Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Emancipation

May 10, 2016 7:01 PM - Season 3, Episode 20

Hive's master plan is completely revealed, forcing S.H.I.E.L.D. into action.

Written by Chris Dingess & Drew Z. Greenberg
Directed by Billy Gierhart
Full cast and crew credits from IMDB

posted by Brandon Blatcher (43 comments total)

Makes sense that Talbot would be sent to reign in SHIELD. But nobody puts Coulson in a corner!

Lincoln being all obsessive was annoying, but at least it was trick! My liking of the character goes up.

Elena is a pretty nice character. WHere’s Joey?

Lash, never turn your back on the enemy. Oh wait, nvm.

Who dies? It’s pointless to guess, because so many twists and turns are usually thrown in. But Elena giving Mack the rosmary says something, I just can’t be bothered to really consider what that is. I like the show and characters well enough, but the plot driven aspects have given me a certain distance from caring very much about them at this point.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:18 PM on May 10, 2016

The firewhip CGI was like something out of a geocities cursor trail, or something. Just, beautifully goofily bad. Oh, wait, I know what it reminded me of...

And Lash's death was dumb. He's been set up as nigh invulnerable against Inhumans; a single GhostRider whip through the back is sufficient?

I must say I enjoyed the approach they took with Hive's mind-control. Not only are people controlled, they don't know they're controlled and don't want to be fixed- less mind-control than instantaneous brainwashing, which makes it scarier.

Kinda wish the President would just authorize a massive thermobaric strike on Hive's compound. Or nuclear, even. Hive's an existential threat; even if he somehow survives a nuke, everything around him is gone, including his supply of Kree blood and the guy who can make more Inhumans. Problem solved, ish.
posted by BungaDunga at 11:00 PM on May 10, 2016

I thought it was weird last week when random SHIELD agents suddenly started started speaking lines on screen. Now its doubly weird since that's apparently over. Was there some kind of contest where people won walk-on roles?
posted by paper chromatographologist at 3:56 AM on May 11, 2016

Maybe its just every other week?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:47 AM on May 11, 2016

Yeah the Civil War tie in reminded me that [spoiler:] nothing is actually threatening to destroy the world in CACW. So in the MCU it only affects people the extent they or their friends are super powered.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 6:59 AM on May 11, 2016

I really hope they don't kill Mack after killing Trip, because it's going to start to smell a bit like this.
posted by jordemort at 7:27 AM on May 11, 2016

It'll probably be one of the background agents who suddenly gets a speaking part.

The whole "Who Will Die?!" promotion is pretty distasteful.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:43 AM on May 11, 2016

Mack can't die.
Aside from the race issues, he's the Ivanova of the team
Umm... bad choice?
Mac's toast.

#saveMacK
posted by Mezentian at 7:48 AM on May 11, 2016

The firewhip CGI was like something out of a geocities cursor trail, or something. Just, beautifully goofily bad. Oh, wait, I know what it reminded me of...

I assumed that was why they had him make a comment about Hell.
posted by phearlez at 8:00 AM on May 11, 2016

I hope it is one of the suddenly-speaking randos that dies and the season finale has a long, tearful funeral with a detailed eulogy from Coulson. Then the team swaps stories and fond memories about Agent #3920Q and swears to to fight in his/her honor henceforth.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 8:00 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm hoping its Daisy, never much cared for the character. If its Elena, Joey, or Mack, I'll be sure pissed. Fitz or Simmons could work, but not thrilled about it. We know it's not Coulson or May, so no reason to entertain that one.

I really hope they don't kill Mack after killing Trip, because it's going to start to smell a bit like this.

Who's Trip? No one has mentioned him since season 2.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:10 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't miss Daisy much either. It always seemed her character was written to fill a certain demographic, not a place in the plot.

After the long build-up, I'm really disappointed that Lash's Special Purpose was so specific and so inconsistent with his previous Special Purpose. That had to be some last-minute rewrite or something.
posted by klarck at 8:28 AM on May 11, 2016

That was pretty terrible. "His purpose was save Daisy"? WTF is that all about and if its as lame as it sounds, I'll really be rooting for Daisy to be dead.

Most of the season we've been told that Lash's purpose is to kill other Inhumans, which he's be quite successful at. So he was supposed to kill all other Inhumans except for Daisy? Ooook then.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:36 AM on May 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

Daisy hasn't filled a place in the plot, she has been the plot. I'm not sure how someone could see it any other way. It's been the story of her (and Coulson) from the very start.

Not saying she can't die, but the assertion that she's just filling a demographic is crazy.

It feels like they have teased either Fitz or Simmons dying, but seriously, can we give them a break? They've had a traumatic ending to both S1 and S2 already. I think it's time they make it through a finale unscathed.

Which leads me to a May death. (Assuming this isn't a marketing ploy and a major character actually dies, and stays dead.) I'll be extremely sad to see her go, but it makes the most sense. Her story with Andrew is over. She's part of the "old guard". She is Coulson's closest friend. Skye is now trained and a competent replacement. They haven't had a lot for May to do lately.

(That said, I really think it's Coulson that needs to go. I love the character and Clark Gregg, but he is woefully misplaced as the head of SHIELD. They've been grooming Mack as his replacement. And with Hyrdra gone, the changes brought about in CA:CW, and Daisy all grown up, it's a natural breaking point for his character.)
posted by 2ht at 8:51 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Gah, I hate that I'm falling for their ploy and talking about the upcoming death rather than discussing the episode at hand :)

The demise of Lash was such a letdown. I'm happy they addressed his role in the (un)natural order of things, but he deserved a better death. Lincoln uttering that "his purpose was to save Daisy" was bad. Like high school literary magazine bad.

No. I think his purpose was to kill Hive, but he failed. And you're in a world of trouble because of it.

The makeup on Skye was atrocious and inconsistent. Together with the short, jerky fight scene, it makes me think their budget was stretched thin at this point in the season.
posted by 2ht at 9:01 AM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Daisy hasn't filled a place in the plot, she has been the plot.

I agree, but I feel there's been a shift away from her necessity. Her plot lines are all played out and she's over powered. Without the Sokovia accords and Shields's reluctance to comply she would be able, and possibly willing, to join the Avengers. The only avengers she couldn't liquefy with her powers would be Vision and Scarlet Witch. Her power needs to be nerfed, and the easiest way to do that is killing her off. They have the characters they need to carry on without her.

And it's not like she wouldn't come back to life..
posted by FallowKing at 9:26 AM on May 11, 2016

Totally agree! Last week I predicted that she would lose her powers at the end of this season, and I was so sure that Lash healing her of Hive was going to do just that. There's still hope!
posted by 2ht at 9:59 AM on May 11, 2016

budget was stretched thin at this point in the season

I assume that's why those guys were transformed into inhumans only after being corralled into a shipping container.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 11:17 AM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

Most of the season we've been told that Lash's purpose is to kill other Inhumans, which he's be quite successful at. So he was supposed to kill all other Inhumans except for Daisy? Ooook then.

The way he healed Daisy, it looked like his powers were designed specifically to counter Hive's. I can buy that Lash didn't understand his purpose while he was still in transition, doing his Jekyll/Hyde bit, until it finished and his Lash and Garner personas were unified, making him less psycho and more focused on fighting Hive and his minions rather than hunting down all inhumans. The Lash we saw last night was the finished product: both Lash and Garner in one package with a clear objective: stop Hive. In that light I think his actions make sense.

But imo that just makes it more annoying that they killed him off the way they did. What the hell happened to his regenerative healing factor?
posted by homunculus at 12:46 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

What the hell happened to his regenerative healing factor?

And why didn't Wash have one?!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 12:52 PM on May 11, 2016

Wait, Lash has killed scores or variously powered inhumans, can shrug off multiple gunshots to the chest, Andrew's lightning and Daisy's super gravity power, and can fell Hive with one punch. But one tap from Ghost Rider Dundee and he's done? WTF?

Also, if his purpose is to save Daisy, why the hell did he murderise all those innocent inhumans?

And who is 'planning' all this shit? It's not like the Kree have been actively directing it.

And if the Afterlife crew think it was all so perfectly planned, then why were they restricting transitions?

WTF, show? Make sense!
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:23 PM on May 11, 2016 [7 favorites]

But one tap from Ghost Rider Dundee and he's done? WTF?

Oh, it looked like it was just a flaming chain... but his secondary mutation was the power of song.
posted by Mezentian at 4:33 AM on May 12, 2016

Also, if his purpose is to save Daisy, why the hell did he murderise all those innocent inhumans?

He was finding himself, so he had to try a couple of different things.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:10 AM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

So glad Elena gave her chain to Mac this episode - that guarantees he lives. Since we know whoever dies is tied to that chain, giving it to Mac now is painting a big target on his back. But there's no way this show will be that obvious with one episode left.

Now, who would Mac give that chain to in the final episode? He wouldn't give it back to Elena. Does anybody make sense other than Daisy?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:35 AM on May 12, 2016

I don't know that it makes sense for him to give it away so quickly to someone else. The preview for next week's two-parter showed Fitz holding it at one point, but that could be after the quinjet incident.
posted by 2ht at 6:44 AM on May 12, 2016

But there's no way this show will be that obvious with one episode left.

The "Fallen Agent" arc started off strong, but the wheels seem to be coming off as the show is more concerned about plot and the spectacle of killing someone off, instead of smooth storytelling. So there's little guarantee they won't try something so obvious.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:19 AM on May 12, 2016

My prediction: FitzSimmons gets the cure working, but it has to be injected directly into Hive. Yo-Yo volunteers to do it and is successful, but not before she gets murderized in the process.
posted by entropicamericana at 1:35 PM on May 12, 2016 [1 favorite]

That would be a shame. Yo-Yo is an interesting, non typical, character and she brings a different energy to the show and team.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:58 PM on May 12, 2016 [3 favorites]

Which is, of course, why she must die.
(sorry, feeling cynical today)
posted by entropicamericana at 7:01 PM on May 12, 2016

Most Wanted is not being picked up!!! They ditched Bobbi and Hunter for nothing!!
posted by Pendragon at 3:16 AM on May 13, 2016 [1 favorite]

They ditched Bobbi and Hunter for nothing!!

Yeah, that seemed odd.

My idea: Bobby and Hunter get Dr Doom's time travel device and, with Agent Carter and chums, they bounce around time for a while... in a series of movies or mid-season fillers.
posted by Mezentian at 3:27 AM on May 13, 2016

Bobby and Hunter get Dr Doom's time travel device and, with Agent Carter and chums, they bounce around time for a while... in a series of movies or mid-season fillers.

I would totally watch that!

But are they going to bring Hunter and Bobbi back to AoS? Their presence has been sorely missed. It would make sense to do so, some bigwig thought it would be great if they left, so who knows.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:36 AM on May 13, 2016

Sorry, Dr. Doom is currently still a Fox property, no crossover possibility there.

Marvel's best villains are mostly tied up at Fox, especially with the F4 property. The MCU lacks villains, and Fox lacks the ability to make a worthwhile hero vehicle from the F4. For all my joy at having great superhero movies, it's completely overshadowed by the horrid treatment of my favourite group.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 4:56 AM on May 13, 2016

That's the MCU's own fault, because there's no reason they could adapt a villain they have or make a new one.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:04 AM on May 13, 2016

Sorry, Dr. Doom is currently still a Fox property, no crossover possibility there.

You fool!

Dr Wictor Domashevich, of Watveria... a creature of magic and science gone wrong, who references no living person, ever, is PERFECT.
posted by Mezentian at 5:53 AM on May 13, 2016 [1 favorite]

Please no. Doctor Doom is nothing but a pompous fool who regularly fails at defeating the FF.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:55 AM on May 14, 2016

Brandon, you've got the wrong episode name/number/imdb link in the post, this should be for #20 Emancipation.
posted by oh yeah! at 3:47 PM on May 14, 2016

Mod note: Changed to S03E20 Emancipation, hit the contact form if I got it wrong!
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:51 PM on May 14, 2016

My idea: Bobby and Hunter get Dr Doom's time travel device and, with Agent Carter and chums, they bounce around time for a while... in a series of movies or mid-season fillers.

Great. For their first mission, can they go explain to the Legends of Tomorrow writers how time travel works?

As a bonus, their multiversal incursion can "accidentally" slipstream-merge the Supergirl-Earth into the Arrowverse.
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 5:29 PM on May 14, 2016

The "Fallen Agent" arc started off strong, but the wheels seem to be coming off as the show is more concerned about plot and the spectacle of killing someone off, instead of smooth storytelling.

Yep, this "Who will die!?!" nonsense has been the worst thing about a season that really had a lot of potential and some good stuff in it. I don't know why so many shows decided to use that crappy, terrible gimmick this TV season but the gimmick itself is what needs to die, preferably in a fiery inferno with all the writers who love it chained to its pyre.

Whoever they end up killing off, I hope they end up bringing Bobbi and Hunter back to fill the gap. I'll buy whatever nonsense they have to feed me to make it happen.

I agree that Lash went down stupidly easy; that said, I didn't mind Lincoln's line "His purpose was to save Daisy" as much as everyone else here seems to have, but that's because I've always thought the whole "purpose for each Inhuman" was 90% ex-post-facto mumbo-jumbo the Inhumans tell each other to make themselves feel better about the fact that some of them get awesome powers and no drawbacks and others get the shitty end of the stick. It's like when people say "Everything happens for a reason," - even if you actually believe it, it's still basically a meaningless platitude. And so the way I saw it was Lincoln basically offering a comforting lie to try and make Lash's death seem less awful.

Doctor Doom is nothing but a pompous fool who regularly fails at defeating the FF.

No no no. That's the thing, that's what he ends up being in a lot of his comic book appearances, but in his best comic book appearances, it's clear that not only does Doctor Doom believe he should rule the world because he's the only person who is both smart enough to know what needs to be done to make the world a better place and who has the willpower to make the hard choices to make that happen - it's that he's actually correct. The world would legitimately be, in many ways, a better place with Victor von Doom in charge of it. The heroes that oppose him just don't believe that the ends justify the means, and Victor does. That's the simple but incredibly important piece that makes Doom a compelling villain instead of a cartoonish megalomaniac. It does, quite unfortunately, get left out a lot of the time by comics writers that either don't get that or else are perfectly content to have just a cartoonish bad guy.

I'd love to see him done right but IMO A.) you shouldn't try to cram him into a movie that also has the F4 origin story, as at that point the movie's already overstuffed - give Doom a whole movie of his own; and B.) you shouldn't do whatever the fuck that was in the most recent movie, jeez seriously I don't even know. And C.) Seriously just give the F4 rights back to Marvel already.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:07 PM on May 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

I've got some bad news, chum.

Fox is going to run the FF into the ground, or learn the lesson from The Incredibles.
posted by Mezentian at 2:49 AM on May 15, 2016

Oh, I'm sure Kinberg would love the chance to do another movie. You know what, I'd love to do a Fantastic Four movie. But honestly, the chances of Kinberg making another F4 movie and the chances of me making an F4 movie are approximately the same.

Which means if Kinberg does get to do another one, I'm moving to Hollywood.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 7:21 AM on May 15, 2016

My prediction: FitzSimmons gets the cure working, but it has to be injected directly into Hive. Yo-Yo volunteers to do it and is successful, but not before she gets murderized in the process.

Since her power is limited by heartbeat, my guess is she exceeds that threshold, and dies as a result.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:19 AM on May 17, 2016