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

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Despite being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at times seems to be on its own island in this sea of incredible stories. Whenever a new Marvel movie is released that may have bearing on the show, the "tie-in" to it tends to be nothing more than a simple mention or television clip, with the exception to this particular rule coming in the first season with a decent Thor tie-in and the series making use of the events of The Winter Soldier to in essence change the format of the show completely.

So naturally when I heard that "Emancipation" was going to have a tie-in to Civil War, I was skeptical and as the episode opened with said tie-in, I have to admit it looked like more of the same. A television update on Steve Rogers, a newspaper blurb on the passing of Peggy Carter, Talbot discussing how the Sokovia Accords were the law of the land; it really seemed like business as usual for the tie-in and then the show decided to surprise us all. While Civil War made mention of Enhanced Individual Registration before moving onto the rest of its story, this week's episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. decided that registration act and its ethics needed to be explored. 

It made for a fascinating segment with Talbot finally setting foot inside Coulson's headquarters to get the grand tour and have a frank discussion with Phil about why the Sokovia Accords are important and why they need to be implemented as soon as possible and to be honest, hearing a little more about the Accords and what registration includes is actually quite concerning. Lincoln had a point that the giant list of Enhanced individuals and their true identities, complete with DNA samples is a touch frightening, not to mention May has a point as to how the Accords could also limit the movements and work of the team long term down the road as well. But alas, there would be no fix to that particular mess last night. Because while all of this was damn fascinating...there were bigger fish to fry story wise. 

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After all, Hive is still working on his plan to alter mankind genetically to create a planet full of Inhumans and in order to see his plan come to fruition poor Daisy was put through the wringer, donating an insane amount of blood to help create a serum to accomplish Hive's goal and well, this is when the episode became downright brutal. Because as a gift to Daisy, Hive made sure that Hellfire kidnapped a group of Watchdogs to use for the experiment and while it turned out to be a success, what it created...was stuff straight out of a horror movie. 

In essence Hive created a more primitive Inhuman. One that is horribly disfigured and supremely loyal and what's worse, Hive was good with everything about them. This is most likely his vision for humanity, but before he could go any further in preparing more of the serum...the show injected a grand twist our way that I absolutely loved. The subplot this episode revolved around Daisy doing her best to seduce Lincoln to add him to Hive's collection and it looked like she had him hook, line and sinker since she worked the systems she designed to get him aboard a Quin-Jet to reunite with her and in the process be taken by Hive. But alas, it was all a ruse. Lincoln knew she would try this and working with Coulson and May they came up with a plan to send Lash in his place, believing that Lash's purpose as an Inhuman was to put down Hive. 

Turns out they, and anyone else who thought Lash was the answer (myself included) were wrong. While Lash was indeed a match for Hive, his real purpose all along was to cure Daisy and save her life, putting her on the Quin-Jet before facing his end at the hands of Hellfire. It made for a sobering finale where May quietly said goodbye to the shell of her husband and where Daisy, now free of her link to Hive, had to come to the realization of everything she has done under his control. This was truly a brutal episode through and through, and I loved every single second of it. This is how damn good this series is when it holds nothing back and I only hope they keep this kind of pace going from here on out because this episode was world class. Either way. The end is in sight. The two hour season finale arrives next week, and the team may never be the same if indeed an agent is going to die. Until next time.

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