How do I unpack this box of ‘holy shit’ without devolving into hyperactive marking-out so let’s take one point at a time, shall we?

The collapse of the Framework, a seemingly spiteful act on AIDA’s part, gives us a truly heartbreaking scene and I have to give kudos to both Henry Simmons and Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Mack and Yo-Yo because it got me on a deeper level than I thought it could. Seeing the strong man-mountain suffer a horrendous emotional breakdown alongside the woman who needed it to happen to get him back is awful but utterly compelling to watch.

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, we had the rest of the team thwarting AIDA’s plans through snark and shady bullshit, which I loved! Between the sleight of hand with Jemma’s own LMD dying in her place or Coulson acquiring the Spirit of Vengeance! Oh shit! That’s both incredibly awesome and incredibly dangerous and the after-effects of Coulson’s ‘deal’ with it will probably be the focus of next season but from even my cursory knowledge of the Ghost Rider mythos, I can tell that it’s going to be bad news.

Then there’s Robbie and Daisy teaming up in a fantastic fight with The Superior (and some other jobber who has multiple LMDs despite us not knowing who he is) and performing a manoeuvre that should really have a name but I can’t think of one off the top of my head.

We finish out the arc on Radcliffe, the man who arguably started all this, as he sits upon a beach as the sun literally sets on the Framework. He muses about how his ambition and his hubris ultimately lead to his current fate, alone within a dying world of his own creation. He doesn’t get to finish his thought before disappearing in one of the most beautifully poignant shots of the show.

The team’s ultimate fate however is much less definitive as they are kidnapped during their meal (paralysed by a device very similar to the Sonic Taser that Obadiah Stane used in the original Iron Man movie) and taken away to parts unknown but we get a glimpse of where that is in the stinger.

Oh. OH. OHHHHHHHHHH BALLS. That’s not good, is it? Because unless next season will be called Agents of S.W.O.R.D. (and part of me really, really hopes that it will) that’s bad news for Coulson and, presumably, the rest of the team.

As a whole, Season 4 has been a rollercoaster of a season thanks to brilliant writing, amazing character development and expanding the MCU in a way that doesn’t feel forced and uninteresting. Multiple arcs with an overarching narrative seems to be the way to go for this show and I hope this continues. We won’t be seeing the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. until 2018, most likely allowing the Inhumans TV show room to breathe and will no doubt take that show’s place after it’s eight episode run in a mid-season premiere.

Would you guys be down for some Inhumans coverage? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you all next year!

We’re racing toward the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season four finale and what better way to build up some momentum than to have our primary antagonist achieve her goals and lose some of our main cast along the way?

Farewell, Cruel World! sees the end of the Framework arc, and while it’s been immensely enjoyable to watch, we needed to get back to the real world eventually and we finally get going on that plan. Daisy, Coulson, May, Simmons and Mack head off in search of Radcliffe’s backdoor (phrasing) and have to deal with a lot of emotional turmoil along the way.

But first, since this may well be the last time we get BJ Britt, we have some hilarious moments with him that really drives home that we’re missing a hilarious and sincere character in the main cast. Trip has some fantastic scenes with Daisy and Mack and is taking the whole idea of the world being wrong in stride, though he is disappointed that his other-world counterpart apparently has no game whatsoever.

It’s good to see there’s still something between Coulson and May as he encourages her to take a leap of faith and is rewarded on the other side with May admitting he’s cute. Awwww!

Less cute is Mack’s… departure? Is that what you’d class this as? It’s certainly emotional and understandable and while Mack staying in the Framework with his daughter is unsurprising, it’s a little hokey from a logistical standpoint. I mean, how long does he expect them to just leave him in there? Does he really think Yo-Yo is just going to let him stay there? Who would look after him and keep the Framework going? I guess they’ll explain it in the following episodes but Henry Simmon’s supposed final appearance is bittersweet to say the least.

As usual, Iain De Caestecker is killing it as both a cold-hearted HYDRA head and as the repentant real-world Fitz. This guy can act rings around everyone! Without Simmons there to support him, and Coulson not being that effective, his fragile mental state is easy prey for the now human AIDA/Ophelia who tearful reunites with him and TELEPORTS AWAY. The fuck!? When? How? What? Is her new body Inhuman? Is that tech-based? WHAT.

Questions need answers and we can only hope we get them when we return next week with… The Return.

Seriously, after having gone through the threat establishment of the LMD’s we finally see how dangerous they can be as SHIELD is manipulated into hunting two of their own in an intense and gripping bottle episode.

For those that don’t know, bottle episodes are mainly set in one central location (SHIELD base), starring as few non-regular as they can get away with (most of the characters onscreen are regular cast) and using mostly dialogue. That part is up for debate because there is a ton of action and dialogue and both are incredibly strong!

The episode follows the same formula of paranoia, distrust and dread as John Carpenter’s The Thing but accelerates the timeline as the LMD’s go on the offensive and it’s up to Daisy and Simmons to undermine and ultimately triumph. Oh? Did I say Daisy isn’t an LMD? Well you know what that means!

Someone pick up that phone because I FUCKING CALLED IT! Fitz is revealed to be an LMD in one of the most powerful, emotionally-charged scenes of the episode, if not the season, because Iain De Caestecker is an acting demigod. His performance during the tense standoff between him and Simmons further highlights this guy’s acting chops. Elizabeth Henstridge also delivers a strong perfermance but she isn’t switching from terror, anger, love, and affectlessness on the fly like Iain. It’s brilliant.

Daisy gets to show more of her combat chops by going up against the Mace-LMD and doing a pretty effective job though just taking one out is enough to knacker her out and resort to quaking Mac to pieces. It’s a fun running fist fight through the lab with some great camera work.

AIDA also continues her descent into full-on villain by turning The Superior into a Frankestein’s Monster of an LMD and killing Radcliffe before stuffing him into the framework. She’s like Ultron but actually threatening.

Ming-Na Wen has a pretty badass display of character for the May LMD this episode too! She has more May in her than Radcliffe probably intended, selflessly stalling the other LMDs from hurting her team with a pile of explosive barrels! She might not be human, but she’s still May. Right ’til the end.

We end the episode with Daisy and Jemma sneaking into the Framework to free their friends and we get a glimpse of what that perfect world looks like and boy is it bleak. Coulson is a racist teacher, Simmons is dead, May works for HYDRA and, most chilling of all…

SON OF A BITCH! I know good villains don’t die but jaysus, lads… Still, it’ll be good to see Brett Dalton back to being an openly evil bastard because he and Daisy have to be working for HYDRA too, right?

Self Control is my favourite episode of the season so far but that may soon change as when we come back to Agents of SHIELD in April, we’ll be dipping our toes into the alternate universe of the Framework and asking What If…

It’s not out of the realm of possibility, right? I’m seriously questioning his motives right now, more-so than RoboMay and she’s a confirmed LMD.

The Patriot, naturally, focuses on Jeffrey Mace and his secret origins but before I talk about that, let’s check in with the other plot lines…

Isn’t it a bit cliché that May’s mind rejects the tranquil simulation because “she’s a warrior” and she craves battle? Didn’t they use this exact excuse in The Matrix? Ah well, at least she got a few good hits in before being put under again. Meanwhile, her LMD has discovered her nature and is visibly perturbed. Are we going to see RoboMay rebel against her programming and we’ll have a May/May team-up? I’m guessing yesssssss!

The dynamic between Radcliffe and AIDA is also worth noting because if he keeps being snippy with her, she’s liable to murder his dopey arse. She’s killed for less!

We also get a fair amount of time with a returning Talbot (always a pleasure to see Adrian Pasdar) and FitzSimmons as they try to break an ex-Hydra assassin. It’s good to see Elizabeth Henstridge to play a little darker than sheer white every now and then. Simmons needs to challenge authority more.

Now, the meat and potatoes of the episode is the reveal that Jeffrey Mace is a fraud. After a carefully choreographed attack on Mace — including the first AoS appearance of the Judas Bullets from Luke Cage — Mace, Coulson, and Mack find themselves outnumbered and outgunned by a platoon of Watchdogs. As a result, Mace is revealed not to be an Inhuman at all, instead an enhanced human using a modified version of the Hyde Formula. I was kind of pulling for the same drug that IGH was using in Jessica Jones but I guess this works as a continuity nod too.

So yeah, Mace literally tripped into the role of a hero and has been playing it at the behest of Talbot and the Government. Credit to Jason O’Mara for a few more comical expressions and an incredibly earnest performance near the end as we see a more vulnerable version of Mace. With his secret out, Coulson naturally steps up to run ops from now on but only if Mace remains the face of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I really enjoyed this episode. It had a nice balance between all the plot lines, had a few decent gags and some cool action. Be sure to come back next week when we see AIDA’s plan expand further and May’s need to Wake Up.

Okay, so here’s the thing… Last week was a bit hectic for me. My mum went into heart surgery so I was looking after my family, and I had two extra TV shows to cover for Invasion Week sooooo… Deals With Our Devils slipped by me entirely and honestly… Kinda glad it did.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an interesting premise for an episode but seeing things play out twice from two perspectives, which could have been done in an interesting fashion, kind of feels like padding while parts that I was genuinely interested in were barely expounded upon.

AIDA’s reading of the Darkhold is of particular interest because instead of what I expected ie; she couldn’t read it, she not only could but it was in binary as well. The line Thor said about science and magic not being as distinct as we perceive them to be clearly has some merit when it comes to the Darkhold.

Another segment was the conversation between Reyes and the Rider (is it too much of a stretch to call him Zarathos since Eli is flesh and blood?). It could have been a fascinating look at their relationship but was boiled down to it’s barest element; the deal.

The deal we finally see sealed in The Laws of Inferno Dynamics, which is a fantastic title. Again, the most interesting parts are from AIDA and Reyes, the former finally revealed as an LMD and the latter making sure his uncle can’t hurt anyone else.

It’s safe to say that Reyes was never going to be in the show for long so bowing out at the mid-season finale makes sense. Might as well take the opportunity to say that I’ve enjoyed Gabriel Luna in this role and it’s a shame to see him go. Hopefully he’ll be back in the future and maybe this will lead to a solo series in the future but for the short time we had him, Luna was a brilliant Ghost Rider.

I really liked this continuity nod toward the end of the episode. Very cute moment to cement Daisy’s return as a rostered Agent. Good thing Mac and Yo-Yo got together too because holy fuck, that was getting tedious. But this is the mid-season finale so we need a cliff-hanger right? Something to get people interested in the next arc. Something like…

Yeah, May being revealed as an LMD’ll do it! I can only presume she was replaced when she was still having visions. Could Radcliffe also been an LMD? Could Fitz? Anyone who has interacted with AIDA in the house is immediately suspect! Shame about whatsisname. Guy. Snappy.

Not a bad winter finale overall but I can’t wait to see how the show progresses with this rogue AI plotline. I guess I’ll see you guys in January!

Okay, I think this has to be the best season finale Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has had. I mean, it’s had it’s rocky spots this season but it wasn’t as bland as last season and the episodes we’re looking at today — Absolution and Ascension — wraps up the season pretty damn perfectly.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes, let’s lighten the mood a little and talk about some of the lighter moments. The episodes are pretty intense over all and I’m glad that there’s some good comedy beats throughtout the episode, whether it’s FitzSimmons being adorkable or Coulson quoting Star Wars or even Holden Radcliffe just following people around to be helpful. There’s still fun to be had here and I’m so thankful for that.

Round of applause for Chloe Bennett and Brett Dalton, everyone. This pair brought their fucking A-GAME to this two-parter and really brought their characters to the forefront. Chloe’s performance of, essentially, a recovering addict/abused spouse/victim is damn strong and after the shock twist of her wanting Hive to take her back then the reverse-twist that he can’t… Well, Daisy and Hive’s fight is one of the most entertaining and interesting the show has had in a while.

Chekhov’s Shotgun Axe makes it’s first glorious appearance and I marked out super-hard. It’s beautiful.

Hive’s true form looks incredible! Definitely on par with the excellent creature design we’ve seen in Guardians of The Galaxy and looks very much like a more refined, charismatic version of his comic book counterpart. Brett Dalton’s performance is easily the highlight here, playing a deranged gestalt consciousness to perfection and, even in his final moments, even a little sympathetic. This should be the last of Dalton we see and while it’ll be sad to see him go, at least he went out with a bang.

Oh, and Lincoln too, I suppose. I had a little chuckle to myself when I realised that the cross and jacket was being passed around like pass the bloody parcel with the ultimate prize being a big damn heroic sacrifice. There’s definite shades of Captain America: The First Avenger as Lincoln and Daisy share an emotional goodbye that’s about as cliché as it gets.

In a surprise move, we quickly jump six months into the future to see that Daisy, now under the codename Quake me up inside (I can’t Quake up), has gone rogue and is clearly not abiding by the Sokovia Accords and is now being hunted by SHIELD under the orders of a new director. That’s got to be Maria Hill, right? She’s the only viable choice.

And in the stinger, we see Radcliffe celebrate the birth of a Life Model Decoy body for his AI secretary, AIDA. It’s awesome that LMD’s are finally going to become part of the SHIELD show going forward and Radcliffe’s involvement is a good pull since he’s nice and obscure but with a background with robotics. AIDA is also obscure as she is the AI created by Tom Thumb of the Squadron Supreme (Marvel’s thinly-veiled proxy of the Justice League) and gives us a real hint at what we may be seeing next season.

Between an intense finale and the promise of manhunts and androids in the next season, Absolution and Ascension are easily the best episodes this season has had and while we wait for the next season, we can look forward to more Agent Cart-ah… Well how about some Most Want-oh yeah, that’s not been picked up. I guess we’ll have to wait for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to return and for that Cloak and Dagger show to materialise. Catch you guys soon!

With Daisy’s betrayal still fresh in everyone’s mind, The Singularity sees SHIELD rallying up, splitting into two teams. One (Fitz, Simmons and Mack) on the heels of transhumanist Holden Radcliffe while Phil and May go to retrieve Alisha Whitley (the Inhuman duplicator) and later James, the potential Inhuman from Paradise Lost.

Suffice to say that nothing goes right in this episode and it all starts with Daisy and Hive “reuniting”. Hurrrrgggh, this is awful. It’s all manner of unsettling, almost to Kilgrave levels of rape-y, Stockholm-y mind fuckery. Awful, just awful. Hive is also a rancid sack of rotten dick for using Will’s memories against Simmons. What an asshole!

On the plus side, Daisy’s defection leads to the birth of another Secret Warrior, Hellfire. Axle Whitehead returns as James and spends most of the episode being Australian, blowing shit up and thinking up codenames. I really dig him and I hope he sticks around.

Coulson was all set to be a massive dick this episode after throwing a murder vest on Lincoln but after May kicking the man while he’s down and then the HUGE mark-out moment for me: his photonic shield! That’s rad as all dads!

And finally — after 3 seasons of waiting, Fitz and Simmons finally consummate their relationship, after many funny instances of Simmons mentioning sex and Fitz staring blankly as it dawns on him that he’s finally going to get the girl. Go on, FitzSimmons! Now for the inevitable death/suffering because these kids can’t have nice things.

The episode ends with the revelation of Hive having bought an entire town for his ever-growing Inhuman collective using Malick’s money. I’m interested to see what other Inhumans will show up or what they’ll name the town. Attilan, maybe? This is a pretty cool episode and I guess we’ll find out more about the town that Hive built next week in Failed Experiments.

Spacetime, rather disappointingly, does not really having anything to do with my favourite Rider’s call out but instead focuses on the notion of precognition. An Inhuman is discovered who can share premonitions of future events. Naturally, the episode revolves around the team trying to thwart the events only for them to inadvertently cause them or to be out of context to the actual situation. So how does the episode turn out?

It’s definitely a damn good episode. For it’s character development, fight choreography and handling of a subject that others have done before; Spacetime comes off as the sci-fi spy craft show it was meant to be.

I love the little bit of bonding that they’re doing with Coulson and Lincoln. Mostly because it’s clear that Lincoln, as a character, has no chemistry with May so switching his SO to Coulson is a great move.

Speaking of May, Ming-Na Wen is on top form, not only providing some fantastic fake fight work during a training sequence but also a fantastic scene with Andrew, whom turned himself before he transforms into Lash for what he believes is the final time. It kind of lacked emotional impact for me but I can tell both actors put their all into it.

Fitzsimmons sails on with this adorable little sequence while Daisy is getting her face caved in by Robo-Malick.

Also, shout-out to the most comedic reaction to the reveal of your nemesis still being alive goes to Coulson. Or maybe he’s just impressed with HiveWard’s fancy new Matrix coat?

Overall, Spacetime is a great episode for a whole bunch of reasons and is a contender for my favourite episode of the season, even without any major reveals or events. Just a really solid episode.

Maveth is the winter finale for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it has to be the most tepid, predictable episode we’ve had in a while.

And honestly, I don’t think I was expecting more. It’s paint by numbers but all the numbers are 1 and the colour is beige. Hands up everyone who guessed Will would be evil in some way? How about that Ward (suddenly and inexplicably drunk on HYDRA kool-aid) would die/get stranded? Two for two. Okay, how many saw this coming?

Okay, that wasn’t expected but that’s mostly because it’s stupid. Seriously, who built that? It’s not like this dirtball has any cities or anythi–

… Son of a bitch! But you know what the worst part is? That we still don’t get to find out what go damn planet this is! I need more lore in this show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I am not getting what I signed up for!

The attack on Castle WolfenHYDRA is the c-plot and while there’s a few fun lines here and there (Nick Blood, you make every scene you’re in golden), it’s mostly taking a back seat for the meat of the episode.

Will is revealed to be possessed by the mysterious creature HYDRA wants to find and it’s a slug. Thing. I’m getting REAL tired of this show and it not giving me what I want. I was expecting something I knew. Something that looked like something from the comics. Still, kudos to Fitz for setting the guy ON FIRE.

On the flip side, the bastard is dead! *Ode to Joy plays* But it still felt… Unsatisfying somehow. Ward was bound, full of bullet holes and high on sudden indoctrination so no matter how metal his death was (and lets face it, getting his chest crushed by Coulson’s robot hand is pretty fucking metal!) it still felt… Empty. Hollow, even.

Which is how Coulson must feel right now given his face. This is what a broken man looks like. Even when he found he was a resurrected science experiment, he was still Coulson but everything he’s dealt with for the latter half of season 2 and first half of season 3 has finally taken it’s toll. He’s not Phil Coulson anymore and that’s just sad… There’s not much made of the fallout of Fitz killing Not-Will but I’m sure they’re saving that until the second half.

Well. This is going to be a thing, isn’t it? On the one hand, I’m interested to see Brett Dalton play something decidedly un-Ward but on the other, we’re not going to have the same despicable asshole we love to hate. Guess we’ll just have to see how it goes.

For a winter finale, especially as a tease for what’s coming up, I can’t say it does a good job of getting me excited for the latter half of the season. If anything, the constant adverts on-screen about the two-hour premiere for Agent Carter got me excited for an entirely different show!

What did you guys think of this season so far? Let me know in the comments and I’ll see you all next year for more S.H.I.E.L.D. Exposed!

Jaysus… This week was FEELS City in SHIELD… Seriously, this was an emotional rollercoaster of an episode. Woo-boy…

Fitz continues to work on the Will problem for Jemma, even though it’s killing him inside. Thankfully, he recovers the data from Simmon’s sim card and, as well as finding information on the planet and getting a working theory on how to bring Will back, he finds the videos addressed to him and Iain’s performance in this scene is so damn compelling. All the doubt fades and his love and resolve galvanises in that one scene.

Also, Fitz and Hunter agree that Will has a hog face. BROS! BROS! BROS!

After last week’s stunning revelation, the fallout sees May struggles with her emotions in a way we’ve never seen before. This is genuine terror, not only because of what Andrew is but also what that means for them. It’s heartbreaking, really.

Quick side-note, shout-out to Jack Guzman (aka SHIELD Agent #1) for being the second (of three) Power Rangers alumni to appear in Marvel Cinematic productions so far. Seriously, we had Nikolai Nikolaeff as Vlad in Daredevil, Guzman here and Eka Darville in the upcoming Jessica Jones! It’s pretty weird seeing them for me.

And then we come to the knife-twisting. Rosalind is affiliated with HYDRA. FUCK. And we find this out after her and Coulson have hooked up. DOUBLE-FUCK! God damn it, writers! Stop blowing holes in my ships! What does this mean for our resident father-figure? Nothing good, count on it.

Chaos Theory is an exercise in puppy-kicking and if you’re not emotionally spent by the end of it, you’re probably dead inside. God knows what the writers have in store next week in Many Heads, One Tale.