Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be amazing at both giving what the audience wants but dicking with them along the way. Last week we had Fitz go full HYDRA and this week we have a Trip-le bill of shocking developments!

First up, we see why Fitz is the way he is. Like Radcliffe says, it only takes a sentence to change someone’s world but what if there was a whole other person there? Having Fitz be raised by his father instead of his dear old mum has a huge impact as we see them share time. David O’Hara, an accomplished actor who is so Scottish it looks like it hurts him, plays a harsh Alistair Fitz; a man who subscribes to that BS mentality that men should be taught respect through beatings and Fitz is visibly uncomfortable around him. Despite the new reality shaping his personality, even he can see that the way he was raised was wrong on some level.

But in some ways, it’s so, so right because here come dat boi; oh shit, it’s Antoine Triplet! Hashtag Trip Lives! It’s truly astonishing to see BJ Britt return to the show after such a long absence and this kinda shoots my theory that this world won’t last long because you can’t bring back Trip and then go back to the real world next episode! That’s not fair!

What’s also not fair is while one cast member returns, one leaves us as Jeffrey Mace goes out like a big damn hero! At the very least, we got a beast of a fight scene between a temporarily super-powered May and Mace before he sacrifices himself to save the team, Coulson’s students and even May herself. It’s bittersweet to see Jason O’Mara leave the show but he got a badass out, even with the switch to reality as AIDA switches off his life support.

In the wake of Mace’s sacrifice and the revelation that HYDRA authorised a building full of children to be demolished, May turns face and gives Daisy exactly what she needs to escape and bring the Triskelion down on her way out. It’s good to see the two friends reunite in what promises to be a knock-down drag-out fight to survive next episode!

No Regrets offers exactly that with an emotionally engaging and high action episode that ramps up the momentum as we head towards the season finale but for now, we’ll see next week how Madame Hydra deals with this betrayal as she calls All The Madame’s Men.

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.

Meet the New Boss continues from the great groundwork in the last episode while building more intrigue. While Daisy and Robbie duke it out over what makes them heroes, the new Director has a special mission for Coulson and May isn’t feeling all that good…

The mystery behind ghost woman Lucy is only compounded by the revelation that there are more like her in a alternative energy lab and they’re all pretty pissed; both at Lucy and at a mysterious other man who is seemingly responsible for their predicament. Another wrinkle is the mention of the Darkhold; a grimoire created by the first practiser of black magic.

It is a Book of Sins that is considered the antithesis of the Book of Vishanti. It sank Atlantis, created the first vampire and has been the bane of the Midnight Sons — a group consisting of Stephen Strange, Blade, Morbius and the Ghost Riders. Whatever this experiment was, it wasn’t good and can only prove to be a deadly threat to SHIELD.

Which is why Daisy teaming up with Robbie is cause for concern as he clearly exhibits some knowledge of what happened or what it can mean. My guess is that Robbie’s uncle (Daisy mentioned him early in the episode) is the mystery man responsible for their current condition, hence the Rider’s interest in a photo in the lab and how quickly he dispatched one of the spectres.

Meanwhile, May goes crazy! Oh, boy, the hits just keep coming this episode, huh? The spectral infection intensifies within May and I love the disjointed camerawork and even the odd performance that Clark Gregg gives to make May’s perspective seem feverish and paranoid.

Jason O’Mara, the dreaded new Director is actually a really upbeat nice guy called Jeffrey! Really wasn’t expecting that. But there are plenty of hints within the episode as to his true identity which I loved. His first appearance is talking about headlines, the base has been redecorated with more American flags, Coulson agreed to his appointment since Steve Rogers went A.W.O.L. and, most importantly, his name is Jeffrey.

Marvel stated that the new Director would have ties to the 1940’s and putting all this information together gives us one answer; the new Director is Jeffrey Mace aka Patriot aka Captain America. The reveal that he is also Inhuman was a brilliantly done as well. I loved Jason’s performance and while he’s not going to win points with fans for not being pro-Team Coulson, he is acting like the Director of SHIELD should.

A fantastic episode to follow-up the premiere and already I’ve got a great feeling about this season. I’ll see you all next week when there will be an Uprising.