We’re back, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s time to enter the Framework. We know that it’s a vastly different world, but just how different is it, and why? Let’s dive in, and hopefully we can log out at the end.
1. Daisy Reacts
When Daisy saw that Ward was the one in her bed, she had an initial moment of surprise. At that point, I was certain she was going to do the cliche “freak out over the fake world even though she knows it’s fake and is just making herself look suspicious” thing, but to my surprise, she actually started playing it smart. She fakes small talk and vague statements to get Ward to drop information, and when he notices she’s acting strangely, she manages to come up with a reasonable excuse that also gives her a reason not to be around Ward.
Of course, she falters a little when it comes to interacting with people she knows from outside the framework. Looking a little out of it is one thing, but when Fitz is a high-ranking mad scientist in Hydra, complaining about him being inhumane isn’t going to help.
2. Simmons Reacts
Meanwhile, we have Jemma Simmons, whose entrance to the Framework involves dragging herself out of her own grave. But while Daisy manages to play it cool around the virtual folks, Simmons has a bit less patience when it comes to them. At one point she compliments how realistic one person looks, and later on calls a kid she’s angry at a “rogue piece of code.” It’s good for remembering the world she’s in isn’t real, but perhaps not the best way to remain incognito.
Though it is a little heartbreaking to see her worrying about Fitz, and if he never knew her in this world.
3. The World Inside the Framework
O brave new world, that has such people in it. We get a good amount of info dropped over the course of the episode, spaced out properly that we can learn a little bit over time and have a good understanding of the world within the Framework by the end.
The most important thing, of course, is the fact that Hydra is in control. Rather than having to attack the entire United States during the events of “The Winter Soldier,” they had their opportunity thanks to a “Cambridge Incident.” So we get to see the kind of world Hydra wanted to create: the state above the individual, one state-approved newspaper and news station only, random checkpoints for Inhumans, and Hydra agents can walk into a classroom and pull a kid out without a second thought.
Of course, what’s more important is what makes the characters different. Everyone had some sort of regret changed, but with the exception of May, it’s hard to tell what each of the Framework’s victims really wanted. Whatever it is, it turned them all into loyal Hydra agents, more than willing to be as evil as the job requires.
Also, AIDA is Madame Hydra. And she’s making out with Fitz. Well then…
But hey, we got a legitimate twist with Ward actually being part of the Resistance to protect Daisy. That was an actual surprise, and yet in some ways, befitting his character; no matter what world he’s in, he’s a traitor to someone, this time it’s just for the best.
4. Cambridge Incident
The most important reality change inside the Framework has to be May’s regret. It goes back a few seasons, but the fact that she had to kill an Inhuman child is something that haunted her throughout the entire show. We saw a few episodes ago that AIDA adjusted the Framework to have her save the child, in order to keep May from escaping.
That, however, is the catalyst that lets Hydra take over. The child she saves kills a bunch of people in Cambridge, leading to a statewide crackdown on Inhumans, and Hydra ruling with an iron fist.
Alright, that makes sense, more or less. There’s just one big question, though:
Why did AIDA think this would be any better for May? Instead of killing a child, she’s responsible for countless deaths and an evil organization’s takeover of the country. So yeah, that’s one way to get rid of her biggest regret, and cause an even bigger one. Why would she even think that this would be the most logical outcome of saving an Inhuman child’s life? What kind of algorithm did she use to calculate that?
Continued belowOr perhaps it’s a necessity to accommodate someone else’s wish? Time will tell.
5. Hydra is Full of Nazis
There was one moment in the show that seemed like it directly addressed a topic that’s been heavily debated as of late: is Hydra a Nazi organization?
One of Coulson’s students asks “Isn’t it true that Hydra came from Nazis?” which is a pretty fair question, and just gets a quick “No, it’s not” to dismiss it.
“But they were the Nazi science division,” the student rightfully points out, as many a fan online has done when people try to claim that making Captain America a Hydra agent somehow isn’t making him part of a Nazi organization. Coulson gives some excuse about how Hydra originated before the Nazis were a thing, as the show and comics have attempted to do, but it doesn’t change the fact that, yes, they were most certainly working with Nazis during WW2.
So it’s a bit satisfying to have Simmons state “For the record, Hydra – they’re all Nazis,” with absolute certainty. “And don’t you let anyone forget it.”
You hear that, Nick Spencer?
