“Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” Season 4, Episode 14 Recap: “The Man Behind the Shield”
“Agents of SHIELD” ramps up the action with a showdown between SHIELD and the Russians/Watch Dogs, with Mace’s life in the balance.
This Valentine’s Day, celebrate with Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD! The Director’s life is at stake! Melinda May is still missing! It’s all the romance you could ever want!
Not-So-Short Summary
Fitz has a hand on the Framework, at least a prototype of it. It’s a fun fight scene between Coulson and Daisy (I may have silently cracked up when Coulson punched Daisy in the nose), a cool dynamic we don’t always see.
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Man Behind the Shield” – Mace fights for his life while Coulson and team find themselves in a deadly cat-and-mouse game as they attempt his rescue, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Jennifer Clasen)
CLARK GREGG
In Nome, Alaska, SHIELD discovers the Superior’s crazy map of Phil Coulson. Turns out, he and the Superior actually have a tie to each other! In a flashback that includes pre-Cavalry May all smiles and happy, they were sent to retrieve an 084.
That tie takes our SHIELD crew to Russia. Obviously. The comrades Coulson and May run into happened to be close friends/workers of the Superior, and he leaves no man forgotten.
He cannot forgive Coulson for their murders. Even though he didn’t do it personally.
Meanwhile, Director Mace endures some pretty minimal torture from the Superior. Don’t worry, he’s just bait. Pretty minimal torture until the Superior washes his hands of Mace and lets in his comrades to do the dirty work.
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – “BOOM” – Daisy, Mace and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team must find a way to contain an explosive Inhuman. Meanwhile, Coulson and Mack come face-to-face with Radcliffe’s inspiration for Aida, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Jennifer Clasen)
CHLOE BENNET
SHIELD storms the base, and Coulson and Ivanov immediately face off. It reminds me a little bit of the Captain America/Batroc fight at the start of The Winter Soldier. The part with them basically having a stare-off against each other. At least Daisy gets her retribution on the top Watch Dog.
Thank goodness for Mack’s shotgun axe. Everyone is saved (minus May) and everyone makes it back from the battle.
Back on base, FitzSimmons start to think about how long that battle took and why it was dark out when they left. The timetable doesn’t add up.
And that’s when they discover that there’s a new LMD among them. In fact, there are four of them:
Daisy, Coulson, Mack, and Mace.
Now the next phase of the killer robot plan begins!
Post-Credits Stinger
In that flashback, May makes a comment about being tired of dating civilians. Coulson says they can revisit their discussion if her current relationship goes south. It just so happens to be with a shrink, and she makes the comment that it probably won’t last. (Too bad it’s Andrew screwing up the Philinda action!)
Back in the present, LMD!Coulson reactivates LMD!May. This should be fun!
Badass Moment of the Week
The Daisy/Ivanov showdown was pretty good. Despite him being fully loaded with guns and her having earthquake powers, they go for hand-to-hand combat. Kudos to Daisy’s line of how the rules of the world have changed.
Best One Liner
“And because we know Ivanov has a submarine like all good Bond villains…” Mack comments. Runner up has to be Coulson’s delivery of “Cool origin story, bro.”
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Man Behind the Shield” – Mace fights for his life while Coulson and team find themselves in a deadly cat-and-mouse game as they attempt his rescue, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Jennifer Clasen)
HENRY SIMMONS, CLARK GREGG
There’s also a very strong discussion between Mack and Fitz regarding the Framework. Mack has a point — if Fitz hadn’t been helping Radcliffe in his creations, this year would have been much easier for them all. But at the same time, how was Fitz even supposed to know Radcliffe was going to go off the deep end? He did it all for the betterment of the team (the Framework was supposed to be a sort of Danger Room for SHIELD, a training simulation, not May’s prison).
Basically, Mack’s kind of been a bit of a jerk lately (to use a family-friendly term).
It’s like Simmons said: just because someone else used his ideas for evil doesn’t make them necessarily evil.
Also, congrats all you fans (including me) who thought Coulson was an LMD from the start until project TAHITI came along. Now we actually have an LMD!Coulson! And it’s awful!
Next: Report: Kerry Washington Starring in Deadpool Sequel with Ryan Reynolds
Next week’s Agents of SHIELD, the hunt is on for FitzSimmons to turn the last two non-LMDs into actual LMDs.