Warning: Spoiler Alert
Ward meets with Malick in the hopes of creating an understanding concerning a certain ‘vault’. This vault is rumored to house Hydra’s strongest weapon. Malick plays this one close to the vest. He claims the vault is nothing more than a rumor. Easy notion to sell if Malick hadn’t sacrificed the last living heir to it in Alex Von Strucker. Malick lets it be known that while Ward is resourceful and crafty, there’s no room in Malick’s plans for Ward or his short sighted vendetta. Then Ward takes out the team of men Malick left to harm Ward.
May watched from a distance as Andrew’s containment room was moved onto a flatbed truck to be sent to Rosalind’s containment facility. He’ll be put into stasis in human form in the hopes of delaying the inevitable. Fitz explains his lead to Simmons. He believes there is something to the ‘ram symbol’ he found in the castle that seems to match the mission patch on Will’s jacket. Daisy bumps into Lincoln, who slept for the first time in a while despite trying to avoid May. That’s not the only thing he’s avoiding. There is the awkwardness surrounding their kiss.
Mack voices some concern over Coulson’s new-found ‘closeness’ with Rosalind. Mack is almost accusatory about what that might mean. Moments later Coulson enters a basement like room where he outlines to everyone what comes next. Dr. Garner’s containment will be a sort of Trojan Horse. Teams of two will attack the intel grab from different angles. It’s time to find out what they’re doing, what they want and whether they can be trusted. Speaking of trust, May volunteers for Lincoln to be with her. There are a number of ways this could go.
Daisy activates a signal from inside Andrew’s containment room intentionally to get the ATCU’s IT department tripping over itself. Then Mack plays the role of an agent from the FBI’s cyber division informing them of two visitors en route. That would be Bobbi as the legitimate agent and Hunter as the hipster hacker turned FBI asset. With Daisy talking in his ear, Hunter sells the part well. All of this it appears, was done intentionally so that Rosalind would be tipped off.
Early impressions are that Simmons is procrastinating by way of organizing the books Fitz had sent in. The Ram symbol keeps appearing as a symbol of a blood sacrifice. She’s concerned that Will wasn’t sent through the portal by NASA, he was sacrificed. Fitz pushes through believing that they can find something in these books. Simmons has an emotional moment where she all but begs him to stop. Stop doing all the right things. Then she storms out.
With Hunter playing the hacker turned asset in place, Mack relays the building’s floor plan to Bobbi so that she can excuse herself to find the Inhumans and perhaps even a sample of the rumored cure. Now Hunter just needs to buy her time by stalling.
And now, a scene I’ve been waiting 3 years for. With that in mind, transcribed for anyone who missed it.
Fitz: Where do you get off!? Are you seriously mad at me?
Simmons: I’m mad at myself for roping you into this, it’s not fair. I’m mad that you’re so willing to help.
Fitz: So, as opposed to what? What do you expect?
Simmons: I don’t know, get angry. I cannot find a way out of this without hurting someone I care about.
Fitz: Do you think that I’m not angry? I’m sick to my stomach. I’m furious, but not at you. ‘Cause we’re cursed. The bloody cosmos wants us to be apart.
Simmons: The cosmos doesn’t want anything.
Fitz: Yeah well, I beg to differ. We had years, side by side. It just never occurred to us. And then when it does, we don’t have the courage to talk about it.
Simmons: You only mention it when we’re at the bottom of the sea facing certain–
Fitz: You wait til I’m bound for a war on an aircraft carrier, then you get swept off to some far flung planet. With him. Top marks. Pilot. Astronaut hero man.
Simmons: I would do anything–
Fitz: Do you love him?
Simmons: I don’t know…I…yes.
Fitz: Yeah…yeah, of course you do. He’s strong and smart and you gave each other hope on the edge of nowhere.
Simmons: Don’t do this Fitz.
Fitz: You think I didn’t look for dirt on him? I DID. And there’s nothing. I can’t hate him, he’s great. Why else would you fall for him. He did everything right.
Simmons: AND YOU DOVE THROUGH A HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE FOR ME!
(Fitz stares into Jemma’s eyes frantic almost like a mildly scared animal and dives into to the type of passionate kiss that has been building for three seasons. Fitz then slowly as if a sign of respect considering the line he just crossed backs up. Jemma takes a moment to reflect on what’s just happened and she willingly returns the favor.)
Fitz: We’re cursed.
Bobbi navigates through Mack’s instructions. Footsteps are heard approaching Andrews containment. The assumption is that it is Bobbi, but as it turns out it’s Malick. Malick is prodding Andrew for information by appearing to be the only person in this situation that wants to put control over Andrew in Andrew’s hands. Bobbi has found the lab. No Inhumans and no cure. She does stumble up what look like fish oil pills. Duh Duh Duh. The ATCU is not trying to prevent the spread of Inhumans, they are trying to turn them.
Coulson walks Rosalind into the containment that held Joey at one point. Then without warning locks the door behind him. She makes a caddy comment about needing persuasion if she’s going to spend the night in that room. Coulson replies that its him that needs persuading. She needs to convince him, she’s not Hydra. Or she’s never leaving this room.
Lincoln sits in the co-pilot seat waiting for May to say something. The silence is so unnerving that he eventually starts talking. He begins with an ‘unapology’ apology for bringing Lash out of Andrew. May wanted him along so she could find a way to apologize to Lincoln on behalf of Andrew’s behavior. She blames herself for not knowing earlier.
The Coulson/Roz fight continues. Neither one willing to back down. Both making bold accusations about the other’s intent until Coulson references her slip up. Early on she referenced Tahiti. The only way she could know anything about that is if she had a high level source within SHIELD or she’s Hydra. Coulson drums back up her dead husband ploy which actually illicit a real emotional response. Coulson drives harder suggesting that they aren’t trying to build a cure, they are turning as many Inhumans as possible. Then Rosalind makes the connection. Malick. He has his hand in everything. Advising the President, helping to create the ATCU, head of the science division, and her source for the Tahiti intel.
Daisy and Mack look over the last file download while Hunter makes it to Bobbi after she’s already taken care of the situation. Daisy pulls up records that show at least one of the men of authority in this facility is in fact an Inhuman. That very authority figures walks through the doors facing Bobbi and Hunter. He levitates the guns on the floor and opens fire without touching the guns. They are able to avoid getting hit, but Bobbi has a trick up her sleeve. Her briefcase not only holds her sticks, but also a way to connect her to them. Now she can throw them and they will fly back to her. The fight continues and this new foe is formidable, but a shot to the back of the head from Hunter levels the playing field, so to speak. Just as they take a moment to breathe, Banks arrives offering to get them out of there.
Coulson permits Rosalind to make a call. Banks will lead Hunter and Bobbi to the NW parking lot. May hovers overhead and sees no evidence that is true. Until the parking lot itself opens up revealing a terribly convenient helipad. At the edge of which is Bobbi, Hunter and Banks.
Ward is able to infiltrate the ‘vault’ he’s been looking for rather quickly. So quickly in fact that Malick is waiting for him. After some complimentary small talk, Malick suggests that Ward might just be Hydra’s second head that has grown right next to Malick. And to the history lesson. Ward believes that Hydra was formed using Nazi resources in World War II under the direction of Red Skull. While most of that is true, Hydra is much much older.
Malick’s claim that Ward was too small time plays out in this final scene. A very long time ago, an Inhuman walked this earth that was destined to rule it. He was so feared that he was exiled, using the monolith, banished to a far off planet. Meanwhile Rosalind tries to explain her timeline with Malick. Simmons interrupts her and interjects the NASA theory. Fitz begins to lay down pictures of this ram symbol from over the years. One becomes the next, becomes the next, until two familiar images reveal themselves. The ram evolves into Will’s mission patch. And one of the ram images when turned upside down looks strikingly similar to the Hydra logo. Malick will gladly tear SHIELD apart as a gesture to Ward. But in return, he hopes Ward will assist in continuing to build their Inhuman army and for information on exactly how SHIELD just did something Hydra has not been able to do in a thousand years. Bring someone back from the other side. And if all goes well, Malick and Ward will rule beside this super villain when the time comes.
But for now, its time for Ward to pay someone a visit. The good Dr. SHIELD used airborne sedation to turn the monster off. Ward is more interested in turning the monster on. A notion that at least for a moment scares Andrew. With the mustard gas billowing in, Andrew tries to reel back, but the sound of him transforming can be heard.
