The plot advances, characters develop, and secrets are revealed. Let’s take a look and see what the latest episode has to offer.
1. Cage Cameo
Okay, so it’s not actually a character cameo, but I’m going for an alliteration theme with the titles, so it’ll have to slide.
What we actually get is the appearance of a weapon from Luke Cage, or more specifically, the Judas Bullets. They’re not called that by name, but it’s clearly what the would-be assassin tried shooting Director Mace with. This is the first time to my recollection that Marvel’s Netflix shows has been referenced in Agents of SHIELD. While it’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing any cameos or crossovers between the two, it’s still nice to get a little nod in there.
2. Project Patriot
The episode got my hopes up when it mentioned a “Project Patriot.” I immediately thought of Patriot from “Young Avengers” (one of my favorite comics), and all the potential stories this could open the series up to. Would we get information on Isaiah Bradley? Would we see the groundwork for a “Young Avengers” series laid?
But this is Jeffrey Mace we’re talking about, and he was Patriot back in the 40’s, long before “Young Avengers.” It’s canon, so I can’t complain, no matter how much I like “Young Avengers.”
Learning that Mace isn’t Inhuman, as we’ve previously been led to believe, was a good enough twist. Hearing him talk about how his casting as a hero was purely by accident, and how he wanted to take on the role to help end prejudice against Inhumans, made for good character development. So the show gets credit for doing everything right, even if a part of me still wishes it would be the Patriot I’m more familiar with.
3. Slightly Sadistic Simmons
After Mack decapitated the AIDA robot (which I have just learned is spelled with an “I”), they kept the head around, to try and figure out what to do with it (but more on that next week, I’m sure). Seeing Simmons use it as a prop to interrogate a former Hydra agent and would-be assassin was quite entertaining; she pulled off the threatening bluff wonderfully, especially after Talbot’s efforts failed.
In short, it was just a great scene.
4. More on May
While her LMD double runs around SHIELD, Melinda May is kept sedated and locked in a simulation. But this is May we’re talking about, and she is not one to sleep on the job, as she manages to wake up and break free. It turns out that keeping her in a nice and peaceful spa-based simulation is too peaceful and boring for a fighter like May, which comes as no surprise to anyone who’s seen this show before. (Also it’s something of a cliche, and I’m fairly certain “The Matrix” mentioned the exact same thing.) So it looks like next episode we’re going to be lead to believe that May is breaking out, only to have it revealed at the last minute that her entire escape has been itself a simulation to prevent her from actually escaping.
Meanwhile, however, we actually learn a little about the May LMD (which I will refer to from now on as Mecha May). Radcliffe drops a line about how she’s programmed to not know that she is a robot, similar to the hosts in Westworld, but with far less of a budget. Near the episode’s end, however, an open wound reveals Mecha May’s circuitry to her, so it will be interesting to see how things develop as she realizes that she’s a fake.
5. Coulson In Control
Throughout most of the season, Coulson and Mace have been subtly tugging against each other for certain degrees of control. They keep secrets from each other, make separate calls for missions, and have generally had difficulty working together well.
Of course, we all knew it was a temporary thing; even if Coulson isn’t going to be the Director again, his team’s autonomy has always been pretty important to the show. So at the end of an emotional scene where Mace comes clean about everything, it was satisfying to see Coulson take the power back. It’ll change up the dynamics a little, with Mace remaining the Director while Coulson is doing the work he does best, but it’s a return to form, which may also stop those “someone kept a secret and now everyone else is getting screwed because of it” plots.
I’m just kidding, the series thrives on those plots.
