SHIELD is now aware Agent Melinda May has been taken; Senator Nadeer has been working with the anti-Inhuman group, the Watchdogs; and Dr. Radcliffe has betrayed them to work under Nadeer's protection. Plans are in motion to find May, but the appearance of a new Inhuman is going to complicate things further.
Warning: Spoilers for Season 4, Episode 13 of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, "Boom," will be discussed below.
Senator Nadeer Gets An Unexpected Surprise
Terrance Shockley--member of the Watchdogs--visited Senator Nadeer at her office. He mentioned the Superior was questioning whether or not she had Inhuman blood in her since her brother went through Terrigenesis. Outraged, she ordered Shockley to leave, but he smashed a pure Terrigen Crystal on her desk, unleashing the gas that would put a potential Inhuman in a Terrigenesis cocoon. She's relieved to discover it has no affect on her. Unfortunately, one of the others in her office does go through the change with an explosive result. Senator Nadeer is killed in the blast.
The Superior's Plan Against The Inhumans Progresses
Despite Radcliffe warning the Superior not to read the Darkhold, he admitted he glanced through it. It informed him Radcliffe would give him the solution to defeating the Inhumans. It was Radcliffe that provided Shockely with the pure Terrigen Crystal to use in Nadeer's office.
The Superior gets another advantage over SHIELD with the use of that crystal. It was Shockley that underwent Terrigenesis in Nadeer's office. He gained the ability to explode and reform his body. Despite now being the thing he despised, Shockely pledged his continued loyalty to the Superior. He later faced off against Daisy, who used her powers to keep forcing him to explode. This gave Fitz and Simmons a chance to contain him while he was in his reforming state.
The Director Faces A Dilemma
With the revelation that Director Mace is not actually an Inhuman, Simmons was able to run some tests on him. The serum he used to temporarily give him superhuman strength was having a negative affect. Each time he used it, the risk of going into cardiac arrest increased. Mace began to get frustrated over what his role on the team was. He decided to risk using his powers against the Watchdogs to give Fitz and Simmons time to capture Shockley. This lead to him getting surrounded and captured. The Superior believes he now has the "Inhuman Director of SHIELD." If he finds out Mace isn't an Inhuman, who knows if they'll keep him alive.
Who Was Aida Modeled After?
Coulson and Mack tracked down a woman named Agnes Kittsworth in Spain. This was the woman Radcliffe used as a template for his Aida LMD. She told Coulson she didn't want anything to do with Radcliffe because he was a coward. She was suffering from a brain tumor and when Radcliffe couldn't cure her, he disappeared. She was shocked to discover a robot was made with her likeness, and Coulson convinced her to help track down Radcliffe by explaining someone he cared for, Agent May, was missing.
Unfortunately when she came face-to-face with Radcliffe once again, she decided to go with him when he said he could help her. He brought her into the Framework, the virtual landscape he created and is keeping May contained in. As her mind was downloaded into the Framework and she achieved peace, her body died.
Coulson Gets Some Encouragement
Coulson has realized how deep his feelings were for May. When Radcliffe told Agnes he had someone in the Framework, and she was thriving. That let him know May was still alive. This gave him a renewed vigor to continue his search.
May is shown muttering to herself while attached to the Framework.
Our Thoughts
The shocks continue in this latest episode. It was unexpected to see Senator Nadeer killed already. Even though SHIELD discovered her ties to the Watchdogs and the Superior, they didn't have any concrete proof to act on it. With her connections in the government, she could continue to cause problems for them. On top of that, seeing Shockley becoming the thing he despised was gratifying. He was quickly captured after discovering his deadly powers. Perhaps we'll see him escape later to shake things up some more.
Mace has been struggling to find his place on the team. It's now safe to say his intentions are truly noble. All doubt can be erased. Hopefully he'll survive getting captured.
An interesting minor moment was when an LMD sensor went off. Fitz was with a technician when another agent came in with Mace's upgraded armor when it alerted them. Fitz chided the technician to recalibrate it so it doesn't go off when "a metal coat hanger" is brought in, especially since Coulson has a prosthetic hand. What if Fitz or the other agent is yet another LMD Radcliffe sent in to infiltrate SHIELD? We'll have to wait and see.