Agents of SHIELD (SPOILERS)

[Anarchist]

That episode was freaking Paranoia Fuel. Epic as hell.

And woooh boy, Grant Ward is back!
Well, in a way.

And April? Fuck you ABC!

[AndrewCrossett]

I wonder who was in the limo with Fitz. It's hard to believe he'd bring a new girlfriend to his ex's grave. So I'm thinking it's a fake-out and that's Simmons in the limo. Maybe she faked her own death in the Framework for some reason? Maybe there's something important hidden in or at the empty grave? Dunno.

What I'm wondering is why LMD Fitz didn't disable the base's LMD detector. Why let it alert Simmons to the fact that their friends were imposters? Otherwise they could have taken her easily, by surprise.

[Robotech Master]

I wonder who was in the limo with Fitz. It's hard to believe he'd bring a new girlfriend to his ex's grave. So I'm thinking it's a fake-out and that's Simmons in the limo. Maybe she faked her own death in the Framework for some reason? Maybe there's something important hidden in or at the empty grave? Dunno.

What I'm wondering is why LMD Fitz didn't disable the base's LMD detector. Why let it alert Simmons to the fact that their friends were imposters? Otherwise they could have taken her easily, by surprise.

Well, when LMD Fitz was acting surprised, it wasn't about the detector going off but about there being a detector there at all. He muttered something about so-and-so must have put an extra one in that hallways or something to that effect. So I think he was genuinely ignorant of its presence.

As to the limo, I have no earthly idea who he would be with in the framework if not Jemma, but its definitely set up like its going to be a surprise for next arc. Did Fitz have an old flame at the academy back in Season 1 that I'm not remembering?

Fitz would probably be too content with Jemma in the framework, so to keep him properly conflicted he probably needs to be with someone else.

[AndrewCrossett]

Fitz would probably be too content with Jemma in the framework, so to keep him properly conflicted he probably needs to be with someone else.

The SHIELDies in the Framework seem to all be living scenarios in which they overcame their greatest regret in life. Coulson chose to become a teacher rather than a spy. Mack is living happily with his family, his daughter still alive. Not sure what's up with May. She seems to be a Hydra agent, or she may be infiltrating it... but Hydra seems to be weirdly public in this reality, based in a huge Triskelion-like complex with its symbol displayed proudly on the building. Maybe she took over Hydra and reformed it? And I have no idea what Fitz is doing, but I suspect it's not what it looks like.

Daisy and Simmons are the wild cards, because they are the only free-willed people in the Framework. Daisy is living blissfully with a man who she first thinks must be Lincoln... but the Framework seems to think she'd rather be with Ward instead. Maybe she regrets not being able to reform and save him? And we don't know where Simmons is. (I have a feeling she's the one in the limo, but of course that will require some explaining.)

[Nate Grey]

Hive was just a powerful inhuman who couldnt get back to earth, the Darkhold showed Aida how to make dimensional portals. Radcliffe was smarter then Hive. The darkhold was probaly made by chthon or another deamon, maybe mesphito. Being from another dimension is equal to supernatural in the marvel world. We already know ghost rider got dragged to hell. Just dont know whos dimension it will be in the MCU.

I'd love to see Marvel (movies, Netflix or TV) tackle Mephisto, Blackheart, Chthon, et al, but I doubt it'll happen.

Hydra was Sheilds ultimate enemy, if they want to keep upping the stakes to keep sheild agents in the framework, involving Hydra makes sense.

Well it makes sense in regards to May. I got the impression that while all these scenarios are existing in the framework they don't necessarily intersect with one another. Aida said she had to keep increasing the difficulty of the scenario she placed May in each time May escaped. I got the impression we were looking at that same process dialed all the way to 100 cause May kept resisting. Infiltrating Hydra is the ultimate way to keep May's mind preoccupied and not focused on "wait...this isn't real I have to escape!"

Now if we see Mack pay for a burger and say something like "Keep the change. Hail Hydra", or something like that, well, ok, but for now I think its all separate.

[j9ac9k]

Aida said she had to keep increasing the difficulty of the scenario she placed May in each time May escaped. I got the impression we were looking at that same process dialed all the way to 100 cause May kept resisting. Infiltrating Hydra is the ultimate way to keep May's mind preoccupied and not focused on "wait...this isn't real I have to escape!"

Ha - I like the idea that one opponent ultimately wasn't enough to keep her occupied. She needs to have the entire world against her for her to be interested...

[Zeitgeist]

That recent episode was not only one of the best episodes of SHIELD, but one of the best hours of prime time superhero TV, period. Really hyped for the last third of the season.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Something that's occurred to me...

What's the point of going into the Matrix...framework, and freeing the others, if they don't know where the others physically are?

Even if they wake Coulson et all up, Adia could just slap them back in, put a bullet in their head, you name it.

[AndrewCrossett]

Super Hacker Daisy is going to have to learn how to hack the system from within. If she does so when Aida is interfacing with it, she should be able to malware her. They'll all come out of the Matrix and find Aida there telling them how much they can make working from home.

[Revoirver2]

Haill haida

[Captain Smith]

Neat episode. I like that the Shield 'red shirts' are having some reasonable action. I predict they will all get free when Adobe Flash Player needs an update and boots them out of the Matrix - oops, Framework.

[AndrewCrossett]

Of course, on any Whedon or Whedon-adjacent show, you need to fear for any redshirt character who starts getting lines and a personality.

Agent Davis (the guy who piloted the quinjet out of the exploding base) is played by the husband of Dichen Lachman, who played Daisy's psycho mom.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Incredible episode! I can see why they'd go out on something like this. I was wondering why we didn't see the Framework after the Fitz reveal, but the pacing to this episode was perfect. Such an intense moment between Simmons and the LMD Fitz. And then when she reunites with Daisy, and they're both freaking out. Wow! Even the moments with LMD May, great acting all around.

Aida proves that she's not going through the typical evil robot plot. All she was trying to do was find a way around the paradox Radcliffe unintentionally programmed her with, and the solution she found just made her a bigger threat.

Really looking forward to the next episode. I figure people don't exactly have their perfect lives in the Framework, they just live in a scenario meant to keep them there as long as possible. Like originally with May in the spa, it only works if their new lives don't create suspicion in them. Coulson needs the threat of the Inhumans to fight against, some basis in reality.

With that said I know Chris/Cap will not show up on this show but if he did this would present the opportunity to have a framework made Hydra Cap (bonus if also the Hydra Cap uniform is worn) that currently found in the comics.

Mace could, perhaps, fill that role.

[Gaastra]

I'm also worried for Jemma. I think they said that if you die in the Framework world you die in real life I think. That said Jemma will either: 1. not be able to enter that framework with her avatar already dead, 2. wake into a casket and will have to find a way to escape quickly or die, 3. dies instantly.

That's the first thing I thought also. Daisy better dig her up fast!

Also where is patriot? He was put in there also right? Maybe he is captain America here. It was one of his biggest dreams and he was cap in the comics for a bit. That would be a neat nod.

[PyroTwilight]

Honestly my take on the whole HYDRA world bit is to show just how innately flawed AIDA's view of the world is. To her HYDRA and SHIELD are both virtually identical in what they do, infiltrate, kill spy etc... so she made them one big organization (not really so dissimilar to how it originally played out but in reverse sort of) and essentially took out any real conflict in what they do.

At this point I assume May is simply a leader of SHIELDRA who thanks to having never "suffered" in Bahrain leads without any real issues or drive to get out liek she did originally, she's content.

As for Ward. I'm guessing this'll all be some oddly complicated system that'll get us Grant Ward "back", somehow. Some kind of idealized horrible Grant Ward in a robo LMD body.