln tells her to check in on Joey since he's pretty shaken after killing Lucio.

Mack talks to Elena in Spanish, getting her up to speed on what S.H.I.E.L.D. is and does. He compares it to the SSR, just with a new name. Elena says she has a new name too, and it's his fault they all call her Yo-Yo. Mack laughs and apologizes, and Elena promises she'll get her revenge. She says his Spanish has improved, and he says it's a new S.H.I.E.L.D. requirement. (About time.) Elena balks at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents with guns, but Mack promises her that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s goal is to protect. He shows her all the weapons they have that don't kill but runs into some that do, admitting that they do their best but sometimes have to kill. She tells him it's okay and that she trusts him.


In the lab, Fitzsimmons realize that Lucio might not be dead. In fact, he's "dead-ish" and has some sort of metabolic activity going on.


Jemma thinks this is fascinating, but Fitz reminds her they need to institute a quarantine. May watches in concern as they wheel Lucio's body away.

Malick warns Coulson that putting his faith in Inhumans, like Malick did, is a deadly mistake. Coulson insists he's not a god, much to Malick's disagreement. He then reveals that "Alveus" means Hive. Malick asks if Coulson is a religious man, and Coulson says he has faith in his team. Malick says that's who Hive will destroy first, then says that any person who used to serve him now serves Hive. Hive infects them, makes them serve him--in Coulson's words, mind control. Malick intimidates Coulson by wondering how many of the Secret Warriors have been turned by Hive already. Coulson walks by each of them, looking concerned, then asks Mack to quietly lock down the base.


In Coulson's office, he, Fitzsimmons, and Mack discuss how they have no way of knowing if Hive turned the Secret Warriors or not. They decide to look at Lucio's abnormal body readings to start with. Daisy busts in, and they give her an excuse as to why the base is on lockdown. She notifies Coulson about how shaken Joey is, and he says he'll check on him.

In the lab, Elena confronts Daisy, upset that she can't go home yet. Daisy and Lincoln share that neither of them have been able to find Joey. Lincoln goes to give pain meds to May, who refuses them. Daisy asks for a moment alone with May. Instead of giving May pain meds, they discuss the mission today. May compliments Daisy on her leading skills, but Daisy asks if it gets any easier. May says it only gets harder. Daisy worries that Coulson is having her lie to the team about the base lockdown, but May says that if Coulson's withholding, it's for a good reason.


Coulson asks Malick what he thought would happen when he brought Hive back, and Malick says he doesn't understand what it's like to be brought up in faith. Coulson responds that he was a C and E (Christmas and Easter) Catholic.

Coulson: "Sure, it's not death cult, but..."

Malick says he hoped to resurrect a god, but instead, he freed the devil. Coulson reminds Malick that all of the Satanic creation myths have been based on Hive, and Malick knew that. Malick breaks down about Stephanie, and Coulson says that it matters what Malick does next--he's trying to sell Malick on the idea of revenge. He too lost someone--Rosalind Price.

"Love turned to rage in that moment. So I hunted down and murdered Grant Ward. ... I wanted revenge. I wanted to feel him die. That's the sin that gave your Devil new life."

Coulson asks Malick to let his love for Stephanie turn into rage, to tell him how to stop Hive.

Malick: "This god has lived--"
Coulson: "I've met gods. Gods bleed." 

Malick comments that he never thought his last rodeo would be with S.H.I.E.L.D., then asks what Coulson would like to know... which is everything.


In Coulson's office, Mack monitors the Secret Warriors. Elena starts yo-yoing, but Mack chalks it up to him seeing things. May walks in and asks what is going on. Mack says, "Too damned much."

Fitzsimmons take voice notes and banter while they examine Lucio. Fitz worries that their teammates might kill them, then says that they're lucky to have Jemma on the team. Jemma splits open Lucio's skull and finds something alarming enough to pull Coulson out of interrogation. Fitzsimmons has confirmed that Hive's parasites have infected Lucio's brain, but they don't have a test for the Inhumans yet. Coulson, Mack, and May discuss who might be infected and what to do about it, but they're interrupted by the electricity going out. Mack goes to grab a gun, and he finds one of the grenades he showed Elena missing. Fitzsimmons find the door to Malick's interrogation room open, and they see that there's a grenade lying next to Malick on the floor... right before it explodes. It knocks them back. Coulson arrives and helps them up, and they tell him Malick was already dead, then hypothesize that whoever it is blew up a grenade in order to cover up the cause of death. He tells Fitzsimmons to lay low while they try to quarantine the Secret Warriors.

Speaking of, the Secret Warriors find Coulson and start demanding answers. Coulson explains, much to Elena and Lincoln's irritation. Elena steals someone's gun, allowing the Warriors to escape and barricade themselves in another room, where they conveniently locate Joey. They discuss the situation, angry that S.H.I.E.L.D. turned on them... then they turn on each other, wondering who it is that Hive infected. Coulson uses this as an opportunity to search their bunks and try to figure out who the mole is. Each team member turns on each other, and things almost get physical, but Daisy suggests they get out of there and figure things out on their own terms. She suggests using Coulson's hidden, secret elevator.


Mack finds something in one of the agent's lockers. Daisy leads the team off the elevator and into a room, which turns out to be a containment module with Coulson inside. He reveals that Hive's inside man is Lincoln, who had the Kree orb hidden in his locker. They realize he has probably been turned since their mission in "Spacetime." Lincoln freaks out on them, and a fight breaks out between everyone until Daisy uses her quake powers to knock Lincoln out.

Later, in the containment module, Daisy and Coulson talk. She feels like she let everyone down, but Coulson tells her it's just part of being a leader.

"You want to protect everyone, but you can't. People get hurt."

Mack tries to talk to Elena, but she brushes him off. Joey undergoes an intense-looking test to see if he's infected too, and he says he doesn't want to be here. Coulson assures Daisy they'll destroy Hive. He says that in times like these, when there's no clear path, he understands why people pray. He says soon they'll know who else is infected too. In the meantime, he needs them all in quarantine, effectively disbanding the team. Daisy promises they'll do better next time.

Jemma and Fitz are running every test they possibly can--in the mean time, Jemma wishes they'd find something magnificent in space, not destructive things like Hive. She leans her head on Fitz's shoulder, and they share a kiss. Fitz pulls back, apologizing for rushing things, but Jemma tells him it's been ten years--they need to stop wasting time. She says she's tired of seeing her friends ripped apart from each other, and she won't let it happen to them again. Fitz says they won't let it.

Fitz: "Who needs space? Because I've got something magnificent right here. ... A picture of space. One of my prized possessions, that is."

Jemma just laughs and kisses him, and it's adorable. THEY'RE FINALLY TOGETHER, HOORAY.


Daisy finds Lincoln in his cell, even though she's not supposed to be there. Lincoln promises her he didn't do anything, and she believes him... and she's here to get him out. Lincoln is hesitant, saying that he doesn't want to just throw S.H.I.E.L.D. away. Slowly, he realizes, and he turns to Daisy and asks what she did.

We flash back to the mission earlier in the episode, just before Daisy knocked out Giyera. Hive finds her and sends his microorganisms into her. She says she has to get back to the base because they have something they need.


In the present, Lincoln tries to talk Daisy out of her brainwashing, but she says she's happier than she's ever been--she's finally filled the void inside. It's a bond... and it's beautiful. Lincoln yells at her that people are dying, and we flash back to Malick inside his cell. Daisy finds him, and he knows what's about to go down.

Daisy: "We can't let you keep talking."
Malick: "And I won't be kept from my daughter."
Daisy: "If I'm honest, I might enjoy this." 

She uses her quake powers to knock him down and kill him violently, then sets the grenade up to explode.


In the present, Lincoln struggles to grasp how Daisy could betray S.H.I.E.L.D. and frame him and use the fact that he struggled with his temper against him in order to frame him. She tries to get him to join her and Hive, but he resists. She says that someday he'll understand, then leaves.

She goes to find both the Kree orb and the Terrigen crystals, which she puts into a backpack. Then she enters the airplane hangar, smashing the access pad, and uses her quake powers to shake the ground, causing an earthquake that affects the entire base.


Hive and Giyera reconvene, discussing their plans to relocate their compound to somewhere safer. Giyera worries that Malick will retaliate, but Hive announces that Malick is dead and that "Hydra's evolved." (He tosses away the Paradise Lost copy and holds onto the white stone as he says this.) He says their next goal is to find Skye--yes, not Daisy, Skye--and Giyera brings up the matter of Malick's estate, saying there's $960 million available to move now. Hive says that Malick did something impressive with his life, so...

Hive: "Let's spend it."

Final Thoughts

Watching these two episodes and recapping them back-to-back was a whirlwind. So much happened that I don't even know what to begin. However, these were two solid, jam-packed episodes. We got some really good moments with my favorites, Joey and Elena, and we finally got the Fitzsimmons moment we've all been waiting for forever. 

I'm definitely going to miss Malick (which is something I never thought I'd say). He was a really solid, intriguing villain. I started to pity him towards the end, and I feel bad and slightly annoyed that his daughter was killed only to further the plot.

Daisy being taken over by Hive is... interesting, but I'm a little disappointed. I'm worried this will make me dislike Daisy even more. Not only that, but it's just so much pain. At this point, I wish I could take her out of the story for a while, wrap a blanket around her shoulders, give her cocoa, and just let her take a bit of a break. 

It's only going to get better/worse/more painful from here. I'm wondering who on earth is going to die. I'm wondering where Lash is. I'm wondering if Joey will ever get back to his romantic rooftop date. But most of all, I'm looking forward to future episodes that will hopefully be as good as these two episodes.

Have you seen "Paradise Lost" and/or "The Team"? What did you think of them? Who do you think is going to die?

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