When Dr. Radcliffe first showed Aida, the first LMD (Life Model Decoy), it seemed like it could be a great thing for the agents. He wanted to protect their lives and prevent them from losing loved ones. Since the mystical Darkhold book allowed Aida to create the virtual world Radcliffe called the Framework, more and more agents are being replaced by LMDs so he can carry out his plan to give humanity a virtual paradise. It's up to the few remaining high ranking SHIELD agents to overcome the LMDs and save the others that are being held captive.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 15 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, "Self Control," will be discussed below.

Radcliffe And Aida's Paradox

Aida brought Radcliffe out of the Framework. He wasn't pleased to discover the SHIELD agents were plugged in while he was still hooked up. It could have put him at risk. Aida explained she is facing a paradox with her programming. She is to protect the Framework and also protect Radcliffe. She realized he is the biggest threat to the Framework. If he felt regret over their plans, he might decide to reprogram her. Radcliffe explained that he feels no regret over putting the others in the Framework. They are getting a replica of their life with no pain. "Reality is a perception," he said. This allowed Aida to deal with her paradox. Since he strongly believed in the Framework, she slashed his wrists and put him back in as his body started to bleed out.

Aida And The Superior

Aida retrieved the Superior's body after his battle against Daisy Johnson. Badly wounded, the Superior was adamant that she didn't turn him into a "thing" like her. She responded by taking an electric saw to his body.

Later he awoke, fully healed. Grabbing her by the throat, she commented how he's stronger as well. His mind is still alive inside a mechanical body. His head is being preserved, and he can control the body. She needs him to be able to walk around to protect the Framework. She is determined to be able to find a way to experience emotions such as joy.

Fitz And Simmons - Who's An LMD?

Fitz and Simmons discovered their friends were replaced by LMDs and need to figure out what their next step should be. When the Director Mace LMD and Coulson LMD try separating the two, they manage to get away to work on another problem. The LMD detector goes off again, suggesting either Fitz or Simmons had been replaced as well. Simmons pointed a gun at Fitz, and he pleaded with her that he was real. After a tearful exchange, Fitz cut his wrist to show there wasn't any mechanical parts inside. Seeing a lot of blood, Simmons goes to help. He then stabbed her in the leg with the knife and knocked her out.

Simmons came to and found herself tied up. The Fitz LMD was preparing to download her memories. She escaped her bonds, dropped some machinery on the LMD to pin him down, and stabbed him over and over until he short-circuited.

Daisy Vs. LMDs

Last episode, it was thought Daisy, Mack, Coulson, and Mace were replaced by LMDs. The LMDs wanted to replace Daisy. She would have the Inhumans known to SHIELD transferred to their headquarters so they could be executed. Daisy discovered a room full of LMDs of herself. Thinking quickly, she shed her clothes in order to blend in when Mack came looking for her. She blasted him with her quake powers from behind and escaped.

Finding Simmons, they convinced each other they were both real. Simmons gathered other agents while Daisy took on both the Mack and Coulson LMDs. When it came time to enter the hanger, they found the Melinda May LMD and a bomb. The May LMD allowed them to leave. In a final confrontation with the Coulson LMD, she stated her mission was to find the Darkhold for Radcliffe. Her desire to be with Coulson was real. The Coulson LMD said that was good and drew his gun on her as she set off the bomb.

The Framework

Daisy, Simmons, and a few agents were able to escape in the Zephry-1. Daisy and Simmons were going to hack into the Framework to find the others in order to discover where they were in the real world. Inside the Framework, Daisy found herself in a bubble bath. She got a text saying, "Wake up your boyfriend. We're being called in." Figuring it was Lincoln, she got out of the tub and could see someone sleeping in the bed. In the room, a picture of Daisy and Grant Ward could be seen.

The lives of the other agents was shown. Coulson was in a classroom teaching why they should fear Inhumans, Mack has a house and picked up his daughter's bike, Fitz was in a fancy car with fancy clothes, a grave for Simmons was shown, and May was seen in the Triskelion building (seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) with a Hydra logo on the outside.

Gallery

Our Thoughts

Things get pretty nuts in this episode. Last week, we were blown away to discover four of the main characters were replaced by LMDs. When it turned out either Fitz or Simmons were also one, things got tense. The emotions between the two as we didn't know who was real and who had been replaced was heart-breaking. Having the real Daisy still around was a nice surprise. It seems her powers are increasing. She had to fight without her gauntlets, which could lead to her bones in her arms shattering. Still, she knew they had to fight and that they could win. Blasting both the Mack and Coulson LMDs at the same time was a spectacular sight.

The biggest surprise was when Daisy entered the Framework. Her hair looked longer, but it wasn't clear if this was really the case since it was wet and she was in the bath. When she was told to wake up her boyfriend and she assumed it was the deceased Lincoln Campbell, a part of me was hoping it would be Grant Ward. That would explain the long hair from Season 1.

It was interesting to see what regrets were being rectified or set up for the others. Does Coulson really want to be a teacher? Of course Mack would want a life where his daughter survived. Fitz's life was strange since he had wealth and fame along with a new lady friend. Could it be Aida? That would be creepy. It didn't make sense to see a headstone for Simmons in a cemetery. Was this part of Fitz's Framework life so he could move on, or does Simmons have a death wish? May being a big part of SHIELD before it fell also makes sense, but why the Hydra logo?

Let's hope we get to see these lives explored more in the next episode.

Daisy and Simmons did not get regrets lifted they just hijacked their simulated counterparts, whose position in the frameworks are likely both a result of Hydra taking over. Simmons dying or faking her death during the uprising and Daisy(still Skye), being made to see things Wards way, like she stated in season 3 he probably could have done.

Hydra is in control as a result of Coulson never being part of Shield. Thor was killed by Hawkeye during the first Thor movie while depowered, since a different agent would not have ordered him to wait. As a result Loki had no interest in earth and the Avengers never happened. Likewise Coulsons sacrifice did not unite the team, if they ever came together at all. And he was not there to take out the majority of Hydra heads and assets as he did in the last two seasons of AoS.

Fitz probably was not abandoned by his father and as a result used his genius to get rich rather than join shield never meeting Simmons or anyone else from the team.

I wonder how long the Framework storyline will take and how much time passes in real life while it happens, since Radcliffe implied time moves differently in the Framework. Theoretically we could spend six and a half out of the seven remaining episodes inside the framework and then move on with AIDA barely having advanced her plans, or spent a single episode inside with the next episode taking place months later with AIDA having caused major change, or we could see the team be inside the framework, while we also see AIDA advance her plans.

Without question the best episode of the entire series.

Might be the best episode of any Marvel show. Period.

Gotta say though... Joey could solve all this shit real quick.

@rogueshadow: That's why he could not be on this season. Well, and I think the actor is busy, but what a gamebreaker he would be. It's like putting Hulk in Winter Soldier.

Best episode ever. I can't even any more with this show. Thanks for the hiatus Marvel, I need it.

The superior?

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Guardian_(Anton)_(Earth-616)

My thought is this will be like the episode in Avengers Assemble where Doctor Doom uses time travel to prevent each Avenger's creation, conquers the world, and has each Avenger working for him in some capacity. They all seem loyal but then it turns out that they each were plotting to take Doom down. Replace Doom with Hydra and the Avengers with the Agents of Shield of course. I bet they come out of this with a Ward LMD that isn't evil and he Brett Dalton rejoins the cast.

@stahlflamme: Yes that makes sense about Coulson being the glue that saved the world. Great Theory man!!

Awesome episode. Jed Whedon has outdone himself here. The best one this season.

Fitz and Simmons "who's the lmd?" scene was so good! Great actors!!

Moving to 10 p.m. actually helped this show. Freedom to explore darker themes.

Cutting the season to 3 arcs was wise. I like the fast paced story telling while giving just enough to prep me for what's next. No more filler episodes.

Wow that matches up quite nicely.

I see why they got rid of Ghost Rider, those LMDs would've never infiltrated Shield with him around as he'd sense their lack of a soul. I'm still not feeling it on this LMD storyline..It just feels like AIDA is Ultron 2.0 and it feels like Secret Invasion except replacing the Skrulls with LMDs. It's alright, but definitely not as interesting as the first half of the season. I have to disagree with Rogue though because if we're talking about any Marvel show period, nothing in Marvel really competes with the rooftop scene episode of Daredevil with DD and the Punisher arguing their beliefs.

And they just can't seem to keep Ward dead can they? I suppose they have to be given credit for the creative ways they keep bringing him back

Frikkin awesome episode. I really hope we get a 5th season if they can keep this up.

RASENGAN!

I'm not going to lie, SHIELD's been losing my attention lately. But this episode... Insane. I hope it stays like this.

APRIL!!! That is far too long to wait. This show has been too good for too long to still be slept on.

Anyone else notice how no one on this website posts about the DC TV shows. Supergirl, Arrow, Flash, Legends come on, there not all terrible all the time.

@apg103 They did during last season. Maybe those articles didn't generate enough views? Not a shot at the DC shows as I watch all of them except Legends but just an idea.

Without question, best episode of any Marvel show. It's up there for top comic book show episode, for me at least.

Now this episode was pretty interesting, and when they showed the reemergence of Hydra I was surprised.

But this is all still just a virtual world anything could happen. When they showed May, I think she was working undercover to help bring them down. It would be nice to see Ward again, the guy really is a great character.

and the superior is great I'm real interested to see where they go with him. Also Senator Naider part in all this, maybe she works for Hydra too?

April seems so far away now... :(

@saint_diego: Well I would really like to talk about them. Legends i think is better than last season. Super-girl is ok too, but boy is Flash and Arrow going down hill....

@apg103: those shows are predictable, terrible and no where near as good as agents of shield.

Excellent episode.

Best episode ever

Also one thing to note, the date of death on Simmon's gravestone was the same day as FZZT, so there's no certainty that she did actually fake her death.

This was one of the best episodes of SHIELD, ever! The suspense didn't let up, and the ending certainly leaves you hanging with a whole mess of new subplots. And as soon as Daisy said "Lincoln?", I knew it was gonna be Ward! Lol. The biggest puzzle of the bunch is who was with Fitz in the limo. I'm already sure Simmons' gravestone is a red herring. If she deposited her mind into a dead body in the Framework, we would've seen some agonizing certainty of her death. It's entirely possible, too, that Simmons IS the woman getting out of the car with Fitz. Does anyone know what the last arc of the season is being subtitled? I don't think they'd call it "The Framework". But they announced early on that this season would be broken into 3 distinct arcs, so it won't continue with "LMD". And by the look of this expansive world, they probably intend to keep the story within The Framework for at least half of the upcoming episodes...

Following up to my own comment... I did some googling and see the final arc of Season 4 is going to be subtitled "Agents Of HYDRA"; which most likely means the majority of the episodes (if not all of them) will take place in The Framework. They could also have a concurrent story in reality, showing developments with AIDA & the Superior, and following Yo-Yo (did you check out the webisodes centered on her character? I actually thought they were well-done; and watching them back-to-back was like a whole extra episode of the show) and whatever develops from the Zephyr's escape. I also see this span as a great time to bring back Mockingbird & Hunter. They could easily appear within the Framework without impacting the storyline that wrote them out of the series. The same goes for any other past guest characters they may want to revisit. Of course, I still hope they weave Mockingbird & Hunter back into the show again someday, but that major monkey wrench severed them so well, the actors are obviously pursuing other work and that may never be a workable option. So I'll settle for a guest appearance!

When people say that AoS is bad or isn't on par with Marvel Netflix, show them this episode.

This was the best episode of the entire series for me. The scene with Fitz and Simmons figuring out who was the LMD was some of the best acting I've ever seen from both of them. What made it even better was that I really couldn't tell which one was the real thing until it was revealed. The tension in this episode overall was so real and that desperation just added to them fighting to survive.

The ending also just left me with so many questions. I'm really curious to see what Aida plans on even doing next.

@holyserpent: True. I like DC just tries to overload there shows with as much heroes as possible.

I have been waiting to see Mockingbird & Hunter again.

Also interested to see what is going on with Uncle Eli.

Oh man, this episode was amazing! Great action scenes, crazy twists and possibly the best acting we've seen to date. Simmons and Fitz when the LMD detector goes off, Simmons and Daisy when they first meet up, the May and Coulson LMDs before the explosion, Aida killing Radcliffe! Daisy fighting the Mack and Coulson LMDs!... The list goes on.

I can't get my head around any of the stuff we saw in the framework but I suppose that's the idea. Why would Coulson be Anti-Inhuman? Why is Simmons dead? Why is Hydra still a thing? I wonder how they'll treat the framework, is it all specifically programmed by Aida or is the wish-fulfillment stuff just automatic?

The only critic I have is that it seemed pretty easy for them to "hack" into the framework. But that's a minor thing and certainly serves the purpose of convenience.

This is gonna be a long wait until they come back. Is it April?

@apg103: A while ago on the podcast they mentioned that they won't be covering much in the way of TV anymore. If I remember correctly the main reason was low click count on the articles. I'm sure it's also got to do with time management, their own interest in the show, etc, etc...

@rogueshadow:Lol. They really need to get in touch with Joey and Deathlok for backup. Did they lose their numbers? Joey didn't die did he?

@d9000: Na he just quit. It's like @stahlflamme said though, they're too OP. Deathlok would know instantly who is and isn't an LMD thanks to his x-ray eye and Joey could just melt them. They basically had to BFR Ghost Rider to another dimension, lol. I'm cool with it because the content is such high quality. Logically you'd think they would try and get them (maybe they will soon?), but I'm willing to let it slide because it's just so well executed.

Off-topic, but do we have any idea how many Inhumans there actually are at this point? Has any number, statisic or ratio population-wise been given?

This episode combined the best of Terminator and Blade Runner and ended with plopping them down in the Matrix.

Very entertaining. I agree that it might be my favorite episode of the entire series.

@rogueshadow: Hmmmm, I have a feeling they've hinted at a number but I can't remember anything specific.

If I had the time to rewatch episodes looking for it I'd try and catch Nadeer's dialog at the beginning of the LMD story arc. She might have mentioned a statistic about it.

Or maybe towards the end of last season? Hive/Ward might have mentioned something.

@rogueshadow: I don't remember any clear number being mentioned, but when daisy hacked into the watch system there were about fifty entrys on the list that we could see, though there is the possibility that list could have been scrolled down further.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I_AJ5C_iRdM

@stahlflamme: Hmmm. I'd like to think that's a significant amount of them in the U.S. Really, if that were all there was, or even if there are only say one or two hundred known Inhumans in North America, that would pretty much quell continuity issues. A hundred Inhumans and slowly growing is enough to spark media 'outrage' and a degree of paranoia with it still being plausible that it hasn't gotten so big that it rocks the Films and Netflix portions of the universe.

This reminded me of Invasion: who do you trust?

It's kinda hard to believe news are shoking when you title article like this every week. I mean, come on, it's not GoT.

This whole framework arc is going to be one crazy ride.

WHAT? that espiode was incredible, it was just the best thing ever

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