“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” Season 4 Episode 9 Recap: “Broken Promises”
“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” returns from its winter hiatus with lots of killer robot action! Aida takes on SHIELD and starts a covert mission of her own.
Welcome back to Culturess’s coverage of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD! Our SHIELD friends return from winter break. Plus, we’ve switched gears from Ghost Rider to Life Model Decoys.
Not-So-Short Recap & Discussion
First, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: May’s LMD is after the Darkhold for Aida (this episode, at least). And the theme for this episode is definitely “Killer Robots.”
So, SHIELD’s plan is to erase and replace Aida’s hard drive, as she’s read the Darkhold and that’s not a good thing. Mack points out all the movies over the last three decades that showcase evil robots (how dare he leave out “Itchy and Scratchy Land” from The Simpsons). Even Elena is on the same page as Mack!
Of course, it’s too late. Aida already made her own upgrades, including not feeling pain, and she’s off on her own. Not as fast as Ultron, but certainly keeping pace. She even attacks the SHIELD base. They seem to get hacked at least once a year, as Coulson admits.
Mallory Jansen as Aida for “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” copyright Marvel Studios and ABC Entertainment
If you’ve seen any movie from the 1980s with killer robots, you kind of have an idea of where this heads. Aida makes it on base, knocks Coulson out with a punch, deactivates LMD!May, and locks them in a room together to get Coulson to admit where they stashed the Darkhold.
But don’t worry! She’s locked in the base, and then Mack decapitates her. It’s awesome with how unexpected it is.
What’s also a little unexpected? Radcliffe is behind all of this. He wants the Darkhold, much like Eli. He has another Aida as a backup and planted the LMD!May. Also, he plays a lovable scientist so well that it’s hard for me to see him as the bad guy. But I’m all for it.
Meanwhile, Senator Nadeer currently hides her brother at one of their father’s old houses. Keep in mind that Vijay was in Terrigenesis for seven months. No one knows what will happen to him now. There’s a lot of exposition in this storyline, about breaking promises and not turning backs on each other.
What’s important to know is that Vijay does have Inhuman powers despite trying to tell his sister otherwise. And he has super speed. Seeing the effect is pretty cool, as super speed isn’t always super believable. Unfortunately, the Senator kills him herself.
Plus, you know, she’s organizing the Watch Dogs, so she’s not someone to mess with. Already she plans a strike back against SHIELD for interfering.
Post-Credits Stinger
Vijay’s body gets dumped in a lake. As soon as it hits the bottom, he goes back into Terrigenesis. Interesting!
Badass Moment of the Week
Let’s go with Aida taking on SHIELD, which includes cold-cocking Radcliffe with his own devices and throwing Fitz through a plate-glass door.
Image via ABC
Best One-Liner
“I think Simmons has been kidnapped three times since I’ve known her,” Daisy muses.
“Really?” Mace asks.
“Yeah, well… only twice on this planet,” Daisy replies. I mean, that’s just a loaded comment.
Also, a special shout-out to how many 1980s movies Elena has watched and referenced in this episode.
I didn’t mention the mission with Mace, Simmons, and Daisy. It was nice to see these three working together, even if Daisy still doesn’t quite trust the Director. Heck, neither does Simmons, and she admits that to his face. Well, if he’s all about rebuilding trust, a good way to start includes trying to save a captured Inhuman.
Next: Let’s Hope For A Loki/Doctor Strange Quip Showdown In “Thor: Ragnarok”
Next week’s Agents of SHIELD looks pretty darn intense. How long until all the LMDs get out of hand? They make it look like real May will wake up and ruin their plans. Just please don’t let Coulson fall for the fake May. Hearts will break!