Warning: Spoiler Alert
On the alien planet searches feverishly for Will with Ward breathing down his neck the entire time. Fitz gets close and reaches for Ward’s gun. They tumble-down a sand dune. When Fitz gets up, Ward’s gun is not the only one pointed at him. The threat of Jemma dying a slow and painful death if Ward doesn’t return didn’t actually appear to be the disincentive Ward thinks it is. Regardless, Fitz complies. Just over the ridge, Ward’s men see something that brings them to their knees. The remains of what appear to be a statue or shrine with the Hydra octopus that seems larger than life.
Mack assembles the team he has at his disposal. May, Daisy, Lincoln, Bobbi, Hunter, and Joey. Using heat signatures, they can see Hydra is bringing in truckloads of something. Inhumans. Joey asks how this works. Lincoln, then Bobbi, then Daisy all give different answers. Mack interrupts them and lays out the plan. Extract their people, quietly.
Fitz gets far enough away from Ward to descend down Will’s bunker. Fitz finds Will quickly. Ward and his men follow. Ward puts Will in an execution position while Fitz screams that they need him. Outside the bunker Will and Fitz march ahead of Ward and his men. They speak quietly. Fitz explains that they are here to bring back the creature. Fitz also has a moment to get into pleasantries. Comparing this moment to the many scenario he ran through his head as to how this first meeting would go down. Reality as it turns out, its more bloody and stinky. Will even drops a “I see why Jemma loves you” line. Fitz mentions they need to lose Ward just before the extraction, Will is on board, telling Fitz to follow his lead.
At the castle, Jemma was able to free herself after Lincoln took out the power. Now in a dark compound, Jemma runs to avoid Hydra scouts. She runs past one of the containment units, Andrew’s containment unit. He pleads with her to let him out. They have a solid back and forth, Jemma resisting and Andrew leaning on his training to convince her to open the door. She does and Andrew takes out the two men searching for her.
Will is leading the convoy to the ‘no fly zone’, he suggests that Fitz stay close. A dust storm settles in. Ward is annoyed more than anything. This is a variable in the equation that they don’t have time for. In the cover of the dust storm, Will takes out two of Ward’s men. Ward eventually has enough, and decides to push through regardless of the storm. Ten feel later he finds his two dead men but no Will or Fit. They fan out to find them when three gun shots takes out the remaining men. These gunshots came from Coulson.
Daisy makes her way into a corner of the compound looking to see who or what Hydra has been delivering in. Then ‘Iron Chef’ appears to take her out. Joey sees it before she does. He yells out her name and runs over to take the bullets for her. His power and the rush of the moment actually melted the bullets mid fight. Then Lincoln takes out the Iron Chef.
The SHIELD team have barricaded themselves inside the portal room. Hydra will be bearing down on them momentarily. They try to brainstorm what exactly happens next. Lincoln is the only one thinking big picture. Despite their personal feelings, Fitz and Coulson are not more important than preventing this creature from crossing over. Putting the issue of what if that thing comes across first on the back burner, Daisy claims that they can’t leave over a dozen Inhumans there. May interjects, “Yes you can. They’re dead. Andrew or Lash, can’t really tell the difference anymore killed them all.”
Ward rambles on about his newfound purpose after seeing the Hydra statue. Coulson would clearly rather he keep his thoughts to himself. A distance further and Coulson stops short. He pulls out his binoculars to look across the distance to find Will and Fitz trudging forward.
Most of Mack’s team are content to stand over the portal guns drawn and take out anything that comes through that is not Coulson, Fitz or Will. Once again, Mack steps up as acting director. He even needs to follow-up his plan with the comment, “That’s an order” when he directs everyone except Daisy to head back to Zephyr 1.
Will and Fitz are almost at the extraction point when Fitz notices something in the distance. The remains, ruins even of what was once a thriving civilization. Something Jemma never saw. They push on and eventually Will collapses. Probably from the fact that he isn’t Will. Clearly this Will has Will’s memories and knowledge, but there is something very different. Calmer, less brash. Fitz kneels down to take a look at Will’s injured leg. I knew it. When Fitz gets down there, what he sees does not resemble the shin bone of a human. Will is not Will, that’s the creature.
Fitz: You’re not Will…
Creature: Will died saving Jemma…for me.
Fitz reaches for something but the creature kicks him down a sand dune. They slug it out. Fitz making an admirable effort considering what he’s fighting. As Fitz efforts start to fail him, Coulson and Ward emerge above them in time to see what looks like Will about to drop a very large rock on Fitz’ head. Coulson fires on the creature. It goes down but doesn’t stay down.
The creature rises and continues towards the now opened portal. Coulson and Ward continue fighting and Coulson gains the upper hand. The creature has now been shot about 6 times and he keeps getting up. That is until Fitz picks up a flare gun, takes aim and shoots the creature in the back. “Will” is immediately engulfed in flames then lies motionless.
The portal opens and yet again the frequency vibrations are giving Daisy some ‘issues’. Her and Mack stand together over the portal. Daisy looks over and says “we’re out of time” just as her eyes roll back in her head as she passes out.
With the creature neutralized and Ward down for the count, Fitz screams at Coulson to hurry before the portal closes. Coulson sees the image of Rosalind smiling back at him. It was then that Coulson knew what had to be done. Using his prosthetic hand, Coulson crushes Ward’s chest slowly. Then he removes the hand and drops it on Ward like the Kingpin and his rose. Just as Fitz and Coulson head for the portal, a snake-like tentacle can be seen leaving Will’s burning body.
Time has run out, May executes Mack’s order on time. Unleashing the Zephyr’s arsenal on the castle, if Coulson and Fitz aren’t out now, they aren’t getting out. As we watch the castle come crumbling down, a personal containment unit ascends towards the sky with Mack’s voice, “open the doors I’m bringing them in”. Everyone waits patiently in slow motion as each person exits the unit. Jemma stares inside of it as Fitz exits. There is no Will. Jemma’s emotions show through painfully, but she embraces Fitz regardless. Fitz and Coulson share an alarming stare. There is darkness behind Coulson’s eyes.
Malick’s vehicle speeds towards the airport when his driver slams on the brakes. There is a slow reveal to what looks like a zombie version of Grant Ward. It appears the creature found a new host. Hydra’s greatest agent. Grant Ward and the Hydra Creature as one entity, I guess you have to ask yourself…just how evil can Grant Ward get?
