'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Recap: 'The Man Behind the Shield'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

The breakneck pace that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been running at all season long left me wondering plenty about last night's episode. Simply because it seemed as though that Coulson and the gang were closing in on Radcliffe and the Superior and if they squared off this early into the storyline...what would come next? Would Aida somehow become the big bad? Was there a bigger threat hiding behind the Superior? Thankfully the show was ready to answer all of these questions, but once again they did so in surprising fashion because the answer to the last two questions I just posed was a resounding 'no', but the answer as to what comes next...was downright stunning and terrifying. 

But before we get to the big reveal/revelation of 'The Man Behind the Shield', let's take a few moments and discuss the other fascinating aspects of this particular tale because this episode was still an entertaining ride, one that explored the guilt that Fitz was finally experiencing over his scientific proclivities, one that took us on an incredible man hunt to find May and Director Mace, and one that even took a little bit of time to explore the Phil Coulson of old on an earlier mission with S.H.I.E.L.D. with May by his side and their budding romance that seemingly is never meant to be by way of a fun little flashback. 

Now normally, the flashbacks on this show are usually throwaway moments but this one...well this one stood out because not only did it solidify the chemistry between Phil and Melinda, but it also set the stage for the problems that Phil is dealing with right now. Because as it turns out, that cutesy little mission from back in the day is what changed the Superior's outlook on life. He lost friends and brothers in arms due to May and Coulson completing their mission...and the loss of those men led him down a path of powerful revenge and well...there was irony to be found in his quest to end Coulson's life because Phil...simply didn't care about the Superior's reasoning behind putting on an elaborate show. He wanted May and Mace and let Daisy handle the rest and for the most part it would seem the Watchdogs and the Superior's vendetta were put to bed in this episode as well.

But the guilt that Fitz was feeling, well that's actually more important than another villain going down because this is the episode where Fitz took responsibility for his actions. He had a hand in the creation of Aida. He helped design the Framework where May is now trapped in a virtual world and it was good to see Fitz realize that sometimes forging ahead without thinking about the consequences can cause more harm than good, and he's going to need that humility because the big reveal of the night was that the Superior was a pawn in Radcliffe's master plan and by going to save a life, the team walked into a trap and now...Coulson, Mace, Daisy and Mack have all been replaced by LMD's and at the moment it seems to be up to Jemma and Fitz to figure out how to handle this shocking turn of events. 

If anything, this show just continues to toss one incredible surprise after another our way and this is one of the biggest they've pulled off so far. I mean come on, the executive leadership of S.H.I.E.L.D. are now Radcliffe's creations and who knows what crack pot scheme he has planned for them when it comes to his newfound vision of life eternal for all mankind. Either way, this was one hell of a twist to throw our way, and I rather like the idea that Fitz and Simmons are going to have to figure out how to save the day. It kind of takes the show back to its spy roots from season one and well, here's to hoping they act quickly because you know Radcliffe won't waste any time when it comes to putting his plans in motion. Until next time.

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