I really miss Ghost Rider.
There I said it
[7.0/10] Perfectly solid episode. We essentially got three stories in the episode, and none of them were great, but each of them was solid.
The best of them was Coulson’s interactions with Agnes, the woman who was unwittingly the model for Aida. The writing is pretty heavy-handed about it, but learning more about her, and how much of Radcliffe’s efforts toward artificial life extension were meant to save her, give Radcliffe (as Mrs. Bloom noted) a Mr. Freeze quality. One of the things I’ve appreciated about Radcliffe as an antagonist since they introduced him is that he’s not a completely bad guy. He aims to preserve life, and he has clear goals that conflict with those of our heroes, even if he pursues them in harsh or unethical ways. There’s a grayness to his morality which is rare in a show when villains tend to be of the mustache-twirling variety.
It also offers a nice showcase for Mallory Jansen, who gets to be a real human being and not just an android. It’s a testament to her abilities as an actress that Agnes scans as someone entirely different and distinct from Aida. The sympathy, strength, and for lack of a better term, humanity of this woman living out her last days cuts a clear contrast between her and an automaton who is just beginning to feel human emotions like jealousy and longing. Agnes’s choice to go with Radcliffe and dive into his Matrix-like “Framework” represents the desperation of someone who doesn’t know what’s left for her.
That’s what connects her thematically to Mace, and also to Shockley, and provides the thread that ties these three stories together. Mace is wondering what his role is, what good he is to anyone, with the knowledge that each use of his cobbled-together super solider serum might be his last. He doesn’t have his strength so he’s not as much help in the field. The episode bends over backwards to show how Quake and the rest of the team don’t exactly need him to help solve mysteries. And he doesn’t seem content to be a “mascot.”
The football metaphors lay it all on a little thick, but in lieu of being able to contribute in the ways he has before, Mace goes for the heroic sacrifice. He turns on his serum and suffers the consequences so that his compatriots can get away. There’s a nobility in that, even if it essentially turns him into a hostage. But there’s an irony that someone pretending to be an Inhuman, who is desperately trying to help them, is struggling to figure out how to be of service while someone who hates Inhumans, finds out he really is one, and is struggling to destroy them.
The reveal that Shockley is himself an Inhuman is an ironic twist that has symbolic resonance for those who offer prejudice but are compensating for their own feelings or heritage that they find shameful. On a pure text level, the notion of a guy who can explode and piece himself back together is pretty cool, and creates a nice puzzle for our scientists to solve. He makes for several interesting setpieces, and again, provides an interesting thematic part of the episode when he still pledges his loyalty to “The Superior.” Quake trying to exhaust his exploding abilities, while Fitz and Simmons roll up with a Ghostbusters containment unit is a nice resolution to boot.
Of course, apart from the fireworks, much of the episode is spent digging into the psyche of Coulson, with him trying to act more calmly while still holding out hope that he can save May. I like Clark Gregg, but he’s always had trouble with this sort of material, and it doesn’t really land with the emotional urgency it needs to.
Still, while this episode delivered more backstory and reveals in the android-focused arc from this year, it did well to create those thematic ties between Agnes, Mace, and Shockley. It’s three different people, with three different motivations, all trying to find their place when they realize that the way they defined themselves is quickly coming to an end. Who knows if the latter two will end up in “The Framework” as well.
(Oh, and Senator Nadir is dead. The most amusing part of the episode is how Daisy wasn’t shedding any tears for the demise of a woman who tried to kill them.)
I wish this show becomes like netflix shows wherein they release all episodes at once. It is so good now that just get too impatient to see the next episode!! Lolz
I find it a bit hard to believe that Agnes would simply drop everything and agree to go into this Matrix thing after years of hating Radcliffe.
I knew Coulson wouldn’t give up on May!!!! And what happened to skye??? She used to be so powerful and now she can barely push away a couple of guys, they need to fix her powers!!
Wow. I don't think I had seen Mallory Jansen before, so seeing her playing human there really stresses out how good her android game is ! From the first really robotic episodes to the improved android right now. The way Aida's so obviously jealous of her model, but still in a not quite human way.
Even if there's been some details about the main story, they don't feel really important (Nadeer's gone, who cares ?). The principal action here is old style catching inhuman.
The boom power is really cool. That scene when he reconstructs himself from scratch! Also the explosion is big enough to destroy the containment cell, and this time, not like the Rider, it is an inhulan power. So the cells are not what they used to be. The confrontation with Daisy is nice, and the Ghostbusters style capture, ah ah.
Really good episode and brilliant performance by Mallory Jansen.
Well, it seems they know where they are going
Review by Aniela KrajewskaVIP 8BlockedParentSpoilers2017-02-08T13:58:20Z— updated 2017-08-19T10:43:04Z
I would like to take a moment to applaud Mallory Jansen for her stellar work. It was so weird hearing her real Australian accent because her American one is so good. So was her British accent on Galavant, for that matter. But the way she plays Aida is just incredible. There is something unnervingly non-human about her, which is exactly what I would expect from an android. It was especially visible in this episode, where she also played Agnes, an actual human being. You could see how Aida's eyes were just a tiny bit emptier, her facial expressions a little more artificial. And her obvious yet subtle resentment of Agnes. It was mindblowing.
I think it's super creepy how Radcliffe modeled Aida after his ex. And Aida's obvious jealousy of him makes me really uncomfortable. By the way, how did such a stunning, young woman as Agnes fall in love with such an old geezer? I know love is blind and all, but come on.
The Inhuman dude regenerating after blowing himself up was disgusting. I mean, I guess it's a cool power, but is it really worth it if you are basically blown to pieces every single time?
The Superior has Mace now. Boy, he's in for a big surprise when the Inhuman Director turns out to be not so Inhuman.
I was expecting Radcliffe to come up with some kind of immortality serum. Instead, he builds a fucking simulation? Is that really the best the Darkhold had to offer? I don't want to live inside a computer for the rest of eternity, thank you very much.